Not everyone you meet on the internet is bad. I’ve belonged to a mountain bike message board for about 20 years and have met some of these people in real life when out traveling. Hell, I even hosted a group at my place in Bend one year and we spent a fun week riding and drinking beer. Turns out one of the guys on that message board lives in this area and we met up with him to float the Henry’s Fork River one day.
This is a lazy river and you can put however much effort you want into paddling or just floating. We opted for a hybrid. We shuttled up the road to a put in spot and after some organizing, off we went. Apparently it’s a law that you have to carry a pfd, which we have but forgot in the truck. Luckily the copper let me float anyway. The river at it’s highest is probably waist deep and it moves about walking pace.
Johnny Sack Cabin
First we went to see the Johnny Sack cabin. Johnny Sack, a German cabinet maker, came to the United States in his 20’s. In 1929, he leased a small tract of land at Big Springs from the Forest Service and built a cabin. The cabin was started in 1932 and completed three years later. What makes the craftsmanship of Johnny Sack unique is the use of bark in the details of the house and his furniture. Through careful preparation of the lumber, the bark remains on the wood, providing a creative texture and color to the trim of windows, wall panels, ceiling lamps, chairs, desks, beds, and other wooden items. Johnny also built a small structure and water-wheel at the edge of the springs to harness the power of the springs and create electricity.
Producing over 120 million gallons of water each day, Big Springs, a Natural National Landmark, is one of the 40 largest natural springs in the world. The springs create the headwaters of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River we floated. It was a GORGEOUS float with quiet banks and plenty of greenery. Not far in we had to pause to let a momma moose and her baby cross the river. Very cool! This wasn’t the only moose of the day. Further down we saw one chowing down along the bank not caring at all that we were passing by.
What a fun experience and thanks to our host.
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