A few weeks ago I was talking to someone new to Lemhi County, Idaho & rural living & she posed an interesting question I’d never really thought twice about before: “How do you know the seasons are changing in Lemhi County?” Now there’s always the obvious indicators of fall (if you live someplace with four distinct seasons), cooler temperatures, leaves changing color, school starting, but her question got me thinking about the things that indicate fall is here that are uniquely Lemhi County. It’s a question I posed to the rest of the LRLT staff & together we came up with a few different things that mean fall to us here in the Upper Salmon.
- Weaning & shipping calves. While the noise of bawling calves certainly isn’t music to anyone’s ears, this time of year it’s a familiar sound here in ranch country that can be heard up & down the valley & the drainages. It’s the sound of newly weaned calves that have been separated from the cows & is an early indicator of fall. Slowly the semis will start to trickle along the valley & you’ll spot them early in the mornings parked alongside the highway or lined up in ranch driveways ready to ship the weaned calves to their new owners in other areas of Idaho & beyond. (Due to our short growing season, the crops necessary to finish cattle cannot be grown in Lemhi County so the vast majority of our cattle are shipped elsewhere to finish.) It’s also celebratory as the shipping of calves means most ranchers are receiving the only or the big paycheck for the year & get to see a year of hard work pay off.
The Hoffman Family moves cattle up the Williams Creek Road on a chilly fall day. - Beards: It’s practically mandatory for the men of Lemhi County, some of whom are clean shaven the other nine months of the year to start sporting a beard & goes hand in hand with hunting season & time spent in the back country.
- Felt Cowboy Hats: Another time honored transition in ranching country–putting away the straw hat you’ve been wearing all summer in exchange for the felt hat you haven’t worn since April. Usually an old, comfy, well broke-in & dirty felt hat (don’t worry, everyone’s got a nice “going to town” hat).
- Steelhead Season: After a summer of whitewater rafting, the rafts are traded in for drift boats & hours spent chasing the elusive steelhead. Friday afternoons & Sunday afternoons, the highways will be filled with trucks towing campers & drift boats headed for Lemhi County & the river banks will be lined with fishermen, sometimes dubbed “combat fishing” & if you’ve ever come around the corner on Highway 93 at the mouth of the Pahsimeroi, you know what I’m talking about. Trucks & people parked right on the non-existent shoulder, scrambling for the best spot.
- Hunting Season: I could write a blog post just about all the things that come along with hunting season, but it’s a definite indicator of fall in this part of the world. Camouflage & hunter orange are the hottest fashion statements & practically mandatory. The best way to catch everyone’s attention in town? Drive through town with the horns of a good sized deer, elk or, better yet, moose, on display in the bed of your truck.
- Homecoming: Salmon still celebrates Homecoming the old fashioned way & it’s a community event. A parade, football game (bonus points if it’s against a big rival!), window painting contest & of course lots of fun & contests for the high schoolers & the annual homecoming dance.
- Canning: While it may be a lost art in some places, canning is still a big deal in Lemhi County. It’s still common practice to raise a big garden, then spend several days putting up a variety of fruits, veggies, salsas, jams & jellies to use throughout the winter.
What are your favorite part of fall in Lemhi County or beyond?
