Snow pack in the Salmon River basin through most of the winter has been 110-120% of average. Based on snow pack, Salmon River level projection for the summer is average or a bit over–welcome after last summer’s low water. While the current snow pack is encouraging, it is not a guarantee. If the weather is […]
Salmon River snowpack today (December 31, 2015) is about 130% of average for this date. The fall was dry, but snowfall in the last half of December boosted the Salmon River snowpack to, at one point, 150% of average. Snowpack per cent will spike up during a stormy period, then commonly drop about a per […]
We teamed up with Freedom Alliance this past September on the Lower Salmon. This was a special trip for us. For the full article about the trip: https://freedomalliance.org/highlights/scout-snipers-raft-idahos-salmon-river/
Whitewater rafting trip dates for 2016 on the Middle Fork of the Salmon will change. The June dates of 2, 11, and 20 will remain the same, but trips in July will start on 2, 11, 20, and 29. In August, trips will start on 7 and 16. In September, dates will be 8 and […]
The sky in Salmon River is gray with rain instead of smoke. The fire season is over. The peaks above Salmon are white with snow. The Salmon River has come up a bit with recent rains. Late August was a scramble of low, slow, water, smoke, worry about fire closures. We were lucky enough to […]
The Salmon River flow has apparently peaked for the season. The Middle Fork of the Salmon is running about 3.4 feet now, and has been dropping for several days. The Main Salmon at Corn Creek was at 4.1 a couple of days ago, but has been dropping. This is a little early for the Salmon […]
Stephanie and I spent last week rafting the Main Salmon River with a group of outfitters and personnel from the Forest Service and other agencies. The trip was an opportunity to discuss a number of management issues, including dealing with rafting trips during wildfire, and campsite reservations. A couple of Forest Service archaeologists provided cultural […]
Picking up where we left off a couple days ago on our Dutch oven discussion, we’ll now cover the actual act of baking. Again, this is an excerpt from Bill Bernt’s article in Northwest Living, entitled, “Those Amazing Dutch Ovens.” Baking with a Dutch oven is just a matter of learning temperature control. The best […]
I was trying out a new recipe for our river trips earlier this morning, which made me think about a little article my dad, Bill Bernt, owner of Aggipah River Trips, wrote in the 80s about Dutch ovens. He had several articles published in a magazine called Northwest Living. He wrote all sorts of interesting pieces about […]
Spring is early in the Salmon River country. Plant stages seem to be at least two weeks ahead of average. Our home elevation is 4500 feet. The red plums have just blossomed. Arrowleaf balsamroot is beginning to bloom, along with lupine, yellowbells, prickly pear, and many of the sagebrush flowers. Snowpack is about 70% of […]
Historian Mike Crosby will join our July 14-19, 2016 trip on the River of No Return (Main Salmon) for an in-depth study of the Lewis and Clark expedition and Salmon River history. Anyone interested in the history of central Idaho will appreciate this unique opportunity to visit around the campfire with Mike. This is an eye-opening trip […]
We’ve been really focusing on getting more videos up on the site. As they say, “A picture is better than a thousand words.” So, if this is true, a video must be better than a million words. Link to Video: Messing About in Boats on the Middle Fork In keeping with the “words” theme, this […]
The new 2015 Aggipah t-shirts and hats are in. We have green and red tees, adult sizes S-XL. We can take special size orders for kids’ and larger sizes. We don’t currently have any of these additional sizes in stock. We have khaki and green hats. We are going to be ordering different colors of […]
Here is a little story I wrote several years ago. I like to go back and read stuff like this on cold winter days. It makes the time between now and River Season seem not so long… Recollections of a Rapid The name Cramer never raised fear in a Middle Fork boatman’s heart before late […]
The Salmon River in the Salmon area is a little off-color, around 20 inches visibility. Nights with freezing temperature are helping the river clear a bit, after the mud and high flow of two weeks ago. River temperature has been reaching low 40s in the afternoon. The Red Bluff boat launch has been cleared of […]
My son-in-law and I took a drive to the Pahsimeroi Valley last month, and spotted this herd of elk in a field. A rough count was 375, cows, calves, and a few spikes. Across the Pahsimeroi river was a small bull herd, about 15 animals, all bulls, from mature to spikes. Forty years ago, I […]
Warm overnight temperatures have started snow melting off the valley floor in the Salmon valley, and the Salmon River has turned tan. Steelhead fishing had been very good through the winter, but until the river clears, fishing is a waste of time. Freezing nights will help, but until the low snow melts, the river is […]
You know the saying, “Once you leave home, you can never come back again.” I remember one of my high school teachers saying that to us in one of our senior English classes. I thought about it a lot-of course I could come home…couldn’t I? What I didn’t understand at the time is what many parents of 2015 […]
One of our favorite and most talked-about river desserts is cherry crisp. You may make this with any canned fruit. We’ve tried peaches, raspberries and blackberries(separately) and they are great, too. Our desserts have evolved over the decades, though many of our river recipes have been in use for over 35 years now. Back in the […]
Ok, I survived Christmas. A few days before the holiday, my wonderful aunt Mary sent me this picture showcasing her undying Christmas spirit. I laughed and laughed! I must admit I sometimes feel an awful lot like this, too. But, as I’m sure you were told many times growing up, we can use our imaginations […]
