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

Spring in the Air

Camas Creek photo: Seth Tonsmeire

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

Camas Falls 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