Are we having fun yet?

Just back from vacation . . .

Adventuresome? Yes. Memorable? Yes. Fun? Not so much . . .

Got invited on a river trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon. Very hard permit to get so the impetus was to try to make it happen. Scheduling conflicts seemed to be conspiring against us but we prevailed. Now the Middle Fork at the end of July is a mighty shallow river. Big, overladen rafts are not a good idea. So, of course, that's what we were rowing.

From day one, it was a challenge. We got hung up on rocks more times than I can count. We tore a 9 inch gash in the floor of the raft. We wrapped in Powerhouse Rapid and it took approximately 40 people to pull us off the rock. Our boat had Rough Rider II painted on the side and we became quite well-known, dare I say, infamous.

In addition to being victims of our inexperience, Mother Nature had some fun in store for us too. On day 3 of our adventure, we learned that the river was blocked by a blow-out, a flash flood which had washed debris out of a tributary and had built a log dam across the Pistol Creek Rapid. While we waited with approximately 200 other people (mercifully spread over 25 river miles), the Forest Service debated on whether or not to remove the blockage. Two and a half days after the blow-out, the log jam was dynamited and later that evening the river was reopened. But not before half of our group decided they had had enough and flew out at Indian Creek. Group dynamics had not meshed from the start and were quickly reaching the stage where fisticuffs were inevitable so the split was welcomed.

So the six from Colorado floated on, trying to salvage some fun. But for us, still on a big, overladen boat, fun was elusive. We broke an oar, running the kayak slot in Tappan II that the guide book warned us not to run. I swam Earthquake Rock Rapid, an inadvisable move. The groover exploded in the scat machine. I miscalculated the distance from the take-out to the put-in (where our vehicle had been left) and neglected to transfer our bag of clean clothes from our car to the shuttle. After 9 nights of camping, it's amazing the import such a small detail can take on. I was 2 days overdue for work with many obligations hanging over my head and I was with five others who were in no hurry to get back.

And yet, the more distance I'm able to put between me and the trip, the more I'm able to identify some positives. We had really good weather. We were able to sleep under the stars almost every night. The place is gorgeous. The hot springs were clean and clear. We ate well. The company on the second half of the trip was good. We were part of an event that will be talked about for some time. We were one of a handful of groups to run the river after it changed dramatically. We had a yummy sushi lunch in Ketchum, Idaho on the way home.

With the benefit of wisdom gained by experience, I would do it again.

Photos at Kodak Easyshare Gallery