Main Salmon R. Kayaking 7/19/06

Trey & I had a great trip kayaking the Main Salmon River for six days. On Tuesday 7/18 we met up in Minniapolis & flew to Boise, ID where all of our paddling gear arrived on time. We ate at Asiago's Downtown which is one our favorite reataraunts anywhere. We repacked and, as we have in the past, left a lot of stuff at the motel in Boise. The next morning we met at McCall Air and flew in a small plane (2 planes for the group acturally) to Salmon, ID. We rode a couple hours in a bus to the put-in. There we met up with our guides Greg, Helen, Jimbo, Nickie, Jamie, and Leon. Also we met Chuck who had kayaked the Middle Fork and would continue down the Main Salmon with us. We packed into dry bags & placed these on 5 large rafts with metal frames and oars. One raft was much larger that the others & one was smaller & carried "paddlers". Some people rode on the oar rafts. There were about 7 duckies including one double ducky. People swapped off on the duckies and in certain rapids some were towed. The water was surprisingly warm and Trey & I paddled in our polypro T-shirts in our Godzillas. Some of the rapids were brutal. Greg had to rescue both Trey & I on different days. He had done a heroric rescue on Lori a number of years ago so now he has rescued us all!! Leon was our naturalist & photo expert. Greg, Helen, Jimbo, & Jamie took turns as kayakers with Trey, Chuck, & I. The guides had a playboat which, it turns out, was the right thing to have as the surfing was great. We took hikes to historic & nature sites. One of the most pleasant days was the last full day when we got to camp early and sat in the shade by a creek and read, partied, rested, napped, and enjoyed the perfect weather. Most everyone slept outside under the stars. As always on a Canyons trip, the last night in camp is party & gourmet night. Always a blast. We did miss Les who had knee surgery that week but saw him in McCall before we left. We didn't get to see Bruce & Lisa, Laura or Max though. maybe next trip. The flight back to Boise was also fun and Trey & I ate at Asiago's Downtown again. Can't wait to see you on the river again Trey, Chuck, Cindy, Bob, Dylan, kaitlin, Kellan, Kathy, Tim, Greg, Maura, Nancy, Vicki, Travis, Joe, Ansley, Joey, Larry, Christian, Chris, & Kenny (my fellow adventurers)!!!! /Hugh

Visit Canyons Inc to book a trip.
Visit riverpainter.com to buy river art from our leader Greg McFadden.