An Experience in Stanley, ID without a Shuttle (more or le..

Not too many days ago I was in Stanley, ID thinking of kayaking on the
Salmon River 6 miles from a popular bridge in Stanley to Mormon Campground.
I thought about doing it on my own, and hoping someone would return me via
hitch hiking. People had suggested that seeing a person hitch hiking with a
life vest and other paddle equipment would likely stop. After searching
around town for awhile, I found someone who would provide a shuttle at a
fair price, so proceeded with him the following day.

We left my car at the Mormon Campground after leaving my kayak near the
bridge. I was driven back to the bridge in the vehicle used for the shuttle.
All I needed to do then is to paddle to the campground and load my gear in
the car and I was done.

As it turns out, at about the 5th mile I capsized the kayak on a rock, and
had to bail out. My spray skirt too easily opened, and I had to let the boat
float away. It flooded and the power of the water was too much for me to
restrain it and keep me safe. I managed to find my way to the shore, a good
70' away, in about 18-24" fast moving water.

That part of the Salmon is interesting. It's loaded with mostly smooth rocks
anywhere from a few inches to maybe a foot. For good measure, there are some
good sized ones several feet across. The class is about 1.5 with rapids
about every 1/3 of a mile. I had gotten distracted by an osprey who landed
in a nearby tree. I was in pretty flat water at the time. My kayak had
turned sideways in about 10 seconds, and bang I hit a rock sticking out of
the water about 6". It's really a clear, pretty, and good river for that
class of water--if you're paying attention.

Anyway, the campground where my car was parked was about 1 mile away. I got
to the highway quickly. It's very close to the river. Standing there with my
paddle, pfd, shorts, booties, and helmet, I began to thumb a ride. Six cars
passed in about 15 minutes. None even came close to stopping. I walked about
1/4 mile to another campground that was empty. Thumbing there for about 20
minutes produced a similar result. I finally headed into the campground,
since above it there appeared to be some homes. As I was doing so, a car
pulled in. They gave me help to get back to my car. Incidentally, when I was
in the campground, I could clearly see my kayak and the road. I stood on the
shore waving with my paddle to even more cars passing on the road across the
river.

I'm not sure what to conclude about my hitch hiking experience, but it was
than less than successful for me. Maybe the paddle was seen as a potential
weapon. Comments?

I did find my kayak in the middle of the river not more than 1/4 mile where
I bailed out, and got help to retrieve it. That's another story. Two parties
inadvertently got involved. The net result to me was that I lost a paddle
float, skinned up my lower left leg, and got achy feet from wadding to shore
over large pebbles. BTW, I bought a new spray skirt yesterday. The one I was
using gave me problems from day one. The bunge cord would have difficulty
staying secure under the lip of the cockpit.
--
Wayne Watson (Nevada City, CA)

Web Page: <speckledwithStars.net>

Buncha comments on your story:

1. That's not the most popular kayaking stretch on the upper Salmon.
Most popular would be the Sunbeam run downstream, where you would
have had an easier time locating other paddlers.

2. I recommend hitchhiking with PFD (sans knife) not paddle, which is
cumbersome. That's a fast stretch of highway. Personally I prefer
bicycle shuttle to hitchhiking.

3. The Amaral guidebook says the scenery on that stretch is great!
Hope you had time to enjoy it.

4. Boating alone. Lots to be said about boating alone.