Payette River Blues

by John Yohe

Julian Ostarek

watching yr North Fork flow through Long Valley all summer down past Cabarton Road + Smith’s Ferry down to Banks to meet up w/yr sister forks for the long run out to the Snake River somewhere + on day off staying at Garden Valley Work Center instead of sleeping in the barracks w/the helitack slobs I’d take my tent + bag down to the South Fork banks sleeping in the rapid sound staring up at stars nice + cool down there in the summer with owls + a pack of coyotes down from Garden Mountain all summer I was the only one to even touch yr water all the firefighters + timber markers + even the rec folks so nice after a Phoenix-hot day in Boise to come back + sleep even in the rain especially in the rain two or three nights of bliss on the pine needles sitting on the big flat rock crosslegged staring upstream at the future tho all you can do is just observe it coming that or dive in + let it carry you away which I’m about to do now leaving my blue friend never thought I’d see you again after all the summers fighting fires that one summer we lost the Clear Creek Fire became the biggest in Idaho history a month on that thing + it never went out unless the snows I didn’t mind but leaving driving down 55 thinking Idaho is a beautiful place I’ll never return to + here we are here I am sleeping next to you waking up next to you + again saying goodbye

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Born in Puerto Rico, John Yohe grew up in Michigan and lives in Oregon. He has worked as a wildland firefighter, deckhand/oiler, runner/busboy, bike messenger, wilderness ranger and fire lookout. www.johnyohe.com