High Adventure Labor Day

We went with Hart and Jory and the kids back up the canyon to a beach on the Payette River that Hart and I had stopped at with our rafting group on Saturday. It had a great sand bar with smooth, slow-flowing water to float in, and the scenery was beautiful. We got there and played in the water and sand for a couple of hours until things started falling from the sky. We didn't really understand what was happening at first because it was so bizarre, but after a few minutes we looked up and noticed a huge plume of smoke rising over the nearest hill and little pieces of bark and such dropping out of the air.


It was one of the stranger things I've ever seen, especially since none of the pieces appeared to be burned. But we watched one after another fall from the smoky sky and splash lightly into the river. The smoke started to appear more and more menacing, and more and more proximal, and we started to debate whether we should hit the road or not. At about that moment a helicopter flew overhead and dumped water on the hillside opposite that from which the smoke was coming. We turned and looked to see a second fire on the opposite side of the river and realized we were right in the middle of what could be potentially a very dangerous situation. As we got ready to leave, another helicopter flew overhead and put its bucket into the river about 500 yards upstream from us. We were so excited to see the chopper so close, and then we had one right on top of us! A second chopper flew right over the calm stretch of river in which we had been swimming and dropped its bucket into the water about 20 yards from where we were standing. It was amazing.



We started taking pictures and video like crazy, and just stood there transfixed as it filled its bucket, dumped it on the hillside, and returned to fill again. It did this about three or four times before the women and children finally grew nervous and insistent enough to drag the men away. Once we were on the road, I was, like many other curious travelers, hanging out the window taking pictures of the fire and smoke almost all the way home.


Anyway, it was such a fun day! Swimming in the river, catching fish with Brynn and Braden, hanging out on the beach and sandbar, watching the fire and firefighters, and almost getting scooped out of the river by a helicopter. A labor day to remember.