June 21-26, 2008 Middle Fork of the Salmon

With great flows and warm temperatures, this Middle Fork trip was downright wonderful. Mix in some great families and friends and - bingo - we had ourselves the perfect Middle Fork trip. Thank you to all who joined us last week. We had an absolute ball and can't wait to see your faces on the river again.

Some highlights:
1) Who could forget the "animal" paddling (and swim above Devil's Tooth)?
2) Patches-o-Hooligan the bear visited us again and brought some cubs as well.
3) The Little Pine hike was incredible.
4) A boat floated by upside down as we ate lunch on our first day just below Velvet :)
5) John and J.T. ran the Middle Fork for the first time and without looking at anything.
6) Cutthroat Cove had some HUGE waves.
7) David gently slayed and released fish at Wilson Creek.
8) Peter was an absolute champ at River Shuffle Board.
9) The Thai Bistro Salad was "to die for."
10) We were inundated with lovely pranks on night five (tents collapsing, tents gone missing, rubber chicken dutch oven, etc.).

Guides and Trainees:
Tom, Erin, Will, Andrew, Matt V, and Matt B

Camps:
Night 1: Scout
Night 2: State Land Left
Night 3: Johnny Walker
Night 4: Wilson Creek
Night 5: Stoddard Creek

Here's a video:


Here are some pictures (click them to enlarge):

June 12-17, 2008 Middle-Main Combo Trip

Each year we hope to have high flows and good weather for our June 12th Middle-Main combo trip. In six days we float roughly 190 miles, an average of 31 miles per day. This year, the Middle Fork gauge was at 4.72 feet when we arrived at Boundary Creek - essentially the perfect flow. We spent three nights on the Middle Fork and two on the Main Salmon before reaching Carey Creek for the take-out.

George has been on every combo trip we've ever done since the late 70's and recently he has referred to each trip as the "final" or "final-final." This trip was the "final-final-final" but we suspect there may be one more around the corner.

Camps:
Night 1: Dolly Lake
Night 2: Trail
Night 3: Cradle
Night 4: Lower Cory
Night 5: Warren Cr.

Guides and Trainees:
Tom, Will, Andy, Erin, Matt, Jason, Bryan, and Matt

Looking up Big Creek

Bill enjoying lunch at Big Creek

Don, Bob, and Tom

Bob grabbing some dutch-oven breakfast, day 2

Don scoping out the scene

George tests out the oars

Gil and Sam, morning of day 6

Janet and Patrick at Warren Cr.

The IRJ crew

Jason getting ready for a day on the water

Monte ready to slay fish

Stanley, ID. The day before the trip

Tommy T's big water sun glasses

Snowing in Salmon

Our second Middle Fork trip of the "summer" launches tomorrow (6/12/08). In Salmon, we woke up and thought it was December. Or, maybe it is just snowing in June. We are headed to Boundary Creek in a few hours. At 6,000 feet, it could be a cold night!

See you on the river,

-Team IRJ

June 3-6, 2008 Middle Fork Trip

Whoohoo! We opened the season off with a bang on June 3rd. The flows were just under 6 feet at the Middle Fork Lodge (5.99 feet, so pretty darn close). What a great trip and a spectacular way to start the season. Here's a slide show with a few video clips tied in as well. Thanks for the great Middle Fork trip!

The Ultimate Father's Day Gift

Father’s Day is June 15th and coming right around the corner. Have you already picked out a gift? If not (or if you are looking for more), you may want to consider getting dad a six-day river vacation on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. A vacation on the Middle Fork is the perfect Father’s Day gift for the dad who loves the wilderness, excitement, hearty meals, fishing, and exploring.

Here are a few suggestions for choosing the “perfect” Middle Fork trip for dad:

1) Know the adventure he would enjoy the most. Early season trips often have higher water and, thus, are better for the adrenaline junkies. Later in the summer temperatures will warm, days will get longer, and the whitewater tones down a touch – these trips are perfect for those who want to try a little bit of everything: hiking, fishing, rafting, and kayaking. We also offer special fly-fishing trips that are perfect for the dad who loves to fish… and fish… and fish.

2) Find out what his summer schedule looks like. If you know what dates he has available to take-off for a week, your search for the perfect trip will be a lot easier. We offer trip dates that launch once every eight days. For a full view of our trip schedule, click here.

3) Learn more about the bookends of a Middle Fork trip. Maybe he could start his vacation in Sun Valley with a round of golf, spend a week on the Middle Fork, and then head up to Glacier National Park for some back country hiking? The possibilities are endless and we would love to help you plan this aspect of the vacation.

For help with planning your dad’s Middle Fork vacation, call us at 1-888-997-8399.