And A River Runs Through Him

Mark Lawson, who owns a marketing business near Sacramento, has become consumed by rivers. In the past two weeks, he’s been on the North Platte in Wyoming and the wilderness reaches of the Selway.

His dampest dreams should come to a milestone today when Idaho’s Lochsa should become the 50th river under Lawson’s belt.

“A lot of people are attracted to rivers for the whitewater,” he said. “I’m just as attracted to the quieter pleasures of scenery and wildlife.”

On the Alsek in Yukon’s Kluane National Park, Lawson recalls seeing at least one brown bear every day for two weeks. Three weeks ago, he completed 174 miles of the Delores River in Colorado, which includes the third-longest stretch of whitewater in the lower 48 states.

The longest stretches are on the Owyhee and Colorado. Lawson’s been there; done that, too.

“Mike is the only client we’ve ever had to run the entire 212 miles of the Owyhee River with us,” said Peter Grubb of River Odysseys West in Coeur d”Alene.

Lawson, 41, has run about half of the rivers on his own, the rest on guided trips in recent years.

“Originally, I was mostly into backpacking,” he said. “But I was on a two-month hike on the Choma River in New Mexico when I came to a sign that said ‘river rafting.’ Turned out the river usually doesn’t have enough water for rafting, but the governor had ordered a special dam release for his own raft trip. The outfitter was desperate for clients, so I signed on - and got hooked.”

The shady circumstances of that trip also tuned Lawson in to the many woes plaguing wild rivers.

Most of Lawson’s trips have explored remote stretches of North American rivers. But for perspective, he’s basked in the ancient history of exotic rivers, such as the Nile. He traveled behind a steam locomotive for 14 hours out of Santiago to ride Chile’s Bio-Bio, where huge waves wrecked his raft.

Lawson put his 15-foot Old Town Pathfinder canoe to the test on numerous rivers from the Charlie River in Alaska to Tennessee’s Hatchie River, the last undammed tributary of the Mississippi.

“Southern charm, cypress swamps, incredible birding,” he said. “Rivers are like people. Each has a different gravity.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo