Middle Fk Salmon permits and summer BBI

Just had a buddy run MFS from Marsh Creek on a 3 day self support Kayak. The ranger he spoke with said she thinks the 4.5' we just saw will be peak for the year.

Lots of banter on Mtn Buzz about getting the road open. There was a crew that tried to go in with shovels yesterday for a launch today. They bailed.

We're launching 5/29 for a 9 day Middle/Main. We were concerned about the water being too high, but now I'm thinking we'll be right around 3' and concerned about not having quite enough time.

Sorry for y'all with late season permits.

Salmon River watershed is currently at 52% of normal SWE for this date.
https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref...mal_update.pdf

Current Gauge
https://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/station/f...G&v=1620743726

Methinks it's gonna be a busy early season. 7 launches a day on MFS pre-lottery season and most of them are gone. 100 (?) Launches a day on the Main during early season, wrec.gov showing 48 permits issued for the last day of non-lottery season and 10-20 a day for the week leading up to it.

Sounds like ait's going to be a great trip. Looking forward to the trip report!

Just talked to a buddy who flew into Indian for a bear hunt float. He's been on that river for years and said the same. Probably saw the peak. Man, did a sub 2' trip last August and was hoping our July trip would be over but not looking like it. In fact, at current trend, our late June trip might be sub 3'. Bummer, was hoping for 3-4'. But, could be worse. I was looking at doing a Bruneau and I doubt that is even going to flow at a runnable level unless a group timed a big rain event just right. And getting out there in the type of rain it would take is pretty miserable.

If you don't mind paying the flight service and are willing to go light, low water is freakin awesome. Lowest I did was 2 of us off the top by Kayak at about 1.34 and then we picked up gear and switched out a kayak for a raft at IC. Uncle Sam was paying the bill so it made sense to me.:biggrin:

Tappan 3 was most interesting.

I've done 1.6 off the top in a raft. Wasn't miserable but I was looking forward to more horse shoes and beers at camp. First world problems...

Not middle but what are you experts thoughts on water level late June on the main?


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The Main is always good to go, beaches get bigger and the swimming is nice.

The Yellowjackets probably won't be bad yet either.

I prefer low water on the Main. As Bunion said the beaches get big and the swimming is great. River days are a bit longer but I think the beaches make up for it.

Just wondering what the levels will likely be, peak comes fast and ebbs pretty fast....I can’t quite get a feel


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Curious where most people put in /take out on the main. I just drove the road from N. Fork to Panther Creek last week and didn't see anyone boating, so must be somewhere else?

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Originally Posted by zion zig zag

Curious where most people put in /take out on the main. I just drove the road from N. Fork to Panther Creek last week and didn't see anyone boating, so must be somewhere else?

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Most put in at Corn Creek and take out at Carey Creek. Corn is a few miles downriver from where the MF flows into the Main. You can also take out at Vinegar Creek and save a few miles, but you miss the rapid.

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Originally Posted by zion zig zag

Curious where most people put in /take out on the main. I just drove the road from N. Fork to Panther Creek last week and didn't see anyone boating, so must be somewhere else?

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Did you do that hunt? Yeah, Cache is traditional MFS take out. I think Corn is six or so miles down from there. Where you were is an area people will do the day stretch down to Cache or Corn but probably not many folks out yet.

Main will be lower than normal but still a great flow. Like others, the beaches will be nice.

Oh sorry, I thought zion zig zag was talking about putting in and taking out on a Main float. Yeah, Cache Creek on the Main is where people typically take out after floating the MF. Kind of a funny story, my buddies were waiting at Cache for one of their wives to pick them up after a MF float, and she was waiting down at Corn for them to show up...finally she drove back up the road and found them after a few hours lol.

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Originally Posted by yeahman

Oh sorry, I thought zion zig zag was talking about putting in and taking out on a Main float. Yeah, Cache Creek on the Main is where people typically take out after floating the MF. Kind of a funny story, my buddies were waiting at Cache for one of their wives to pick them up after a MF float, and she was waiting down at Corn for them to show up...finally she drove back up the road and found them after a few hours lol.

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Another Cache story. We were de-rigged and drinking a beer at the ramp. I could see a boat coming downriver upside down so I grabbed a throw bag and swam out to it and tossed back to shore. Once we pulled it in and flipped it, it was just a frame and a boat. Nobody around. A few minutes later a family showed up and thanked us and asked why we derigged their boat. I said we didn't and that's all that was there. He looked at our gear pile and got suspicious so I started showing him our names written on all our stuff. He was pretty bummed. He flipped in Cramer not knowing it was a new rapid there and not much was strapped down. He apologized and asked if there was anything he could do for us. I asked him for his Lemhi County Sherriff hat he was wearing. He told me that wouldn't work because he was a deputy and that was his work hat. I said I didn't have to fish his boat out and he didn't have to accuse us of taking his stuff. The hat doesn't fit well but I still wear it occasionally.

I drove to Cache once looking for Boundary Creek. I saw put in and take out on the AW map and obviously rivers run top to bottom. I was especially confused looking at the confluence in Google maps trying to figure out whether the river went left or right.

Lots of logistical difficulties on that trip, including my shuttle being hitchhiking from Lolo to Salmon, and riding in a raft on a trailer from Salmon to Boundary.

Seems like I’ve gotten my shit slightly more together since then.

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Originally Posted by schindlerpiste

Sounds like ait's going to be a great trip. Looking forward to the trip report!

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To hold you over til then, here's TR from Cat a few weeks ago.
https://www.mountainbuzz.com/threads...00-cfs.109056/

Middle fork in May.Attachment 375164

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Originally Posted by Conundrum

Did you do that hunt? Yeah, Cache is traditional MFS take out. I think Corn is six or so miles down from there. Where you were is an area people will do the day stretch down to Cache or Corn but probably not many folks out yet.

Main will be lower than normal but still a great flow. Like others, the beaches will be nice.

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Yeah, we we’re all over that area for about a week. I was curious if anyone did day trips in that zone similar to the snake river canyon.

5/29 Launch Boundary Creek @ 3.35'
6/6 Takeout Carey Creek @ 30,000 CFS.

Perfect weather and big water on the main. Clean runs.

Headed to Westwater tomorrow afternoon, then bouncing around the Moab/Green River daily. Will get a proper TR up eventually.

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Great pics! That last one is classic, haha!

Yeah those are great. Thanks for sharing

Ugh. I just passed on a middle fk trip. July 1st put in and I wouldve just had to jump in a boat and be an extra body who can row. Have to get back to see family who isnt doing well otherwise I'd be there.

Also who leaves very expensive cats for almost 4 weeks pinned?Attachment 377275

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Lowest Middle Fork yet... and my first time pushing rubber down it. Put on 2 feet and took out at 1.9 feet. It was a little bony up top but not unmanageable. Rapid highlights at that flow were Pistol Creek, Tappan 3, Cliffside, and Cramer (technically not on the MF). Rubber was as easy as could be. Redside had a total of two easy-to-make moves and Devil's Tooth had one tricky move with relatively low consequence. Camping was excellent other than the one night it couldn't have gotten below 70 degrees.

Great times.
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You put on the day after us I bet. Your group of boats looks familiar but maybe we never crossed. We launched the 27th @ 2.06 with these camps-Sheepeater, Marble R, Rock Island, Funston, Survey, Otter. Rowing highlight for me was styling Chutes with everyone thinking a different line was the way to go while I was the only one to not hit rocks in there. Don't worry, my cockiness then bit me when I stupidly hung in Artillery and had to push off a rock. Everything else went awesome.

Met some cool dudes at Boundary who happen to own a cat ski op in CA. Bantered with them all the way down the river. One them gave me an airplane bottle of scotch out of the blue for my b-day at Sunflower.

The heat was a bummer but it worked out.

Getting a little twitchy for a 7/24 launch. Might be the lowest I've ran it. Time will tell....

I'm ashamed to admit I bailed on my 8/7 permit. I'm a hack boater that was counting on borrowing a raft from a friend and can't in clear conscious inflict my ineptitude on his raft.

Conundrum please follow up on how your trip goes so I can self rationalize my decision.

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Originally Posted by Conundrum

You put on the day after us I bet. Your group of boats looks familiar but maybe we never crossed. We launched the 27th @ 2.06 with these camps-Sheepeater, Marble R, Rock Island, Funston, Survey, Otter. Rowing highlight for me was styling Chutes with everyone thinking a different line was the way to go while I was the only one to not hit rocks in there. Don't worry, my cockiness then bit me when I stupidly hung in Artillery and had to push off a rock. Everything else went awesome.

Met some cool dudes at Boundary who happen to own a cat ski op in CA. Bantered with them all the way down the river. One them gave me an airplane bottle of scotch out of the blue for my b-day at Sunflower.

The heat was a bummer but it worked out.

Getting a little twitchy for a 7/24 launch. Might be the lowest I've ran it. Time will tell....

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Bummer... would have been fun to run into you on the river after all these years! We put on on 6/30 and took out 7/5. I forgot about Artillery... definitely got hung up on that, myself. Let's not let another (~18 years?) pass before we see each other on the river, again!