Mountain Goats

Photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Mountain Goats are a large-hoofed mammal only found in North America. Goats are a very sure-footed animal, and are often seen climbing around on rock cliffs. They are the only large mammals found at such elevations of 13,000 ft or more. Throughout most of the year goats stay above tree line, but will migrate to lower elevations seasonally. Goats spend most of their time grazing on grasses, herbs, sedges, ferns, moss, lichen, twigs and leaves on low-growing shrubs and conifers. Mountain Goats usually live between twelve and fifteen years, often being determined be the condition of their teeth. Goats have two coats of hair. The inner coat is a thick dense layer of wool. The outer coat is made up of long and shaggy hollow hair that provides great insulation for surviving in the climates that they do. (Wikipedia) We often see mountain goats on both the Middle Fork of the Flathead at natural salt licks and on Goatherd Mountain on the Alsek River in Canada.

Photo: Seth Tonsmeire

The mountain goat in this picture calls the North Fork of the Salmon River home, near Lost Trail Pass. I was lucky enough to get some photos the other day. This goat will lose the shaggy coat in the spring time. Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Seth Tonsmeire

Top 10 White-Water Rafting Trips in the World by National Geographic

Upper Alsek #1 ranked river in the World.

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Alsek and Tatshenshini Rivers ranked #1 for Top 10 white-water rafting adventures in the World by National Geographic. We will be running an Upper Alsek trip on July 12th-23rd, followed by a Tatshenshini trip on July 30th-August 9th. The Middle Fork of the Salmon was ranked #3. We will be running Middle Fork trips throughout the summer. Check out www.wildernessriver.com for dates and prices for next summer.

Fisher Glacier Camp - Upper Alsek

Photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Check out more Alsek photos on a WRO facebook gallery.

Beachview Camp - Upper Alsek

Photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Middle Fork Salmon ranked #3

Photo: Veronica Herdon

Middle Fork Salmon - Veil Cave

Photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Check out more Middle Fork photos on a WRO facebook gallery.

Hope your having a great day!

Seth Tonsmeire

Middle Fork Salmon Kayaking Trip

The Middle Fork on June 16th is a great time for kayaking. The waves are big and the rapids are fun. For me June is the perfect time to be kayaking on the Middle Fork. The river is dropping at this point, bringing waves and rapid in that have been washed out earlier in the year. The higher water makes it deep enough to wave wheel all the way down. If playboating is not your thing, it is still a great to to get out there and just run some great Idaho whitewater. We are offering a kayak specific trip on June 16th, with a kayak guide and rafts to carry all the gear. The rafts are there if someone wants a break or if other friends and family that don't kayak would like to join the trip. I still have a fleet of Jackson kayaks for rent and would love to have anyone with kayaking experience join this great Middle Fork Salmon kayaking trip. Check out some photos of last years trip at the WRO kayaking photo gallery. RSVP this event on facebook. Also watch a video documentary of last years trip put together by WRO guide Matt Westfall on youtube.

Middle Fork Salmon Kayaking Video

Other attractions to this trip include fishing, hiking, great Idaho hot-springs, great food, good company, just to name a few!!!

“I just wanted to tell you that we had a great time on our Middle Fork kayak trip. I have wanted to do a trip like this with the boys for some time and it was everything I hoped it would be. The river, the camping, the fishing, the side hikes and hot springs were all great. You, Matt, Henry and Tyler really made the trip. Your experience, knowledge, boating skills, the way you put us at ease and your flexibility to what we wanted to do really combined for a great experience. When you can give the teenage playboaters all they can handle, keep the 11 year old in his comfort zone and not wear out the old men, you have accomplished something! I definitely want to talk to you in the future about another trip.”

Thanks,
Jason Darby 09’

Photos: Henry Munter

$1,400 plus $4/day FS fee

(Includes: kayak guide, all meal, transportation to and from river, all camping gear, and an all around great time!!!)

Contact Information:

Seth Tonsmeire

seth@wildernessriver.com

(406) 579 - 8677 cell

(800) 252 - 6581 office

River Poem

THE RIVER

the river to me will always mean freedom
a selfless gift the earth shares to travel

the wild, perfect places where life connects
where we can feel the rhythm of ages

its energy spills into the scent of an evening breeze
and it creeps into your bones. And we want more.

To feel the ground pulse
to hear the river sing

Strip me down to the beauty
immerse me in sunlight

the eagles screams are holy and the orchestra of crickets bliss
the water slides by easily and consoles

it’s not intimidating and it doesn’t judge
the river is truth and hope and love

all that is wildly beautiful and
all that is perfectly serene

the release that comes is basic and real
the element is pure and complex

out there my blood runs warm and
murmurs secrets that feel like home

Free to me is the peace of my soul
the sound of my heart

We can’t give it to each other but we show each other the way
for that is the only way to be free.

Amy Tonsmeire

Gauley Fest 2009

I recently went out to Gauley Fest in West Virginia. Gauley Fest is the largest whitewater festival in the world. I figured that a festival like that I should probably check out. I had a WRO booth at the festival where I was giving out information and free stuff. Thanks to everyone for stopping by and visiting. I walked down to the Gauley before the festival started to watch some people run through one of the major rapids, Pillow Rock. I had never seen anything close to what I witnessed at the river that day. So many people!!! People running the rapid at the same time, crashing into each other, people swimming everywhere, boats flipping, people on pool toys, every kind of water craft you could imagine, people in costumes, people jumping into the rapids, complete chaos. I took many photos which was pretty fun, trying to document the chaos. This was my first white-water experience on the east coast. I am sure that it is not this crazy all the time, but people were saying that there is always a line of boats running down the Gauley on the weekends. I was not able to get my kayak out for the festival, so I did not get to run the Gauley unfortunately. I did meet some nice folks that let me jump on the New River with them the last day I was in West Virginia. I did witness the Gauley and know that next year I have to come out with my kayak. It was fun to witness the festivities, but I must say I am glad I live where the rivers aren't so chaotic with people.

After the Gauley Fest I drove down to North Caroline, where I flew into. There I went to the U.S. Whitewater Center in Charlotte. This was another new experience. They had many kayaks to demo which was nice, since I had no kayak. Here at the Whitewater Center people have created a circle river. They pump the water back to the top of the concrete river bed. The people paddle over to a conveyer belt that brings them back to the top. You don't ever get out of your boat, you paddle right on to the conveyer and it pulls you on. From the top there were three different channels you could choose from, some easy and one was actually kind of challenging. From my understanding this center is where the Olympic trials are held, and many people train here. Overall this was a fun place to spend an afternoon. They also had rock climbing, zip lines, and mountain biking. The Center was an outdoor fun zone in the middle of a large metropolitan area. If your ever in Charlotte, I recommend checking this place out.

Now I am back in Idaho and Fall is definitely here. Well I hope you enjoy some of the photos.

Seth Tonsmeire