Crunch Time

Between rowing on a 16-day Grand Canyon trip with Grand Canyon Dories and getting married, I haven't had much time. But here we are less than two months until I push off at Redfish Lake Creek and head to the ocean and things are shaping up. I will be heading up to Idaho to guide four trips for OARS before I start my trip August 6th near Stanley, ID. We are working on a kickoff event so if you are in the area, come on out.

I am still seeking tax-deductable donations for expenses that I will incur on this trip. Please go here to find out more about how you can help make this trip a success (and not put me in the poor house!).

There are still spaces available if you would like to join me on the Main Salmon River with OARS and Idaho Rivers United. This would be a great way to cap off the summer with a relaxing trip down the Main Salmon River. The snowpack has been wonderful in the Salmon River drainage this year so there will be plenty of river left for us.

The Association of NW Steelheaders is organizing their membership to join me in their respective boats and float from Bonneville to Astoria with me. This should prove to be a really cool partnership for the both of us, giving each other some perspective, they will be very helpful to me and getting me through the locks at Bonneville and with logistical assistance.

After a really late start the Spring Chinook are making their way up the river. Around 119,000 have made it past Bonneville, with 20,000 of those making it all the way past Lower Granite (last dam on Lower Snake River). So far less than 2,000 Sockeye have made it past Bonneville and none up into the Lower Snake area. You can check out the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website here to find the latest salmon counts and watch them come up the river.

Today a special package was delivered, a brand spanking new Pyranha Burn M, she is a beauty and I can't wait to get her on the river. I have named this boat Keta, after the species name of the Chum (Dog) Salmon. The Chum are known for their fierce looking teeth and humped back when the come home to spawn.

I have also named the Current Designs Solstice GTSH Sea Kayak, her name is Nerka, after the Sockeye Salmon. When Sockeye return to spawn they can turn vibrant red with a dark stripe down the side much like the color of the Solstice GTSH.