{"id":23845,"date":"2020-11-02T10:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T18:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=23845"},"modified":"2020-10-30T13:00:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T20:00:53","slug":"where-the-clearwater-river-meets-the-snake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2020\/11\/02\/where-the-clearwater-river-meets-the-snake\/","title":{"rendered":"Where the Clearwater River Meets the Snake"},"content":{"rendered":"

Driving down Highway 12, the last remnants of the summer sun sank behind the canyon. Lyn\u2014Alli\u2019s mom and our eager shuttle driver\u2014sat in the passenger seat chatting about all the things that could hurt (or kill) us in the next four days. I knew that cougars and bear were in the area, this was North Idaho after all, but I had tried to compartmentalize their existence to a deep place in my brain labeled \u2018least likely to encounter.\u2019 I had to do something, otherwise, I wouldn\u2019t get any sleep.<\/p>\n

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Day 2: Long Camp to Pink House Recreation Site<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cKeep an eye out for drunken locals, too,\u201d she said, munching on a potato chip. Karen piped in from the backseat, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Ashley brought her big ass knife.\u201d It was true. I had packed my 10-inch hunting knife. I don\u2019t hunt, but I do own a \u2018big ass knife.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, and rattlesnakes.\u201d My ears perked up. I hadn\u2019t thought about rattlesnakes. I had pushed those even farther into my brain than cougar and bear. Basically, I had convinced myself rattlesnakes didn\u2019t exist outside of Hells Canyon. \u201cJust be sure to make a lot of noise if you\u2019re climbing up rocky embankments.\u201d I envisioned screaming \u201cHeeey snake!\u201d in the same tone I use for \u201cHeeey bear!\u201d in the woods. Or clapping my hands in the way Vicky Robinson smacked two sticks together to warn cougars in Parent Trap<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I had been trying to convince myself not to set-up my tent every night and to brave it in the wilds like Karen and Alli. Rattlesnakes? Shit. I was setting up that tent.<\/p>\n