Middle Fork of the Salmon

By Ruth Gordon

No one wants to miss FIBARK; one of the most exciting venues of the year I was struggling to justify being somewhere else. Well as it turns out, I wasn’t going to be ‘just’ somewhere else. I was heading to the for an unforgettable river trip.

I’d never been on a raft support river trip before. Admittedly I had never been on a multi day whitewater trip (crazy I know). Signing up only two weeks in advance, I had no idea what I was in for; the other 22 people had been planning and plotting, cooking and packing for months. I could barely wrap my brain around putting all my gear in one bag (I’m a car camper, live out of your van kinda girl)!

The morning of our departure the rivers edge was a sea of colours. Rafts were rigged, coolers were filled and bags were being loaded. I started to feel lost and overwhelmed in a world of unfamiliar territory. By the time our flotilla made it out into the middle of the river and we began our decent of the I realized the on-water part would be easy it was the off-water part that would be my personal challenge.

7 days through 98 miles of whitewater in the largest designated wilderness area in the contiguous 48 states. I was like a kid in a candy store. The water level was reasonably high sitting around the 5ft mark. The rapids were big but most flushed through into big wave trains providing heaps of catch on the fly, kick flips, wave wheels and macho moves. Even on days when rapids were scheduled to be small and uneventful there was always something to surf. Some of the spots were so amazing I even resorted to hiking back up (and so far I have no signs of poison ivy – yes!). The canyon was breath-taking, at times surreal. Did you know the canyon is one of the deepest in North American – deeper than the Grand Canyon, crazy!

On a trip of this magnitude everything requires a strong team. Group dynamics are of utmost importance as everyone is needed to make communication, loading/unloading, cooking and cleaning go as smoothly as possible. And unfortunately I knew nothing. I was green and I knew it. I watch, questioned and pitched in where ever I could and I still felt like there was more I could be doing.

I learned how to cook using limited propane and maximizing on the fire to serve 23 hungry river people; and my team seemed to luck out having the meals requiring the least effort (compared to say dutch oven lasagna). I learned how to minimize trash. I learned to efficiently set-up and break down camp everyday. I learned how to load a raft and even how to handle the oars (eddies still aren’t my specialty).

I don’t think anything can prepare you for a wilderness trip such as the . For me it was a learn-as-you-go situation and definitely one of the most rewarding trips I have ever been a part of. If you ever have the chance – GO!

Trip Highlights:

1. Bridge jumping
2. Toby the snake wrangler
3. Drysuit swimming just to cool off
4. Unbelievable waves/ wave trains and beautiful big water
5. Full moons and tequila
6. Groover in your tent anyone?
7. Being incommunicado for 10 days (amazing how dependent we are on email and cell phones)
8. Cooking Crew #2
9. Receiving the ‘Best Surf of the Trip’ Award
10. No flipped rafts, just one slightly mis-directed

Big thank you to the Fairchild’s and everyone on the trip!!!

Ruth