Turning the Corner...

Elosie stepping off into the Marble pool!

Middle Fork Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Dusk on the Middle Fork

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Tappan Falls ducky action!!!

Middle Fork Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

In the Idaho river running world, "turning the corner" refers to running the Middle Fork Salmon then continuing down the Main Salmon. This makes for a great 11-day, 185-mile wilderness journey the the heart of Idaho. This is one of the longest wilderness runs in the west. Starting high in the Mountains at Boundary creek launch site at 6000 ft. At this elevation the forest is alpine, made up of lots a fir trees, lodge-pole pine, and more dense and lush vegetation. Over the next 185 miles you make you way down into the Mountain deserts to near 2000 ft. Around Indian creek on the Middle Fork you start to see the transition into a slightly different climate. Ponderosa Pines start to become to dominate vegetation on the landscape. From there to the end of the Main Salmon, you can watch slight changes in the landscapes as you float through the majestic Ponderosa Forests of central Idaho.

Justin and Jeremy getting after some s'mores

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Cousins battling it out "king of the ducky" style!

Main Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Our Middle Fork and Main trip dates line up in a manner that you can float around the corner and continue your journey down the Main Salmon that same day. There is a switch for some fresh coolers and dry boxes filled with new food. Most people end their Middle Fork trip at Cache Bar. For those people, that 6-days is not enough, Cache Bar is just a mid-point stop and re-supply. Myself and Matt turn to corner a couple weeks ago, and it was a reminder for me of what a great 11-day trip it makes. We were the only ones to go the full 11-days, so we switched groups and other guides. For me it was great, a true Idaho river experience. Two great rivers and two great groups of people all in 11 days, its hard to beat that!

Even though Jimmy did beat Brandon, he still went in the water!

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Grandma and Grandpa Bates enjoying some rapid action!

Main Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Father daughter battle. Lauren had never been camping before! She got right in there for the action, and loved it.

Main Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Beach living, Main Salmon style.

photo: Erik Boomer

Donny, Sherry, and Carson on the Dwyer creek hike.

Main Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Jeremy trying out the rappel.

Main Salmon photo: Seth Tonsmeire

More photos of both the Middle Fork Salmon August 4th and the Main Salmon August 9th can be seen on the WRO flickr photostream. More postings of recent trips coming soon!

Hope your having a great day!

Seth Tonsmeire

More Main Salmon Action

Ducky Couch at Phantom Camp 1st Night

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

I just got back from another great Main Salmon trip. We had a group from Alabama this week. An extended Sharp family who were awesome. That family combined with a father daughter combo, also from Alabama, made for a great group. Tom and Brinkley Hutchings, long time WRO guests, were rowing their own boat this trip. They both did very well on the oars.

Big Mallard Action Shot

photo: Seth Tonsmerie

We had great weather with many highlights for everyone. The kayaks were a big hit with this group. Tom Sharp who kayaked most of the trip did manage to stay in his boat the whole time with no unintentional flips or swims, quite impressive for how he rode perched on the backrest in the kayak. For most of the other kayakers, I think they all got in a swim or two somewhere on the trip.

Black Bear, number 5 of 7 for the trip.

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

We had success with our fly rods at Chamberlin Creek, which was also a big hit. We also caught fish at Mallard Creek. We had intentions was doing more fishing the last afternoon at Bull creek, but the whole group was quickly side tracked, when a Gardner Snake was seen trying to eat a toad. It was an aggressive battle that lasted for some time. I think the snake finally decided that it had bit off more than it could chew and moved on. Everyone was definitely happy to see the toad hop off into the river after the battle. This battle was a very rare sighting and great entertainment for the last night. More photos of the Snake vs. Toad can be seen on our flickr photostream, as well as many other photos from the trip.

Snake vs. Toad (check back for the video of this epic battle)

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Fun was definitely had by all. Next week we have beginner kayakers heading out on the Main Salmon and a good sized group launching on the Middle Fork. Should be a good week here at WRO.

Group Shot

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Thats all for now. Hope your having a great day!

Seth Tonsmeire

Main Salmon Fun!!!

Bald Eagle

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

It was great to get back on the Main Salmon this past week. After running many different river lately, I was quickly reminded of why the Main Salmon has always been a favorite. The large sandy beaches for camping and warm water for swimming was awesome. We were able to swim some smaller rapids in our lifejackets which was a highlight for many. With sunny skies and temperatures in the high 90s, swimming was a daily routine. Many of the swims were intentional, and I think a few others came as a surprise for some of the kayakers. Regardless of how you ended up in the river the water felt great.

Inflatable Kayaks in Big Mallard

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

The Salmon River is such a great place for a family river trip. The sandy beaches make for a great introduction into camping. With clear skies, most of the group just threw their pads and sleeping bags right on the beach. With no biting bugs and the stars in full show, nights sleeping out under the open skies are a pretty special experience. With the water to swim in and the beaches to play on the kids had endless entertainment for the week.

Peter going for another swim!

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

On the other end of the spectrum there were a group of adults on the trip that also throughly enjoyed themselves. For a group of old college friends to share the experience of a river trip was great. For the adults highlights included inflatable kayaking, hiking, rapid swimming, fishing, repelling, and also just enjoying beer and wine with great friends. Wildlife was also a big hit for everyone. We were very fortunate to enjoy quite a bear performance at Haney Bar. During dinner we watch six different bears on the other side of the river put on a dinner time show. Two other bears brought the total to eight for the trip, not to mention many big horn sheep, deer, otter, eagles, osprey, and a variety of other bird life just to name a few.

Paddle boat in Big Mallard

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

All that being said. I get to pack up tomorrow and do it all over again. It is a rough job, but someone has to do it. Hope you enjoyed some of the photos. Check out more photos from this trip on our Flickr photostream.

Matt running Big Mallard with Leblanc family.

photo: Seth Tonsmeire

Hope you are having a great day!

Seth Tonsmeire

Back in the Lower 48

Well after I was on a Middle Fork Salmon trip it was straight to the north for me. That started a couple weeks of no computer days for me. Which was great, but I got a little behind on sharing some photos. So I figured better late than never.

On June 16^th this year we had great water levels for some good high water boating. After a below average winter for precipitation, a wet spring kept water levels higher than expected. Which was awesome from a whitewater point of view. Velvet Falls, Rubber, Cove Creek, and Pistol rapids all provided for some great excitement and whitewater fun. The paddle boat was a highlight for some while others enjoyed the cruiser oar boats as a boat of choice through the bigger rapids. Loon Creek hot springs was a welcomed treat for everyone to get in a nice soak in the natural hot waters. The hike up to Veil Cave was also a definite highlight for Sam, who was the only one who when for the shower under the falls (probably because it was a cool day and she was one of the only people wearing a drysuit). Well I hope you enjoy some of the photos. If you would like to check out more of my photos from this trip, check out the Flickr gallery.

The bottom two photos are from a big expedition in the north. Check back later for more photos and details of this custom adventure…

Well it’s off to the Main Salmon for me this week. I am looking forward to the sandy beaches and warm water where the livin is easy.

Hope you are having a great day!

Seth Tonsmeire

Back from Big Sky Country!

The summer season is underway, and WRO trips are spread out between Canada, Montana, and Idaho. Just back from a great trip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, I thought I'd share a few photos of the Big Sky Montana is famous for. I didn't get any pics of the close encounters we had with moose, eagles, mountain goats, lots of fish, and even a grizzly bear, and no pictures either of the great whitewater, good food, and great company...but a guide can only do so much! Thanks to the gang, Bruce, Clodagh, Eilish, Nosh, and Greg--they made it a super trip.

Well it's off to the Main Salmon for me now!

Henry Munter