Smith River, Part 4/4

*DAY 4: Park Flat (3) to Middle Rattlesnake Bend, 9.5 miles (continued) * Our last campsite, located in a grassy meadow area, with a nice beach along a straight portion of the river.

Youngins

Elders

The river along here was a perfect location to wade in and simply float downstream a ways.  There was one nervous moment when Penny was caught in the current and continued to float downstream, but she made it back unscathed.

Keith had brought apples, and we all joined in bobbing for them. And no campfire is complete without roasting marshmallows.

The highlight of the trip for me, and if I may be so bold as to speak for the others, was that evening's campfire.  This was our last night together, and by now we are all best friends. The comradery was evident on such a beautiful night.  A number of games were played.

Melanie had a playlist of songs from the 70s/80s on her phone, and with the help of a Bluetooth speaker we played a simple game.  She would start playing a song, and the first person to correctly name the song, plus the first person to correctly name the artist/band, would choose who had to take a shot of one of the remaining libations.  I believe I made a solid showing quickly naming songs, but was equally impressed with the /youngins/ knowledge of such oldie music.  I distinctly remember immediately identifying the song /Band on the Run/ by the group /Wings/, and even rattling off the names of prominent members of that band -- to which one of the /youngins/ remarked "I didn't know Paul McCartney had been in a band before he was a solo artist!".  I think I chose to take a shot of whiskey myself after that statement.

Another song surprise was that Lane (I think) identified a song and artist before I could.  "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band from 1976.  How could anyone not alive during that time period with that sappy song blasted on AM radio know anything about it?  Yuk!! For those who can stomach the video ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu1UXCdyNo0&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu1UXCdyNo0&t=1s

But most surprising of all was when Paul not only correctly identified Meatloaf's /Paradise by the Dashboard Light/, but was able to sing along with every lyric for it's entire 8:28 minutes.  He is one of many hidden talents. https://youtu.be/o4ZZTJnXvYE

There were many other fun games played, and the evening extended late.

*DAY 5: Middle Rattlesnake Bend to Eden Bridge Take Out, 11.5 miles

*The last day.  The steep walls along the river give way to more rolling green hills.  The river is much wider now then when we originally began, and we can see by the banks it has dropped a few inches. * *

One wall was covered with mud/barn swallow nests, and the sky around that wall was darkened with the sight of so many of them in flight.

Eventually the rock walls disappear.  The river widens, and there were numerous snags that had to be navigated around.

We get our first view of the Eden Bridge.  Takeout is on the left, just before the bridge.

The takeout was very busy, and our raft nearly went past it.  Many thanks to the other rafters on the bank who were able to catch our line and pull us back.

The takeout is a bit anti climatic.  The focus is to get the rafts unpacked, stow the gear, and get on the road to a hot shower.  The goodbyes are way too brief.  We still have a 4 hour drive ahead of us to get home.  But there was a unanimous decision that we will be doing this again!

To Lyndsey, Lane, Jacee, Isaac, Melanie, Austyn, Paul, Christine, Penny and Keith .... thank you so much for allowing me to join in such a wonderfully fun trip.  I look forward to doing this again -- even with groovers 😉 !!

/footnote:  With 350 photos and videos from the 5 day trip, I found it quite challenging to limit the photos and stories into four reasonably sized emails.  The intent is to simply capture the beauty of the location and provide some insight into what made this such a special trip.  It is yet another incredible area within the state of Montana.

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