Wilderness Love

On a roll with wilderness multi-day trips this summer, I decided to jump back on the horse with fly in trips. A little hesitant since the Clendenning, I picked a run I was confident would not turn into an epic adventure....the Upper Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Montana.

It begins with an awesome flight over the Flathead Valley and through the Great Bear Wilderness.

Tiny Planes

Gorgeous Views

Since we had to take three planes and I was in the first one, we had some time to kill at Schafer Meadow. Lucky for us there is an awesome old ranger station there with friendly folks who invited us in for a cup of coffee. (Awesome since it was frosty and in the 30s outside)

Schafer Meadows Ranger Station

Excited? Yes!

Just a short hike later we were at the put in, a small and clear mountain creek. This run is everything it is said to be...beautiful, crystal clear water, amazing scenery, and mellow but fun rapids. The trees seem to go on forever and the river is lined with hidden waterfalls trickling in.

Can I Stay Forever Please?

Enjoying the Scenery

Fun Rapids

The camping and hiking were top notch also, making me wish I could stay longer than a couple of days. Unfortunately we did not spot any wildlife, with the exception of a couple of deer hanging around our camp, despite finding moose tracks and antlers.

Hike to Scott Lake

Watch Out for the Bears!

Camp Night One

We also had a birthday boy on our trip, which of course meant ridiculous costumes, wilderness dance parties, and lots of silliness.

Ty in his "Birthday Suit"

Birthday No-Bake Cheesecake

Skip Checking out the Moose Bog

Yay for Ty's Birthday!!

The last day featured the Spruce Park Series, the most difficult rapids and a sweet mini gorge. We were all bummed out when it ended and we knew we were almost back to civilization.

Ty Coming Out of the Gorge

Loving the Clear Water!

Rachel in the Spruce Park Series

What an awesome trip!! This run certainly ranks high on my list. I can't wait to go back!

Thanks to a great crew for making it all happen!

Little White....Weddings? Yes, Please!

Drew popped the big question July 10 at the lip of Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon. Christie's response? "Yes please." Here is a little video Drew put together for the occasion...ending with a shot taken right after the proposal. :)

Congratulations Christie and Drew!!

Selway Self-support

The Selway River flows 47 incredible miles through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness from the launch site at Paradise to the takeout above Selway Falls. I have been trying to get a permit for this section of river for a few years now, but only one group can launch per day during the height of the season when weather and flows are good, and chances of winning the lottery are slim. Thanks to this high water summer, many groups were canceling and I was able to pick up a permit for a three day kayak self-support trip over July 4th weekend.

Gonzo, Dick, Drew, Christie, Emily & Jake

I made a few last minute phone calls to rally a crew. Drew Eastman and I drove out from Oregon and my brother, Jake Glissmeyer, came up from Utah. We met up with Missoula boaters, Emily McGinty, Dick Lewan and Gonzo, late night at Rusher's birthday bonfire on the Lochsa. That is a dangerous way to start any kind of adventure, but luckily the sun was out and the excitement meter was high early the next morning. The six of us headed to Darby, Montana where we picked up our shuttle driver and headed up over Nez Perce Pass into the heart of Idaho country.

By mid-afternoon we reached the put-in, crammed three days worth of gear and food into our kayaks, and headed downstream. The first 10 miles were giant rolling wave trains and I began to feel very small out there.

The river level was fluctuating between 16,000 and 18,000 cfs on the Lowell gauge all weekend making the run very continuous and the bigger rapids pretty spicy. Fortunately, Emily is Selway savvy and was able to show us all the smooth big water lines and primo campsites.

After a couple hours of big wave paddling, we rolled up on one of the plentiful white, sandy beaches and set up camp for the night in a grove of giant cedar trees. Considering the small amount of gear we can carry, this only took about 5 min. and we were all set just in time for happy hour on the river. I really enjoyed the simplicity of a self-support trip (except when we ran out of beverages on night #2).

The best part about multi-day kayaking is you get to paddle first thing in the morning.

I loved waking up here . . .

Day #2 was full of excitement. We spent the morning surfing our way down the river. There is nothing like carving up a big green, glassy Idaho wave. After lunch we made it to the top of Moose Juice, a 3-mile stretch of seven continuous class IV-V rapids!

The first rapid, Ladle, is the most dangerous. If anyone had experienced trouble there, they might have swam the entire stretch. The water was moving really fast and rescuing swimmers and retrieving gear would have been challenging. We were all wide-eyed and white knuckled, but had great lines and made it safely to our next campsite.

Tango beach and swimming hole is a welcoming sight on a hot day. With afternoon shade and morning sun, this was easily one of my most favorite campsites ever.

The next morning was the 4th of July! I can't think of a better way to celebrate. The day started off first thing with more big water wave riding and then we hit Wolf Creek rapid for one last big hooray. This sporty stretch of whitewater was so big that it felt like a giant roller coaster ride and my stomach would drop every time I crested a wave and went screaming down the other side.

Carnage free, we were off the river by noon on day #3, and happy to be greeted by cold beers at the takeout. What a dream trip.

Shortly below the takeout is this monster of a drop, Selway Falls. I'm pretty positive that there was no chance of running this rapid at high water without a severe beat down, but it was sure entertaining to pick out some hypothetical lines through the chaos. Then we said our goodbyes and headed off to our good old hometown firework celebrations.

Happy Birthday America, and thanks for being so freaking awesome!