The narrow window between the end of
Spring quarter and starting summer field. I'd only have hours of turn around
but as Jeff described the Middle Fork of the Salmon (hard continuous
whitewater, 50 mile days, countless hot springs) it was just what I needed and
something I would have regretted passing up on. Particularly appealing was
Jeff''s plan to do it as a self-supporting packraft trip at a time of the year
when the river would be rowdy and many of the tributary creeks would be in
condition. In other words packraft-supported packrafting! This meant we would
get to sample an incredible diversity of paddling on one single trip. Jeff
talked up the challenge of the river at this time of year to a degree that I
bought a proper whitewater rescue lifejacket and began practicing kayak rolls
in my neighbor's pool. Though Jeff's trip, I eventually got in the mood to look
into campsites and detours. Wow there was a lot to do! In the end we were able
to do a lot with the long days and it was one of the more memorable trips I've
done in recent memory. The tally: 7 mi Marsh Ck, 3 mi Pistol Ck, 6 mi Marble
Ck, 2 mi Loon Ck, 4 mi Big Ck, 1 mi Bargamin Ck, 102 mi Middle Fork Salmon
River, 117 mi Main Fork Salmon River, 13 hot springs; a total of 242 river
miles in less than 8 days! Middle Fork Lodge gauge was between 4500 dropping to 3000 cfs during our trip.
Day 1. Jeff picked me up in the morning
from Idaho Falls and drove the vast distance across the Snake River Plain and
into the mountains. After an early pizza dinner in Stanley we drove over the
subtle and bizarre drainage divide of Blind Summit, turned the Cape Horn, and
stumbled around some dirt roads for a few minutes until we saw an obvious start
to our journey, the unobvious sounding Mile 111.8 Bridge over the calf-biting
and somewhat bony Marsh Creek. Considering I had to unpack and pack from a
suitcase I thought I made pretty good time organizing my gear and making last
minute decisions of what to take for the next seven days. The cloud of mosquitoes
and occasional blasts of thunder were also effective motivators. Around 5:30p
the journey was finally underway (Day 1), just as the first drops of rain began
building overhead. Though shallow the creek moved relatively fast, doubling in
size in only a mile and then the valley walls closed in and left the meadows
behind. Jeff and I both lamented the sluggish responses of our packrafts- it
had been a while since either of us paddled fully laden boats and so the speed
and maneuvering were slow. We plotted to consume the beer weight we had brought
ASAP. The rain turned into a downpour, the temperature frigid, and the skies
dark and booming with thunder. The river turned corners presenting us with last
minute decisions of how to navigate wood obstacles. Unnamed waterfalls
cascaded. After only a few miles I felt the delightful feeling of isolation,
and frankly intimidation thanks in part to the weather, as I became conscious
of the hundreds of miles of wilderness we had to navigate downstream. Somehow I
find that feeling of intimidation refreshing and life affirming.
Bear and Marsh confluence = Middle Fork Salmon River
Only seven miles in we reached the Marsh and Bear confluence which together form the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The rain, thunder and now lightning presented peak drama. It was 7:30p but the days last forever here this time of year. We tied up our boats, looked desperately for a passable campsite (absolutely nothing!), and decided to make a fast hike to Bear Valley Hot Springs. The formal trail crossed and recrossed the creek which was not a reasonable endeavor without our boats and so we stumbled our way along the true right bank of the creek, climbing and traversing steeply to avoid riverside cliffs. We found two interesting hot spring source areas and soaking pools of varying quality. The one closest to the creek that we passed on our way back was certainly the best. If we weren't pressed for time and still did not know where we would be able to camp, it would have made a peaceful soak. We rushed back the way we came and pushed off downstream in search of a reasonable campsite.
I was certainly getting tired and cold
from the rain piercing my eyes and began to lose enthusiasm as Jeff led the
charge and looked for a campsite. At a late 9:20p we finally pulled into
our night one campsite, a spot on river left downstream of Jose Creek, still
mosquitoed. I sluggishly ate leftover pizza, got out of my drysuit, and setup a
bear hang for the food while Jeff took care of shelter. It was a cold night
sleeping to the sound of rain. I started the morning at my parents place in
Anaheim. I ended it 10 miles into one of the largest wilderness areas in the
U.S. 7 miles of Marsh Creek, 3 miles of Middle Fork, one hot spring.
Day 2 started slow thanks to exhaustion and cold and heavy dew. By 8:30a
we were on the water and making miles. We portaged Dagger Falls (Class V), an
obvious decision at the time but having a good look at it after it is something
I would have been willing to try, and maybe even have emerged from the bottom
of it upright. We stopped in at Boundary Creek where everyone else was starting
their Middle Fork trips. We answered questions relating to justifiable
curiosity at our strange crafts. There was a flurry of activity with the
mid-morning launches nearly ready and we tried to leave as soon as we could.
Jeff mentioned a few rapids worth scouting which got me on edge, but these were
all fine and I would have been ok not scouting. Velvet Falls had an impressive
drop and hole but making the right moves was not difficult at all. We pulled
into Trail Flat Hot Spring which ended up having one of the deepest and best
temperatured pools of any of the hot springs we visited. We had a brief soak
but in hindsight should have spent more time here. We had a longer stop at
Sheepeater Hot Spring, even enjoying a beer in the rain. The pools here were
unfortunately quite shallow though. Leaving Sheepeater we put in some solid
miles, getting out to scout Pistol Creek Rapid where the river bent through a
short but narrow bedrock gorge. No problems. We found an improvised campsite on
the true left of Pistol Creek at 4:30p and set about putting sleeping bags out
to dry while catching up on snacking. By about 6:20p enough relaxing had past
that we packed up our boats and drysuits to hike up the Pistol Creek Trail for
an evening's tributary run. We hiked 3 miles to the bridge at the confluence of
the two forks (unaware of the three labeled hot springs hundreds of feet away!)
and rapidly inflated before we lost the last light of day. We spotted the first
of many ticks that we would be plagued with on the trip. Basically every trail
we hiked had ticks that would somehow find ways to persist on our clothes for
days. Pistol Creek was mostly featureless splashy Class II with occasional
rocks and wood to avoid, easily the least interesting of the tributaries we
eventually got onto. It was still plenty worthwhile. A fresh debris (log)
avalanche halfway through the run was the most notable feature; it would have
completely dammed the creek and made quite the mess but the creek managed to
clear it out for easy passage. At 8:30p we made it back to camp and settled in.
Still hints of mosquitoes but notably less than the previous day. 29 miles of
the Middle Fork, 3.3 miles of Pistol Creek, two hot springs.
Day 3 had another late start of 8:45a to a sunny morning. We reached
Indian Creek ranger station a little over an hour later. Unfortunately almost
every desirable campsite was already claimed on the nights that we wanted but
Jeff was able to come up with some creative plan Cs to make the most of it. As
we left the station we paddled beneath one of the most amazing bug swarms I
have ever seen. It was the exact moment when millions of flies hatched and flew
upstream as a thick offwhite cloud. Looking up or forward was analogous to the
"lightspeed" representation in Star Wars: endless streaks of bugs
drifting by in unison. It was almost overwhelming. We had a brief stop at the
Pungo fluorite mine and reached our campsite, Lost Oak, before lunch. We took
the opportunity to dry stuff while we had the right weather. At 1:30p we were
packed and ready to go for the day's tributary. We had a scenic 1 mile hike
back upstream along the Middle Fork and then turned up Marble Creek. The hike
was long but varied, traversing at river level, climbing to higher terraces,
dropping down into spacious meadows.
Above the Marble Ranch meadow we had to cross the creek which was just
possible at this location, at this flow. Our second crossing we were able to
exploit a sizable log to cross (though we would have to portage this on the way
back. The third and final crossing neither foot (too swift and deep) nor log
would help us; as quickly as we could we inflated one of our boats and ferried
across to the other side. At this point the hiking had been long and involved
and I began to question the gain of continuing but Jeff assured me the topo
looked to have a nice section coming up. He was right! The trail climbed 400ft
above the river to avoid an narrow gorge impressive by any standards. We got
excited and scrambled out to a cliff edge where we could peer into the gorge.
Bugger! At a spot where the gorge was only about 10ft wide we saw a complex and
potentially unstable logjam extending for a hundred feet. We dropped packs and
sought out an additional vantage from which we could see the whole thing. We
rationally talked through the features we observed: most likely we would be
able to easily climb onto it on the upstream side and not get sucked underneath
it, but there was some risk and also some time that may be lost. We made the
sensible (though later partially regrettable decision) to hike back down and
put in below the gorge section (6p). We couldn't resist paddling upstream to
explore the log jam. It was an interesting feature and a beautiful stretch of
creek. Everything about it felt remote.
Marble was better than Pistol with more
drops, interest, and scenery (and one portage). The 6 mile run took less than
an hour, giving us a little time to play at Ski Jump Rapid, and then to pull
into Sunflower Flat Hot Spring directly across from our Lost Oak camp.
Sunflower Flat was a little too hot and shallow but still made a nice enough
way to end the day with a beer in the rain. The rain continued aggressively
much of the night. 11 miles of the Middle Fork, 6 miles of Marble Creek, one
hot spring.
Day 4 started cold but with motivation to
get on the river a little after 8a. Probably should have had my poggies ready
to go this morning and instead I shivered. Given the proximity I couldn't
resist a quick dunk beneath Sunflower Flat Hot Spring's riverside shower spray.
The warmth was hard to leave. I managed to convince Jeff to stop at Sunflower
Hot Spring (interestingly named considering it is in more of a flat than the
Sunflower Flat Hot Spring...). Many river miles brought us to an unnamed hot
spring on river left that we hiked to high above the river (nice spot!) and
then very shortly onward a quick stop at the shallow and unsuitably warm Whitey
Cox Hot Spring. We pulled into the Loon Creek campsite, which was already full
with people and selected a spot to the side where we could dry gear and eat
before hiking up Loon.
A short one mile hike had us at the Loon
Creek Hot Spring, which remarkably we had to ourselves. We took the opportunity
to enjoy a nice long soak before continuing up the creek. The temperature,
pool, and scenery were fanstastic. Loon has some of the most solid and
unfractured granite we saw on the trip, giving the gorge section upstream more
of a wild Sierra creek feel to them: continuous bedrock, pouroffs around and
over sizable boulders, beautiful milky blue water. In the interest of time we
put in at the Bennett Creek Bridge. The whitewater was fast and challenging
with quick maneuvers and "no-go" spots to avoid. We portaged the
largest drop that had a couple poorly placed rocks beneath creating uncertain
hydraulics, but happily ran everything else without incident. The gorge section
was over much too fast, but the rest of the splashy Class II/III run to the
river continued fast and engaging. It was easily the best quality creek run
yet.
We found Hospital Hot Spring mostly underwater (no soaking) and so
continued on to the dramatic Tappen Gorge section of the Middle Fork where
exciting rapids were promised. This was the nicest section of the river yet.
Tappen II rapid was fantastic fun. I managed to flip in a hidden sleeper hole
at the very bottom of Tappen IV. We pulled into our Camas Creek camp at a
comfortable 5p. It had generally been a very cold and rainy day; we struggled
to dry gear between the shifting sheets of rain that continued. We were both
fascinated by the swarm of brightly colored tanagers swooping around collecting
bugs, truly a spectacle and one we found out later was quite rare. Jeff took
the opportunity to read and nap while I hiked up Camas to see its exciting
Class VI section in full rage and then hiked up the hill to get a view of the
valley. It was our most leisurely evening yet and we could both appreciate it.
Jeff seemed confident we would have sleeping out weather overnight as the
evening showed signs of clearing; I had my reservations but ended up throwing
out my sleeping bag beneath the great tree in camp. I ended up waking up to
near-freezing rain and frantically trying to setup the Hyperlite mid. Jeff
seemed unfussed about getting wet but I slept well the rest of the night in the
shelter of the mid. 27 miles of the Middle Fork, 2 miles of Loon Creek, !7 hot
springs!
Day 5 got us back to a slow start due to
the night's rain. Once we got going at 9a we made good time through the more
open ranch lands to Big Creek, stopping briefly to see pictographs at
Rattlesnake Cave and snapping some photos of the dramatic final plunges of
Waterfall Creek. We sorted gear at Big Creek camp (crappy!), had the usual
snack, and hiked upcreek. Big Creek was BIG! It could also easily have been
called Fast Creek or Adrenaline Creek. There appeared to be few breaks in the
whitewater and few eddies; this was the first tributary that looked like a flip
could have serious prolonged consequences. We hiked up the trail 4 miles to the
top of Big Creek Gorge where we opted to put in. Initially Jeff led the run but
before long we were taking separate lines or tag teaming for the lead. Non of
the features were particularly hard, however, the way they were continuously
strung together required constant attention and nonstop paddling. This was one
of the first runs I've done where I found the need to eddy out just to quell
the adrenaline and catch my breath. We ended up scouting one rapid, otherwise
it was a fast and fun trip back to the Middle Fork, arriving before we knew it.
We were pumped and all smiles at the fantastic run. The water level was perfect
this time. If it couldn't be any better some kind rafting group recognized what
we were up to and left us two victory beers on our piles of stuff. Cheers! We
had a quick celebration before heading onward.
Below Big Creek the character of the
Middle Fork took a change to the dramatic as we entered the section known as
Impossible Gorge and the riverside trail that had been with us so long was
replaced by sheer towering cliffs. The character of the river changed too with
some of the biggest waves and rapids we had seen on the river. We stopped at
Veil Cave, which was considerably more impressive than the way Jeff described
it. A deep sweeping 200ft alcove had a dramatic falls pouring over its
entrance. The falls would get caught by the wind and sweep, swoosh, and curve
its way to the ground. Looking up from beneath as the ribbon shifted course was
a fantastic sight. The rest of the day was cold and with wind. The scenery was
now in full swing and an impressive contrast to some of the more open valley
lands upstream. It was after 7p when we finally reached Tumble camp, up on an
overgrown terrace 30ft above the river. We were both once again tired at the
long and fulfilling day. Sick of dew I opted to set up my tent for shelter.
28.3 miles of Middle Fork, 4 miles of Big Creek.
Day 6 started with a heavy dew but with
motivation to get out on the river to put in miles. It was another cold
morning. We put in a short mile before stopping at Stoddard Canyon to hike up
to a nice pictograph panel. Given the harsh environment I was amazed to see the
pictographs in such great condition. Rubber Rapid was a particularly notable
one that we stopped at to take pictures. All too soon the towering walls of
Impossible Canyon ended at the Main Fork confluence. The Main Fork actually had
less water on it than the Middle Fork. After six days it was a little unusual
to see a road and cars. Almost immediately after entering the Main we had two
very sizable rapids to contend with, including some of the biggest wave trains
I'd ever been in. Dropping steeply into a trough, powering up a steep face with
a few key strokes, blasting over the top into the air, a steadying stroke as I
dropped back down; repeat. It was a great mid-morning wake up and I was all
smiles. We had our inspection at Corn Creek at 10:45a, which was also a
delightful check-in experience (especially considering the comfortable chair
and warm shack we got to sit in for a few minutes). Jeff and I stopped at a
couple other pictograph panels (Legend Creek, something else on river right)
but mostly paddled hard to make considerable miles. We had penciled in a run of
Chamberlain Creek but it appeared much too low to be fun to me on arrival; with
some hesitation Jeff agreed. Sabe Creek was also too low and so we continued
on.
We pulled into Hot Tub Hot Springs at 2p
just as a group was leaving (perfect timing). Not thinking we would make it
this far my bathing suit was buried so I went au naturale, being careful that
my clothes did not come in contact with the many poison ivy plants that
surrounded the pool. This was easily among the top 10% of all hot springs I
have visited. Hot water emerged from a cliff overhead and was transported by
pipes to a crystal clear concrete pool incorporated into the bedrock with great
care so as to have natural seats and a commanding view of the river a hundred
feet below. It also had pleasant afternoon shade. The depth and temperature and
clarity were all perfect. There were even thoughtful impressions of aluminum
can bottoms in the dam wall. We hung out in the hot pool for a solid two hours,
arguably the first (and probably only) time Jeff and I relaxed during the trip.
It was hard to leave but we had more miles to gain. A short distance on was
Barth Hot Springs which I was naturally curious to see. Easily the hottest and
highest volume hot spring we had seen on the trip but without any adequate
soaking pools. Also notable were the many butterflies. Another 12 miles of
solid paddling got us to Bargamin Creek. Somewhat to our surprise this creek looked
like it had enough water (in contrast to Chamberlain and Sabe). It was about 8p
when we pulled in so we opted for Bargamin as our campsite with the option of
doing a creek run early the next morning. We used the last of the sun to dry
gear. The weather seemed to finally become stable again and so we both slept
outside under the stars. 7 miles on Middle Fork, 44 miles on Main Fork, two hot
springs.
Day 7 we left camp at 9a to run the bottom
one mile of Bargamin Creek which we found to be very fun and very fast. We
would have bit off more of the creek but found annoying wood obstacles
upstream. Two more pictograph stops on the river right broke up what otherwise
was a lot of mostly unmemorable paddling. We saw some large groups of bighorn
sheep though (up to 20) seeming pretty carefree about us as we drifted past. A
few nice rapids broke up the monotony.
When we reached the South Fork confluence
the river did a nasty thing and slowed to a screeching halt for a solid 12
miles. To add insult and misery we had a fierce upstream wind to contend with
and blazingly hot sun. If was the only part of the trip that really felt
miserable and had Jeff and I concerned that the river had permanently changed
character and we would be struggling to make miles the entire rest of the trip.
Fortunately the misery only lasted a few hours and somewhere around Bull Creek
rapids started appearing again and the river moved. Whitcomb Rapid was a
standout and gave me a wild bucking ride over complex waves and laterals;
staying upright felt like a victory. Jeff followed and had his first flip of
the trip. We got into camp at Wind River at 6p but because of the wind, sun,
and paddling it felt like the longest day we had. I walked over the bridge to
the boat ramp and enjoyed the simple joys of a touch of civilization before
walking back to our sandy beach. It was a windy evening and night, gear blowing
around and sandblasting everything. I sought a degree of shelter on a patch of
sand between boulders and trees while Jeff toughed out the full force on the
beach. I got way too much sun this day and fought the pain. 49 miles on Main
Fork, 1 mile on Bargamin Creek.
Day 8 we awoke slightly exhausted from the
all night wind but eager to get on the river and get to Riggins. We left camp
at 7:15a, the earliest on the trip. The wilderness character of the river
valley was now gone, replaced by ranches, and bridges, and cars in a more open
valley but some of the rapids still had some kick to them. I managed to have my
second flip of the trip, which chilled me a bit and turned me cautious. Though
we were now pulling hard on our paddles to make good time, we put in 24 miles in
a little over 3 hours, reaching Riggins at 10:30a. We guessed correctly on
where Jeff's car was shuttled. Jeff thoughtfully grabbed a couple alcoholic
ginger beers to toast our journey's end as we sorted gear in the parking lot in
sight of curious onlookers. We had an early bar lunch in Riggins then drove
across Idaho for Boise. Jeff chose the scenic route along the North Fork of the
Payette, which happened to be in day one of its boating festival. We stopped
for a pleasant half hour watching highly experienced kayakers bouncing through
the aggressive shalom course that was set up. Unbeknownst to me Jeff had made
arrangements at a hotel which was a pleasant surprise. Laundry, AC, a short
bike to dinner, sleep in a bed, a very early start to the airport. 24 miles on
the Main Fork to round out the trip.
A huge thanks to Jeff for organizing this
trip. It was really nice to just be in a group of two in remote wilderness,
pushing hard to make the most of the precious time. It was an excellent trip I
won't soon forget.
