Idaho Wilderness Company

Trails of the Frank—are Chainsaws the Answer?

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:48:22 GMT

Trails of the Frank—are Chainsaws the Answer?

An in-depth look based on 47 years of experience, at the facts of trail history, condition, maintenance or lack thereof, of the thousands of miles of trails of the Frank Church River of No return Wilderness.

If you’re one of the many who have enjoyed making unenlightened comments about the recent chainsaw use rules in the Frank, you may or may not like to know the facts as they truly are. Sometimes ignorance is truly bliss, but in the end, we should all make attempts to educate ourselves on such topics before we make such comments, especially if those comments include personal attacks upon others. I realize that in todays’ world, such off-the-cuff personal attacks and emotional responses are in vogue. I would hope that most users and stakeholders in and of a place as cool as the Frank would be interested in a little education, even at the risk of it changing your opinion. Beware, facts are stubborn things, and even though I will try to stick to those facts while regurgitating those facts based on my near 5 decades in the Frank, I will unfortunately let a few of my own opinions and/or assumptions slip in.

The realities of the trail situation in the Frank are most likely way more complicated and even bizarre at times, than you are probably aware. The culprits are sometimes obvious but in just as many cases, obscure. But they all play a role. And if you think a band-aid (I.E volunteer trail crews, chainsaw use or axes and crosscuts) here or there is the solution, I believe you are sadly mistaken. If you care, grab a beverage and settle in for a slightly in-depth history and overview of the Trails of the Frank. Maybe then you can go forth with a new understanding and voice your opinions with at least enough knowledge for your comments to be valid.

This very summer in late this July, 2026, my wife and another female rider were on the final miles of a two-day 50-mile ride with a dozen head of horses and mules to our base of operation in the near center of the Frank. Unbeknownst to them, as the last of the stock rounded a cliff bound section of the trail, the entire trail bed gave way. Fortunately, all animals were able to cross the failure without incident. Fortunate yes, but this is not always the case. Several years ago, we had 2 mules fall over 40 vertical feet into Big creek as a result of the same scenario. One walked away but scared for life, the other didn’t. Both situations could and should have been avoided, but as you will see, we have become so focused on the “shiny object” of down trees (and now chainsaws) that we are overlooking the entirety of the trail situation. And it is the “entirety” that we must and will cover here.

Some History

The first trails were undoubtedly created, and still are today, by wildlife. And when convenient or necessary, those trails were and are still followed and/or improved by man. Within the Frank, the human aspect was affected not only by the folks living there, but also by those who would pass through or migrate there for cultural or survival reasons. Root gathering and salmon harvesting are great examples of reasons folks would come to the Salmon River country while others like the Tukudika made it their home. Game trails become improved human trails. Foot trails become horse trails. With mining and homesteading some became roads.

More recently, it is important to note, that the Frank and its borderlands were home to thousands of people at one time. Not just the modern, currently existing towns like Salmon, Yellow Pine or Riggins. Towns like Thunder City, Bonanza, Custer, Cobalt, Dixey and Shoup (Shoup was once considered for the site of the state capital, seems crazy now.) The area that is now the Frank became home to many who supported the efforts of these towns with food, logistics, livestock, recreation and more. The biggest boom beginning in the 1880 with the discovery of gold and silver in and around the Frank. Folks would build, maintain and even charge others for the use of some trails and roads. Ferries were built and capitalized on.

By the early 1900s President Roosevelt was aggressively bringing as much land as possible into the fold of the newly formed US Forest Service. New terms were being bantered around. Words like “Conservation” and “Preservation” were Greek to the general public of the day. A huge fire took place across central and northern Idaho plus parts of Washington and Montana at this time. Fire became the enemy of conservation and preservation of our newly created National Forests. I suggest you read “The Big Burn,” an excellent book on the topic.

It is assumed by many that the land in and around the Frank was so rugged and wild that it was only ever inhabited by the hardiest of indigenous folks and once they were removed, the humanly vacated land was easily absorbed into the USFS system, beginning as wild and rugged country, to National Forest, then being designated as Primitive Areas, and finally the Wilderness we know now. Essentially it is assumed that it started wild and remained wild and so protected as wild. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The land of the Frank actually had a period of relative extreme domestication. People lived, worked and traveled everywhere. Almost every suitable flat spot along its major rivers and tributaries has signs of modern day (post 1880) human habitation. Most of the buildings have burnt away but the remnants are there for those who care to look. Foundations, tools, farming equipment, tree scars from the era, etc. There are plenty of trees still standing beside the rivers with 100+ year old cable scars from cable car and ferry crossings utilized since the modern era.

This domestication also brought a new aspect to the trails of the area: Stock (I.E. horses and mules). It was no longer good enough to get places on foot. Trails were built and/or improved to handle stock use. Trails that once were simple improved game trails and routes now were cribbed, bedded, blasted, and engineered up to 8’ wide and tall enough to allow for a rider to pass under or through existing limbs and brush. Bridges were built everywhere, from simple primitive log structures to full-on single span steel and/or suspension types. When able, trails became roads. There were several bulldozers that roamed through many parts of the Frank area, building roads, airstrips, construction sites, farming and mining needs, and then simply heading cross-country to the next user and duty. One of these is buried at the epicenter of the Frank at Cabin Creek.

The fear of fire also brought the fire lookout system, probably the impetuous to the largest formal government operation of trail creation, improvement and maintenance in and around the Frank. Suddenly there was a need to get to seemingly every substantial peak with a view and build a fire lookout on it. These lookouts would require lumber and other building supplies, access to a water supply, part-time resident personnel, food and supply deliveries, and most importantly and probably the least known fact of the Frank trail system saga: “Communication.” It all required an extreme addition to the volume and condition to the trails of the Frank.

Fire lookouts varied in their creature comforts. Some included a comfortable modern structure of approximately 15’ by 15’ with insulated walls, roofing, large windows, woodstove and kitchenette, bed, lighting and more. Others were simply a location to look from with a wall tent pad somewhere in the vicinity. Regardless of how elaborate they were or were not, they all had several things in common. The need to be manned, have a view, and a way to communicate quickly if and when a fire was spotted. To that purpose, each lookout had a square high-top table like structure centrally located with a map/compass of the area permanently placed upon it. This tabletop and map were accurately positioned so the map was oriented perfectly with the spotter’s land to be watched. If smoke was spotted the lookout would simply turn a center dial and point it at the smoke. It would only take one other lookout to go through the same simple process for the fire to be triangulated and accurately located on a map by the personnel in town who would direct the firefighting response.

The quick transmission of these fire coordinates would be quintessential to a rapid-fire response. It was impractical to think that when a lookout spotted smoke that he or she could simply run down off the mountain and on into some town somewhere. The answer was the telephone. I can only assume that it took thousands of miles of wire to get the job done. Almost all lookouts would have a telephone wire of copper or galvanized metal run to them. These wires would interconnect with all the other wires run throughout the area. Homesteaders and other inhabitants of the area would also connect to the system. One of the drainages in my old operating area is actually called “Telephone Creek,” supposedly because of an elaborate junction box located near its mouth. In actuality, almost all major tributaries could have been called Telephone Creek as there were lines everywhere.

In many cases there still are miles and miles of this wire strung out within the Frank. While most lines would parallel a trail, many of the lines headed to the lookouts would take a more direct rout than a trail to the lookout could offer. Essentially trails need to follow appropriate routes, include switchbacks and such while the telephone wire could be stretched in a straight line anywhere, they could keep it off the ground.

The whole system relied upon the green, unburnt, dependable mature trees of the not-yet-the Frank. On occasion when open stretches or rocky treeless sections required, telephone poles would be cut and planted and/or creative rocky points would be used as well, but the green trees were what made it all possible. With these lines in place almost instant communication was now possible. Much quicker than the trail running messenger option. FYI, there would be no way this system could possibly work in the Frank of today as a result of all the fires and subsequent dead and falling trees.

The late 1920s and early 30’s brought the “Great Depression.” Wall street’s poor habits have never had a larger effect on the land of the Frank. As a result of subsequent government-initiated work programs, armies of civil servants via the CCCs, “the Civil Conservation Corp” descended upon places like The Central Idaho Primitive Area. Never have the trails been so improved, modified, extended and added too as they were during this era. Let’s keep in mind that this was nearly 100 years ago and most of the necessary major trail engineering of the day is still present (in some sort of state of functionality or another) and in most cases absolutely still necessary today. More on this later.

An interesting side note to the lookout locations is that it seems that for some reason, natural or otherwise, the majority of them had small past-burned area around them. I apologize for not knowing this history better, but it does make one wonder? We do know that when fires occurred, more armies of temporary civil servants would descend upon the public lands in the way of mercenary firefighters. Such duty typically paid well for the times and without throwing anyone under the bus, fires were many times a desired economic opportunity for the local populations, with the federal government more than willing to throw plenty of money at such events. This fact is still true today.

And then for 50 some odd years the trails of central Idaho would be jointly maintained by the USFS, local residents, periodic fire crews, youth corps, outfitters, private backcountry users and such. Airplanes begin to replace the need for an extensive lookout system. While some are maintained and utilized, others are abandoned and simply left to melt slowly into the environment. Many of the phone lines would be disconnected. Some rolled up and hauled away, while much of it still litters the ground while the trees that once supported it have died, burned or both. Suddenly, quintessential trails for servicing these lookouts are abandoned as well.

In 1931, much of what is now the Frank was designated by the USFS as the Idaho Primitive Area. They added some more land in 1936. Somewhere, somehow, I believe the “Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area was in play during this era as well. Personalities would play a tremendous roll during this period and still to this day. Simply put, the character of individual sectors of the backcountry were under the direct influence of the land-manager-du-jour. The area was littered with old abandoned cabins. From the lowest river bottoms to the highest basins, cool old cabins were everywhere with trails to and from. In the USFS, it seems, that District Rangers don’t remain in the same place for long. As a result, no matter how many rangers you have that may think old structures like cabins and lookouts are cool to just have around, it only takes one with the vision of burning them to be best, to ultimately destroy them forever. And such is the case with the vast majority of these structures being systematically burned or allowed to burn. At which time associated trails begin to disappear.

These personality traits can also have influence over what fires are put out and which ones will be left to burn. What trails will be kept open and which ones abandoned. The resources allotted and the projects to be completed. These all become primarily influenced by the priorities of the District Ranger. Obviously, his or her budget will have great influence over their desires. More on that later.

With the exception of a fire here and there which were usually quickly addressed, the trail system didn’t experience any consequential change for over half a century. Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 64’ and then the Frank came to be in 1980. (FYI, I arrived for the first time in the Frank in July of 1980, possibly on the day President Jimmy Carter enacted such). Two interesting stipulations are placed within the Central Idaho Wilderness Act. They state:

1) Such protection can be provided without conflicting with established uses.

2) In administering the River of No Return Wilderness, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the management plan required by this section, clear obstructions from all of the national forest trails within or adjacent to the wilderness on at least an annual basis.

These lines is a perfect example of two real truths about Congressional actions. One, they rarely can foretell the future, and two, they love to mandate without funding. In all fairness, clearing the Trails in and around the Frank pre-1980 was child’s play compared to what was about to transpire. But also, in fairness, there was a huge red flag that appeared in 1979 that should have gotten someone’s attention, fore it would change the trail maintenance saga of the Frank for the worst and seemingly forever.

In 1980 I arrived in the Frank. I worked most of the summer and fall in and around the Frank. I set camps, pulled camps, cut firewood, guided hunters and packed meat—all with stock present. In all of that time and travel, I watched my boss chop one six-inch diameter tree out of the trail. That was it. That was trail clearing for the season. My second year, 81’, I brought stock in from Meyers Cove to Cabin Creek, a 50-mile ride. When we arrived at Cain Creek there were still plenty of leftover cabins, barns, airplane hangars and other structures having yet to be burned. Caretaking the place was an older couple, presumably in their sixties but I can’t be sure. Beyond keeping an eye on Cabin Creek, their other job was clearing the FS trails of the area. Again… two folks in the 60s+.

Upon our arrival, the gentleman asked if there were any problems in the trail. The answer was yes, one tree about three hours back that was easy to go around with stock. The next day the couple rode the three hours, cut out the one tree and rode home. A few days later I was with my new boss showing him a secret (wouldn’t you know) hunting trail. The outfitter whom I worked for my first year happened to be on his last year, so now I was suddenly the guy with the most experience in the area. As we traveled down our secret hunting trail we came upon a fallen tree about 12” in diameter and lying flat on the ground. An easy stepover for man or beast and also on an out-of-the-way-secret trail. And the only one we came across. My new boss cut it out with a chainsaw. Again, the only trail clearing I participated in for that season. 2 years, 2 trees. This is what Congress had to go on. My how things have changed.

For over 20 years, all I carried on my saddle was a small double bit ax. It was mainly used to quarter elk, but on occasion I would use it to chop something out of the trail. For that purpose, it was highly inefficient. We had one and two-man crosscut saws that we could bring with us in the event of major trail issues but not on a daily basis. Suddenly, overnight, there seem to be a need to always have a saw of some sort. The 24” sheathed trail saw has become a backcountry horseman fixture, with some other specialty saddle-able saws now being carried as well.

This is an excerpt from a book that I wrote, “The Organic Treadmill and Other Great Powers of Wilderness.” It attempts to describe the new realities of equine supported Frank travel.

Back to us moving. This involved the team, Rob and I, catching, saddling, and packing all the gear, which we had to tear down and wrap up to do so. Two steadily working crew members can usually be ready to move in about two hours. That is, if the stock and the guests cooperate. We typically begin this affair in the dark so as to be ready to leave as early as possible. Moving pre-fire/beetle-kill used to be cool. Heading out the trail, with some distant location in mind, knowing your immediate trip was one-way and not having to return to anywhere in particular. Real Mountain Man stuff. Now, you just cut logs!

Being the boss used to mean you got to ride out in front, leading the way! Now it means sawing the way—little trees, medium trees, large trees. Cutting lots of medium trees and small trees in order to go around too-big-to-cut trees. And this was on the main trails, the supposedly to-be-cleared-by-the-Forest-Service-Trail Crew trails. This particular trail was and wasn’t. I cut a lot of trees. On the occasion that we had multiples down in the same area, Rob would join me.

I would like to add here that back in the day, outfitters—although sometimes egotistical and/or fanatical about needing to lead the way—would actually yield such an honor to a lesser employee, even sometimes to a rookie or even a client. What an honor indeed. This arrangement almost always occurred after a fresh, heavy snow, when the trail seemed to disappear into a white wall of snow-laden trees. Yes, what an honor indeed! At this point, the honorarium still seems to fall upon the outfitter leader (me) and his saw.

I had a route planned for the final three days of hunting, which was what we had left. The initial trail sucked. Lots of cutting needed in order to pass through. However, we would be leaving this trail for another. Earlier in the season, I had been on the far end of the other trail, and it had been cut out by the trail crew earlier that summer. Usually when they begin a project, they will see it through to the other end (or should). Therefore, I assumed that the traveling would improve. The second trail involved a consistent descent for a couple of hours (if all went well). There was no elk sign to be seen on the route thus far, so it was simply cut, move, cut, move. We were now committed to the route. With a dozen head of stock, you need water, grass, flat-ish ground to camp, and you need it preferably before dark.

Down we went. The initial part of the descent was on an unburnt, somewhat timbered ridge, meaning we could detour at times if fallen trees got in our way—and they did. It was not looking good for the whole “they will see it through to the other end” assumption. Eventually, the trail would reach bottom-ish country. There would be no more meandering, as conditions kept us pretty well restrained to the trail “proper.” This also included recent burn, creek crossings, giant dead spruce, firs, and pines, head-high brush, and steep erratic trail (much like that of your favorite roller coaster, if roller coaster tracks were covered with sporadic horrendous acts of God!).

It was now obvious that the USFS trail crew had not followed protocol. The loaded stock had leapt several large, waist-high dead trees on downhill portions of the trail. There would be no leaping back up. As horrific as it was, almost as if through divine intervention, we were able to negotiate the monster logs without the need for the big saw!

When I began in the wilderness of 1980, guides carried medium sized axes on their saddles. You can do a lot with an axe, right up until the handle fails or the head falls off. With that said, the axe served its purposes well. Chopping out the rare fallen tree, quartering an elk, chopping the antlers and skull plate from the head of a buck or bull, and much like your Hat and your Chaps, just all-around helping you to look cool on your saddle.

An axe just doesn’t cut it anymore (there may be a pun or reality intended). There is just too much trail clearing necessary for the axe alone. We are also dealing with the national ungulate crisis of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD mandates that we not deal with the spine, and so we remove the meat from the spine instead of the old “chop it down the middle” routine. With all that said, the axe has been replaced with the 24” trail saw, and most of us now carry one (although we still always travel with a big axe, in case the big saw gets stuck). And not just to look cool. We use them continuously. Just because a trail has been “cleared” today, it is no indication of its condition tomorrow. Dead trees fall over and, as we have learned since fire, so do live ones.

We cut countless trees, limbs, brush and such with our saddle saws. On occasion, we need the big saw. We avoid it like the plague, however. It’s one thing if your mission is to clear trail. If you are just trying to travel trail, the time and effort involved in the big saw just isn’t conducive with getting somewhere. But sometimes it just can’t be avoided. Big saws are dangerous; five to seven-foot crosscut saws are tricky to pack on a horse or mule. When the need for one is required, it typically means a big log in a bad place (also extremely dangerous). Oh, did I mention? They are extremely sharp (or should be). Important to note here: a dull crosscut saw that won’t cut wood still has the capacity to cut human flesh surprisingly well.

I cannot over-exaggerate the hellish nature of the trail conditions we were encountering. But there is always a paradigm shift when such experiences are had. Typically, when clients experience a normal day in today’s Frank (it being just another day at the office for guide and outfitter), their take is that of a constant battle with the natural powers that be; Hell, if you will. But, in those moments when it is truly Hell (at least from the perspective of the guide/outfitter), the clients seem to fall into a world of curious complacency. One really good reason for this shift is that, on a normal day, the time is spent at outfitter/guide speed, with the client in a perpetual state of keep up!, which is how it should be. When Hell arrives, it typically equates to outfitter/guide battling the onslaught of elements (much like that of Jackie Chan in a multi-front assault) while the client now relaxes, grasping saddle horn in a far-off, majestic pondering expression. Payback can be tough.

At this point, I was Jackie. Rob was doing what he could to help me while also dealing with loaded mule insanity. Remember: everything is downhill, and gravity is at play, and it always wins. Just because I stop doesn’t necessarily mean that 15-thousand pounds of horse, mule, and gear does. It just keeps coming. I do often wonder what the clients are thinking at a moment, or on a journey, like this. I, for my part, know what awaits us if and when we get through Hell; they don’t. They came for an elk hunt. I’m not sure what this is. For me, it is an elk hunt, for I know where I’m trying to get to, and this calamity is just a reality of getting there. But for them, it’s just insanity—and that, it is! Client indicators, including their facial expressions, conversations amongst themselves, and screaming, give us a clue. I have always been a fan of the camera. If folks are taking pictures, then they are probably in a positive state of mind. Unless, of course, they seem to be simply documenting for upcoming litigation. Should this be the case, it would be difficult to discern.

And there it was. Somewhere between my roundhouse left and my back-kick, I saw a sawed log! Not just any sawed log, but one that had obviously been sawed the previous summer. We had made it to cleared trail (a relative term, as noted earlier). Just like that, we were traveling again. It is amazing how quickly a mindset can change. All those disparaging words used in reference to the trail crew were replaced with accolades as we strode by sawed log after sawed log on our horses (with majestic, pondering expressions).

There are times in our lives that we witness things that are totally preposterous, inconceivable, and just don’t make any sense regardless of how you look at it. Such events are commonplace once we have a spouse, have children, or become employers. But you don’t expect them on your recent reprieve from Hell. Still, there it was, and it was one of many more to come. Amongst the herculean efforts of the trail crew’s giant sawed logs, impenetrable over-the-trail brush, fire-caused chaos—someone on the crew had taken real time to trim the trail-side limbs from a knee-high Charlie Brown Christmas tree growing out of the edge of the trail. (To give real perspective here, this would be like if your house was fully engulfed in flames, and you stopped to clean the toilet as you searched for your children and pets.) These trees will all be gone to the history of the trail. There are thousands of other saplings growing in the immediate area. Some will need to be removed for the sake of the trail corridor, while others a foot away may live to be 300-years old.

While his compadres were covered in dirt, sweat and ash, wrestling with overwhelming natural forces for hours and days on end, here sat someone with a pair of nail clippers trimming a half dozen spaghetti noodle limbs off each sapling. I don’t question the fact that some ignorant nincompoop thought they could save the wilderness and its forest by trimming these trees so. It’s the fact that others on the crew were busting their asses while this person was doing it, and didn’t seem to address the issue. We can only hope that someone had their helping toddler along, but I think it extremely doubtful. This, my friends, could only happen on, with, or by way of the Federal Government!

Recreation

The past 100 years has seen a tremendous amount of recreation within the land of the Frank. Recreationists get everywhere or at least wish they could. Such public desires resulted in the creation of horse trails to many of the cool spots. One only need to visit the Bighorn Crags and witness the unbelievably labor-intensive trail system that was created for folks to access the local lakes to understand. More cribbing, blasting, engineering, bridges, signage, campsite improvements, etc. Swampy areas would require a technique of corrugation, where countless short poles were cut and place side by side perpendicular to the trail in order for man or beast to be able to walk the trail without sinking into the mud.

Whereas your typical summer recreationist would invade in substantial numbers each year, their typical use was fairly predictable. They would mostly key on the lakes and the large tributaries, and whether with backpack, pack goats, llamas, or horses and/or mules, they would mainly utilize the most direct trails to get them there. Even those who were making grandiose loops or point to point trips, were generally following the blazed USFS trail system. FYI, the “blaze” consisted of a tree’s bark being marred in a consistent pattern, typically with a couple swipes of an axe about head-high above the ground. The “mark” was what was explained to me to resemble that of a candle lighting the way. A vertical scar several inches wide and upwards of a foot tall with a smaller, several inch by several inch scar a few inches above the vertical scar. Thus, looking like a candle and flame. This blaze would be repeated on both sides of the tree. If a trail was blazed correctly, you could see the next blazed tree from the blazed tree you were at. Enter the horseback hunter.

For well over a hundred years horseback hunters have come to the land of the Frank in numbers at times that are truly hard to comprehend. Stories of 70+ rigs at one trailhead on opening day of elk season, with rigs seemingly coming from every state in the union. And whereas summer folks got everywhere by trail, horseback hunters simply got everywhere. And also, whereas we can attribute the CCCs for the vast amount of lasting trail engineering, it is these hunters who created the bulk of non-officially blazed trails within what is now the Frank.

Trails to the secret camping meadow, the short-cut trail to the good hunting ridge, the good meadow, the good rock. Short-cut trails to connect short-cut trails. Elk are big, and the meat must be packed out. If you can get the stock to the dead elk, you do, almost regardless of the effort to do so. It’s a stockman thing. Elk were of tremendous numbers at times and they created wonderful game trails for stock users to follow. With little effort these trails simply became more secret hunting trails.

Many situations did not require a trail. You needed only to follow a general route down an open ridge, through a chain of meadows or just cross country when the terrain and or deadfall would allow. I am good at very little beyond napping, but as an experienced Wilderness stock user of 47 years, I am as close to an expert as exists, of abilities to travelling the Frank with horse and mule without a formal trail to do so. Those days are over within the Frank, at least at anywhere close to the levels pre-1990.

Every year, these hunters would arrive with not only their stock, gear, friends, weapons and hopes, this annual Wilderness army also sported axes, saws (many with chainsaws) and most importantly “drive” and the manpower to back it up. Do not underestimate the force and will of a horseback hunter, especially that of a guide or outfitter (regardless of age). The effects of this force can be very tangible if we simply note the actual work done. But there is an even greater effect, or at least was in the past, that doesn’t exist anymore. And the negative effects on the trails of the Frank since that loss cannot be quantified.

Wolves

Wolves were reintroduced into the Frank in 1996. As the wolves propagated and took hold, the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association (IOGA) in 1999 hosted what was dubbed “The Predator / Prey Symposium.” All interested parties had their chance to provide input on Wolf reintroduction, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG), IOGA and others. In IOGA’s presentation we predicted that the elk herds of the Frank would crash in about a decade. Our prediction was based on wolf history and common sense. Wolves love to eat elk calves, no argument there. Elk live about 10 years on average. So, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to calculate that if few new elk were around to maintain the population, and the ones that were around would be gone naturally in ten years, that something bad would happen in about 2008-9. Low and behold, almost to the day, elk numbers within the Frank dropped by 80%. Experts still want to disagree on why this really happened, and for the sake of staying on track here, let’s just agree that based on IDFG numbers that it did. Regardless of your personal stance on wolves, their effect on the trails of the Frank are substantial.

Remember the Force, the will, the efforts, the drive of that annual army? Well it came to an end. It didn’t take long for personal experience and bad press to equate to a drastic drop in backcountry elk hunting. The biproduct of this was way more than just the vacuum of tangible trail work. When that many folks count on usable trails on a certain day, every year, without change, the powers that be are somewhat obligated/forced even, to acknowledge such. In this case, USFS trail maintenance was certainly affected by this annual need. And because of the national nature of the participants, the pressures put to bear upon the local land managers could be extensive as well, especially if they did not perform. Simply put, hunters and hunting outfitters had no problem complaining to the USFS locally if trails were not open in a timely manner. If the local complaint fell on deaf ears, the players had no problem moving up the FS ladder and/or congressman and/or senators as well. Remember the will of the horseback hunter? It is real. And regardless of your views about horseback elk hunters, their positive effects upon the trails of the Frank tangible or otherwise are all but gone.

Losing this annual force that would annually clear trail literally and metaphorically has certainly diminished the trail system of the Frank. But they are only the amateurs, so to speak. There for a week or two, and then gone, with no real long-term vested interest beyond hoping to return the following year. What about the professionals? Since wolf introduction, most land-based operating areas within the Frank have doubled, tripled or more in size just to allow survival of the business. These increases typically do not also reflect elk hunting client number. It’s really just the opposite.

If we use my operation as an example: pre-wolf I would take approximately 35 elk hunters per season. I have added to our country 4 different times now. Those business purchases would/should/could reflect upwards of 35+ additional elk hunters per season. I now take about 12 elk hunters annually. That’s right, 35 + 35 = 12. So, in an area twice the original size I’m taking 83% less hunters.

To accommodate the remaining 17%, I cannot afford the 12+ personnel that use to be needed to accommodate the 70+ hunters. My average staff for elk hunting now averages between 3-4. That equates to 8+ professional Wilderness employees who are no longer roaming the trails within my operating area, and clearing trail as they go. And, because our operating areas are so large now, greater distances must be covered by this skeleton crew. You might think that more miles of trail traveled would equate to more miles cleared. Once again, just the opposite is true. There are only so many hours in the day, and those trail hours are spent with less crew at a time, meaning simply, if possible, detouring is most likely the first option for successful timely travel. Trail maintenance most likely will have to wait. Now spread this same scenario across the entire Frank and you suddenly garner a massive void in the trail clearing saga.

Fire

In the summer of 79’ some campers had a fire get away from them in the upper end of the Middle Fork of the Salmon. In no time it became what I believe was called the third largest fire in Idaho’s history. Regardless, it was big. It encompassed nearly 40 miles along the river. As we would all learn, that yes, fires are devastating while burning, but once out and the initial damage is assessed and dealt with, (I.E. clearing burnt logs out of the trails), they can actually allow for exceptional cross-country non-trail travel for a period of time. In many cases you can simply get on your horse and ride anywhere you wish. It turns out that you have about ten years.

There is another post-fire reality that cannot be ignored. Fires cause destabilized earth depending upon the degree of intensity of the fire as it passes through. Sometimes superficial while other times it scours every bit of earth beyond the sand, gravel and rock itself. When this happens, the land becomes ripe for catastrophic land and debris slides. When a rainstorm or avalanche happens, everything in the path may and will come down the mountain, clogging, even eliminating the trail itself. Bridges get taken away as well. Thousands of tons of material, trees, rocks, dirt. In moments, an area can go from peaceful and passible to the sight of some sort of mega-bomb being detonated. Congress in 79’ missed this one completely as they did the effects of the fire era that had just begun.

In about nine or ten years after a fire, for whatever reason, almost on cue, half of the burnt trees will fall over, and continue to do so seemingly forever. Oddly some trees seem to want to stand forever. I know of some fire killed trees still standing 70+ years later. These are the anomalies as the rest have fallen. The ability to travel anywhere quickly becomes the inability to get anywhere. With the right wind, thousands of trees will topple in unison in seconds. Everything from individual giant Doug Firs and Yellow Pines to carpets of skinny Lodgepole Pines. One moment the trail is somewhat clear, the next, a maze of burnt wood, sometimes for miles.

And so it was that fire, while kept at bay for many decades, suddenly became an incalculably substantial factor in the present and future condition of the trails of the Frank. In my operating area alone, 88’ brought us a fire bigger than the one in Yellowstone. Another in 90’, again in 92’ The massive 2000’ complex with smaller ones somewhere interspersed on an annual basis to the point that I believe it honest to say that we have more burnt country than unburnt. This same scenario has played out across the Frank. If it’s summertime there’s probably something burning as you read this. I really can’t think of an appropriate analogy that would put into perspective the current trail maintenance requirements as you would compare them to those pre-Frank. Maybe something like comparing having an ant walk across your kitchen floor, to that of your home being at risk of collapse and condemned from termites. It basically cannot be over-exaggerated. Obviously, fire can be natural and inevitable, but that is not the point here. We are talking about the trails, and if fire is inevitable, and trail maintenance is mandatory, then obviously something has to give.

Beetles

Whereas fire can be natural, I’m not sure where the beetles fit in? But they are killing trees in massive numbers and have been for decades. They certainly seem to be indiscriminate, but almost criminally seem to prefer big, old, majestic Douglas Fir trees. It can be heartbreaking. Areas that somehow avoided fire are now areas of standing and fallen giant firs. Again, making the area impassible and dangerous at times. Campsite become unusable for the threat of these massive trees coming down at any time. Ridges, sidehills and creek bottoms that used to provide beautiful passage through such growth are now just tangles masses of dead wood. When this occurs along a USFS trail, the maintenance becomes almost endlessly daunting. A trail crew can spend weeks on a section only to have it completely impassible days later. Whether by fire or beetle, when these trees are encountered by your typical Wilderness traveler, they are generally way outside the practical realities and general safety barriers of being cleared with the basic tools carried by such. These trees often necessitate professional tools used by said professionals. To ask more of the common passer-bye is absurd.

In the Biz, we call these trees, “Forest Service trees.” It’s not that we are not capable of clearing such. Most land-based outfitters within the Frank have such skills and tools. The issue is time and priority. If I leave for a day of trail clearing with a crew, that’s one thing. If I have a fully loaded pack string and without help, short on daylight, confounded by weather or obligated to meet someone or something (I.E. an airplane), my priority is to simply get where I need to go. So, if a detour is possible, a detour it is. We do however tackle the smaller stuff continually. “Stepping over” has become a real thing. Remember my old boss with the illegal chainsaw and the 12” log on the ground. Such an action is ridiculous to think about now. Essentially, if you can step over it, it actually doesn’t exist. At least in our book at this time. Especially with the difficulties of cutting a tree flat on the ground with a two-man crosscut along with the possibility of sticking a sharpened saw into the dirt and rocks. Someone with a chain saw might think differently.

A little side note for perspective. In 1982 I went to work for an outfitter on lower Big Creek because the rumor was that he was ready to sell out, and at that time I knew I was ready to buy in. My first day on the job, I packed camp gear up to a favorite historic outfitter camp. The site was full of massive Doug Firs, everything green and lush. Tent pads were located strategically between the trees. It was beautiful in every way. My second day on the job my new boss handed me a chainsaw and said to cut a season’s worth of firewood for the camp while he and his wife went for a two-day visit of a neighboring area. He directed me towards the only dead trees he knew of in the area which were no less than 400 yards strait uphill from camp. I did as I was told. If you were to visit that camp today, it looks like an abandoned logging site. Giant dead trees lay on the ground everywhere. Some cut down to prevent them from crushing tents and sleepers. The place is a dustbowl with very few green trees left. All a result of beetle kill.

Brush

Ceanothus is a prevalent brush that grows heavily post-fire within the Frank. It has an annoying habit of originating on the uphill side of the trail yet with a desire to be on the downhill side of the trail. It simply grows up for a few inches, then horizontally across the trail, then up again. Miles and miles of Frank trails are unusable because of it. You can see the trail, follow the trail from one side or the other, you just can’t stay on the trail. Clearing this brush to make said trails usable takes specialty tools such as pruners, and lots of physical labor, and requires annual maintenance to keep it at bay. It can be and many times is literally worse than deadfall.

Berry bushes, alder, wild rose, saplings, post-fire evergreen regrowth, horizontally growing limbs and such have all infiltrated the trails of the Frank. Where a horseback ride 40 years ago would have involved a lovely, even possibly shaded saunter up the trail, it has more often than not been replaced with scorched earth, blackness seemingly everywhere, and obstacles that make the rider appear as if he or she are in a scene from the Matrix. Constantly ducking, leaning, pushing limbs here, snapping some off there. The definition of “trail clearing” has conveniently changed to cutting wood and possibly rolling some rocks. Tread work, brush removal, passible for stock use, width and height requirements and more have all been replaced with the mentality of “just cut it open.”

Green Trees

Fires are natural, yes. But that doesn’t make them any less heartbreaking at times. Almost worse is when the surviving trees tip over. And there seems to be an abnormal number of green trees failing within the Frank in recent years. Why?—I do not know. Many are simply tipping over, which could be chalked up to destabilized earth, but just as many seem to be breaking off mid-trunk.

We have a camp that is about a three-hour ride from the airstrip. The first two hours involve climbing a previously beautiful timbered hillside that has been replaced with thousands of burnt dead trees. Near the top and during the last 40 minutes of the trip, you finally enter beautiful mature Douglas Firs. About four years ago, some natural event caused half of the green trees to fall over. Many across the trail. Heartbreaking indeed.

Over a decade ago, during prime floating season, a large Douglas Fir treetop fell into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. It had broken off as a result of a fire. It caused a week’s worth boating accidents and finally a fatality. It had been passed by the USFS River Patrol, USFS Fire Fighters (with chainsaws), countless outfitter and guide crews, and the same number of private boaters. For reasons Greek to me, no one seemed to have the presence of mind or the desire to remove this extremely dangerous obstacle. The government response was that they were not allowed to. Oddly, I’ve heard from USFS officials that navigable waterways were to be treated as trails. If that tree were in a trail someone would have removed it.

Right or wrong, legal or not, the common-sense thing to do was to remove a hazard that was going to cost more lives and/or equipment. On my first pass through, myself, a son, a niece and a surrogate uncle removed the treetop without difficulty, and secured it to the bank to await the next year’s high water. To this day, the argument still exists whether to treat the river corridor as you would any other trail?

Regardless of the ruling of that tree and others in the river, green trees are just more difficult to deal with. Their limbs tend to stay connected when they fall, leading to additional cutting. And they tend to tangle and intertwine leading to more cutting. And, everything about a green tree is just heavier as well. And, when you deal with a green tree you will most likely be wearing its sap like a Wilderness tattoo for the remainder of your journey. Green trees just are not that much fun.

As much as we anticipate and enjoy regrowth following a fire, those little Christmas trees that decide to sprout within the confines of a trail can be an absolute nuisance. And if a trail goes unmaintained during the wrong cycle, you can seemingly have miles of trail disappear and gobbled up by a proverbial Christmas Tree farm.

Stock

Which brings up another major issue facing the trails and trail maintenance of today. The lack of stock knowledge amongst trail crews and land managers. A cleared path is way different than a usable horse trail. It takes constant engineering and equine knowhow to keep a trail equine-safe. It takes a lot more then an ax and or a saw, chainsaw or crosscut.

The loss of need to supply fire lookouts, the dwindling budgets of the local Ranger Districts, the loss of the horseback elk hunter, the drastic reduction in recreational summer stock users as a result of unreliable trails, the lack of priority put on the equine realities of USFS trail clearing, and the subsequent innocent ignorance of the trail crews themselves, are just some of the reasons for the evermore dangerous and diminished equine-able trail system of the Frank. In addition, trying to support trail crews with stock is a thing of the past, for both realistic and possibly philosophic reasons.

In the old days, a horseback trail crew could plan their days of travel, where to get water, stop for lunch, where to spend the night, with good camping for crew and grazing for the stock. This was possible because you were unlikely to find any surprises along the way. Water bars and other tread work could be done as time allowed. Such preplanning is simply impossible now. A trail crew now simply has no idea how long, how far, how much, or how involved their route might be. They can’t even count on a route done just days before to be open today. Having to then worry about the daily and evening issues stock present just exacerbates the challenges.

Trail crews without equine knowledge make lots of mistakes. They work extremely hard, but often times the work is done incorrectly, and unfortunately often enough, could have been done correctly for no more effort if only someone would have prioritized such in their training. Stock do not think as people do. It takes experience to know how stock will react to trail issues differently than people. Someone without such experience will look at a unique trail situation from the perspective of a human, assuming that a horse or mule would think the same. Such ignorance can, has and will be fatal for stock and possibly rider.

A perfect example of this occurred several years ago. The lack of response and ignorance of the FS cost us our favorite mule and family friend. For many years and still counting, we have been complaining to the Krassel Ranger District and all of the tiers of supervision above, about the destabilization of the main Big Creek trail. Most of the engineering is nearing 100 years old and is failing. We had a place where the trail would go out onto a point/cliff some 40+feet above the creek. The ancient trail cribbing was failing at the apex of the most vulnerable point. Countless times I would carry large rocks, logs, stumps, basically anything I could find to force the stock away from the edge. It’s an old simple stock user trick and works quite well. These items rarely lasted as I’m sure that unknowing trail crews would consider them trail hazards and simple shove them off the cliff. Again, stock don’t see hazards as we do. They don’t know that a trail is undermined, unfortunately at least not until it gives way. Which it finally did.

Not all equine ignorant trail crew issues are fatal or even dangerous, but important just the same. Pack animals with loads can be much wider than folks realize. So, often logs are cut just out of the trail bed, when they should have been cut several feet back. The real unfortunate aspect to this is that if done correctly the first time, it would not have required anymore effort. Moving the saw left or right on a log needing to be cut rarely yields much additional diameter to cut. In actuality, 50% of the time there will be less to cut. Cutting it too close to the trail not only blocks the trail but also requires someone(s) to do it again.

As stated earlier, many times stock users will create detours around fallen trees when time, manpower or equipment don’t allow for clearing. The issue becomes when the trail crews continue to utilize the detour rather than clearing the obstacle. Some of these detours have been ignored for decades, with some having more trees cut to utilize the detour than just cutting out the original tree. Place this scenario on a sidehill trail and instead of a steady grade of the traditional trail, it’s a constant series of ups and downs. A man walking up a trail has no perspective of the height and width necessary for a man to ride a horse up the same trail. As a result, most trails in the Frank are not currently what you would call stock user friendly and, nor in many cases, safe.

Without a doubt, nothing creates, improves, or perpetuates a trail like continued stock use. The effect of the loss of stock use on the trails of the Frank and the subsequent diminished quality in those trails cannot be overstated. Foot traffic will only preserve the trails if continual manual tread work is done routinely.

Salmon

Salmon have played a huge role in trail priorities over the past three decades. This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote years ago called “Welcome to Salmon-less Idaho.” I believe it paints a realistic picture of the curious nature of the relationship between the National Marine and Fish Service (NMFS) and the USFS, endangered salmon and the trails.

Another wonderful example of the gross misconduct associated with this myth called Salmon Restoration, is located on the beautifully wild and remote, Monumental Creek. Monumental Creek is the largest tributary to Big Creek, which is the largest tributary to the Middle Fork. I would guess that Monumental Creek is over 40 miles long with the lower 25 being within the wilderness boundary. Monumental creek is the famous creek of Zane Gray’s “Thunder Mountain”. The story of the old west mining town where the mountain slid down and dammed the creek and flooded the town, (somewhat true). In the early 2000s I had purchased a land-based hunting and fishing business from my neighbor on Big creek. It included operating on all of the wilderness portion of Monumental Creek. It was sometime in late August when I had my wife drop me off at the Monumental Creek Trailhead with 8 head of stock and the camp gear we were to use in our new Monumental Camp some 15+ miles downstream. We spent the night at the trailhead and early the next morning I was off with my riding horse and 7 very loaded pack animals. At that point I had been outfitting and or guiding in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for about 25 years. I had traveled a lot of wilderness trails in that amount of time but none as beautiful as those first 15 miles that day and the next 10 the following day. I remember telling my wife later how extremely special that trail was and would be for us in the future. The trail was a perfect mix of everything “Central Idaho Wilderness”. Mountains, streams, sage brush, Old Growth Firs, Lodge Pole Pines, massive Spruce, meadows, towering cliffs, history, sunshine, shade and napping spots galore! All the while with the trail winding beautifully and safely down the ever-deepening valley and with Monumental Creek itself growing from a trickle to a full-blown trout stream.

During the course of my travels the first day I encountered quite a few young men and women who were obviously up to something with trail work but not the one I was on. Judging by the number of them, I assumed they were doing something pretty substantial. On a side trail? It really didn’t add up at the time. Nevertheless, all that humanity aside, it was a very special day on the trail, never knowing it would be the last.

Like all sizable tributaries to the Middle Fork, Monumental Creek is home to spawning Salmon. And like most sizable tributaries to the Middle Fork, it has an historic trail paralleling it, and in many cases, will have the trail cross it periodically. In the aforementioned 15 miles of Monumental Trail it would cross the stream a few times. No big deal, horses, mules, hikers and wildlife alike simply woller across for a few steps in ankle to knee deep water and then back on the terra firma of the horse trail. These several crossings also allow the stock to tank up on water when needed or a quick refreshing dip by the passersby. Well, wouldn’t you know, these few creek crossings were determined, once again by the powers that be, to be the quintessential spawning grounds that if protected would turn the Salmon Tide! Hallelujah! Let me check the back yard (I live on the salmon River). Nope, still no Salmon.

Somebody(s) in their infinite wisdom, chose to eliminate the use of the aforementioned, most beautiful and safe trail I had ever experienced, and to relocate it on the sidehill well above the valley floor. For miles and years, the crew I had passed (it all makes senseless sense now), would work on the trail reroute in order to bypass the only 400 square feet (the size of your living room) that Salmon had left to spawn in the 2.4 million acres of wilderness and the additional 5 million acres of National Forest surrounding it, and the thousands of miles of spawnable stream bed within.

The new trail? A Nightmare! It is carved into a hillside too steep for its presence. It has simply become a multi-mile storage shelf for any and all debris that comes off the hillside. Pinecones, rocks, gravel, dirt, deadfall, limbs, sticks, etc.. There is almost no way to exit the trail safely once you begin and I don’t have a clue what two opposing groups with stock would do if they met somewhere on it. There is also a section “so” steep that they brought in countless Gabion Boxes to use to make it at all passable. For those who don’t know, a Gabion Box is a large wire mesh box which when filled with rocks and gravel become a gravel building block. They are often used to shore up river banks and roadsides. They are also notorious for ripping the shoes off horses and mules as they walk across them. Did I mention we are in the wilderness here and not along I-70? Talk about your nose to spite your face! Nothing could be more unnatural, more degrading to wilderness, less safe, less appealing to users, nor have less of a positive effect on Salmon recovery. Oh, and bye the way, they blocked the original trail to force the use of the new one.

Does anyone truly believe that measures such as these are enacted because it is also truly believed that they will save the Salmon? Or is it more likely that trail funding, manipulating Permittees and a genuine fear of “not buying in” will leave a government official left to play with the uncool kids. Where are the Civil Servants who are willing to call BS on all of this nonsense? Not promoted, that’s for sure. No, just play nice, walk single file, still no Salmon!

Your parents must be so proud!

The complete “Welcome to Salmon-less Idaho.” Can be found on my blog page at: https://www.floatidaho.com/welcome-to-salmon-less-idaho

As you can see, trails and trail maintenance have been widely manipulated in irrational ways for the sake of salmon recovery. Even in the new Chainsaw Allowance document, chainsaw users are instructed to prevent all sawed wood from entering the streams or rivers. Unlike the millions of tons of the stuff that enters them continually naturally. Along these same lines, dirt and debris that enter the roadways of the Frank and its access roads, must be scooped up and trucked safely out of the neighborhood instead of just simply pushing it over the edge of the road to where it would have ended up anyway had the road not been there.

Years ago, someone decided to work on the trails in the area around Black Butte. Beside a lot of dead trees from fire and beetles, and a few water bar replacements, the trails were actually in great shape. And the reality was, that since the exodus of the elk hunters, the trails were hardly ever used. Still, someone in authority decided to utilize a summers worth of Youth Corps effort on changing many of the trails from efficient and nicely Wildernessy to extremely controlled and regimented with countless unnecessary switchbacks dug out and cut into the forest to create an endless collection of graded switchbacks who’s gradient barely goes up or down. All the while, the original fully functional trail cuts through most of them and has been manually clogged with logs and debris to force the use of the new trail.

In all fairness they also improved stretches of trail that were too steep but replaced them once again with trails that almost have no gradient. The work done was extensive and excellently done, almost. Unfortunately, once again, it was done wrong. So much wasted time and effort to end up with a product that with the right supervision would have been correct and easier to obtain, but it was not to be. And guess what, such changes become somewhat permanent fixtures in that environment. So, not only were mistakes made, and time, effort and resources wasted during its creation, now and into the unforeseeable future, time and effort will be wasted every time the trail is used.

Why are these things important and not just examples of government craziness? It is because they drain valuable resources from desperately needed trail maintenance.

Labor

Projects like this one are often done with the use of trail-work mercenary groups. Organizations like the Frank Church Selway Bitterroot Foundation, the Idaho Trails Association, Backcountry Horseman groups, other Youth Corps type groups and such work with the USFS on certain project. I am ignorant as to the nuts and bolts of such projects and/or agreements, but I do know they get a lot done, especially with wood and tread work (the actual bed of the trail itself). I can only assume that blasting, cribbing and extensive engineering falls to different folks.

Let’s go back nearly 100 years to the work in the area. I’m sure that major trail projects were accomplished by the USFS, the CCCs, miners, homesteaders, outfitters and other area inhabitants. There are few signatures available on said work (I’ve actually seen names of some long past laborers chiseled into rock), but a lot of it still exists today. And not only does it exist, much of it is quite quintessential to today’s trail system. And, nothing lasts forever. 100 years is a testament to the proficiency of the work. Who do/can we count on now for such work?

The fact is, much of this ancient work is failing, and the young backpacking trail crews are totally ignorant of these very dangerous situations. The reality is that they work their butts off just clearing the endless wood supply out of the trails. Traditionally, Ranger Districts and their crews had real trail professionals on staff. Those that knew how to use explosives. When and where to use them. Knew how to build up cribbing from start to finish. Some of the ancient existing cribbed up stone walls are 15’ or more tall from base to trail. This is an art and a science, and it’s one that few folks currently have the skill or the desire to work at it. This does not minimize the necessity, however. Maybe some of the mercenary groups above have such skills, but once again, I don’t know. What I do know is that such skills are dwindling within the USFS, at least within the local Ranger Districts.

Responsibility

In the mid 90s’ the FS came to the outfitters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and asked that we support a new fundraising program they were wishing to institute. They called it the “Fee Demo” program. Nearly 11,000 folks float the Middle Fork each summer. About half go with outfitters and the other half go on their own. The plan was to charge all users $6 per day (I believe that was the original rate. It is now $4) that they were on the river. The “pitch” was that the money would be kept local and utilized solely for special and unique projects to enhance the Middle Fork float trip experience. All currently funded expenditures like river crews, checkers, administration, road maintenance and such would still be funded as they always had, and this new fund would not be replacing any of that. Immediately, the group began creating a wish list of projects that we could now fund with this new source of revenue.

As is usually the case in meetings like that, there was an old guy in the back of the room proclaiming that we shouldn’t do it, fore it wouldn’t be long before the new money would simply be used to fund all the things currently funded by the USFS for Middle Fork Management. What does he know? Shut up old man. 30 years later, guess where all the money goes? I’m now the old guy in the back of the room, and I’m watching as the euphoria of chainsaw use in the Frank hits my fellow land-based outfitters. And I’m not buying it.

For over 3 decades, each time we would have a meeting with the USFS about anything Frank, I would make the same statement, “You need to get off your Wilderness high-horse and use chainsaws to clear the trails temporarily and get ahead of the curve.” Those days are over. Not because I’ve changed my mind about the best way to fix the problem, it’s that now I don’t believe the “juice is worth the squeeze.”

Let’s repeat the line about trail clearing from the Central Idaho Wilderness Act.

Sec 5a 5(b) In administering the River of No Return Wilderness, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with the management plan required by this section, clear obstructions from all of the national forest trails within or adjacent to the wilderness on at least an annual basis.

Let’s be clear, we’re going on 47 years and this has never happened, not even close. We can blame DOGE, current inflation, budgetary restraints, fires, beetles, USFS reorganization and more all we want, but guess what? I repeat, this mandate has never been fulfilled. 40 years ago, the workload was minuscule compared to today. The Frank was new and “hot” with plenty of funds to go around, and still, it didn’t get done. Each Ranger District had excellent crews and tools and stock and old-time experts on staff who knew the drill, could build, could blast, could do it all, yet, it has never gotten done.

Knowing this and knowing today’s insurmountable workload, minuscule budgets, whittled down stockless inexperienced crews, and the need for a level of engineering not seen in nearly 100 years, to suddenly throw a couple of months of chainsaw use into the mix as if it were the “Holy Grail” of trail maintenance and will answer all of our needs is just simply incredulous. Will it help? Obviously. But is it worth the hate and discontent, and the division in Wilderness advocates? I believe not. Especially when in the long run it will have changed the trail situation only minimally and temporarily. Had the same efforts been put forth to create lasting needed positive trail efforts, now that would be a different story.

I actually operate on the Salmon Challis (SCNF) and the Payette National Forests (PNF). Whereas the new chainsaw mandate seemed to initiate within the SCNF it was soon adopted by the PNF as well. I am not certain of the other National Forests of the Frank. What I do know is that I did not receive any formal direction from the SCNF, but I did receive such from the PNF. Let’s keep in mind that the notion was that chain saw use would be temporary, (kind of an emergency fix). Great! It would be to open trails with insurmountable wood issues and simply give the crews with their traditional tools a leg up so to speak. A fresh start.

Dear Wilderness Outfitter,

On July 7, 2026, gas powered chainsaw use was approved through the Minimum Requirements Analysis to remove deadfall within the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness on 542 miles of trail (Appendix A) managed by the Payette National Forest. Under your permit (operating plan) you are authorized to clear deadfall impacting trails. This letter temporarily amends your operating plan to allow you to clear the 542 miles of wilderness trails identified in Appendix A using gas powered chainsaws.

The intent is to clear trails that are severely impacted by fire and/or insect/disease so that they are passable to the public. Trail clearing will adhere to the following conditions:

1. Trail clearing of deadfall using chainsaws can only take place on the trails identified in Appendix A.

2. Any locations not listed by IOGA (Appendix A) such as assigned sites permitted (i.e. overland routes to campsites, campsites, and /or other trails not listed in IOGA request) need to follow traditional deadfall management practices as permitted.

3. Chainsaws are only authorized to clear trails for a three-year period ending August 1, 2028.

4. Chainsaws can only be used between January 1st and August 1st.

5. Do not cut live trees beyond the immediate width of the trail tread unless necessary for feasible horse and hiking use.

6. Cutting deadfall will not exceed the following: clearing is limited to 96 inches (48 inches from the trail tread centerline on either side of the trail; the width of the trail tread should be cleared regardless of trail class or clearing limits.

7. Material removed from the trail corridor will not be placed within the stream channel.

8. Removal of deadfall that provides shade to the stream will be avoided when possible. When deadfall that is providing shade to a stream must be removed, only the minimum amount needed to meet public safety concerns will be removed.

9. Limit the use of chainsaws within½ mile of the Salmon River or the Middle Fork of the Salmon River corridors to before May 15th, to minimize impacts to float trip users on both rivers during their primary use season.

I have included my letter from the PNF here. Let’s also be clear, that within my operating area, I have countless miles of USFS trails that have received minimal to zero trail maintenance since the inception of the Frank. Awesome! Most of these trails are high altitude trails with little to no engineering or safety issues. I need only to grab my newly legalized chainsaw and head out for a 40+ year overdue house cleaning. But guess what? Those trails are not on the “list.” The list, contains the trails where a chainsaw may be used. Oddly, the only trails on the list that are actually within my operating area are the few that the FS attempts with legitimate annual success to clear each year. So now I really am the old guy in the back of the room!

It isn’t hard to see that if I were to take it upon myself to clear such unclogged trails with my chainsaw, history tells me it wouldn’t be long before such clearing would no longer be a priority for those who have and are supposed to do it. And what about all the trails that meet the criteria and supposed rationale for chainsaw use? I can’t touch them.

It is important to note that if we were to inventory all the trails referenced in the trail clearing mandate of 1980 and compare that list to today’s within-the-Frank list of trails to be opened annually, most would be shocked at the reduction. And It has been consistent over time. Mathematical spin-doctoring has ruled the day and years. Instead of 1980 being the benchmark, arbitrary trails and trail miles have been pulled out of many hats over the year, with the bar steadily lowering while the percentages remain positive. If I were to say that we had X number of trail miles to clear in 1980 and we were only doing a third of that now, you would surely be disappointed. But if I told you that we cleared 92% of our projected goal for 2025 and we did so in the face of wildfires and DOGE cuts, you might give me an award. And all I did was to leave out the fact that our goal was based on an arbitrary reduced number nowhere near the original mandate. But it sounds good.

Chainsaws

Since their invention, chainsaws have been utilized within the land of the Frank. Whether National Forest, Primitive Area, or Wilderness, chainsaws have been used legally and illegally by many. The first three outfitters I worked for used them in plain sight. Wilderness rangers would cut little slivers off the end of chainsaw cut firewood presumably to place in the file of the offending outfitter. Private users had nothing to lose but a small fine and therefore many used them. Firefighter and smoke jumpers always had them and were not afraid to use them. They would cut down and up burning trees in the zone, clear trail to the zone, and in some cases thank the local outfitter for feeding them by cutting up a season of camp firewood for them. Not sure which file those pieces went to. I even know of District Rangers giving temporary clandestine chainsaw permission to outfitters during brief periods of insurmountable trail crises.

I think I can honestly say that the illegal chainsaw use attitude has changed immensely for most of us over the years. I can personally say that we have used traditional tools for trail clearing and Wilderness camp wood since my ownership. I would guess most of the existing outfitters of the Frank could probably say the same. With the exception of the recent mandate of course.

One of the things that inspired me to write this at this time was the comments I was hearing from the anti-chainsaw crowd. I get the whole Wilderness thing. I also get reality. If I were in charge, Wilderness would be way more Wildernessy than it is. But guess what? I’m not. Nor am I in charge of trail maintenance. If I were, the first thing I would do is to form a coalition of all of the District Rangers of the Frank. I would incorporate the land-based outfitters and any interested private groups. And finally bring on the trail mercenaries. First order of business would be to actually make public the budget, prioritization and inventory of the trail maintenance program. Safety issues go to the top of the list. All of the non-FS members immediately put in charge of funding and fundraising.

Congress treats fire like a super-fund site—no limit to the spending while it’s hot. Unfortunately, especially when trails are concerned, it’s like they are still burning, and the real damage is decades down the road. This reality needs to be communicated and funded or we are all just doomed to perpetual trail degradation. We are simply putting fingers in the dike at this point. I don’t go through life that way. I don’t run my businesses that way, nor do I let organizations I am part of run that way. This trail thing is the most important yet dysfunctionally run aspect of my personal and professional lives, and I don’t believe that I am alone.

I doubt there are many people alive who have cut more trees out of the trails of the Frank with a hand saw than I have. To accuse someone like myself of being lazy for even considering to use a chainsaw is preposterous. Call us morally affected, weak-minded, realistic, even hypocrites, and we will probably be fine with it, but lazy, I don’t think so.

I believe this chainsaw thing to be too little too late. It’s just another shiny object to distract us from the realities and separate us along the way. The poor trail conditions of the Frank are way beyond the quick fix of a power tool. The chances of a Wilderness traveler encountering a legalized chain saw operator over the next couple of years is slim to none. The chance of the same traveler experiencing horrific trail conditions is almost guaranteed, and I doubt that any of us are going to not smile just a little bit when we come across a wooden nightmare that has been resolved by someone else before we got there, whether by chainsaw or otherwise.

What I can guarantee is that many times this fall I will come upon those wooden nightmares. And for those who have chosen to partake, as of August 1, myself and all of the other land-based outfitters of the Frank will be well beyond the chainsaw window of use. And although we will clear those nightmares by hand, as we always have, the only thing we will get attention/credit/blame for is what was done earlier with a chainsaw. Whether actually used or not.

If there was a way to prove with certainty that as a result of temporary legalized chainsaw use that the USFS would suddenly be able to redirect priority, funding and effort to the other, more important trail issues, maybe. Or if all of us could actual attack the trails that actually are closed due to insane amounts of wood, also maybe. I doubt that there’s even been any serious thought or discussion in those directions.

The rules as written have put the land-based outfitters of the Frank in a precarious position. Like children in a candy store with permission to help-yourself. What do you think they’re likely to do? Some users will love them. Some will hate them. Most will all benefit from the trails that are open. This I do know; the trails have been horrible for a long time and there is no end in sight. I can’t criticize anyone for making their life just a bit easier when given the opportunity to do so. Nor can I disagree with those that disagree. It’s not in my nature to sit back and watch as things go south, especially if I have the ability to aid in any way. And so, I have written this for any and all who care to know more. A friend asked me recently what I thought about the whole new chainsaw thing, obviously assuming that I would be ecstatic. I told him I didn’t give a sh%& either way. For all the reasons stated above.

I suggest any and all who wish to comment on anything “the Frank,” actually bone up on what the act actually says first.

www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/legacy-media/salmonchallis/FCRONR%20Wilderness%20Plan%20Appendix%20C.pdf

Some of the content here is also in a book I wrote called “The Organic Treadmill.” It is what I call a Wilderness advocacy book. It’s available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8A9H4LL

Happy Trails,

Steve Zettel

Welcome to Salmon-less Idaho

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 21:11:05 GMT

Welcome to Salmon-less Idaho!

Did you ever notice how many brushings you can get out of an empty tube of toothpaste? It’s typically so many that we have redefined what “empty” really means. We actually have unilateral developed techniques to get to the very bottom of things. So much so that we don’t even consider the notion of being “out” until we are “out”.

In shared bathroom situations, “out” can vary amongst the parties involved. Usually someone will break before the other(s). However, I personally have shared tubes with folks as relentless as myself, going weeks on E. Or even worse, you find that your roommate has had another tube hidden all along and you have been in an epic battle with yourself. And then there are the spares. Hidden here and there when needed. The little one in the suitcase, the other little one in your partners suitcase, the kids’, the one in your river bag, your hunting duffle and all the same belonging to your partner, roommate(s) kids, spouse, guests and so on. It’s a rare occurrence to truly be “out” of toothpaste. But, not to fear, at some point, we simply get a new tube(s) and all is well again. It is best if cooler heads prevail and a fresh tube arrives within the normal ranges of “empty”. And when it does, oh my, isn’t life grand! We can squeeze it anywhere and get results. The kind of toothpaste moments you can tell your grandchildren about. In fact, if conditions are right and the tube fairly new, we need only take the cap off to have artesian toothpaste. It’s times like this when having a non-capping roommate can have its issues. This mentality of, as long as we have “some”, we are alright, is inconsequential with easily replaceable items such as toothpaste but not so with things not so easily replaced.

Welcome to Salmon(less) Idaho

I live on the Salmon River in Challis Idaho. I can see the river from my living room. I cannot tell you the last time I saw a Salmon in the Salmon River. We live in a land where you are considered a pessimist if you don’t look at the half empty glass as half full. Or in the case of toothpaste, it’s always full to some degree. What if we only looked at some of the important things in life from the perspective of what isn’t there. Would we generate more concern? You are 73, you have 12 years left, you don’t have 73! It is not in our nature to think of what is missing, but rather what is left. And then to have it ingrained in us to be happy with what is left.

Don’t be concerned that millions of Salmon are not going to arrive, be happy that thousands will. This is just great politics and word smithing. Don’t you love when politicians and bureaucrats (P&Bs) throw meaningless numbers around. Millions of this and billions for that. There are less people that actually understand the meaning of such numbers than there are Salmon in the Salmon-less River. For instance, lets say that during the State of the Union Address we hear that we are giving xhundred billion to Slovinkia for exclusive rights to their numquot production and we are funding domestic earthworm energy research with another umpteen katrillion, then there’s always the teachers, the fireman, the police, the military, grain imports and exports,… It all sounds good or bad but none of us have a clue of what is really being said. We need reliable perspective! xhundred billion to Slovinkia seems like a lot, but what if we’re told that that’s 50% less than we traditionally pay and the financial benefit to their numquot production far exceeds our investment. Now there’s some information we can understand. Often numbers are simply emotional drivers and mean nothing unless we understand them. But for those who wish to simply drive our emotions, they are great “keep the masses in check” tools. What if such things were presented in pie charts. We would not only get the facts but possibly understand them as well. But that is not typically the intent. No, with (P&Bs), its more the norm to throw out big meaningless numbers, leave you feeling overwhelmed with such amounts and left with the notion that such decisions are better left to others, “our elected officials and or their appointees”.

I can’t help with such worldly affairs as Slovinkia and their numquots, but I can when it comes to the Salmon River. It is time for not only the glass to be half empty, it’s time for it to be “99.7% empty. “Welcome to the Salmon-less River”.

Relatively speaking, we have no Salmon!

Would you shop at a food-less grocery store? a gas-less gas station? go on a fun-less vacation?, go scuba diving with a tank that read Air-less? enter into a sex-less marriage?, oops sorry if you already have. It sounds great to shop at Payless but how about Own-less? Get-less? Just-less? It aint tooth paste but there’s no one going to be telling their grandchildren about these “good ole days” of fishing for Salmon on the Salmon River. Welcome to Salmon-less Idaho. It might be what it takes for everyone to truly understand where we are at. If the world decides to give up on our Salmon, then let it be with the correct information. As long as we taut how many fish we have rather than how many we don’t have, we are no better than our bantering (P&Bs), Truth-less! Do you know how many kids have stared into the water on our Middle Fork of the Salmon River float trips over the years, and asked, “Why do they call it the Salmon River?” “That’s a good one kid, you got me?”

How about those pie charts? Let’s take how many Salmon used to make it here vs. how many do now, or the amount of money spent unproductively in regaining our Salmon vs money spent on processes that really work, or the increase in the amount of jobs created in the federal and state government by a lack of Salmon vs the actual increase in Salmon, or my favorite, the amount of time spent managing, manipulating and harassing upstream residents, business owners, sportsman, permit holders, etc., vs. time spent on processes that will actually increase Salmon number. The last being a bit of a trick question, fore there is nothing to be done by upstream users that will increase Salmon numbers beyond the final jump on the tube for one final marginal brushing. Any way you slice it, the pie charts all look the same; Reality is a sliver and the folks in La La land make up the big chunk that’s left.

We currently have a national debt of 20 trillion dollars. I know, in one ear out the other. What if I said your share is 80 thousand, due tomorrow? And if you have a spouse and children, 80 grand for each of them too. Are you feeling it now? In the early 1900s a couple hundred men involved in a half dozen expeditions attempted to reach the south pole. Some did, most didn’t. Most lived, some didn’t. Sounds interesting, what an adventure! Those lucky guys. The reality; 1500 miles dragging a sled, much of it at 10,000 ft, 50 below zero, no plant or animal life from start to finish. Drag a sled with everything you need for over three months, every day from New York City to Denver or LA to Kansas City, nothing but frigid white, windy nothingness. Want to go now? All I’m saying is; we need to tell the story better. The facts mam, nothing but the facts.

Relatively speaking, we have no Salmon.

I may be wrong, but I would guess that we have spent Billions on the Salmon-less problem, yes, that’s with a B. And no results. (Turns out its over 17 Billion to date, and get this; almost a third of my monthly electric bill goes towards Salmon recovery. Spread that over all the power users of the Columbia basin?) Sure, someone will start telling you about hatcheries, barges, fish ladders, upstream irrigation measures, thousands of this, 10s of thousands of that, hundreds of thousands more, an entire Salmon-less industry has been created. Jobs, infrastructure, investments, all so large that it’s now more important to have the Salmon-less problem than it is to fix it. Its amazing how much we are willing to spend on failure. We have entire segments of government, state and federal, in place, just to manage and manipulate the poor folks who have chosen to work, live, invest in, the Salmon-less River country.

Several times each year the Outfitters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River get together with the USFS to discuss the issues of floating down the river while Salmon Hanky Panky is going on in said river. It is amazing, the time, effort and money that has been spent on measures to appease the powers that be in the Federal government. Not to do anything that might help the Salmon mind you. Just to look good in the face of doing what’s politically correct and press worthy. Annual helicopter surveys, Volunteers, hidden cameras, informational placards, information talks, cancelling of river permits, continual threats to the permitees, threatened camp closures, government officials hiding in the bushes (This is true, literally government officials hiding in the bushes!, You can’t make this stuff up!). And meetings. All the meetings. All the non-Salmon garnering meetings! Not to mention the thousands of man hours and miles to attend these meetings. And none of it, I repeat, none of it will have one iota of positive affect on the Salmon of the Salmon-less River.

One quick additional note on the aforementioned threat of camp closures and to show a perfect example of the ridiculousness and the over reach of this Salmon-less business. As a result of the tremendous fire activity in the Middle Fork corridor since the early 80s to present, (If you haven’t seen the immensity of it all you can not really appreciate it), there has been innumerable mudslides, blowouts of side canyons and streams (some large enough to dam the river), mammoth log jams and such. All to say, that the amount of natural sediment and debris which enters the middle fork each year and that of the past 4 decades is incomprehensible at best. Now back to camp closures; The USFS is threatening to close specific camps because the sediment created by that little foot path from the boat to the camp could somehow create enough sediment to somehow adversely affect a Salmon. Maybe a wheel Barrel load over several years vs. the Bazillion of tons entering naturally. (Again, you can’t make this stuff up!). If someone pulled this kind of nonsense in the private sector they would be “job-less” overnight. However, in the land of the Federal Government, this is business as usual. Oh, and I just checked again, still no Salmon in my back yard.

Another wonderful example of the gross misconduct associated with this myth called Salmon Restoration, is located on the beautifully wild and remote, Monumental Creek. Monumental Creek is the largest tributary to Big Creek, which is the largest tributary to the Middle Fork. I would guess that Monumental Creek is over 40 miles long with the lower 25 being within the wilderness boundary. Monumental creek is the famous creek of Zane Gray’s “Thunder Mountain”. The story of the old west mining town where the mountain slid down and dammed the creek and flooded the town, (somewhat true). In the early 2000s I had purchased a land-based hunting and fishing business from my neighbor on Big creek. It included operating on all of the wilderness portion of Monumental Creek. It was sometime in late August when I had my wife drop me off at the Monumental Creek Trailhead with 8 head of stock and the camp gear we were to use in our new Monumental Camp some 15+ miles downstream. We spent the night at the trailhead and early the next morning I was off with my riding horse and 7 very loaded pack animals. At that point I had been outfitting and or guiding in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness for about 25 years. I had traveled a lot of wilderness trails in that amount of time but none as beautiful as those first 15 miles that day and the next 10 the following day. I remember telling my wife later how extremely special that trail was and would be for us in the future. The trail was a perfect mix of everything “Central Idaho Wilderness”. Mountains, streams, sage brush, Old Growth Firs, Log Pole Pines, massive Spruce, meadows, towering cliffs, history, sunshine, shade and napping spots galore! All the while with the trail winding beautifully and safely down the ever-deepening valley and with Monumental Creek itself growing from a trickle to a full-blown trout stream.

During the course of my travels the first day I encountered quite a few young men and women who were obviously up to something with trail work but not the one I was on. Judging by the number of them, I assumed they were doing something pretty substantial. On a side trail? It really didn’t add up at the time. Never the less, all that humanity aside, it was a very special day on the trail, never knowing it would be the last.

The new trail? A Nightmare! It is carved into a hillside too steep for its presence. It has simply become a multi-mile storage shelf for any and all debris that comes off the hillside. Pinecones, rocks, gravel, dirt, deadfall, limbs, sticks, etc.. There is almost no way to exit the trail safely once you begin and I don’t have a clue what two opposing groups with stock would do if they met somewhere on it. There is also a section “so” steep that they brought in countless Gabion Boxes to use to make it at all passable. For those who don’t know, a Gabion Box is a large wire mesh box which when filled with rocks and gravel become a gravel building block. They are often used to sure up river banks and roadsides. They are also notorious for ripping the shoes off horses and mules as they walk across them. Did I mention we are in the wilderness here and not along I-70? Talk about your nose to spite your face! Nothing could be more unnatural, more degrading to wilderness, less safe, less appealing to users, nor have less of a positive effect on Salmon recovery. Oh and bye the way, They blocked the original trail to force the use of the new one.

Your parents must be so proud!

We have a local government owned gravel pit. They cannot operate it certain times of the year because it may disturb the local eagle population. I went for a boat ride with two of my friends during early December and saw some of these undisturbed eagles, 15 in one tree! Dozens more in the vicinity. We then passed a Great Blue heron Rookery which is less than a half mile from my back door. Hundreds of GBHs will peer down at you in the spring as eggs hatch. Jurassic Park has nothing on the feeling you get when you look up. And watch out for the white stuff! I would hope that we are all knowledgeable enough to know how all these feathered friends of ours make a living. Now repeat this little, couple mile scenario, over the next thousand miles to the ocean and along all the associated thousands of miles of tributaries, and then please tell me again, how getting rid of my fly rod and raft is the answer. Give me permission, my 12 gauge and a couple of hours and I will single handedly save millions of Salmon, at least get them on their way. But no, not politically correct. We must save the unendangered Endangered Species over the truly Endangered Species. Regardless of a tirade with a 12 gage or not, those fish, whether they go or not, are not coming back anyway. Eat up Big Bird, somebody up here might as well enjoy them.

We are all hypocrites, and we all have a share of the blame, but there is a big difference between experiencing, affect and impact. The last Salmon killed will not be by a guy with a fishing pole, the last Salmon not to breed won’t be prevented by a raft floating by, the last Salmon fillets won’t be eaten along the Salmon-less River corridor by a range cow. No, the last Salmon probably won’t even get here. I’m no scientist and I’m no Greenie either but I do know this; The Salmon River in my back yard is Salmon-less. The Middle Fork of the Salmon River that I float all summer is Salmon-less and the tributaries like Big Creek where we run Fish Camp all summer and hunt Big Game all fall are all Salmon-less. Everyone who isn’t brain-less knows that removing dams would improve Salmon numbers. By how much? Who knows? What affects would it have on others downstream, boats, farmers, power, don’t know? I do know that there is nothing more unnatural than a dam, un-less its multiple dams. It’s really that simple. Ultimately, we have to make a choice. If we are to truly make this conversation bullsh&%-less, its either dam-less or Salmon-less.

I’m not a big fan of graffiti but a “-less” on everything “Salmon” in Idaho, might just start to get the point across. “I would like to welcome everyone to the Salmon-less Highschool, here in beautiful Salmon-less Idaho, located on the famous Wild and Scenic Salmon-less River.”

I can’t change the ineptitude nor the inefficiencies of the bureaucratic machine. I can however, speak the truth and beat the drum. We have company T-shirts which we give to our guests and sell to anyone else who would like them. The main reason for the sale of them is for my son Joel to sell them through his web site and to be part of the process. His website, www.meandjoel.com The shirts have a new twist this year. The say The Middle Fork of the Salmon-less River. Just doing our part to spread the word. As long as we continue to send the message that all is well in Salmon(less) country, why would anyone think it different? Or why would folks from far off place be concerned or compelled to help. You never know what might trigger a certain nerve in a certain person who might just wield enough street cred to get something done. It’s time for the folks and the towns of the Salmon-less River country to speak up. Quit talking about the Salmon we have and proclaim the ones we don’t. The tube is empty. Oh wait, let me look. Ah, no, still no Salmon.

Steve Zettel…from Philly on a Greyhound to a packstring in the Idaho wilderness, 38 years of outfitting and guiding, and still none the wiser.

June on the Middle Fork

Mon, 06 May 2019 16:03:00 GMT

BIG WHITEWATER???

Most of our guests ask for it, or at least about it. Big is a relative term and means nothing without context. A vast majority of our guests get all the whitewater action they need on a typical moderate or low-flow river trip . Even though the Middle Fork has some of the greatest whitewater around, and whitewater is a concern of many during pre-trip planning, when the trip actually takes place, “white water” tends to drop in importance in relation to other aspects of the trip, such as natural beauty, fishing, camaraderie, food, everything, etc.

With all that said, it drives the guides and myself nuts annually when we watch our June 5th trip come and go, have wonderful whitewater and traditionally very few or no guests to share it with. June 5th on the Middle Fork is not for everyone, but it is exactly what some of you are looking for. Consistently, June 5th produces the highest water levels of the year. Usually the water tames down quite a bit by the 14th. Obviously, we are talking mother nature and nothing is guaranteed. There also tends to be very few other folks out there that time of year.

The past three years on our June 5th trip we’ve had temperatures into the 80’s , awesome weather and water. The perfect combination! We’ve had a great snow season and there is no reason to believe that we won’t have high water in early June. The other perk to high water is it offers the opportunity to see the entire Middle Fork in less time and for less money.

If you really want a unique whitewater, Middle Fork experience, then you should consider June 5th!

Tank tops and shorts were the order of the day on this recent June 5th float trip!!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Steve, Jess, Steven & Joel

Idaho Wilderness Company

CALL OR EMAIL US TODAY!

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NEW THIS YEAR – “Women in the Wilderness: A Retreat for the Soul”

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 20:31:00 GMT

When was the last time you spent an hour outside, listening to the birds in the trees, or the stream as it flowed by? When was the last time you felt at one with your environment, and with yourself?

We were recently featured on the Outdoors International Podcast .

Come experience a unique 6-day women’s retreat in the backcountry and get to know yourself at a deeper level.

This one-of-a-kind offering will provide a special chance to explore the wilderness while discovering more about yourself. Boost your inner confidence by learning to build a fire from scratch (and how to put it out!), forage for wild edible plants, cook meals with a fire and a Dutch oven and sleep under the stars. Guests will get to spend time with the horses, including special Equine Coaching sessions, and join in a sunrise Qi Gong practice: a simple practice that combines gentle movements with meditation. All activities will take place in the beautiful setting along Big Creek, its meadows and the surrounding woods. Our small group size will allow for an intimate experience and camaraderie as you journey and explore together.

Date: August 16th – 21st

Take a step out of the ordinary and get back to nature, get back to you. Call or email us to learn more about this special women’s retreat! 208-879-4700

The post NEW THIS YEAR – “Women in the Wilderness: A Retreat for the Soul” appeared first on Idaho Wilderness Company .

A Season in Review

Sun, 21 Jan 2018 02:50:00 GMT

Middle Fork River Float Trips

Come enjoy the trip of a lifetime down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church Wilderness. You will experience 100 miles of river in pristine condition along with views of the Nation’s second deepest canyon, it’s incredible geology, historic pictographs and dwellings along with great fly fishing and whitewater in our variety of boats, kayaks or paddle boat. Our guides share their extensive knowledge of the landscape, fun side-hike treks (including special hot springs), and exceptional customer service to make your trip perfect for family, couples or an unforgettable business outing. Did I mention the deliciously cooked camp meals and plush sleeping bags …?

We take customer service seriously (plus we love to eat!)

The 2017 season sure boasted some great water!

Backcountry Fish Camp on Big Creek

Fabulous wilderness fishing , luxury camping, horseback riding, and family adventures, all on the largest tributary of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River: Big Creek.

Enjoy mature shade trees, a nearby swimming hole and endless terrain to explore for the young and the young at heart. You will enjoy sandy beaches, miles of hiking and horseback riding trails, whether along Big Creek or high into the surrounding mountains. Our camp is equipped with roomy wall tents, cots, wood stoves, lanterns, a complete cook tent with room for indoor dining if necessary. We serve up traditional breakfasts and dinners under blue skies and campfires in comfortable chairs. Grab your fly rod and give us a call !

Dates available: Aug 6-10 & Aug 21-25

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A Thank You To Our Guests…… And A Verse

Sat, 06 Jan 2018 23:21:00 GMT

As 2017 comes to a close, we’d like to say thank you to all our friends, family and those who joined us this season on our various adventures! We couldn’t have imagined a better way to have spent it than having logged so many days in the wilderness with many of you.

We had a fearsome gaggle of girls who proved worthy to all manners of River mischief along with a mighty group of Wild Women — momma’s and daughters alike. One thing was to be sure: our guides were in for a wild ride!

During the fall, we traversed the high country far and wide, through sunshine and snow alike in search of the true hunt of sheep, elk and mule deer.

All in all, it was a wonderful year and we are grateful to welcome 2018, our 28th year of embracing the wilderness in the heart of Idaho, in which we feel so lucky to outfit, experience and adventure.

So thank you all for joining in our fun, and we’ll leave you with this little verse and some photos.

An End-of-Season Sonnet…from your Outfitter, Steve Zettel

“Twas the end of the season, when out of the woods,

There came trailers of horses in cheerful good moods,

There outfitters and guides sporting seasons long hair

Thinking of a hot shower how soon they’d be there.

Mules dreamed of range pasture stomping as they drove,

Satisfied from the work, for guests they had strove.

It was time for the gear, all the Rafts and paddles,

To be put to bed, with the horses and saddles.

We scrubbed empty coolers, and stacked high kayaks…

Guides shuttered at the sight of all those sleeping bags.

While swapping hunt stories, of how their socks turned to rags

And the long-gone deer hunters they’d help’t fill their tags.

Tents were strung up to dry from the rafters with care

Paco pads and some long-forgotten underwear.

We cleaned out our workshops, and made quite a racket,

Til nothing was left out, not en’n a life jacket.

Now our fridges are filled with salad dressings and old mustard,

In hopes that the cook could invent some kind of leftover custard.

5 jams and 10 mayo’s and 16 kinds of jellies,

Looks like we won’t have trouble filling our bellies!

Now our backcountry crews are showered and shaven

Ponies wormed, barefoot and cherishing their safe haven,

We take to comfy seats in our soft easy chairs,

Highest mountains we’ll climb are those old pesky stairs.

Warm feet and quiet houses, we recline by the fire,

‘Nother season in the books — what more to desire?

Dreaming back to sunny days on the river,

Starry nights and hot spring soaking, sure did deliver.

We had Wigleys in big water, Ron, Dog and Bass after June,

Little girls and Wild Women a ‘howlin’ at the moon.

An eclipse on the river topping mountains so tall

Only thing better were the adventures of fall.

A big ram and several bulls brought their challenge to our door

We even found some nice Muley’s, how could we want more?

Planning for next season and all of the sights

We settle down for a rest — no more rides, no more flights.

Turning in and refueling like the 206s and the Beavers,

We look back at the pictures from our guests ever so eager.

Grateful for the good times, we wish you all such good cheer,

With hopes that you’ll join us (if only next year).

Come float on the Middle Fork, or try out Fish Camp

A Women’s Week or Mountain Hunt, (please note: we don’t “glamp”!)

May your New Year give you plenty of good luck and delight,

Spent with loved ones in wild places, and a few fish that bite!

The post A Thank You To Our 2017 Guests…… And A Verse appeared first on Idaho Wilderness Company .

Choosing The Right Middle Fork Salmon River Outfitter

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 21:56:00 GMT

Every now and then we are told something that is so true that we just can’t quite bring ourselves to believe it.

This is the case when speaking of our guest satisfaction on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Everyone loves their experience with Idaho Wilderness Company and their experience on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River . Sounds like just another sales pitch, right? You would be correct and yet it does not change the truth of the statement. Every one, every time, for over two decades, regardless of gender, outdoor experience, age, preconceived notions, in the end, the response is the same. Yes, I know your thinking: “You don’t know my wife, my kids, my????” That is true and then again it isn’t. If we were batting 500 I might agree with you. But with our track record so close to perfect, the reality is, I think I know them quite well.

I was recently asked by a marketing professional; What makes a float trip with Idaho Wilderness Company different than a trip provided by our competitors.

That’s simple, “Me”. This answer may sound egotistical and or self consumed but I assure you it’s true.

Now had the question asked been:

What makes our trips better than those provided by our competitors? Well that’s a different story, sort of?

Providing a service like outfitting guests on a 6-day wilderness float trip on a hundred miles of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, through the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, will involve some very extensive interaction with our guests, involving details including everything from financial, travel, diet, safety, comfort, quasi-psycho therapy, day care, all-day care, night care for children ages 4-104, fishing advice, whitewater advice, history lessons, entertainment and on and on. These and much more will be dictated by those who actually run your trip not necessarily those who sell you your trip. Nearly everything you do for a week will be somewhat, and often predominately impacted by those providing the service for you.

Outfitters on the Middle Fork Salmon vary from far removed, large adventure travel corporations to local Mom & Pop businesses.

Some have steady season-long crews that actually run their trips for them, some crews come and go or change with each trip. Some Outfitters are very hands on and participate in most trips, as well as dictate exactly how things should be in their absence, while others leave those decisions up to the guides “de jour”.

Regardless of which company you choose, there will be a “Me” or several “Me(s)” dictating how your trip will be run. In most cases the personality of the “Head Honcho” permeates the entire theme of the trip whether he is present or not. And this is what should most interest you when making your decision.

So back to “Me”. What does make Idaho Wilderness Company (Me) different than the rest?

1. Family, family, family.

My boys were raised in the wilderness. My guides are either family or quasi adopted. Most have been with us since they were in their mid teens or younger. They know the Zettel way and walk that line when I’m not there. Because our boys were raised in our business, we have always been careful about who we hired. If they’re not good enough for my family, I won’t allow them to be with yours.

2. We are locals.

We don’t just talk the talk, we walk it as well. Half of our business is on the land adjacent to the Middle Fork. We live on the Salmon River. Most of our guides have worked on the river and on horseback in the fall. Our knowledge of the river and the surrounding wilderness is not based on some pre-scripted dialogue learned days before your trip. Our guides tend to be the perfect combination of youthful spirit and seasoned expert. Wilderness experience well beyond their ages. (Sometimes I’m baffled by the thought of someone choosing a wilderness provider based on a picture of flowers on a table, over the incredible value of experienced guides!)

3. Folks that know me tend say that I’m a bit “energetic” (outside of nap time of course).

I expect and demand the same from my crew. They embrace enthusiastic service beyond anything you have or probably will ever experience, especially in the outdoors, under any conditions, time of year, time of day or night.

4. Freedom to do what you want, when you want.

Many operations tend to be quite anal by nature. Lots of rules, almost as if no decision can be made without the blessing of both the accountant and the attorney and the entire Board of Directors.

Idaho Wilderness Company (Me) refuses to take this route. You are coming to experience the wilderness and with us you will. We have a few guiding principles, which when followed, allow for maximum guest freedom, relaxation, enjoyment and safety, without detracting from the original goal of having an unbelievably enjoyable wilderness experience.

Here’s the deal:

The Middle Fork’s magical powers will impose themselves. You will have a fantastic time on your Middle Fork float trip regardless when you go, who you go with, how much money you do or do not spend.

So what’s the secret to picking the right Outfitter?

Great question with no real solid answer. Unfortunately, 35+ years of experience has taught me that what concerns and or drives guests most in their initial decision making, is rarely what will ultimately be their favorite take away from the trip. Knowing this and trying to be honest with potential guests can be a bit tricky.

For example; Bob (before) wants to fish every waking moment on the trip. I know he really won’t when he actually gets here. He will enjoy the fishing for sure but will be extremely pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoys other aspects of the trip that he never considered. Bob (after) recounts how he’d never been in a paddle boat or a kayak before and loved it so much he chose to paddle most of the trip, then opps for an afternoon hike to the top of the mountain with his kids.

Bob (before) wanted solitude and alone time. I know the folks that Bob is trying to escape and they are not on this trip. We tend to picture other folks as the crowds at christmas time shopping malls or Disney World. The other guests will be like minded wonderful people as a rule. Bob (after) recounts how the new friends he made on the trip will last a lifetime and many of his fondest memories of his trip will be the sunset and campfire conversations with others.

Bob (before) was concerned about his children getting bored, not liking the food , being too young, the trip being too long, I know how we handle children and without exception they will say this is the most amazing trip they’ve ever been on. Bob: (after) “What kids?”

Bob (before) Says his wife won’t enjoy the trip, she’s not a camper. Yep, hear it all the time. As Mrs. Bob sits with her glass of wine with her toes in the sand, watching the sun set and her family having the time of their lives, all the while having to nary raise a finger for 6 days. Bob: (after) “What wife?”

There is not enough ink or paper to complete the examples of Bob’s preconceived notions compared to the positive realities of his experience.

I repeat: You will love the Middle Fork trip you’re on!

Don’t get caught up in who’s better than who. All are different for sure. So I guess its more the differences that matter than to speak of superiority. There are some differences that might very well be important enough to base a decision on. Cost for sure. More doesn’t mean better, it just means more and probably some differences as well.

If you are considering paying more than you might—ask why? What are you actually getting that cost so much more? Is the extra worth it, even necessary? Is there really any extra at all? And worst of all, the extra you may be paying extra for may actually detract from the experience your striving for.

The same goes for a “deal”.

What aren’t you getting? Maybe it is just that—a “deal”—and you’re not missing out on anything at all. Great! Grab it! Some companies have very specific boat arrangements, very specific fishing arrangements, with limited or no flexibility as the trip goes on. If fishing is important to you, then be sure not to book with someone who doesn’t allow fishing .

As the water level drops all companies have their own protocol as to when they will quit taking guests from the top of the river and choose to fly guest in at a lower point. If floating the entire river is important to you, then floating with a company that has a track record of flying earlier (at higher water levels) than others would be foolish.

All outfitters have specific launch dates , so if your vacation dates are specific it is fairly simple to find those outfitters with dates which match yours.

At Idaho Wilderness Company, we keep the rules to a minimum.

Flexibility to go with the flow of the group and the river at the same time is paramount. We provide options and flexibility because we know most guests (especially first timers) don’t truly understand what they will really want until it presents itself. If you wish to fish, fish, to relax, relax, to hike, hike, to swim, swim….

Our underlying rule to everything we do at Idaho Wilderness Company is “Common Courtesy” .

And all the while, keeping the “Wild” in Wilderness.

My standard line for our river guests during their pre-trip orientation is; “There are two and a half million acres of wilderness where we are going. If what you wish to do something which is not appropriate in front of others then go find one of those acres and be wild.” Our crew live with a “No Problem” attitude. If we can make it happen for you, we will.

Enjoy your Middle Fork experience! And remember; the only real mistake you can make is not booking a trip at all.

BOOK YOUR TRIP TODAY

Steve Zettel
Idaho Wilderness Company
Idaho’s Finest Wilderness Excursions
208-879-4700

The post Choosing The Right Middle Fork Salmon River Outfitter appeared first on Idaho Wilderness Company .

A Priceless Family Vacation

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:27:00 GMT

Middle Fork of the Salmon River Float Trips: an unforgettable, irreplaceable family experience. Simply a priceless family outing!

Have you ever had an experience that was so “over-the-top” fantastic, that when you try to enlighten someone about it, you fail miserably to come close to how AWESOME it really was?

Well that’s a Middle Fork Salmon River float trip with Idaho Wilderness Company.

Everybody, every time, has that sort of experience, and no matter how hard any of us try to convey the awesomeness, we just fall way short when relaying the experience. In fact, it is interesting to note, that many will unwittingly in their excitement, actually portray the greatest outdoor experiences of their life in such a negative tone, so as to achieve the opposite reaction from the audience than they were looking for.

Let’s start with an example of a particular family group that comes to mind.

The Smith family takes a raft trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

First, they are blown away by the beauty of the Sawtooth Mountains outside of Stanley, Idaho when they arrive the evening before the our river launch.

During the course of their week on this guided excursion on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, each member of the family accumulates the most fabulous memories: the whitewater, the scenery, the excellent fly fishing for Cutthroat Trout, the limitless hiking and other shoreline activities, the family bonding camp life, our exquisite Dutch Oven meals, wildlife and so much more.

All the while, the Smith family is being treated to the stellar service from our Idaho Wilderness Company guides .

There’s many ways we will hear a family group reminisce about their Middle Fork Salmon River excursion but here’s one from the Smith family:

As is the case when you spend that much time outdoors, nature has a way of taking center stage, and whether rough or warm and fuzzy, those natural events become a large part of the Smith family memories, held close to their hearts for a lifetime smiles.

What may seem dangerous or uncomfortable is actually quite enjoyable for the participants on our excursions and our guides take great care in keeping their launch group safe and having fun!

When the Smiths return home and relate their trip to the Joneses next door, in their excitement they will usually tell a story something like this:

“ The whole experience was awesome, Dad lost his fly rod in the river, Mom saw a bear on her hike and ran back to camp, Sis fell out of the raft and Sonny caught lots of snakes! We had a huge hail storm during dinner one night and we all had to use the porta-pot. It was the greatest trip ever ! “

With that, the Joneses look at one another, roll their eyes and plan a trip to Disney World. Maybe. Regardless of how poorly the the Smith family have told their story, the fact is, they did have the time of their lives and those memories will be replayed time and time again as the years flow by, and the Smith kids have kids of their own. They’ve never forgotten the memories and now it’s time to take Gramma and Grampa, mom and dad and the next generation of Smiths who will repeat the entire cycle again!

Folks who have recently returned from a Middle Fork Salmon River rafting vacation can quickly lose their visitation rights, as they typically, and incessantly, relive their adventure to a point to cause a numbness of their audience, much like that of a husband hearing a tale of a fantastic shoe sale from his wife and her girlfriends.

The ultimate fact of the matter is simply this: It’s just impossible to give verbal justice to a guided Middle Fork of the Salmon float trip with Idaho Wilderness Company! You have to EXPERIENCE IT!

Of course the river and surrounding wilderness, wildlife and all its wildness create an awesome setting for the rafting adventure!

But it’s our guides the take it “over-the-top”.

Without fail, without exception, trip in and trip out, our guests are blown away by our guides , and rightfully so!

The service, kindness, concern, attention to detail, professionalism and more provided tirelessly by our crew is second to none. Regardless of their individual skills as professional river guides, the greatest unified quality is that they are all MORE FAMILY than employee. They are genuinely good people.

For the past 20 Years, American Adrenaline Company, then Idaho Wilderness Company has been a family owned and operated outfitting business in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Raising two boys with wonderful wife in and out of the wilderness, working and living closely with staff, mandated a different level of employee character than most would require. Even now that my wife is gone and the boys are adults, our philosophy has not changed.

Again, words cannot come close to describing how our guest ultimately feel about the effort and the qualities of our guides. If by chance you or someone you know thinks they have what it take to be an Idaho Wilderness Company guide, be sure to contact me . Rule #1; don’t have your Mom or Dad contact me!

Steve Zettel
Owner of Idaho Wilderness Company

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Packing Preparations and Suggested Gear for a Middle Fork of the Salmon River Adventure

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 04:47:00 GMT

Congratulations. If you’re reading this, then you are one of the smartest 10,000 people of the 7 billion that are on the planet.

You and the rest of the 10,000 have planned a float trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River THIS SUMMER! You have, right? I haven’t overestimated you, have I? My name is Steve Zettel and I have been guiding river trips for over thirty years. This article is an attempt to aid the average Middle Fork of the Salmon river guest to make the necessary packing preparations for their trip.

You may be planning on being a guest on an outfitted Middle Fork excursion: a private float tripper, planning to paddle a solo craft, plan to fish, going during extreme water conditions and so forth.

These nuances may all require specific additional gear. When packing for Middle Fork of the Salmon River raft trip there are some variables which may alter your gear a bit, mostly additions really. There is however, a list of basic gear which would probably pertain to most users. We will begin there.

Visit our Gears & Supplies page where you will find a complete Middle Fork of the Salmon River guest gear list.

Before we move on, I would like to enlighten you with a packing faux pas of my own and the subsequent changes I’ve made to my guest’s gear lists since.

Years ago I was invited last minute on a trip to Northwest Territory. A trip that would involve a mix of Northern Pike and Lake Trout fishing with some Caribou hunting. The recommended gear list had all the normal items you would expect and they were easy for me to procure from my household except for one. That one, was (2) turtleneck long john tops. Well personally, I dislike turtlenecks so in lieu of them I packed two normal long john tops and went on my way.

About 48 hours later I began having fantasies about turtleneck tops, when it became known that the reason for them was to help me through the onslaught of a trillion little flies, mosquitoes, gnats and such which chose to feed on my neck and the rest of my body daily.

I learned two lessons on that trip.

(1) “do what the guide says”, if he says bring it, then bring it. And lesson (2), because guest rarely “do what the guide says”, I have chosen to add some explanations, mandates and such to my gear lists in order to compel my future guests to trust and listen.

Had I read that the turtlenecks were to thwart the bugs I would not have hesitated to find some. I actually include a multi page letter with my hunt gear list that explains each and every item and the rationale for each. I don’t have to do this to the same extent with my Middle Fork guests for two really good reasons.

Reason (1) being that half of our Middle Fork of the Salmon River guests are women, and women follow the list, although they are also the gender most likely to add to the list as well. And reason (2) being a simple one, if you show up for a guided Middle Fork float trip and have at least a bathing suit rain gear and sandals, you will have the minimum you need to enjoy the best week of your life.

With all that said, here’s a list of gear we recommend to our guests on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

You will notice that we don’t change the list depending on the time of the year you come with the exception of wetsuits in June or during continued high water. You are headed into the Rocky Mountains for an extensive wilderness excursion and any weather is possible at any time.

Idaho Wilderness Company

RAFTING GEAR LIST

It is important to understand that you are responsible for certain things to insure a successful trip.

The two most important are: a good positive attitude, and the gear list below.

If you have particular items you wish to bring on the trip which are not on the list, feel free to ask us about them. (For example, we’d love to have someone bring a guitar.)

* If you have particular items you wish to bring on the trip, which are not on the list, feel free to ask us about them. For example, we’d love to have someone bring their guitar.

Wetsuits; there also substitutes for wetsuits in the form of dry suits. Both have pros and cons.

The reason I like my guests in wetsuits during extremes in water levels and cold temperatures is that in the event of an involuntary guest swim in such conditions, a wetsuit (when I say wetsuit I refer to a one-piece long legged and long sleeve) will immediately provide additional buoyancy, insulation and a full body’s worth of foam padding to protect them from the hard services they may encounter during their swim.

Lastly and maybe equally as important is that the wetsuit is the final bastion of hope for the adult human physique. Simply put; “If you don’t look good in a wetsuit, you don’t look good“ . So wearing a well fitting wetsuit for many of our guests will result in at least part of the week having their anatomy relocated to the places, if not exactly, near where they used to be.

A few additional wetsuit tips;

(1) is if you are wearing the wetsuit for a precautionary measure and don’t plan on getting submerged on a regular basis, then wearing a layer between you and the wetsuit can make it much more comfortable and tolerable and,

(2) wetsuits are not intended to be rain gear. It is recommended that you still wear a water repellent shell over the wetsuit if in splash or rain conditions,

…and most important (3) go to the bathroom just before you put the wetsuit on not just after.

Personally, as an outfitter who consistently escorts guest down the Middle Fork during the high water flows typical of early and mid June , I feel much more confident in my guests’ safety as we enter Rapids like Hell’s Half Mile, Powerhouse , Velvet falls, Weber, Rubber Rapids, Devil’s Tooth and the rest, knowing that in a swim, my guests are better prepared just by simply wearing a wetsuit.

As the water drops and the temperature rises, the need for a wet suit becomes less and less to a point that most days, most summers in July and August don’t typically warrant the need for one.

As you go through your outfitters gear list you should feel free to contact your host with any questions or concerns you have relative to your gear.

Keep this in mind; “ There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear ”. Having the necessary gear is paramount and is the simplest way to ensure an enjoyable Middle Fork of the Salmon River float trip.

You expect a lot of your Middle Fork Outfitter, it begins with you showing up prepared.

Most Middle Fork trips begin in Stanley Idaho. Beyond being one of the most beautiful places on earth, located at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains, Stanley has become a great jumping off point for Middle Fork boaters. With lodging, fuel, grocery stores, restaurants, campsites, live entertainment and boasting a year-round population of less than 100, it is the perfect place to begin your Middle Fork adventure. Even more important for you, “the Middle Fork River Runner”, is that Stanley is also home to two very nice, well-stocked outdoor gear retail stores. The River-1 Store and the Riverwear Store. Prices are not gouging and generally anything you need for a Middle Fork raft trip is available in one or both of the stores. The Riverwear Store also provides wetsuit rentals .

As you complete your list and pack for your Middle Fork expedition, keep in mind that space is limited. Most companies will provide a selection of waterproof (we will use the term loosely) bags for your gear. These bags are commonly called dry bags. Typical MO of the Middle Fork Outfitter is to give each guest a large dry bag for the bulk of your gear and a small “day” bag for you to keep a few things close and handy that you may need to get to during the day. Most Middle Fork Outfitters provide a pre trip orientation the evening before your trip in order to, among other things, explain how to pack these bags.

I personally enjoy when our guests enhance their gear list with small non-obnoxious items to possibly share with the group, i.e. small table games, cards, book on wildflowers, etc. Again, consult your outfitter here as many nonessential items can also detract from the experience of the other guest around you on your trip.

I would say that a good baseline for acceptable gear volume for your Middle Fork vacation would be to have all your gear fit in a normal carry-on suitcase, (fishing tackle, wetsuit and maybe a slightly heavier coat for early spring and fall trips excluded).

All middle Fork Outfitters will do things slightly different. Items they do or don’t provide will be reflected in what you need to bring.

I personally also provide our guests with a list of what we provide, so that they don’t get nervous about obvious essentials that are not listed on our gear list,

If you didn’t know this and you were planning on spending a week in the Frank Church “River of No Return” Wilderness and they weren’t on your list, you might be a little concerned.

Good news, you are about to embark on the greatest outdoor experience of your life.

In summary; “do what the guide says”, bring what is on the list, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and “ if you don’t look good in the wetsuit, you don’t look good .”

A special tip to the parents, mothers in particular.

I have witnessed many mothers of all ages with children of all ages head down the Middle Fork the Salmon River. Just like outfitters, all mothers do it differently. My observation is that when necessary, children are quite durable and capable. Mothers who let their children take on their own packing responsibilities once on the river, tend to be more relaxed.

Most guide crews on the river are extremely helpful in such matters assisting in child maintenance, i.e. assisting in packing the kids dry bags. Small children tend to have small clothes, thus dry bags which are easier to pack and handle. You being of the “extra gear not on the list” gender, should not absorb the space in your child’s bag created by their small stuff. You are “all” on vacation, so try to treat yourself to one. Let the kids take care of their own stuff as much as possible and in the words of Marie Antoinette, ” if they don’t like the lasagna, let them eat cake” .

Enjoy your trip of a lifetime!

The post Packing Preparations and Suggested Gear for a Middle Fork of the Salmon River Adventure appeared first on Idaho Wilderness Company .

Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 3

Sat, 24 Dec 2016 18:12:00 GMT

Story continued from ~ Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 2

…By this point, the bike should have been happy because it was currently the only passenger able to enjoy the ride and stay fairly dry at the same time. The others on board at this point were not as fortunate fore all the while on their Tour de Powerhouse , the ongoing rotation process succeeded in filling the boat to the brim with water.

It was about now that some of the other disgruntled passengers decided to abandon ship.

The bailing bucket quit first.

How unfortunate. More good news though, they didn’t have to fear slamming against the wall at the end of the rapid because they were already there. Finally released from their Death Spiral, the boat and crew cruised through the brief calm at the tail end of therapid, satisfied with the fact that the worst seemed to be over and that all had survived. For most on the river, it is assumed that Powerhouse has two sections, for some, like those on the Biker Boat, Part 3 was about to reveal its true self.

Typically at this water level, you simply stay river right, avoiding the horrific rock down stream on river left. Unfortunately for the crew of the Biker Boat, the captain attempted to pull the boat in on river left. Now, I know that it is assumed that Superman can’t row one of these boats full of water but I got to witness firsthand, that for sure, a trainee cannot stand on land and hold onto a rope tied to one of these boats and keep it from continuing on his merry way. You can almost see the smoke rising out of the young man’s hands as he tightens his grip on the ever elusive boat rope. More good news, he at least held on long enough so as to change the course of the boat as to avoid a near miss of the horrific rock. The boat was now aligned perfectly with it. It also seemed that the captains at this point got tired of Rule Number-1 and changed it up a bit by parking her there perfectly broadside. I could really sense some separation anxiety brewing with the biker clinging for dear life on one end of the boat and the bike doing the same on the other. Fortunately the boat got bored with just hanging out on the rock in the middle river and let go. Even more fortunate was that they were still river left, which also is the side of the river with the trail. I haven’t mentioned it yet but Ron’s 13-year-old stepson Cortney was also a passenger of the Biker Boat and I can’t remember when he made his big move but he also made a gallant attempt to pull the boat ashore and ended up with the same smoking palms. The bank on river left however didn’t seem to treat them any better than the wall had on river right. The one positive thing I might add is that at least now they were spinning in an opposite direction. I made the assumption that now being beyond the rapids and the fact that they were to shore, at least hitting it periodically, that it would be a good time for me to go chase down the deserters, i.e. the bucket.

History tells us that really bad things rarely happen as a result of one error. It is usually the result of a series of unfortunate events that create true calamity. With my total focus on chasing down the bucket and subsequent success, I allowed myself to swing out wide right on a blind left curve, big no no. As I raised my five gallon trophy in the air, only to see Ron standing chest deep water soaking wet, no cowboy hat, screaming for me to get river left. Just ahead of me was a cable at water level or just or just above, coming from a tree on river right to a another on river left. One of the trees had obviously gotten tired of holding up the cable all those years and fell into the river. I will note here that in all Ron’s concern about me and the cable, he failed to noticed the Biker Boat delightfully pirouetting down the bank behind him. With a few pulls of the oars and a whole lot of luck, I got just enough of the boat around the end of the cable that was disappearing into the river, river left, Ron’s end.

After a pirouette of my own around the cable, a quick look around yielded the following seen; the Biker Boat was burning the palms of its last wet passenger, Ron looked wet and pissed, but safe, Cowboy was clinging to the cliff down downstream river right, Grizz was was eddied out river right above Cowboy, and Paul was rowing the Ron/Cowboy boat. Wait! Who the $&#? is Paul? A few quick words with Grizz and it was clear that he would go for Cowboy and Paul was mine.

Paul’s abilities to row had the boat looking a lot like the Biker Boat along the Powerhouse wall only he was in the middle of the river. The current was very quick but with me rowing downstream and Paul spinning like a top, I was gaining ground nicely. There was one itsy bitsy concern. Paul was now rowing a raft that Superman couldn’t row and he has taken over the helm at almost exactly the same place on the river that Hollywood had only days before. The wall was in sight and the log was just around the corner. Good news, bad news. Paul seemed to be one of those guys that “got it”. The boat stopped spinning, suddenly the oars working in unison. He had control of the boat. Sort of. I could see his effort and quick learning paying off. If only we were in fact having a race down the river. All his efforts were now straight away and down stream, preventing me from catching him.

They survived Hollywood’s Wall but what about the log? As the rock island came into view I could see the log was gone. Paul had obviously trained for the sprint event and not the distance, fore he soon played out and I was able to catch up, tie on, and bring them sure. A short while later the other boats arrived. I got to hear how as Cowboy had rounded the corner and had no warning or chance to miss the cable. As it caught the boat dead center broadside, held them there momentarily, and as the upstream tubes began to fall below the water line and take on water, the boat spun in a way that the cable peeled Ron off the boat and trapped Cowboy between the cable and the boat rigging. Fortunately Cowboy was one of the toughest guys on the planet and he weathered the storm until something gave and the boat floated free.

About what became of the biker and the bike, I never heard. He was not seen or heard from again. Nor was he ever spoken of. It was as if he’d never existed. Bike, what bike?

I do have images of him riding off down the trail on two oblong tires, a pair of shaky hands on the handle bars, muttering something about bad turkey. If Ron was correct, imagine how bad the trail must have been!

Several days later we were camped at Grassy 1.

An interesting camp on river left. It has the feel of a giant half stadium with the camp as the stage centered at the bottom with steep hillsides that rise up in a semi circle where the river isn’t. You can walk out of the camp, get on the ridge at its low point near the river and then climb very steeply to the top, circle the stadium, then descend on the other side back to the river. The hillsides are so steep that when you are on top of the ridge you cannot see the hillside below you. It seems to disappear below you until it bottoms out at stage level and tapers out towards the camp.

On this particular afternoon Cowboy and I decided to make the climb. As we are enjoying the view from the ridge, we spotted Paul, just below us, almost to the top. He had not taken the easy ridge route but instead had come straight up the face. Being part of the “greatest crew ever” we considered that the right thing to do would be to yell some words of encouragement to Paul to help him reach the summit. Instead the quick plan was to get down in the tall grass and when we saw the whites of his eyes, scare the bejesus out of him. At the precise moment we would let loose with our best bull elk calls.

Like crouching tigers we waited for Paul to nearly step upon us. First, we cut loose with our with our best bugles and grunts. Followed by a few seconds of tee-heeing. It was now time to offer those friendly, professional words of encouragement. Where’s Paul? A bit of dust hung in the air where we had last seen him standing but no Paul. We could only assume that Paul was now being the prankster. As it turns out, Paul learned to sprint down vertical mountainsides quicker than he learned to row a boat. Kind of rude I thought, him not sticking around for the end of our little prank. As we watched from above, we saw nothing for a while. But then we noticed that the folks in camp were becoming interested in our direction, well, below us really. Finally we saw Paul break into view, still running all the way to the centerstage. Several of the other guests seemed interested enough to converge upon him. Paul’s arms flapped a few times, then a gesture or two, some pointing, more flapping, then suddenly turning straight towards us, Paul gives a double bird in our direction. We later learned that the conversation went something like;

“Paul, Paul, what’s wrong?

Mmmm mmm-mmmountain lion up there. Ttrr tttrri-ttrried to eat me!

No no Paul, there isn’t one mountain lion, there are two.

Two?

Yes, one named Steve and one named Cowboy.”

We all survived that season, and most of our guests did as well. It was without a doubt my best summer ever. Between the time spent being a rookie on the river, down time in Stanley Idaho and hangin with the other members of “The best Crew Ever”, How could it not be?

Working for and learning from Ron has certainly left a lifetime “impression” on me. The attitude and skills that Ron gave us stand tall on the personality of my company, my crew and myself. No Pussification of the wilderness here. (more on that some other time). When the river is huge you’ll find us out there. When the river is low, you’ll find us still floating when the rest have gone. Regardless of weather, effort, work load or time of day, you will always see myself and my crew smiling and attentive .

The rowing and other skills that Ron taught me are beaten into my own crew daily in an effort to make them “the best crew ever”.

READY TO EXPERIENCE THE MIDDLE FORK YOURSELF?

BOOK YOUR TRIP!

Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 2

Wed, 07 Sep 2016 16:08:00 GMT

Story continued from ~ Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 1

Bicycles are not allowed in the wilderness, but at one point they were.

Remember Ron’s lasting impressions?

Well, he left one this day.

As we were rigging our boats at Boundary Creek, and Ron was tending to the guests, an unsuspecting cyclist caught Ron’s attention. Before he knew it, Ron had him convinced that the first 10 miles of the trail were far too rough for a bicycle and that a better choice would be to let us float he and his bike on a raft for the first ten miles or so.

There are folks in this world who are good at what I like to call “answer questions”. These are those questions posed in such a way that you are somewhat simultaneously given an answer which you feel somewhat obligated to automatically agree with, whether or not you really do.

Example: Let’s say you’re enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner at a stranger’s home and the man of the house looks you in the eye and says, “isn’t this the best turkey you’ve ever eaten?” . It would be very difficult to come right out and say no. Even in disagreement, the best negative response you’re likely to offer would be to fill your mouth with a fork full of turkey, grunt, nod and look away. Ron was a master at answer questions.

The poor guy with the bike didn’t stand a chance, even if he had no desire to participate in the notion, his bike was loaded into the raft and he was wearing a lifejacket before he could get the turkey swallowed.

Whereas Ron’s 8-day Middle Fork training crash course worked well for some, for others, not so much. Quite frankly, when it came to rowing a boat in a whitewater situation , some got it, some didn’t. At least not as quickly as others, let’s say. The bike and biker happened to be loaded on a boat captained by a “some didn’t”.

Regardless of our individual skill, we launched our fleet of four boats. Running lead and supervising Cowboy was Ron. Grizz in second, the biker boat third, and I was in the rear. The Ron/Cowboy and the Grizz boats both had guests on board, including ( in the Ron/Cowboy boat), the only black woman I’ve ever been on the Middle Fork with, and Paul. We negotiated the rapids of the first 9 miles or so without event and we had even learned that the name of Stevo’s unknown mile 6 rapid was Velvet Falls.

The next rapid would be Powerhouse.

I’ve never heard anything officially about the source of the name but I’ve always assumed it referred to the cabin and the waterwheel that was jutting out into the river on river right. Powerhouse is essentially two rapids with a very short calm section in between. The first section “Waterwheel”, is typically uneventful. The second, the true Powerhouse, just the opposite.

First of all, it’s one of the longest rapids on the river, AND has big waves, lots of sharp rocks, lots of regular rocks and just when you think that was enough, the entire river makes a 90° bend to the left forcing anything afloat into the wall on river right. The usual plan is to run the first stretch, Waterwheel, without event, passing the waterwheel and the cabin on river right, oohh and aahh a little bit, hit the calm, compose yourself, enter Powerhouse somewhat river left and stay river left, dodging the rocks, sharp or not, trying to hit the waves as straight as possible as to not take on any more water than necessary, because as Ron would always tell the guests; ”that water weighs 8 pounds per gallon and Superman couldn’t row one of these boats full of water” .

Now, having done all of the above, you are only left with the task of keeping your somewhat Superman boat from slamming into the wall at the bottom.

I might add here, that one of the lessons from the eight day course that was driven home continuously, was that, in the event that you were going to hit something with your boat, it was extremely important to hit it head-on with the bow or stern. The theory here being that by doing so, your boat being an inflatable raft, would simply bounce off the hazard and allow you to continue on your merry way rather than plant your boat broadside and all the ugliness that such a move creates.

Till now, I had witnessed the biker boat from behind for approximately 9 miles without much todo.

We had been through some pretty major stuff including Sulphur Slide, Ram’s Horn, Hell’s Half-Mile, Velvet Falls, The Chutes and more. Even the bike seemed to be enjoying the ride bouncing here and there in the stern of the boat.

Like little ducklings we all cruised through the Waterwheel single file with no problem.

It was about now that the Biker Boat begin to deviate from the plan. Ever so slightly at first, but soon, left became center, center became river right. Bad Ducky!

I know I had a grand total of two trips down the Middle Fork and was working on number three, but it was at this moment that I first realized that the cliff wall at the bottom was actually a cliff wall on river right for more than half of the rapid. I believe it’s fair to say that the crew of the Biker Boat had the same revelation at almost the exact time that I did.

It was also about this time that I noticed that the bike didn’t seem to be having as much fun as before.

Watching as this segment of Ron’s “Best Crew Ever”, artfully implemented Rule Number-1 and slammed into the wall bow first, was quite a sight to behold. Almost as impressive as a couple of seconds later when the boat whipped a 180 and slammed stern first into the wall.

It is important to note that the bicycle didn’t fit as neatly into the raft as one would have hoped.

I also noticed that unhappy bikers and unhappy bikes don’t behave themselves the same as when they are happy.

Over the next couple of minutes I may have witnessed the greatest example of Rule Number 1 being exercised, as the Biker Boat took turns swapping ends, bow then stern, bow then stern.

Good news however, after several good stern shots the parts of the bike that were sticking out beyond the perimeter of the boat seemed to have been modified enough to allow the bike to calm down a bit, seeming to now be cowering in the rear of the boat.

Read the final part of this blog series: Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 3

Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 1

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 15:37:44 GMT

Part 1 of 3:

Tour de Powerhouse – Steve Zettel's memoirs as he begins his career as a guide on the Middle Fork Salmon River

Rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho’s Frank Church River Of No Return Wilderness is probably the finest extended outdoor experience in the country and possibly the world for that matter.

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River consists of 100 miles of spectacular scenery, whitewater, natural hot springs, wildlife, a wilderness experience at its finest.

One of the famous stretches of whitewater on the Middle Fork of the Salmon is a rapid called Powerhouse and consists of nearly half a mile continuous whitewater, ending with the entire river forcing anything that floats into a cliff wall at the bottom.

More about that later….

In 1984, I had four seasons of guiding horseback hunters in the Idaho backcountry under my belt. Being a guide in that country typically involved the annual 50 mile trail ride to get the horses and mules to our operating area on Big Creek in the Payette National Forest. About 20 miles of the ride was along the Middle Fork. An average afternoon would consist of nearly a hundred degrees, dust, bugs, bees or flies, thirst, saddle sores and so much more to look forward to. While enjoying countless hours of this sort of pleasure each summer, I began to notice a steady parade of boats traveling downstream, the same direction as I was as I was heading, except their passengers seemed to be enjoying a completely different set of experiences including, but not limited to; cold drinks ,no dust, fishing, swimming, laughing, singing, bikini tops, bikinis without tops and so much more or less depending on how you look at it.

One thing was for sure, I was doing it the wrong way.

So it was then that I decided to trade ‘dust for bust’ and made plans to become a Middle Fork Boatman.

Those plans included finding of Middle Fork outfitter who would be willing to train me and then hopefully put me to work. I had been guiding Wilderness Horseback Hunts for four seasons and as of yet had not killed or lost anyone. I might add that my legendary prowess for napping had not yet become public knowledge, therefore I was able to, without too much effort, find an outfitter who would give me a shot. His name was Ron.

Ron was a character like no other. His story would be a great one to share, but not right now. Maybe later. What I will say about Ron is this; very few people in this world will leave a lasting impression on everyone they meet, regardless whether that meeting is for a moment or lifetime. That “impression” can vary from extremes of positive and negative, but one thing is for certain, Ron would leave it! Training on the Middle Fork meant meeting the legal requirements of floating the entire one hundred miles of the river 3 times with a licensed guide in the boat, and, not being a felon. It also meant that you should actually learn to row the boat, cook the meals, learn the hundred miles of river on and off the water and much more. Typically this training with other operations would require a summer or two. With Ron, it would take eight days.

It was late May 1984. Ron’s crew consisted of Grizz, a returning seasoned veteran and six rookies who had never touched an oar, at least not one in a whitewater situation.

Did I mention that the Middle Fork is has over one-hundred classified rapids and drops 3,000 vertical feet. And so it was that Grizz, Bart, Hollywood, Austin, Cowboy, Doc and I would become Ron’s “best crew ever”. It was what he told all the guests, so it must be true.

Our first training trip began just before daylight in Stanley Idaho. Unfortunately local restaurants in Stanley didn’t open till after daylight, so breakfast would have to wait until lunch. After about an hour and a half drive, over snowy mountain passes, without tire tracks in them, insinuating that we were the first to have gotten through since the prior fall, and a quick rigging of two Green River 18 foot non-self bailing rafts.

Ron recommended high water attire of, tennis shoes, cut off jeans, a wool shirt, rain jacket, and a life jacket, a command from Ron to Grizz, “be at the ramp by noon tomorrow”, and we were off.

Grizz was captain of the first boat and the second was manned by a new arrival, Stevo. Stevo seemed confident and capable enough. The only thing about Stevo really worth adding here is that when he spoke it took a while. Not that he was slow, but his message sure was. Someone said something about 8 foot on the gauge (extremely high), which meant nothing to me, it should have, and we were off. As it was calculated later, at about mile 6, Stevo made his first proclamation. It went something like, “what the hell is thi…”, and with that Stevo was gone. Considering the fact that we all wanted to hear the end of what he was trying to say plus have someone in the boat who supposedly had been here before, my boat mate, Hollywood and I, went looking for Stevo. Here he is! Goofing off and hiding in the water behind the boat. I assumed he was putting us through some “man overboard” training.

1,2,3 ,and Stevo was back in the boat and back at the oars. Stevo seemed as relieved as we were to have him back in the boat. There just wasn’t enough time in the day for him to say so. In water conditions like that and with those types of boats, bailing was a perpetual necessity. We had a 5 gallon bucket and someone was always using it.

Once again, calculated later to be at about mile 10, there was a sense that the worst for now was behind us, Stevo made his second proclamation, “One of you guys should row”. Hollywood responded first and moved into the captain’s seat. One minute later we were broadside on what became known as “Hollywood’s Wall”. A little high siding and an act of God or two and I’m sure something fractionally eloquent from Stevo and we slid off the wall and back in the current. At this moment the boat was completely full of water. Simultaneous with our realization that we are totally without the ability to maneuver until we bailed about the thousand gallons of water, someone noticed the passengers in the boat ahead of us waving frantically at us. I’m sure being the friendly guys we were and certainly not wanting to be out done, we all waved back just as frantically. It was also about then that we noticed Grizz rowing that boat from left to right with a lot of enthusiasm. It would have been nice to be in a boat that would maneuver like that but at that moment we were totally at the will of the river and the river’s will, as it turned out, was not in our best interest.

As it also turned out, the reason for all the waving and enthusiastic rowing ahead, was that there was a huge tree stretching at surface level from the left bank to a giant rock island in the middle of the river.

Stevo jumped into the captains seat as Hollywood instinctively yielded the oars to the only man in the boat with any experience.

Stevo was able to rotate the stern of the boat towards the right channel of the river. Our only hope it seemed was for Stevo to get us to the right of the rock island past the end of the log. Stevo took a stroke, then another, then another, muscles flexing, heavy breathing, definitely no time for a proclamation, again and again and again, Stevo pulled at the oars. As we drew nearer to log Stevo bent the oars and continued his Herculean effort to somehow save the day. In all, the boat moved right about 6 inches to the right. And as the boat reached the log, instantly turning broadside, somewhere between the upstream tubes going under water and the rest of us flipping under the log with the raft, I heard yet another Stevo proclamation. Part of one really. In the same cadence and the same monotone fashion as before, as he slowly submerged, Stevo bravely uttered most of the phrase of those famous words uttered so many time before him, “Oh Fu…. “ Unfortunately the breakfast for lunch disappeared with dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast as well. Some underwater screaming, a lot of swimming and some help from the Grizz boat and we were back in business.

With the exception of a few near misses the next 89 miles went by without event.

We would have to wait till Stanley. It was late in the evening as we rolled into Stanley and Stanley was closed. No food, we head back to the bunkhouse and into bed fore at dawn we would be off to the Middle Fork again.

At some point we were awakened by Ron who informed us that, “Gents, we have slept in and there is no time for breakfast.” We could count on plenty of lunch though, as it was already packed up and ready for us on the trailer. We managed to survive to eat it. Another evening on the river, at the ramp before noon, back to Salmon for a double order of Papa Burgers and fries, much to Ron’s chagrin, then back home to Stanley. We were just a day in town and three days on the river, from being the “best crew ever”. We had a day off to gear up for a combined guest/training trip. Most of us trainees would pair up, Grizz would row his own boat and Ron would rotate through the rookie line up, honing our skills.

Read the Part 2 of this blog series: Tour de Powerhouse on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River – Part 2

Whitewater rapids! Yikes! Am I safe?

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 15:56:24 GMT

When you move down river using any prop for buoyancy, whether you’re on a boat, raft, kayak or duckie, you’ll meet with a variety of of calmly moving surface water and also more choppy water.

You’ll also periodically move through water that is moving across rocks or the river bed changes its grade and the water churns with white foam and spray. This is whitewater.

The whitewater will be a fantastic part of your rafting float trip and possibly your biggest concern when planning your vacation. However, experience has shown us that during and after the trip the whitewater memories usually become secondary to the “ The Guides “, “ The Food “, “ The Fishing “, “Everything“.

Whitewater concerns are valid , but should not discourage you from enjoying what thousands of families have proclaimed as the “greatest vacation they’ve ever experienced.”

The Middle Fork Salmon River has over one hundred classified rapids. Rapids are classified on a scale from 1 to 6.

“1” being minimum in difficulty and “6” being extremely hazardous, un-runnable.

These ratings represent possible hazards to participants as well as equipment.

The Middle Fork is a Class 4 river. Several rapids are Class 4, but the rest are rated 1-3.

Idaho Wilderness Company is very proud of the impeccable river safety record we’ve maintained over the years.

We use very modern self-bailing rafts, excellent equipment, and our guides are extensively trained and extremely qualified. Our inventory of well maintained rafts include high, dry, and very stable rafts and extend to our inflatable, one-man kayaks, where you can run the rapids solo.

All guests are issued a life jacket and are required to wear this safety gear at all times while floating the river.

You will be on a wilderness river and much like the rest of your life outside your float trip, unexpected events may occur.

We can say that our worst injury on our past float trips was a dislocated finger which happened on land and a dislocated shoulder which was relocated on the trip and the guest completed his adventure as scheduled..

If you have concerns for the safety of your family, friends, or yourself, we suggest you speak with some of our past guests. Idaho Wilderness Company is very willing and able to provide you with as many customer references as you would like.

We work very hard to provide you with the whitewater experience that will strike that special balance between fun and safety.

Traditionally, the highest water levels are late May and early June. This is the time to come for the biggest waves and the wildest ride.

Usually, by the end of June, the water level has dropped and the rapid stretches have become more defined leaving the river with many peaceful stretches as well. Even as the water levels drop throughout the summer, there will still be plenty of action for all.

Many rapids are actually more fun at lower levels.

We recommend you visit our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information about adventures on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River . .

Get those kids out of the house and into the wilderness and trade Xboxes for tackle boxes !

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:07:49 GMT

In 1999 I hunted Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Steve Zettel’s ‘American Adrenaline Co.” as it was called back then.

It turned into a text book hunt.

After bagging my sheep on the second day of the hunt and completing my qwest for a North America Grand Slam, I went on to kill a black bear and mule deer buck.

Floating the Middle Fork of the Salmon with my family.

Having never really taken the family on “Real Big ” family trip, we weren’t going to waste it on Hawaii or Disneyland, and I booked with Steve a June 2000 float trip.

Fast forward to 2012, and I found myself wanting to share my experience with new friends. There were nine of us in our group this time. Every one of them wants to go back again ! I’m planning my return now!

I want to share a couple of quotes from Steve ‘ You bring it, we will pack it ‘ referring to the amount of beer we could bring along and, “You have twenty million acres to explore, this is my kitchen” meaning he doesn’t care how good of a dutch oven cooker, egg flipper or BBQ chef you think you are, they have the food handled” and ‘ Handle ‘ it they do!

Years of experience has shown them how to master the food, you WILL gain weight!

In short, while safety is paramount. a great experience is assured: the food , the scenery , the crew , the equipment and the experience is something you and your family will talk about for years while Hawaii and Disneyland would soon be forgotten except for those Visa charges.

Get those kids out of the house and into the wilderness and trade Xboxes for tackle boxes!

Kent J. Regli
Bliss, Idaho

Michelle Zettel Memorial Fund

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 16:13:42 GMT

On December 27 of 2014, my wife and mother of our two boys passed away after her 14 year battle with breast cancer. Since her passing I have been asked countless times if there was going to be any kind of a fund set up in her name. After much consideration I have come to the conclusion that no one will feel the loss more, nor be as negatively impacted, as our youngest son, Joel .

If you’ve ever met Joel you know he is as special as they come.

Two characteristics about Joel that have never changed are:

He has never met a stranger, and
He has never met a woman that didn’t love him

Although Joel has Down Syndrome, we have never treated him as such, nor has he lived life less. We have always held him to high standards and pushed him to be the best he could be, and Joel has responded by accomplishing amazing things. If you would like to be part of Joel’s future, you can contribute to “Joel’s Future” fund at:

Joel Zettel acct.
East Idaho Credit Union
P.O. Box 262
Challis, ID 83226
ph: 208-879-4545

Contributing to the fund is not the only way that you can be a part of Joel’s future. You could consider including him in your next adventure, in the workplace, or practically anything you think would be beneficial for Joel and yourself. We also encourage everyone interested to visit Joel’s website meandjoel.com . This website was designed to jump start Joel’s entrepreneur occupation while bringing forth awareness of his situation and others much like him.

On behalf of Michelle and the boys, I would like to thank everyone for their kindness to the Zettels over the years.

– Steve