[TR] Middle Fork Salmon River Rocks! - Boundary Creek to Cache Bar 99 miles Frank Church 8/16/2015

[shapp]

Trip: Middle Fork Salmon River Rocks! - Boundary Creek to Cache Bar 99 miles Frank Church

 

Date: 8/16/2015

 

Trip Report:

I posted a while back looking for info on rock climbing along the Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho. We won a lotto permit this year finally. The odds are about 1 in 28 or so for drawing one. 3rd hardest river to win a permit on (Grand Canyon is #1, Selway is probably #2). We did the Main Main salmon a few years ago and brought a big old trad rack and put up a few climbs. Thought we might do the same on the Middle Fork. But low water conspired against these plans.

 

We put in at Boundary Creek on the Middle Fork Salmon River for a 99 mile float through the Frank Church Wilderness Aug 16-23. Bad news is with the very low water and need to go light, we could not afford to bring a trad rack, which is a real bummer cause there is a ton of potential to climb in the canyon! The bad news too is that the USFS limits a float trip to 8 days, and during low water, you need that amount of time to get down the river, with no real time for exploratory climbing.

 

A pictorial report below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian's mom is almost 70!

 

and so is his dad!

 

 

2 donks on a rock

 

tamale pie

 

 

hot springs

 

Matti-V about to go in the ditch in the background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wolf on Sheep

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

2 hyside minixmax, 1 - 12 ft Sotar Raft, 1 sotar cat, 1 - 14 ft Sotar Raft, 1 Aire Super duper puma, vaporizer, beers, 1 liter of gin, 1 liter of rum, 1 liter of whiskey, 1 liter of tequila (just for me).

 

Approach Notes:

long drive in Tundra ending north of Stanley Idaho.

Edited August 25, 2015 by shapp

[JasonG]

One of these years I gotta get into rafting

[dougd]

Idaho sure is a beautiful State. On a recent trip to the Sawtooth Wilderness I saw a lot of the Payette country behind Black Canyon dam and it was spectacular.

 

Combining rafting and climbing looks like it'd be a lot of fun. Thanks for posting

 

And, off topic, the way Idahoans dealt with preserving this land for future generations could serve as a model for another, spectacular place in Washington State. There are similarities IMHO.

 

SW view from summit of Thompson Peak

[bobinc]

Thanks for the TR.

 

We ran last year in early Aug and flew in to Indian Creek (Boundary Gauge at about 1.5'). Curious what your gauge level was for this trip. Tappan looks bony!!

[shapp]

It wasn't around 1.5' last year in early August it was about 2.0. Toward the end of Aug last year it was 1.7. There is a huge difference between 1.5 and 2.0' up top.

 

We launched at 1.52' at Boundary on Aug 16. We are low water tweekers though. With all due respect, flying into Indian is a serious mistake, the upper canyon is bad ass and very runable with medium to light boats and some skill. Note that the woman rowing the green raft is almost 70. She ran off the top at 1.5 like a pimp!

 

A video compilation made by my passenger who happens to be a professional video editor:

 

 

[video:youtube]

Edited September 5, 2015 by shapp

[Riley81]

Thanks for the TR shappart. Love the tamale pie pan and that rock looks sweet! Is that all limestone?

[num1mc]

Primarily the Idaho batholith and Belt super group

http://geology.isu.edu/Digital_Geology_Idaho/Flythrw/MidFrkSalmon.htm

[shapp]

Thanks for the TR shappart. Love the tamale pie pan and that rock looks sweet! Is that all limestone?

 

That pan is a Rome combo deep fryer. It is cast aluminum and they stopped making them years ago. The lid is a griddle, the bottom is a deep skillet, together they make the most bad ass dutch oven for a meal for 10 peeps.

 

The rock is mostly some sort of granite-like rock, and some is more like rhyolite. Didn't see any limestone.

[Riley81]

Nice! is you ever want to part with that pan let me know. I'll give it a good home, and the rock looks sweet!