In June 2021, we went on a 6-day rafting trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with O.A.R.S. Our trip started with a pre-trip meeting the night before our put-in, when we got to meet our trip leader, the fabulous Ashley Brown, and the rest of the guests. We also got our dry bags, so that we could pack our gear for the trip. The next morning, we boarded the bus for a two-hour drive to the put-in at Boundary Creek. After listening to a safety briefing and getting our wet suits, splash jackets, and PFDs, we boarded the boats. We had the choice of oar rafts or paddle rafts and chose an oar raft for the first day. The rapids started around the first bend and just kept coming, with the highlights being Velvet Falls and Powerhouse Rapids. We dropped 500 feet over 13 miles, before stopping at Scout Campsite for the night.

Day 2 started with a great breakfast of made-to-order omelets and croissants, and then we packed up camp and headed down the river. We joined Amber on her oar raft for the day. After running some fun smaller rapids, we stopped for the guides to scout Pistol Creek Rapids, which is the most challenging one we ran all trip. All the boats made it through Pistol with no issues and we stopped for lunch on an island opposite Airplane Campsite. After a few more hours on the river, we pulled in to camp at Marble Creek Left. Sue had a successful afternoon of fishing, while Paula went hiking with a guide and a few guests up to the saddle behind camp. And then she chased after a couple of the youngsters who decided to continue climbing to the top of the bump.

On Day 3, we chose to ride in Seneca’s paddle raft and didn’t get to take that many pictures, as it’s hard to take pictures when you are paddling! After getting soaked right away in the Marble Creek and Ski Jump rapids, we got to warm up with a nice soak in the Sunflower Flat Hot Springs. We got another soaking in the Jackass Rapids before stopping at Cameron Creek for lunch and a look at some pictographs left by the Tukudeka (or Mountain Sheepeaters). It was a long day of paddling (25 miles), so all we did when we arrived at the Lower Grouse campsite was set up camp and chill for the evening.

Day 4 was another day without many photos, as I was on Seneca’s paddle raft again. Before we got on the water, we walked over to check out the historic Tappen Cabin. Once on the water, we immediately had a great time on big water in Tappen Falls and Cove Creek Rapids. But then the wind came up as we got to Flying B and we settled in for some tough paddling. Where we had been averaging 5 to 5.5 mph on previous days, our average speed was closer to 4 mph for this stretch. But we still had fun on Haystack and Bernards Rapids and went for a tea cup spin in Jack Creek. Fortunately, it was a short mileage day, so we pushed through to our campsite at Little Pine and did a lunch over. Sue had another successful afternoon of fishing, while Paula hiked to Johnson Point (1,300 ft in 0.9 miles) for some great views of the river in both directions.

So far we had enjoyed amazingly warm and sunny weather for early June in Idaho, but the forecast had said this was due to change on night 4. We had everything under cover that night, but only got one light shower. But when we got up in the morning, it was clear that the weather was changing. The good news is that it didn’t start raining until just before we launched, so we got camp taken down while it was still dry. It rained all day, but the crew did a great job of taking care of us. We stopped after about an hour to put on more layers and do a penguin dance to get warm. And then at lunch, they pulled out a stove and boiled water for hot cocoa and made broccoli cheddar soup to go with our taco salad. I was glad to be on Camilo’s paddle raft, as it would have been much harder to stay warm if I wasn’t paddling. We arrived at Tumble Creek Campsite in a light rain, so set up our tent quickly and took an afternoon nap. By dinner time, the rain had stopped and we enjoyed one last great dinner – Caesar salad, steak, mashed potatoes, and strawberry shortcake.

For our last day, I rode in an oar raft again, so was able to capture more photos of the fun whitewater on this final stretch of the Middle Fork. We stopped just short of the takeout to have lunch and get a group photo (minus our two great baggage boatmen, Kerry and Pelle). As the Middle Fork joined the Main Salmon, we said farewell to an amazing river trip!