Water Blogged

This summer’s annual Legends of the Snake event kicks off tomorrow afternoon with a float trip in Grand Teton National Park, and ends with an evening of food and festivities at Dornan’s. Jackson Hole pioneers of the rafting and fishing industry will take to the oars and tell stories of this valley’s river running history… maybe even mix in a few stories of their own personal trips down the Snake! This year’s lineup features former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director John Turner, Jack Dennis, Frank Ewing, Charlie Sands, Dick Barker, Bill Guheen, Dave Hansen and many more.

For anyone who is already signed up for the sold out event, have a wonderful time! For those of you missing out this year, make plans for 2011! For more details on the evening, check out www.snakeriverfund.org.

Marie Cudd: Office girl.  A woman, 5 feet 5 inches, brown curly hair. Favorite colors are grey and green. I like to use my sense of smell, I unknowingly wink at people, I love vanilla yogurt and longboarding. It’s my first time in Jackson this summer, and I love it! One of my favorite bands is Frightened Rabbit. I’m a big fan of American Apparel skirts. I like a man with a good beard. And lastly, I’m excited to work with Barker-Ewing this summer!

Emily Ming, new BERT office chica and happy to be here! The beauty of Jackson Hole and my love of photography is the perfect fit. Come fall, I’ll be pursuing a degree in Graphic Design and Digital Media. Another true love, java chip frappuccinos from Starbucks!

High water is not just how high but how much and how fast the water is rushing through a stretch of river. Flowing water is one of the most powerful forces on the planet! Let’s say the water flow in the Snake River is 17,300 cubic feet per second (cfs). That means that the river is moving 129,404 gallons of water each second at a total weight of 1,079,229 pounds (or 540 tons, and I won’t bore you with that equation!).

What about high water, specifically on the whitewater section of the Snake River in Jackson Hole? The general rule is anything above approximately 16,000 cfs is considered high water. How does the water get that big, and sometimes in the matter of 1 day, even hours? Snow melt, warm weather, rainfall and water releases from the Jackson Lake dam – these are the four biggest factors that make the water levels climb quickly. The largest high water season on record was in 1997, when the canyon flow hit 35,200 cfs, according to the Bureau of Reclamation website. That being said, some guides recall it hitting 39,800 cfs! Last Friday, the water was around 7,000 cfs; Saturday, it was in the teen thousands; Sunday night, 17,200.  While things could change as the Bureau of Rec makes dam release decisions, the peak this week, and possibly for 2010, hit yesterday (Tuesday) at 24,200 cfs.

Safety is our highest priority always, but in high water, we take extra precautions when explaining the reality of high water.  We don’t want to scare anyone because it can be quite exhilarating; we simply want to teach and inform!

DID YOU KNOW?

• the bark of the aspen tree is your backup plan if you run out of sunscreen…  it’s spf 5!
• reindeer lichen is a coagulant if you don’t have gauze, packing or bandaids on the trail!
• mint leaves, dandelions and violets are a good source of vitamins if you run out of snacks!
• conifer needles make for great a tea flavor if you’re thirsty or it’s cold out!

PLEASE do not try any of the above if you are not absolutely positive what you are touching, eating or drinking!  Some plants may not be what you think they are (and even be poisonous or deadly), so be careful out there!

Mersadee Lulay, our Food and Beverage rockstar, just got married! Lots of Barker-Ewing staff danced the night away at her and her husband Matty’s reception on Saturday night! Thanks for including us all in your celebration… cheers to a happy life together!

P.S. See you at work tomorrow, Mersadee! Above, Mersadee’s mom helped prep for a big scenic lunch float last week. Twins!

Natalie Connell, Office Chica (that’s snow under me!) back for a second summer with Barker-Ewing! Still loving Jackson Hole and enjoying the biking, snowboarding, hiking, rafting, and awesome people. Looking forward to a great season and getting married this summer!

Christa Johnson (yes, I admit it), Manager: Anyone recognize this Barker-Ewing whitewater guide? It is 1986. Until my mom pulled this slightly embarrasing photo out of the closet a couple of years ago, I did not know that the first time I went whitewater rafting at 11 years old was with the very company I work for now, 24 years later!