{ R I V E R S — E A S T I D A H O W A T E R S T O R I E S }
14 EAST IDAHO OUTDOORS MAGAZINE — SPRING/SUMMER 2016
Wet n' Wild 100
Surviving the Middle Fork of the Salmon River
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KRIS MILLGATE
Only seven groups a day are permitted to be on the
river. The absence of people, power and roads creates a secluded
wonderland of rugged terrain, rapid water, hundreds of animals
and just as many wildfi res.
If the Middle Fork doesn't kill you, it will leave you feeling
born again.
The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is 100 miles
of undammed, undeveloped wild in Idaho's Frank
Church River of No Return Wilderness. It's a fishing,
hunting, hiking and rafting paradise.
Day 1 – Coming in Hot
My plan is to fl y fi sh all 100 miles of the
Salmon River's Middle Fork. At the fi rst
alarming yell of 'bump!' I know casting is
not in the cards.
"My fi rst day was scary," says Caroline
Rolston, 6-year-old fi rst time rafter. "I
thought I was going to fl y out of the boat."
Our party of 14, sprawled across four
rafts, is braving a late season run on the
Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Ideal
water level is three feet. We have barely
half of that. Thus the 'bump!' That's what
we yell for two days. That and, 'Coming
in Hot.'
Bump means you are hitting yet another
rock poking out of low fl ows. Chances are
that bump turns into a stick and after you
collect your limbs from 'bumping' you start
unsticking.
'Coming in Hot' means the raft behind
you is going to hit you so hard you unstick
and head downstream leaving the 'hot' raft
on the bump.
"This is the lowest I've ever ran it," says
Gary McDannel, Middle Fork rafter for 30
years. "It is nasty, but this trip is still top of
the list."
Caroline Rolston
