Fellow packrafters:
A group of three of us are departing on a multisport speed traverse of Idaho by bike, foot and yes, packraft. Our crux of the project will be landing permits to run the Middle Fork of the Salmon. Like the Colorado, the MFS is tightly regulated; only a handful of teams are allowed down the river each day. The lottery season is running now through January 31. Applicants have a 1 in 20 chance of being awarded a spot on the river. So we are casting a wider net to like-minded people to throw their hat into the MFS lottery pool to join our party on the Middle Fork section.
Dates:
Lottery applications can submit four dates. We are shooting to launch on or around July 24/25/26/27, with preferences with the 25/26. I expect we’ll run the river in 3-4 days.
Caveats:
- PERMITS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE. Should you lottery and be granted a permit, we would ask that you commit to the trip.
- We are going in ‘alpine style’, fast and light. Paddlers can expect 40 miles a day over class III-IV water
- This isn’t a guided trip; those interested should understand and accept the inherent risks of packrafting and expedition dynamics (we all have our shots).
- At the confluence with the Salmon, our team will be continuing north. Should you join the group, we can likely help arrangements out of the woods and back to Boise.
- To limit our impact on the wilderness, we want to keep the group small. Should you lottery and win a permit, we can accommodate another if you want to bring a partner. Unfortunately, we can’t bring everyone…if you lottery on our behalf but do not win a permit, we will appreciate your help but cannot consider solicitations to join the team outside a granted permit.
- The lottery closes January 31:
- Contact me if you are interested: sgraepel (at) google’s mail service
Cheers and thank you in advance!
Steve