We reprovisioned in Hamilton, Mt. and topped off the K2R2 before heading over Lolo Pass to White Sand Campground in Idaho to spend the 4th of July Weekend. It is here in this area that Lewis and Clark passed through coming and going on their epic journey.
The campground is located at the confluence of the Crooked Fork and Colt Killed Creek where the Lochsa River begins. We were entertained by a flock of busy chestnut sided chickadees around our campsite and Rebecca collected colorful rocks and interesting pieces of driftwood.
Just above the campsite on the river was the Powell Fish Facility on the opposite bank. We took a tour of the facilities led by a young man named Mark who worked for the Idaho department of fisheries. Its sole purpose was to trap the Chinook salmon, separate the males and females into separate holding tanks where the eggs are expressed, fertilized, and raised in rearing ponds. When the fry are old enough to be released into the river they will seek the Atlantic and eventually return to the spawning grounds of the hatchery.
The next day we took the Colt Killed Creek trail that Mark had told us about the day before. It was a beautiful hike that started in the deep woods and wound its way through beautiful meadows dipping up and down from Colt Killed Creek.
Our last day along Lolo Pass we drove to Colgate Licks National Recreation Trail where we took a hike through the ecosystem which supported a natural mineral lick. The natural mineral deposits contain calcium, sodium, and potassium which provide animals with essential mineral nutrients. The water seeping out of the lick was warm and steamy and we saw numerous animal tracks.
Our time in Idaho was brief and definitely there is much more to be explored there in the future. But like the train rolling along East beside the river the K2R2 also turned back East to begin the journey back to Texas.
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It’s all over
My father would be proud of you going to a fish hatchery, but my mother would say “seen one fish hatchery, seen them all”. Dad took Russell and I to one on one of our visits. to Idaho. By the way they both said crick instead of creek.