Guides getting ready for the season

With June just a short nine-iron away, three of Idaho River Journeys guides decided it was time to test out the waters and get back in the whitewater action. On May 5th, Will Volpert, Bob Volpert, and Tom Tremain met in Selma, Oregon, to prepare for a two-day Illinois river trip. Two days prior, Bob was driving over the Siskiyou Pass in a massive snow blizzard. After spending a cold friday night in Selma, things took a turn for the best and the sun came out just as the three were pushing off from Miami Bar, the put-in 15 miles west of Selma.

Below: Tom and Bob stopped to look at the famous Green Wall rapid

Below: Enjoying some warm rays on the Illinois river

Below: Tom and Will at camp, May 6, 2007 (notice how proudly they are sporting their new Idaho River Journeys fleece jackets)

Here's a video of a run at Green Wall on May 5. This wasn't the IRJ group but we got to Green Wall a few hours later after this run.

They reached Oak Flat around noon on sunday. From there, Tom took off to join Kern River Outfitters on a guide trip down the Forks of the Kern, Bob headed up to Salmon, Idaho to prepare for the upcoming Idaho season, and Will went back to Ashland, Oregon to finish-up his spring term at Southern Oregon University. The great news for our 2007 guests? The three of them got all the winter wrinkles out of their boating skills and everyone should enjoy upright boats and big smiles on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon this coming summer!