Fire Island Camp First Night photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Anika in Velvet Falls photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Well summer finally decided to show up in Idaho! With the huge snowpack and the cool spring, we are now running on June water with July weather, which is a real treat. We launched on July 3rd at 5.5 ft on the Middle Fork Lodge gauge. Last year we launched with that flow in early June! The water is clear and the rapids are awesome right now. The fishing is also starting to pick up as well. This is going to be an incredible year for late July and August trips on the Middle Fork Salmon.
GoPro Shot from Jack Creek Canyon photo: Seth Tonsmeire
For this July 3rd trip, we had the Baker family and friends trip. A trip we always look forward to here at WRO. Having taken many of this crew on previous river trip, it feels like a trip with old friends from day one. The Baker family first started coming on trips with WRO in 1996, and have been coming back ever since! With talk of an Alsek or Tat trip in 2013, the Baker family will also be added to the WRO Grand Slam Club. This was their second Middle Fork Salmon trip on July 3rd. With the higher water levels though, there were many comments about how the river seemed totally different from last time.
Gary, Arlene, Margot, and Pete in Marble Rapid photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Amy, Brenna, Shannon, and Charlotte in Marble Rapid photo: Seth Tonsmeire
The weather was incredible! Hot and sunny for almost the entire trip. The second to last day we did have some cloud cover, but it was welcomed after serval hot and sunny days in a row. The hot springs were a huge hit as always with this crew. We took serval short hikes to water falls in the lower canyon that were definitely a high light for everyone! Wine around the campfire in the evenings was also a very much enjoyed by the group. At 5.5 feet the rapids are great, and the Middle Fork has waves for miles and miles. Much of the upper end and well as the Jack Creek Canyon section were continuous wave trains of good fun. Velvet, Pistol, and Cove Creek were definitely some of the biggest rapids of the trip, providing good excitement!
Falls in Parrotts’ Grotto photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Baker Family in Loon Creek Hot Springs photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Group Shot at Tappan Cabin photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Survey Camp Chair Circle photo: Seth Tonsmeire
Scarlet Gilia still in Bloom! photo: Seth Tonsmeire
More photos from this trip can be viewed on the WRO Flickr Gallery. If you would like to download any of the photos, that can be done from Flickr as well. If you are a member of Yahoo, you can even order prints from Flickr. Enjoy! Check out the video below from the trip as well. There is also a facebook gallery of some of the best photos from this trip. Feel free to share with your friends!
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More trips are coming up in the near further, so check back for more WRO updates on the blog.
That’s all for now!
~Seth Tonsmeire
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