Now that the four rivers lottery has been drawn, I want to congratulate all the rafters that have been chosen for permits on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the Selway River, the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon and the Main Salmon River. Let the safe and reliable drivers at Central Idaho River Shuttles enhance your whitewater adventure. CIRS is starting our 6th year shuttling the rivers of Idaho. We look forward to transporting your vehicles this spring and summer. Give us a call, we look forward to helping you anytime. Pat Sullivan’s cell 208-507-1830
Pack Like a Pro: An Interview with a Veteran Guide
I have talked to many private boaters over the years who have little exposure to the process commercial rafting companies use to plan and execute whitewater rafting trips for paying customers. I’ve interviewed a veteran raft guide of Idaho’s rivers to give those private boaters a window into the commercial process. Since you are currently on Central Idaho River Shuttles’ website, I think you may be my targeted demographic. Let me introduce you to the expert…
Steve Wassmuth has been a commercial whitewater rafting guide since the summer of 1983. Since then, he has worked countless trips for over a dozen companies based in Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. For the last 10 to 15 years, Steve has mostly freelanced for many companies dealing with last minute guide cancellation or injury, or by special request from returning guests. How did I get such a knowledgeable pro to sit down with me? He’s my Pa…
Once you’ve been scheduled to guide a trip down the river, when does the actual preparation start at the warehouse?
“It depends on which river you are going to guide. For example, there’s a a Main Salmon trip launching tomorrow from Corn Creek. You know, it’s an eight hour drive over there (from Grangeville, ID). So they packed yesterday, all the gear and the food. So they drive today, unload the boats, some of the gear, and launch tomorrow. On commercial trips you pack the day before the trip, or even two days before, depending on where you’re going. So for the Lower Salmon, since it’s only a 30 minute drive to the put-in, you can pack everything the day before and just drive to Pine Bar on the morning of the launch.”
When you arrive to the warehouse to get everything together for your trip, what is the first thing you’ll do?
“Usually when you get to the warehouse the guides are split up and designated to be in charge of two main categories. Someone(s) will do food and someone(s) else will gather gear. On the gear side, you check to see how many guests are on the trip and what their interests are. Whether its inflatable kayaking, SUPs (stand up paddleboards), or rafting. Check how many people have rentals for tents, pads, sleeping bags… you check all that out. Then there is a master gear list that you’ll have for every trip. Usually a couple guides pull all that, marking off the list as they go. Then they’ll have a meeting afterward, rechecking everything off the list to minimize error.”
Do most customers rent the gear?
“It depends. If they’re driving, driving to the put-in or to the warehouse, a lot of times they’ll bring their own stuff. But if they’re flying from the east coast, or internationally, they’ll usually rent so they don’t have to check these bigger items through the airport and lug it all around everywhere. So you’re looking at all of that to make sure the guests have everything requested.”
BONUS PRO TIP #1!!!
“The ice that we use lasts about twice as long as the ice you’ll get at the store generally. We make our own which just consists of putting water into a freezer and making solid blocks. A lot of blocks that you buy at the market, they’ll freeze water down to a certain temperature and turn it into an airy slush. Then they’ll compact it and freeze it the rest of the way into a block, but it’s all full of air at that point so it doesn’t last near as long.”
What does preparing all the food at the warehouse look like?
“On the food side of trip prep, you’re looking for how many people are on the trip, food allergies, and special dietary restrictions like vegetarian, vegan, low carb, gluten free. So you go off a list that takes into account how many people are on the trip. It will tell you how many of each Common Item and Special Items you’ll need. Special Items such are things like lasagna noodles, cornbread and cakes mixes, and steaks, because you only use those things once. These calculations need to be fairly precise because you’re limited on space, weight, and waste.”
“Common Items are those that you’ll end up using for multiple meals: heads of lettuce, bagels, eggs, loaves of bread, etc. They’ll all be listed at the end of the food list because they’ll go on every trip. Only the amount changes depending on how many guests are on the trip. You’ll always want to have plenty though because that’s what the customer pays for. You’re always trying to guess with that. Talking with the other guides you might say, ‘We had four dozen eggs left last trip. Should we bring less this time, or was there a unique factor on the last trip that might not happen on this one?’”
Do you have a system for organizing all the food for transport in the rafts?
“Depending on how many coolers you have, a lot of times you’ll have a ‘fruits and vegetable’ cooler and a ‘meats and dairy’ cooler… if you’re only bringing two coolers along. You might also have a third cooler just for ice.”
“Its all layered as you’re planning to use it. If you’re having steaks the last night, then they’ll all be down at the very bottom so you don’t have to touch them until needed. You try to have all the dairy products in a certain place, eggs in another, and so on.”
“Every time you open a cooler on a hot day, cold air escapes, and hot air enters. Organizing everything beforehand in the warehouse ensures that you won’t have to keep that cooler lid open a second longer than you have to. For example, a guide will have a list of ingredients for that night’s dinner. If the cooler is packed right, before even opening the lid, he’ll know exactly where to grab and spend less time looking and moving food to get to the ingredients needed.”
BONUS PRO TIP #2!!!
“If you’re packing romaine lettuce in the produce bag from the store, it will go bad and wilt fairly quickly. Get the lettuce and a paper towel wet. Wrap the lettuce with the paper towel, place it back in the plastic produce bag, and it will be fresh much longer. Plan to use cabbage later in the trip than lettuce because cabbage has a much longer shelf life. Wrap egg cartons with duct tape otherwise the carton will fall apart in the cooler and break your eggs.”
You’ve worked for lots of different whitewater rafting outfitters in Idaho over the years. What’s one aspect where you’ve noticed that packing/preparing procedures are different between companies?
“Drink coolers… I’ve done trips for a company where they fill up a huge cooler full of drinks and crushed ice. All the drinks are touching the ice, and it burns up the ice pretty fast. So they’re good for the first couple of days, but if you don’t have something to replace the ice, then you’ve got a 150 quart cooler of warm drinks that no one is going to want.”
“Other companies will have like 20 drinks in a cooler where they’ll have a block of ice wrapped in cardboard or foam. This way the drinks aren’t contacting the ice. This cooler will be packed each morning (the coldest part of the day) with drinks that you think the customers will want that day. They don’t have to be cold the whole trip. They just have to be cold the day that people want to use them. That’s seems to work better than having a huge cooler that people are keeping open for a long time, digging through everything to find what they want.”
BONUS PRO TIP #3!!!
“Its good to have a drink cooler on the beach at camp so that people aren’t climbing from boat to boat and leaving cooler lids open while they search for what they want.”
Have there been any trips that stand out to you as being difficult to pack for: whether it was special accommodations, opposing customer needs, etc?
“Probably the most interesting trip to pack for was a Kosher trip we did. We all put a lot of research into what we needed. Separate flatware, utensils, and cooking surfaces were needed for meat preparation and serving. That was one of the most difficult. We tried to make sure we had everything needed. These people were on vacation too though, so they saw us making the effort and really appreciated everything we did, even if we made a mistake or two.”
“Generally people are just amazed at what can be prepared on the river and variety of foods that are offered. They’re surprised and fascinated when they look at the loaded boats each morning and say, ‘I’ve been watching you load these boats for the last four days, and I still can’t figure out where you put everything.’ You just make use of every little space you have on the rafts.”
Can you think of any kind of bizarre requests you’ve had to prepare around?
“We had a guest on this last trip that I was on. For dinner each night, this 12 year old girl, wanted a specific type of chicken patty. A brand name chicken patty warmed, not cooked… not fried… but warmed, with two dollops of peanut butter, cut into four equal quarters, and served with buttered bread. That’s the only thing she’d had as an evening meal for the last nine years.”
“Her breakfast was the same way… Two strawberries, sliced, and a piece of bread. One morning we offered her an omelet. She asked what an omelet was. She was twelve years old and had never heard of it. We told her what it was and she said, ‘I don’t think my mom would think I would like that.’”
“Her sister would go through the lunch line for her and say, ‘She wouldn’t like this… wouldn’t like this… wouldn’t like this.’ and her sister usually didn’t even know what the food was. So sometimes, at the warehouse, things like that are hard to plan for when you’re gathering the food you think you’ll need.”
“A different trip had to have buffalo burgers, instead of the steaks we usually serve. Another guest wouldn’t eat anything that flew. Gluten free diets were non-existent when I first started guiding trips in the early 80’s, but we’ve had to learn what people can and can’t have for these dietary preferences. So you’re dealing with a lot of things like that while planning the menu for a trip.”
“I’ve had customers that have been on the South Beach Diet. So when we’d camp on the south side of the river, we’d make chocolate cake and all these treats that they wouldn’t be able to have, but it would all be gone by the time morning came around. They couldn’t eat anything until it was dark and everyone else was in bed. But once you couldn’t see it, anything goes! So we would call that our South Beach Diet.”
River Time: Reading Time
photo credit: Libby Redline
River Time… A magical clock that only knows two times a day: Sunrise and Sunset. There are few worries and ample time in the day to pursue what you will. Often, my will is to read a book written about the river I’m presently floating. Why is this creek named Silge Creek? Who lived on this homestead along the Snake River? I wonder what the winters are like here, near the Selway? Answering these questions can place me in deeper connection with my surroundings and make for a memorable trip. Here are a few of my favorites:
Main Salmon River / Lower Salmon River
“River of No Return” is a mile-by-mile guide spanning 407 river miles, starting above Stanley Idaho, and concluding at the confluence of the Salmon and Snake rivers. Johnny Carrey and Cort Conley share the fruits of their exhaustive research into the history of the river, and those who shaped it. The sense of place it gives the reader is unmatched. Here is one example from the text that makes the story of the river come alive:
Mile 259.2: Silge Creek on the left. Fred Silge was a highly educated German musician, who had played in some of the cathedrals of his homeland. In his late teens, he was brought to America by his father so he would not be drafted by the German army. Fred never spoke about the past, or his reasons for coming to the canyon, but he did play music for his friends in his cabin. He ran Campbell’s Ferry for several seasons, then drowned in the river when a cable was hooked by a snag on high water.”
BONUS: “Thousand Pieces of Gold” by Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Middle Fork of the Salmon River
We’ve all had gear-envy on the river. Maybe you’ve thought, “If I could swap all my rocket boxes with Pelican cases, this trip would be a lot more enjoyable.” This book is the cure for all that.
“An Innocent on the Middle Fork” is a personal memoir by Eliot DuBois. It chronicles the first solo trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon. Not only did he accomplish it first, he attempted it in June of 1942 (high water), while paddling a fragile folding kayak. He begins telling his story as he puts in to raft down the same river in 1982:
I had challenged the rapids of the Middle Fork once before. That was forty years earlier, when no more than five or six people ran the river each year. At that time there was no road to Boundary Creek, and I had passed this spot at the beginning of my third day.”
This humbling book offers a snapshot of this wild river and portraits of the wild people who called it home. It will make you want to go out in your garage, kiss your late 80’s model Avon, and put another coat of paint on your heavy wooden frame.
BONUS: “The Middle Fork: A Guide” by Cort Conley
Snake River
Mari Sandoz from the New York Herald Tribune reviewed “Home Below Hell’s Canyon” on April 4th, 1954. There is no possible way I could hope to match her description, so I’m just going to leave this here…
In this book a governor’s lady has written about the years when she was a sheepman’s wife just below the mile-deep Hell’s Canyon of the Snake River, and for this reviewer, at least, it would be difficult to make life in the executive mansion at Boise half as interesting of meaningful as there among the rock walls and the rattlesnakes.”
“In early 1933 Grace Jordan took her three children, the youngest seven months, up to the dangerous Snake canyon on a sixteen-hour run of the little river packet that might be swamped any moment by the whitewater or stove in by the rocks. The depression had forced Len Jordan and his family out of their own ranch and after a final bank failure his wife was left with a bare gift of $25 in her pocket. So there was only the very remote and unpromising little sheep camp they and a partner would try to pay for, and against all advice Grace Jordan took her small children to the only roof that was left.”
“…The few remote neighbors, mostly outside the canyon were the usual characters: some dangerous, some foolish, some very solid and genuine. But all were subject to the violence of the wilderness. The Jordans with the rest. The mother taught her schoolless children, pack-horsed them to the range at lambing or shearing time, stuck it out alone in the canyon when a murderer was loose and nursed her very sick baby there beyond the doctor’s reach while her husband was critically ill with typhoid on the outside.”
BONUS: “Snake River in Hell’s Canyon” by John Carrey, Cort Conley, and Ace Barton
Selway River
The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, encompassing 1.3 million acres, is a wild and solitary place. Several times in my childhood, a small Cessna would fly my father, brother, and me into Paradise landing strip on the Selway River. From there, we embarked on late summer, self contained, inflatable kayak trips for four days. The land was so remote the only other person we saw on these trips was naked, and carelessly wandering through the forest next to the water. We may have seen others, but for some reason, that’s the only one I remember…
It was in this far removed place where Pete Fromm decided to take a job from the National Parks Service, in 1990, to protect salmon eggs through the winter months. He was to live alone in a wall tent and personally provide everything for his sustenance and survival. He wrote about his winter in, “The Indian Creek Chronicles.” His obsession with the “Mountain Man” gave him great inspiration, yet little practical knowledge for this daunting task. Here is a quote from the book that demonstrates this perfectly:
At the last instant I remembered to buy a percolator and a few pots and pans, things I’d never owned or used. And finally I added a hundred pounds of potatoes, saying I’d dig a food cache to keep them from freezing. I didn’t really have any idea how to make such a thing, but the word “cache” was always creeping up in the mountain man books. It had a certain sound to it.”
This book is hilarious, concerning and an enlightening true story about winter in a place most of us only enjoy in the warm summer months.
Idaho’s Highways
While you are whitewater rafting along the wild and scenic rivers of Idaho, Central Idaho River Shuttle drivers are floating down the asphalt streams that are the network of Idaho’s state highways. While the roads are filled with as many perils as the river, we do get to look out the window every once and a while to enjoy the natural beauty of it all. That’s why the last book is never far from me.
“Idaho for the Curious: A Guide” is a 700 page highway guide that every Idahoan can enjoy. It is chalk full of mile-by-mile bite size history that enriches any drive (when read before the trip, of course). Here is an example of the description for the road to Boundary Creek ( the put-in for the Middle Fork of the Salmon River):
The gravel road, through Bear Valley, flows across the meadows of wildflowers twenty-three miles to the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a National Wild River.”
“The road to Dagger Falls was cleared in 1958-1959 for construction crew access to a fish ladder built along the edge of the falls. Though salmon had migrated up the Middle Fork to Bear Valley for over a thousand years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services decided the fifteen-foot drop at the falls was an obstacle to fish migration, and spent $181,000 to “improve” the passage. Army Corp of Engineer and Bureau of Reclamation dams, which are an obstacle to fish migration on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, have devastated the Chinook salmon runs, but sometimes in early July it is still possible to see an occasional salmon lunging homeward up the falls, back from years at sea and an 800-mile journey up four rivers.”
River Time is Reading Time. Hopefully, these texts will answer almost as many questions as they raise, while you float… ponder… and check the clock for sunset.
Safety in Numbers: A Day on The Lochsa River of Idaho
The first question everyone should ask before floating a river is, “Can I accomplish this safely?” It’s a simple question with no simple answers. Do you have the necessary equipment for your goals and is it well maintained? Do you have the experience with your equipment and the surroundings in which you will be placing yourself? Will those accompanying you be assets to your safety or liabilities? These questions are only the starting point for creating a safe and memorable experience on the Lochsa River of Idaho.
Todd finally stays still long enough for a picture.
Todd is a fox made of clay. He could have been your neighbor’s garden fox. Todd won’t say. All he asked was to be delivered safely to his new home, The Lochsa Petting Zoo, located in a secret location above the high waterline on the Lochsa River. For this task he chose Steve Wassmuth (my dad), who carries over 35 years of professional whitewater guide experience on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Main Salmon River, Lower Salmon River, Snake River, Selway River, and others… but most importantly for Todd: The Lochsa River. My brother-in-law (Yuri), my sister (Brandi), and I were also recruited for the adventure.
The evening before our trip to The Lochsa was spent combing over a raft recently purchased by Brandi and Yuri. We put it on the trailer, checked (and double checked) for leaks, affixed a stern mount, checked oars, oarlocks, etc. This process didn’t merely check the boxes for safe preparation. We were also become familiar with the gear that we would be using to keep us all uninjured and smiling. With everything secured and accounted for, we waited for the sun to set and rise once more before delivering Todd to his new home.
He’s just a dog after all.
The drive to The Lochsa the next morning was beautiful and calming as always. I kept a close eye out for Pat Sullivan (owner of Central Idaho River Shuttles) and his crack team of professional shuttle drivers, ready to wave my arms out the window in solidarity, but they were nowhere to be seen. We stopped on the bridge at Three Rivers Resort to check the water level, The water was 2½ feet up on the bridge. Steve noted that the river would be nearly unrecognizable compared to my last running of the river 2 weeks prior, when it had been running at 4 feet. This meant smaller waves, but many more exposed rocks and hazards to be avoided. This would be a much more technical challenge than I had expected. Todd remained stoic and unfazed…
Upon arriving at Fish Creek, where we would be putting in, we made one last gear check and carried the raft to the water’s edge. The growing roar of the river mirrored the ever-increasing pounding of my heart as the whitewater rafting trip became reality. The put-in was full of other rafting parties bustling about and speaking excitedly of what was in store for the day. Steve asked us who would like to run the stern mount and who should paddle. I suggested, “Since none of us (implying Yuri, Brandi, and myself) has ever run a stern mount, you should take it.”
A passing boater looked at our crew and said, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that… and also, your joystick is installed backwards.”
The newest tech in rafting.
Steve told us, since we were a single raft crew, we would be well served to find another group of boaters to paddle with. Safety in numbers is one of the best ways to mitigate risk on the river. Steve understands that, even with countless trips down The Lochsa at nearly every water level, the river is wild. The day you stop respecting the water will be the day you remember why you did. Steve approached a group of four boats from Missoula, MT and asked if we could tag along with them. The group leader replied, “Of course!” and began to explain to Steve how to signal if you are okay and in control in the water (several exaggerated taps to the top of the head). This is one of the first rules you learn rafting whitewater.
I almost laughed before realizing that I would do the same. Assuming that strangers you will be rafting with have zero experience is the best starting place possible. Steve listened patiently and I saw he was also learning the group leader’s temperament and attitudes toward whitewater safety. We were going to be each other’s lifeline of last resort today and needed to be on the same page. Todd nodded approvingly…
left to right: Neal Wassmuth, Steve Wassmuth, Brandi Davydov, and Yuri Davydov.
The first few miles of warm-up water passed quickly and our new group from Missoula congratulated us on how well we were doing. Never being ones to pass up compliments, we graciously accepted. Steve asked Yuri if he’d like to have a turn on the stern. Yuri jumped at the chance and guided us expertly through several rapids. Then came Morning Glory…
Steve explained the rapid, Morning Glory, would be fairly straightforward at this level with the exception of a rock slightly submerged on river left toward the bottom of the rapid. Water circulated violently beneath the rock. It was not a spot anyone would want to be. We ran the top of the rapid on a wave train and I soon realized we were heading toward the hole formed by the rock. Yuri shouted, “All Forward!” as a command to Brandi and me in the front of the raft. I looked to Brandi, who was looking at me. We didn’t paddle. We weren’t going to help the river take us over the hazard directly ahead. Steve pointed right, signaling Yuri to turn the boat, so that we could start paddling the boat away from the rock. Soon enough, we were launched into the hole.
I dove forward, throwing my body into the front tube of the raft, to give us forward momentum through the churning water beneath the rock. I was immediately sucked into the roiling river as most of the front section of the boat was being taken under the surface. The circulating water below the rock pulled me beneath the raft and I instinctively wrapped my left arm (my right arm was still holding my paddle) around the raft tube and found the rope that ran along the circumference of the raft. Pulling against the currents, my head broke the surface of the water. Brandi was already standing above me reaching for the shoulder straps of my PFD (personal flotation device). I quickly checked for more downstream hazards, handed her my paddle, and let her pull me back into the raft.
I attempted to assuage some my adrenaline with a heartfelt hoot and a holler. While I was being pulled under, Yuri had been launched into the air from his stern mount. The oar had swung forward hitting Steve in the back of his PFD, Yuri knocked helmets with him, and landed on top of him in the bottom of the raft. We christened this “The Lochsa Hat Trick” (oar slam, head bump, body-slam). Everyone was uninjured and laughing. The Missoula crew paddled up, checked that everyone was alright, and we persisted on. Todd had been very little help…
“Are we there yet?”
Steve resumed his duty at the stern soon after, when the most technical portions of the river presented themselves. We worked together and had tight lines through the rapids leading up to Lochsa Falls. I turned to Steve and asked, “Are you going to need me for The Falls?”
He replied, “ No, are you wanting to swim it?” …no doubt.
The roar of The Falls grew louder and I jumped into the river with an outstretched belly flop so that my legs and arms hit the water at the same time, allowing me to instantly start swimming aggressively, and putting a safe distance between myself and the raft. I could hardly hear the onlookers ashore cheering as I was swallowed up and released by Lochsa Falls. When I surfaced I looked downriver and the Missoula crew was paddling furiously upriver toward me. They didn’t realize I had purposefully exited the boat to swim. I gave several exaggerated taps to the top of my helmet until I was sure they had seen me. They discontinued their rescue efforts and I was again pulled into our raft. Todd was proud…
Swimming Lochsa Falls in my patented, “Lay-Z-Boy” position.
Just downriver we let Todd out to be with his friends in the Lochsa Petting Zoo. We said our goodbyes, reached the take-out, and returned to Grangeville, ID where our adventure had begun. Later that evening, while sitting around the campfire, Brandi and I recounted our day to my brother, Austin (another seasoned guide of Idaho’s rivers). We talked river safety and the importance of always knowing what you’re getting into. Austin had been putting in at the ramp preparing for a commercial trip down the Snake River in Hells Canyon last year when a man approached him and asked, “Hey man, I’m about to put in for a solo trip. This isn’t, like, a whitewater river is it?”
Austin laughed, thinking the man was joking, and returned to rigging his raft. When the man didn’t leave, Austin realized he wasn’t kidding and told him, “This is definitely a ‘whitewater river’, and you can easily get yourself in a bunch of trouble. You need to go to the information board, read everything, and seriously reconsider what you are about to do.”
This anecdote was the antithesis to our trip delivering Todd to his friends earlier that day. This man had no knowledge of the river he was embarking on, he had no one with him to help him out, and I’m going to go ahead and assume he didn’t have the proper gear, or knowledge, to ensure his safety in a troubling situation.
Don’t be like this man: entering Hells with the assumption it’s heaven. Be like Todd… Even if you think you’re above the high water mark, it’s always good to have some friends around to watch your back.
My First: Middle Fork of the Salmon River Shuttle
I had just got done driving my daily route mail route when I received a text message from Pat Sullivan, “Can you drive a Middle Fork of the Salmon River shuttle for me Sunday?”
I replied immediately, “Yes, sir. When are we leaving?” I had just been thinking about playing in a local golf tournament that Sunday. Shuttling cars would save me money and humiliation. It would also give me the opportunity to see Bear Valley, Boundary Creek, the Sawtooth Mountains at Stanley, Highway 75, the Main Salmon River down to Cache Bar, and most of the Lochsa River. This was going to be a marathon…
I’ve been on many private whitewater rafting trips. Vehicle shuttles just happened. I would get to the take-out and all the vehicles would magically be ready and waiting. I never thought too much about the shuttle drivers who made it all possible. I would get the chance on Sunday to learn by driving for Central Idaho River Shuttles.
4:00am: Grangeville, ID
I had no idea it would be so light outside this early in the morning! There hadn’t been many reasons as of late to justify a 4:00am wake-up. Shower, coffee pressed, cats cared for, sandwich made, Red Bulls chilled, camera gear checklist… checked. I was out the door and met with the crew at 5:00am. I was introduced to the other drivers: several local teachers staying busy during summer vacation, a risk-adverse independent insurance agent, and a rural carrier for the United States Postal Service (me). Pretty good company for a little 18 hour Sunday drive.
20 Minutes Out from the Shuttle Vehicles
I was handed a paper form for the shuttle truck I would be responsible for from Boundary Creek (Middle Fork of the Salmon River) to Cache Bar (Main Salmon River). This form, completed previously by the client, contained all the information I could ask for: make and model, color, license plate number, location of keys, existing condition of vehicle, special instructions, etc.
I read through the form and Pat Sullivan began to explain his company policy for transporting vehicles:
- No eating or drinking (except water) in customers’ vehicles.
- The vehicles with the trailers lead (this would be assumed to be the slowest vehicle, the “pace car”).
- The lead vehicle holds the responsibility of signaling to oncoming traffic how many cars were in our convoy on the narrow dirt roads leading out of Boundary Creek and into Cache Bar.
- All drivers be aware of wildlife and potential dangers along the roadway. When spotted, the driver engages their turn signal in the direction of the hazard. Each driver following follows suit and engages their signals for the car or truck behind them.
- Each driver keeps ample space between their shuttle vehicle and the one ahead of them. This allows for civilians to pass each vehicle, one at a time, safely on the highways.
- Drive each shuttle vehicle with the same care and attentiveness that you would with your personal car.
Boundary Creek: Middle Fork of the Salmon River
We arrived at the parking lot. I found my shuttle car and the hidden key compartment within seconds thanks to my detailed vehicle form. I cleaned the windshield with the company squeegees, checked tires, lights, signals, etc. Pat Sullivan came to each driver and went through a standardized checklist used on every shuttle.
I started the vehicle and turned off the radio excited to use this 5 hour drive as an opportunity to practice a part of Stoic philosophy I had been contemplating lately, “Do one thing at a time”. Driving alone without distractions would be a perfect time to sharpen my focus and immerse myself in the present moment. As we began to drive away from Boundary Creek a thought kept running through my mind: Today is the best day ever, because it’s happening right now.
We stopped only twice on our way from Boundary Creek to Cache Bar: once to double check all vehicles (gas, trailer, hookups, lights etc.) before getting on Highway 20, and once again at Salmon, ID (gas, windshield wash, another full vehicle check). Many of these miles were along forks of the Salmon River. I itched to jump in one of the many rafts floating along, but was my turn to facilitate another’s river therapy. That thought, and A/C, was enough to get me to the 97 degree Cache Bar.
Cache Bar: Main Salmon River
With all the shuttle vehicles safely parked near each other, Pat Sullivan began making the rounds to check each driver out of their respective car. An exit checklist was marked which included: a full vehicle sweep for personal belongings, one last windshield cleaning, and keys hidden where the client specified. Lastly, a soft personal cooler with ice and two drinks (chosen by the customer) was placed in each vehicle as an extra bonus to thank the customer for their business… Genius! Nearly every multi-day rafting trip I’ve been on suffered the horror of running out of cold drinks. Few things could possibly be better than an ice-cold beverage at the take-out.
The Last Leg: Return to Grangeville, ID
We all piled back in the same suburban once more and began the journey home. Conversations about local school sports, Game Two of the NBA Finals, and discussions of our favorite films took us nearly all the way back to Grangeville, ID. It had been 772 miles and nearly 18 hours.
I went to bed that night imagining what it was like for our clients that night under the stars. Were they camping at Ship Island? How was their run through Pistol Creek? Next weekend I’ll be the one on the water. Maybe I’ll run the Goat Range on the Lochsa. Possibly fly-fish from my inflatable kayak on the Selway. There are no bad ways to spend a day just outside of Grangeville, ID. Except possibly another soul crushing day of golf.
Shuttles for Idaho’s Selway River
Whitewater rafters will be launching for Paradise and floating to Selway Falls. It is a great time to contact Central Idaho River Shuttles to arrange your shuttle. We can transport your vehicles on your oncoming rafting trip for the Snake River in Hells Canyon, the South Fork of the Salmon, Middle Fork of the Salmon and Main Salmon River. Each car or truck that is shuttled will receive a soft personal cooler with two drinks for your choice.
Give Pat Sullivan a call anytime! 208-507-1830
Check our shuttle rates and shuttle services page for details of routes we support.
Thank you for your visit to centralidahorivershuttles.com
Look forward towards working with you.
Pat Sullivan
Grangeville Idaho
Middle Fork Salmon River Shuttles
This winter we had lots of snow in the high mountains of Central Idaho, however the road to Boundary Creek is now open. Rafters are enjoying the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Boaters are enjoying this incredible river by taking out at Cache Bar. The MF is beautiful this time of year and it is a great time to contact Central Idaho River Shuttles to arrange your shuttle for your vehicles on your oncoming rafting trip for the Selway River, Main Salmon River, and Hells Canyon on the Snake River. Remember CIRS is the shuttle company that buys you a personal cooler with two drinks of your choice!!
Give Pat Sullivan a call anytime! 208-507-1830
Check our shuttle rates and shuttle services page for details of routes we support.
Thank you for your visit to CentralIdahoRiverShuttles.com
Look forward towards working with you.
Pat Sullivan
Grangeville Idaho
Selway River Shuttles
It is the typical weather for Central Idaho; rain one day and sun the next. The Selway River should have great flows through mid July. Whitewater rafters will be launching for Paradise and floating to Selway Falls. It is a great time to contact Central Idaho River Shuttles to arrange your shuttle. We can transport your vehicles on your oncoming rafting trip for the Snake River in Hells Canyon, the South Fork of the Salmon, Middle Fork of the Salmon and Main Salmon River.
Give Pat Sullivan a call anytime! 208-507-1830
Check our shuttle rates and shuttle services page for details of routes we support.
Thank you for your visit to centralidahorivershuttles.com
Look forward towards working with you.
Pat Sullivan
Grangeville Idaho
Marsh Creek Shuttle for the Middle Fork of Salmon River
This winter we had lots of snow in the high mountains of Central Idaho and the road to Boundary Creek is not open yet. Rafters are still enjoying the Middle Fork of the Salmon River by launching form Marsh Creek on State Highway 21. The MF is beautiful this time of year and it is a great time to contact Central Idaho River Shuttles to arrange your shuttle for your vehicles on your oncoming rafting trip for the Selway, Salmon, and Hells Canyon on the Snake River.
Give Pat Sullivan a call anytime! 208-507-1830
Thank you for your visit to CentralIdahoRiverShuttles.com
Take Care
Pat Sullivan
Grangeville Idaho
Shuttle Service for Hell’s Canyon, Middle Fork of Salmon, Selway and Main Salmon Rivers
With the four rivers lottery drawn, I want to congratulate all the rafters that have been chosen for permits on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the Selway River, the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon and the Main Salmon River. I hope our safe and reliable drivers at Central Idaho River Shuttles can enhance your whitewater adventure and make your next a memorable experience. We look forward to transporting your vehicles this spring and summer. Give us a call, we look forward to helping you anytime. Pat Sullivan’s cell 208-507-1830
