In case you missed the news, 1 million acres of Oregon caught on fire starting on Memorial day. We were out of the smoke for the first few days as it drifted west, but then the flow switched back to the normal westerly flow and we were soon experiencing the worst air quality in the world. Yes, the world. So after a week of being stuck inside it was time to get out of town…
We had a free weekend in June. Lemelo Lake was on the list of places to go and it looked like we could find a place to camp. Friday came around and away we went.
The Smith River in Montana. Some have heard of it, a lot of people haven’t. If you have, you know the deal. A limited entry permit is required to float the 59 miles form Camp Baker to Eden Bridge. You have about a 1 in 30 shot as an individual to draw a permit last I checked. A permit allows for 5 days and 4 nights of floating through a postcard picture of tree covered hills and white cliffs, with lots of wildflowers and a few trout thrown in.
