Well just when you think spring is here it snows another six inches in the mountains. But we can’t complain about precipitation, because every bit helps to add more water for us to float on this summer. Even with these occasional snowstorms, spring is definitely here. All the aspen and cottonwood trees have finally leafed out. The hillsides around central Idaho are very green with grass and dotted with many different varieties of wildflowers. It is great to have many of the birds back as well. I have been seeing Mountain Bluebirds by the hundreds, which is the state bird of the great state of Idaho. I even have a pair nesting in the bird box I put up outside my house. Also Western Tanagers are starting to show up which are always great to see.
Mountain Bluebirds photo: Seth Tonsmeire
This spring has been a little slow for WRO. As I have realized there are some benefits to not being busy with work. I have been able to do more spring kayaking trips than usual! Of course there is the obvious downside of not making any money, but what can you do except get out there and enjoy some time off. A recent kayaking trip that I was able to put together with some friends was Camas Creek into the Middle Fork Salmon. I have hiked up Camas on many different river trips and it always looked like it would be a great kayak run. So last week, me and some friends loaded up the truck and drove into Myers Cove. This is the headwaters of Camas, and with our loaded kayaks we started our adventure. With average gradient of 100 ft/mile, there was no lack of excitement for sure. There were many logs and some rapids that needed to be portaged. I definitely left some plastic of my kayak on the trail while dragging around several different portages. We were able to run many great drops, which was awesome. The hillsides of Camas were yellow with arrow-leaf balsam root in full bloom. Mountain bluebells and shooting star flowers also added some great color as well. I have included some photos from our trip down Camas, as well a couple fire shots that turned out pretty good from our one night on Camas. The second afternoon, we rendezvoused with our friends that came down the Middle Fork for one last night and a great float out on the Middle Fork. The Middle Fork was around 4.5ft at Middle Fork Lodge, which made for some great rapids. Rubber is in its prime at this level, and we all enjoyed a great hit in our kayaks in that rapid for sure. Well I hope you enjoy some of the photos from our adventure. Also, check out a video on youtube or at the bottom of the page for a shot from one of rapids I got with the GoPro camera that I had along. I have also built a sweet raft mount for the GoPro this summer, so look forward to some great rafting video this summer!
Camas Creek photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Waterfall Creek, Middle Fork Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire
We are having our annual guide meeting this coming weekend, which will be fun to get everyone together again. This year we decided to incorporate a swiftwater rescue class into our guide meeting. Usually you don’t need these skills that often, but it is good to practice and be prepared just in case. Maybe I will share some photos of some of us swimming in the waters of Idaho in May.
Camas Campfire photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Well that's all for now. Stay tuned for more stories and pictures of adventure!
Seth Tonsmeire
Posts
