Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current, August 08, 2018, Page 4A, Image 4

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    4A ܂ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2018 ܂ APPEAL TRIBUNE
Life in the Valley
Dive on in
Discover an new underwater world by
snorkeling in Little North Santiam River
The Little North Santiam River is a good place to visit because of the clear water and glorious deep pools for swimming. PHOTOS BY JEFF GREEN/DYNAMIC PHOTOGRAPHY
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The Little North Santiam River is one
of Oregon’s most beautiful streams,
with waterfalls, old-growth forest and
mossy canyons.
But that’s just the view from land.
Dive below the surface with a snorkel
and fins, and you’ll discover an entirely
new side of the Little North. It’s an em-
erald world teeming with wildlife, hid-
den caverns and no shortage of sur-
prises.
River snorkeling is a somewhat un-
der-the-radar form of outdoor recrea-
tion in Oregon. But it does seem to be
growing in popularity, said avid river
snorkeler Conrad Gowell, who helps
manage a Facebook and Instagram
group that highlights pictures and trips.
“It seems to be gaining momentum,”
he said. “More and more people are
reaching out for gear recommendations
and trip reports.”
I decided to get into river snorkeling
after hearing the stories of wildlife biol-
ogists, who use snorkels to count fish in
Oregon’s rivers and creeks. Coming
nose-to-nose with a steelhead or
salmon seemed like a lot of fun. And, as
a whitewater kayaker, I’ve long won-
dered what lay below my boat.
I purchased my first snorkel setup
(mask, breathing tube and fins) from
Salem Scuba in July and was ready for
action.
The Little North was the first place to
visit, because I've always loved its clear
water and glorious deep pools for swim-
ming. But I knew there was more to see.
And so, on one of those boiling hot
days last week, I loaded the snorkel and
fins into my backpack and headed out.
I was joined by Salem adventure pho-
tographer Jeff Green, a certified scuba
diver. Our plan was to hike into some of
the larger, less-traveled and more inter-
esting pools along the Little North San-
tiam Trail.
Call it snorkel hiking, or snorking. I’m
still working on the name.
From the trailhead, Jeff and I carried
our gear a little more than a mile before
we found a hole worth exploring, right
below a small waterfall.
I’d practiced setting up the equip-
ment beforehand, which was nice, be-
cause it didn’t take much time or effort
to get in the water. That's actually one of
the things I've enjoyed about river snor-
keling so far — it's pretty simple to get
started.
Jeff wore a wetsuit, and I wore my
kayaking drysuit, but that isn’t neces-
sary. In the heat of the day, the Little
North swimming holes are the perfect
mix of refreshingly cool without being
frigid, and you could go in a swimming
suit.
From the first moment I dove into the
water, I wondered why I didn’t pick it up
sooner.
My view below the surface was emer-
ald glass, with numerous trout darting
among giant boulders. The best part
was below the waterfall, where I was en-
veloped in so many bubbles it felt as
though I was inside a freshly cracked
can of soda.
But that was just the beginning.
After the first hole, we headed to a
wider section of the river and swam out
into a canyon filled with deep pools.
Some of the holes were shockingly deep,
as though a grand canyon was spread-
ing out below the water.
We continued up the canyon, climb-
ing above waterfalls and jumping into
the pool above, each new pool bringing
something unique.
Our favorite moment was swimming
into a small cave, deep in the canyon.
“You could take a picture of this place
and tell somebody that it’s from Tahiti,”
Jeff said. “But it’s right here in our back-
yard.”
The worst part was coming across
trash at the bottom of what feels like a
pristine river. Jeff picked up a long, plas-
tic hose, and I nabbed a few beer cans.
Gowell, also a conservationist with
the Native Fish Society, said river snor-
keling provides a real window into the
health of a river system.
“I've snorkeled some of the most de-
graded watersheds in Oregon trying to
figure out how to restore them,” he said.
“And I've been fortunate enough to see
fully functioning rivers complete with
species some people have never heard
of.
“For me, it’s a way to go to the river
without needing to extract something
Jeff Green dives into a deep hole in
the Little North Santiam River.
from it, a way to figure out what’s below
the water's surface and learn to coexist
better within my environment.”
Get snorkel gear
Salem Scuba (1170 Vista Ave SE, Sa-
lem)
Hydrosports (3846 River Road
North, Keizer)
Learn more about river snorkeling
River Snorkeling - Facebook
@river_snorkeling - Instagram
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for 10 years. He is the author of
the book “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon”
and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can
be reached at zurness@StatesmanJour-
nal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on
Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.
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