Numb Toes In Hells Canyon Sounds like a compatible pair eh? Well maybe not, considering the latest forecast called for overnight temperatures in the high 20’s. Nevertheless we licked our chops at the prospect of having the entire canyon to ourselves for the next week. A small trade off, we justified, numb toes, for total solitude in North America’s deepest river carved gorge. There we were at the put-in below Hells Canyon Dam, facing 79 miles of whitewater and remote canyon scenery to look forward to. This “Wild and Scenic” Snake river was designated as such in 1975. The “Wild” part, 31.5 miles, means free of impoundments and uses descriptive words like inaccessible, unpolluted and primitive. Followed by the “Scenic” section, 36 miles below that, also free of impoundments and largely primitive and undeveloped yet accessible by roads. Thank goodness for the protection of these waters! The three of us had…