Middle Fork of the Salmon River chronicles (long w/ pics)

[Wingdam]

We just returned from the Middle Fork following a seven day float trip from Boundary Creek to Cache Bar. This was my first time on the river. My wife and I were invited to join a small group of very experienced boaters who graciously allowed us along. I have been dreaming of doing this river for many years and it was worth the wait. This is only a summary account as it would require the volume of a book to accurately describe the experience.

The trip over to the river was long, but it took us through some of the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen. We arrived at Boundary Creek Campground the day before our launch and spent the afternoon putting boats together and sorting gear. I brought my 16’ Maravia cat outfitted with dry boxes and cooler which worked well for the water level we would experience. I also brought along a compliment of fly rods and flies to chase after the rivers native cutthroat trout.

The launch at Boundary Creek on day one was a mad house as there is only one slide to use and numerous parties waiting to put in. To save time, we completely rigged our boats one at a time on the trailer and shuttled them to the launch. This helped immensely. After all three of our boats were in, we parked the rigs and made ready to head out. I had read everything I could get my hands on about the river prior to the trip, and I have over 30 years of rowing experience, but I was ill prepared for the ride I faced that first day. I’m sure there were interesting sights to see all around us as we drifted on down, but I found it hard to take my eyes off the river for more than a few moments as I was constantly scrambling to avoid hazards.

Boundary Creek Slide with commercial sweep boat at bottom.


By the time we stopped for lunch on day one, I could hardly eat I was so amped up. I don’t think I let go of the oars for more than a second before we pulled over. The drop of the river is continuous with one boulder filled rapid after another. Moving a heavily loaded boat through the twists and turns took all my skill and effort as the upper section is more like a raging creek than a river. Wrap rocks sprouted up at every angle, a swim in the icy water was to be avoided at all costs. During the decent the other two captains sized me up quickly and determined that we didn’t need to scout most of the bad rapids, although they left that option open if I requested it.

The lead boater was an expert rafter who had floated the Middle Fork eleven times. I followed his line through every rapid and had few problems. One waker-upper happened at Velvet Falls when I underestimated the velocity of the current and almost missed the cut needed to avoid going over the worst part of the falls. Nothing is more motivating than looking down at certain carnage. I stopped the boat right at the brink of the falls with several furious oar strokes and managed to scoot over the required distance to hit the safe passage. Later I was complimented for my tenacity and determination. I didn’t tell them it was all fear and adrenaline that staved off disaster.

Day one camp was breathtaking. Although I intended to fish at every opportunity, relaxing in camp recapping the day’s whitewater while getting to know our hosts was the priority. I was also way too tired from rowing and overwhelmed with the beauty surrounding us to break out a rod.

Day one camp


Day two brought the first hot spring visit and the first major scout as we stopped to look at the Lake Creek blowout just above Pistol Creek rapid. Gazing down at that huge hole and reversal wave that almost completely spanned the river, knowing that a flip here meant the possibility of swimming through Pistol Creek rapid was a sobering moment. We made our game plan and started back to the boats just as another group came around the corner. We stopped and watched as the first boat captain, hearing the maelstrom below, stood on his cooler to scout. He correctly sized up the situation and made the cut necessary to avoid the hole. The second boat wasn’t so lucky. Even though they hit the left side of the wave, it nearly flipped their 15’ raft sending the high side passengers tumbling down upon their crewmates.

It was our turn next. One by one we poured on the coal as we rowed a downstream ferry angle. Each of us in turn hit the narrow cut perfectly avoiding that big nasty monster licking at our oar tips. There was no time to rest as almost immediately we were into Pistol Creek rapid. When I hit the huge entrance wave, I momentarily surfed my fully loaded cat boat, but it gave me time to survey the pile of boulders directly in front that I needed to miss. When the river let go it was wham-bam and I was through the “s” turn and rowing away from the wall into calm water. That night in camp I was too exhilarated with river running to fish although one of the other captains snuck out and nailed a few nice ones.

The women of our group soaking in the hot springs


Day three brought more of the same. At one hot spring stop I spotted several Cutthroats rising in a back eddy. I put on a #16 PMD and proceeded to catch one gorgeous trout after another. They ranged in size from 10” to 16”, each one brining a “wow” from the audience behind me. Later in the day we stopped a couple times to hike up the canyon and visit historical sites and ancient pictographs. By now the immenseness and beauty of the canyon had seeped into our souls. We will never be the same again.

River vista


Day four we suited up for the Tappan series of rapids. By now the small and tight upper stretch had increased in size fed by the countless ice cold tributaries joining its flow. We were now riding along on a fully fledged river. The rapids had become more immense and still nearly constant. Dropping into Tappan Falls was a come-to-the-lord moment; one to be repeated several times during the remainder of the trip. We stopped to scout the blowout at Tappan III and found a narrow passage along the left bank. That afternoon we visited a cave inhabited by a white settler who lived in it for several years. I found bear tracks in the sand when I went upstream from camp in the evening to fish.

Suited up looking like a real rafter


Day five we stopped at the Flying B Ranch which has cabins, a small store and restaurant all supplied from the dirt airstrip on the property. It was very strange to be buying ice cream in the middle of the largest wilderness area in the lower forty eight. That didn’t stop my wife and I from wolfing down a couple before we left. Just downstream of the ranch is the boulder garden called Haystack Rapid. We threaded our way around the huge monolith at the bottom and headed off to camp. Along the way we stopped at Rattlesnake Cave to view the pictographs found there.

Pictographs


Day six dawned bright and beautiful. We made a short hike after breakfast to visit some pictographs above camp. The days drift included the infamous Redside and Weber rapids along with numerous class two’s and three’s. We camped that afternoon at Lightning Strike; which turned out to be aptly named when a thunderstorm parked over us for an hour dumping buckets of rain and lighting up the hillsides. I fished around camp after dinner catching several beautiful cutthroats. Those trout turned out to be the last for the trip. We had our final campfire that night and everyone circled around it on the sandy beach. We stayed up late laughing and telling stories. Nobody wanted the trip to end.


Day seven was our last day. We broke camp and suited up for fifteen miles of the largest rapids we would encounter. The whitewater was almost continuous and was larger than anything I had ever encountered. Rubber Rapid, Hancock, Devils Tooth, Cramer Rapid on the main, along with countless other cataracts kept us wet and busy, but we came through each one laughing and high fiving. My confidence had grown as my metamorphosis from a drift boater into a rafter was complete. We truly felt at one with the river.

Hiking stop on the last day


The take out came all too soon as we packed up the rigs for the long drive home. We really wanted to drive back up and do it again but knew we couldn’t. Saying goodbye to our new friends was difficult. I had won their seal of approval as an oarsman; which was quite an accomplishment considering our hosts were class five boaters.

In reflection I must say that this was the greatest river experience we have ever had and a personal achievement concerning my rowing skills. Never before have I experienced such a challenging whitewater river. Although I bumped a few rocks, and got spun around a couple times, I managed to tackle each rapid in turn thanks to the wonderful guidance of our companions. The beauty of the canyon, the great company of our new friends, the scenic camp sites, the great food, the excellent fishing, the hot springs and side hikes, and the whitewater made this truly a trip of a lifetime. We would love to return someday. I hope the river gods are listening.

[SafariSam]

Beautiful, sounds like you had a great time.

[AlseaAssassin]

Very nice report! I can't wait for my first trip down the MF.

[Beaver1]

Sweet trip! Very nice report and pictures

[Slow and Low]

Dude,
Nice post. I look forward to this trip one day.

[AndyK]

Great story and photos!

[Steelie28]

Originally Posted by AndyK

Great story and photos!

[Wingdam]

Here's a couple more shots from our trip.

Upper canyon


Middle canyon


Whitewater fun lower canyon

[Meskel]

Would be happy to tag along with you next time you go.

Thanks for the virtual trip

Meskel

[MarlinMark]

That's very cool. I'm glad you got to tag along with someone and make some new boating friends. Groups like that stick together. I have a feeling your luck will only get better.

Thanks for the post and pics,

Mark

[Wingdam]

I sure hope so. There's a lot to learn from great boaters. Thanks Mark!

[young_gun]

I am so jealous, congrats on getting in on a middle fork permit. I just got back from 6 days on the lower salmon myself. Great trip

[flyin chrome]

WOW is all I can say. What a GREAT report. Thank you for sharing your story.

[GameChaserFid]

Great Pics thanks for sharing. Looks like a beautiful place.

[Navigator]

Very nice!