Show 1 RUGGED ROUTE kyle mcgrady mall mailman 11 on the most unusual route roule in the hie united states delivers mail la in an oil drum mail box his boat the florence Is moored to the shore of snake river called one ot of the wildest bodies ol of water in america since the level of the be snake varies as much as 30 feet standard mail boxes are not practical and oil drums and wooden boxes are utilized instead IN THESE UNITED STATES mailman lugs letters supplies even tourists up wildest river features LEWISTON IDA long heralded as one of the worlds most famous mailmen maill nen kyle mcgrady is back on the job delivering mail by boat on the most unusual of routes in the united states I 1 Us his route serving approximately ely residents of hells area traverses the wild and rugged reaches of the snake river river service was sus and Mc Gradys boats were placed in dry dock temporarily during the low water period of the snake the level of 0 which varies as much as 30 feet A mailman grocery boy and chamber of commerce official for the canyon area mcgrady has been making the trip up the snake river since 1933 he quit a mechanics job in lewiston to take the post office contract which calls tor for delivery of letters magazines and parcel post packages as well as tor for a variety of other services to residents of the isolated area mecca for tourists mcgrady makes the trip up the river in either the florence or idaho diesel powered river packets in addition to an odd assortment of supplies and mail mcgrady also hauls tourists to accommodate them he has constructed a lodge on the up lip of the most ferocious part of vie the canyon from all over the U S have journeyed to lewiston starting point for the spectacular voyage the round trip is miles and the current of the snake is so swift that it requires 12 hours tor for the trip up and but tour four hours to return the snake is called the wildest river in america hells canyon Is the deepest gorge on the north american continent 1000 feet deeper than the grand canyon of the colorado Gradys Mc boats on the trip up the river against the current must buck and growl over many treacherous boulder studded rapids A tough trip the boats are no plush showy at affairs but they are sturdy and can withstand the pounding of the unmerciful snake and you have to be tough to fight the snake and hells canyon the only time lewis and clark turned back during their famous expedition was when they tried to find passage through gt gl the canyon A railroad man surveying the possibilities of a line through the canyon came back and said impossible the were sissy stuff compared to that canyon the trip up hells canyon with mcgrady is becoming one of the most unusual tourist attractions of the united states with many people journeying thousands of miles just to make the jaunt into one of the remote areas in the united states overnight journey mcgrady mak makes es the trip twice each week wednesdays and saturdays he leaves at 6 a m and arrives at the lodge in time for a hardy supper the return is made the next day mcgrady charges tourists approximately 1450 per person tor for the trip lodging and food thos e who have seen hells canyon remember the awesome beauty and ruggedness that held capt benjamin L E bonneville spellbound in 1831 when he paused on the brink ot of a chasm overlooking the canyon and scrawled in his journal nothing we had ever gazed upon in any other region could tor for a moment compare in wild majesty and impressive stern ess with the series of scenes where the snake river Is overhung by dark and stupendous rocks dominated by immense mountains rearing their distant peaks in the clouds |