Intense wildfires and weather set upon the mountains above the Middle Fork of the Salmon river with a vengeance these past few summers. On a random day back in August of 2021, I secured a cancellation permit that granted me permission to float the famed Middle Fork. I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to spend time kayaking this amazing river. However, a week before my start date a wildfire began near the upper launch site, Boundary Creek Guard Station, which became closed as fire fighters managed the blaze. Since the river was closed due to the close proximity of the fire, my permit was rolled over until 2022.

Come August, 2022, the morning before my launch date, as I did my final sweep through my house to make sure everything was in order, with friends in the driveway stoked to be heading out to float the Middle Fork--my cell phone rang. On the line was the river ranger informing me that the previous night torrential rain storms saturated the creeks, gullies, and slopes above the upper river that had burned the year previous--causing massive blowouts where tons of gravel, mud, trees, and boulders were flushed into the riverbed choking it, redirecting flows into new and unknown rapids. Like 2021, the river was closed again so rangers could assess the situation and my permit was rolled over to 2023.

This August, a week before my launch date another round of heavy rains saturated the unstable soils above the river causing even larger blowouts than in 2022. The river closed again, however, I wasn't ready to concede that running the Middle Fork off the top was out of the question. I wanted to see these massive landslides. I wanted to manage portaging around them. I wanted to scout the river like it was a new river and my first time down. I did not see a reason to not allow my group of experienced rafters and kayakers to attempt the adventure.

After many emails and correspondences, I was given the go ahead to descend the upper Middle Fork from Boundary Creek to Indian Creek with one 12' raft, three inflatable kayaks, and four hardshell kayaks. Launching from Boundary Creek in mid-August with only my group was a treat unfathomable. Typically, there are a few dozen boats and kayaks of all sizes ready to shove off everyday from June through September. It's a scene full of Skittles colored boats and river folk psyched to get going. This year, we had the place all to ourselves.

That first day, August 13th, we ran to Dolly Lake passing through the new major blowouts in Sulfur, Hells Half Mile, and Vinegar. The changed landscape was awesome. Running new whitewater with so many logs and unknowns was challenging and felt like a first descent. The portages were not nearly as difficult as we had expected them to be thanks to our light boats and we actually enjoyed walking over sections of the river that were once where famed rapids used to be. This was especially true at Velvet Falls where for as many years and any modern day river rafter can remember, the river ran river right of the triangle rock--after this year's landslides--the river now run left of the famous boulder; we walked over ten or more feet of gravel and boulders piled above the shelf drop that was once Velvet Falls.

Having experienced the new landscape, I cannot wait to see how spring floods move the debris piles around. Will the river return to its former runs? Will it carve new rapids? Will more blowouts happen? I'm sure all of these things will happen--only time will tell.