"I was folded into a kayak, paddling hard into the wind, and the muscles in my arms were tight. The hulls of our boats sliced through the green water as we watched silver salmon flash, ephemeral, against the light. The steep granite walls of the Columbia River Gorge flanked us (Oregon to the left, Washington to the right), and two bald eagles slid through the cold-afternoon air above. If we ignored our Gore-Tex gear and fiberglass paddles, we could almost convince ourselves that we were members of the Corps of Discovery."
