{"id":5548,"date":"2014-10-23T09:05:39","date_gmt":"2014-10-23T16:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com-2\/?p=5548"},"modified":"2017-10-16T13:43:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T20:43:15","slug":"south-fork-salmon-sup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2014\/10\/23\/south-fork-salmon-sup\/","title":{"rendered":"South Fork Salmon SUP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Standing hip deep in the South Fork of the Salmon River, I looked at the SUP pinned on a rock, mostly underwater, paddle missing, daylight running out.<\/p>\n

Maybe this wasn\u2019t such a good idea.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d kayaked the South Fork several times at high water, when the river is big and challenging, but I\u2019d heard it was just a relaxed ducky trip at 1.9 feet on the gauge. I convinced my dad\u2014a rafter, not a kayaker\u2014that he could manage the run in his inflatable kayak. I thought about paddling a hardshell, then decided it wouldn\u2019t be much fun at these flows. But what about a SUP?<\/p>\n

\"fall<\/p>\n

On Saturday of Labor Day weekend, my dad and I, along with Boise friends Bill and Tony, drove from McCall over Lick Creek Pass to the put-in, where the Secesh meets the South Fork. Even in a state known for its remote wilderness rivers, the South Fork is special. Due to its challenging rapids, far fewer people float it than the Middle Fork, Main or Lower sections of the Salmon. Some estimates put the numbers at only a few hundred per year. Even on the busy holiday weekend, we were the only paddlers at the put-in.<\/p>\n

I strapped three small drybags on the deck of my Baron 4, pawned off my pump and breakdown paddle on my dad, then launched on the river with fingers crossed that my setup would work. We floated through the spectacular South Fork canyon. Standing up on the river provided a unique perspective. Gin-clear water slid past beneath my feet. I watched trout and whitefish slip between scoured granite boulders. The Class II and III rapids we encountered proved challenging on the loaded board, but the river moved slowly enough to remain manageable.<\/p>\n

\"devils
Devil’s Creek rapid. \u00a9Will Stauffer-Norris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a few hours of paddling we arrived at Devil\u2019s Creek, the first big rapid of the run. I confidently identified my line after a long scout, then immediately fell off the board upon entering the rapid. I managed to claw my way into an eddy and got things together just in time to eat it again on the second half of the rapid. This could be a long river trip, I worried.<\/p>\n