chatanika river

Don't be fooled by the photos! These were taken during the two minutes of sunshine on our 4-hour trip down the Chatanika River yesterday. The rest of the time it rained, drizzled, and poured. We paddled from Long Creek to the state campground at mile 39 of the Steese Highway -- about 10 river miles. The river was low, but full of fun little drops and sweeps around fallen and piled-up trees. There were blueberries along the riverbanks, bright red king salmon getting set to spawn after a thousand-mile trip from ocean, and even a few arctic grayling (the one I caught was about an inch too short).