Idaho- Land Of Change. Middle Fork Salmon July 3-8

Kayakers on a mellow section of the upper stretches of the Middle Fork Salmon- day one.

Between the weather and the folks that were along, our second trip on the Middle Fork was quite the variety pack.  While the West was strongly represented, we also had folks from as far away as Washington D.C., Wisconsin and Canada. There were several families, couples, friends, hardshell kayakers (long boats and short), inflatable kayakers and rafters, . We also had a good mix of ages, including a pod of youngsters, ages 16-21, that we affectionately referred to as the “pack of wolves”.

Once our bags were loaded onto the support rafts at Boundary Creek, we did our usual thing of dividing the hardshell kayakers into three groups, each with it’s own guide, so as to give us all plenty of room to move about the river and play.  That first day I had the wolves. This group of young, enthuisastic kayakers were all in play boats of one type or another.  Their motto seemed to be “leave no river feature untouched”. This was demonstrated as they zipped about the river in search of  the slightest hint of  play. Nothing was off limits; boofs, waves, holes, and given the chance, each other. My job that day was to keep the wolves at bay from the other groups and make sure they were “well fed” with play and challenges.

Hannas F., one of the pack, hits the boof at Ram's Horn.

Middle Fork Salmon, Idaho: June 25-30th

The sun rises over a meadow near Stanley Idaho.

I’ve written before about how I look forward to our trips.  It’s not just about the paddling, it’s also about where the paddling takes place. In this case it starts in Idaho at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains just outside of Stanley.  Stanley is a small town that sits in a stunning valley made up of mountains, rivers and meadows.  It sits at a crossroad between Boise, Ketchum and Salmon in a mostly roadless area of Idaho.  Only the two-lane highway is paved, the rest of the streets are dirt. There is a small dirt airstrip on top of the hill behind town where the airplanes take off and land when shuttling folks from Boise or into the Middle Fork for low- water trips later in the season. It’s mountain flying, so early morning and late afternoon are the only times you usually hear the engines.  A dirt lot across from the small hotel where we stay is full of cars waiting to be shuttled to the take out.  Hang around the gas station for an hour and you’ll see rigs loaded with rafts, kayaks and other gear on their way to the put in at Boundary Creek.

Mary kicking up her heels at a view of sunset over the Sawtooths. Stanley, Idaho

It’s in Stanley where we meet our groups the night before the trip.  Final questions are answered, drybags handed out, and plans for getting everyone to the put-in the next morning are gone over.

Mary Featured in American Whitewater Journal

For the past several years AW has produced a “Women’s issue” of their journal.  Check out the July/August 2009 issue (page 32) featuring a profile on Mary.  Besides seeing the many different ways you can spell our last name, you’ll get to learn a bit about Mary’s beginnings in the sport, wild water racing, exploration and her path toward becoming one of the top instructors in the field.

If you’re not currently a member of AW please consider joining.  AW really does a lot of work toward boater access issues as well as pushing for recreational releases when hydro projects come up for relicensing.

Mary's profile in the women's issue of AW Journal.

Guides Corner-Rein in your kayak

Kayaks are wonderful crafts! What better way to transport yourself through remote locations than while seated on your arse? Not far from our house is a fine run that is often part of my spring ritual- it’s called Giant Gap. It’s a spectacular stretch of river with a remote feel that is just the right amount of difficulty, a great tune-up for the harder runs one hopes to do as the snow melts, yet straight forward enough it puts a smile on your face. The only problem with Giant Gap is the put-in trail. More specifically, the two mile, 1900 ft. of elevation loss to get down to the river.

Kayakers on the trail to Giant Gap

When boats were lighter (and I was stronger) I used to just suck it up, throw the boat up onto my shoulder and hike the boat in. My boat was pleased but my back was torqued.

Thankfully, there is a nice layer of fallen leaves on most of the Gap’s trail. A plastic kayak slides easily over this layer, freeing one’s shoulder and back from a Quasimodo-like posture. As with kayaking a river, a little control goes a long way when sliding the kayak down to the river. Here are some reasons I don’t want to just shove my boat off the top of the trail and hope for the best; the safety of others below, the well-being of my kayak and of the trail. If I haven’t motivated you yet, let me mention the Gap trail can be loaded with poison oak; oak on boat can equal rash on boater.

Some time ago I learned a slick little trick from a canoeist who rigged a rope bridle from the bow to the stern.

Ecuador- Season Wrap Up And A Little Time To Relax.

A different kind of surfing. Hammock view from our hotel in Tena.

The end of the season for us is usually a mixed bag of work in the form of closing out the season, preparing for the next season, visiting friends and putting our feet up for a bit.  This year our down time started with us heading back over the hill from Quito to Tena to hook up with Nelson Jr. and his friend Fabricio.  We’ve known Nelson for some time as he and his family own and operate the hotel we use there.  For a number of years now Nelson has expressed an interest in kayaking but our schedules never matched up until now.  We got in a couple of days on the Rio Tena before we all had to get down to the business of Carnival.

Nelson and Fabricio are all smiles on the Rio Tena. Yes, Nelson's paddle is backwards, it was after all, his first day.

Ecuador- Edmundo.

When in Ecuador our trips don’t go anywhere without Edmundo Franco.  He has been our driver for the last thirteen seasons and he literally holds our lives in his hands.  Jump on a bus or in a cab just about anywhere in Ecuador and within minutes you will have your heart in your throat.  To the uninitiated, the driving style seems somewhere between the running of the bulls, road warrior and a game of chicken.  With a plastic Jesus on the dash and a Dios es mi guia (god is my guide) sticker on the back window, many drivers plow down the road with a false confidence that can leave you considering an ox cart for your next trip. Not so with Edmundo.

At the heart of our team in Ecuador is our driver Edmundo Franco (center).

Ed’s driving style is in keeping with his persona, he has a quiet, gentle and patient nature.  Our boating time is sandwiched between his work, so he starts and finishes the day driving.  He knows the put-ins and take-outs like the back of his hand and on more than one ocassion we’ve double checked with him to remind us how long a particular run will take.  He sends us off with a thumbs up and “buenas suerte”, waits patiently while we’re on the water, worries like your grandmother and greets us at the take out with a smile as he collects everyone’s paddles. Then he drives, sometimes it’s just ten minutes to our lodging, other times it’s two and a half to three hours over the hill. Luckily for us we can nap knowing that Ed’s at the wheel. Thanks Edmundo!

Photos and content ©DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, all rights reserved.

Ecuador- Feb. 7- 15 class IV- The trip that did (almost) everything.

This group was game to sample as much as they could of the areas where we travel , both on and off the river.

Kristy M., Doug N., Mary D., Chris E. and Steve F.

Manuel, the man behind the coldest beer in Ecuador.

Ecuador- Jan.31-Feb.8 Class IV+

First off- great week for kayaking, bad for pictures, so don’t  have your expectations set too high.

It’s not a secret in kayaking, or any other sport for that mater, the higher the skill level of the group, the more options available.  If you’re here for a week, the challenge is having weather and water levels work together.  Knowledge of the runs (we’ve got lots of that) let’s  you take full advantage of your time.  In a year that started off wet, we got a nice break with our class IV+ group.  Bob B., a C-1 paddler from Arkansas was back for his eighth time, Mike W. of Salt Lake was in for number four, and Tom S. of Florida, a fellow who has traveled to over fifty countries, was boating out-of-country for his first time.

I could write something cheesy like " choosing a run is like choosing a fine wine", or I could just be honest and tell you the gang is stocking up before heading out of Quito.

Mary and I had our eyes set on the lower Cosanga, a beautiful, intimate and technical tributary of the Rio Quijos. This would be our goal for the group for day two.  On our first day we balanced the group’s energy level with our desire to warm them up and test them a bit by taking them on a nice run from the bypass bridge to Borja bridge. Doing so also takes you past the confluence of the Cosanga so you can see what you’ve got at that moment.

The Rio Cosanga is a blend of technical rapids and stunning scenery.

Ecuador- Jan. 10-18 Class IV-

Bryon S. negotiates a rapid on the upper Misahualli.

Ecuador- January 3-11, Class III+

Frank L. stays focused on a boof while Mother Nature does her best to distract him. Upper Misahualli.

When we arrived in country at the end of 2008, we heard that the rain and water levels up to that point had been low. The beginning of 2009 marked the start of the rains as well as the return of three long-time guests and good friends, Henry L., Pete P. and Paul H.. Paul headed up a strong Southeastern contingent including his son, Ken, who put his class V ambitions on hold to paddle with his dad.  Other Southerners were Chuck C., Frank L. and Chris R. Chuck had paddled with us for the first time this past summer on the Middle Fork and will be with us again later this year on the Grand Canyon. New to us were Frank and Chris who had arrived in Quito a few days early (always recommended if you can take the extra time) and set about trying to make a name for themselves in the capital city.

Frank L. makes good use of his extra days in Quito before the start of the trip.