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EASTIDAHOOUTDOORS.COM  15 Day 2 – Blisters and Blowouts I don't know what makes me more uncomfortable: my unused fl y rod, my rower's blisters, or the hissing sound com- ing from our raft. My husband has palms of oozing blisters from gripping the oars so intently. It's his fi rst time rowing the Middle Fork. He'd rather be fi shing too. "I may struggle a little bit looking like this," he says inspecting his duct-taped hands while we patch a hole in our raft and look longingly at the fl y rod laying useless in the dry box. We boldly accepted the duty of carrying the groover. That's the mandatory port-o- potty you have to carry. It's called a groover because back in the day it was an old ammo can that left grooves on your behind when you sat on it. Now it's more like a hefty metal box with a toilet seat attached. Boxes have corners. Corners make sharp cuts in rubber rafts. Day 3 – Smoke and Water We stop at a check station known as Indian Creek. The creek adds volume to the river so fewer bumps should occupy our fi shing time. We've gained water, but we've lost a camp. A wildfi re is moving into the canyon. The ranger tells us our last camp spot of the trip is in the hot zone. That's why the sky is quickly rolling from brilliant blue to gutter gray. "A lot of people come to the wilderness and ask about bears, snakes and other things they are scared of," says Tim Nolan, U.S. Forest Service river checker. "Trees are the most dangerous thing you are going to encounter out here." Much of the canyon on both sides of the river is already baked in black from fi res over the last few decades. Towering trees torched by fl ame topple into the river often and the pyro-patchwork quilt of Mother Nature's wrath grows darker every year. Day 4 – Tally Marks I started tallying wild animals on Day 1. I want to see if we can spot 100, one for each mile. We are well passed 100 and we're only at mile 40 of 100. My son is rivaling my spotting abilities. He spots bighorn sheep before I do. He also fi nds tally marks 8,000 years older than my waterlogged notes. Sheepeater Native The groover Mother Nature's wrath Tally marks