It is high time for the river rafting outfitters on the Main Salmon to get together and create a Main Salmon Outfitter Association, just like the Middle Fork Outfitter Association. It would allow prospective rafters to choose a date on the calender on the Main Salmon Outfitter Association website and see which outfitters offers a launch that day. The Main Salmon Outfitter Association website could also have a page on why the Main Salmon is a better river trip than the Middle Fork in many ways. It is a better family trip and the Main Salmon Outfitter Association can push this. The Main Salmon Outfitter Association could also have a section on the tremendous history of the canyon, in terms of human habitation and exploration. The Main Salmon Outfitter Association website can also have links to the 3 couples who live in the canyon as well, and we visit them often on the river.

It makes a whole lot of sense to create the Main Salmon Outfitter Association as soon as possible, as this canyon river trip is one of the best in the world. The Main Salmon Outfitter Association would be a cohesive on stop shop for all who are interested in the canyon to read about the history and want to join an outfit right from the Main Salmon Outfitter Association website.

Middle Fork River Expeditions supports this effort to create a Main Salmon Outfitter Association. Please support us by telling us how much sense it is to create a Main Salmon Outfitter Association to promote this incredible river canyon in the largest wildneress area in the us outside alaska.

The Main Salmon River rafting trip is fun for everyone. Come join us in the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return.

All the best, Ellsworth

middle fork salmon rapids idaho are the most enjoyable rapids you can run, as you can then soak in the river-side hot springs along the way. You will even visit a hotspring shower that pours right into the river and at higher water can paddle a ducky right under the shower.

But middle fork salmon rapids idaho is the place to make the vacation of a lifetime. come join Middle Fork River Expeditions this summer.

There is nothing quite like un-plugging from modern life and all the technology for a week or two of wilderness camping fun. Idaho River rafting is most enjoyed by anyone who travels her course.

Whitewater rafting is one of the numerous outdoor sports that anchor Stanley, Idaho, as an adventure hub. Known as the “River of No Return,” the area’s Salmon River offers half-, full- and multi-day trips. Several Stanley-area outfitters run shorter trips that will give you a full taste of the tumultuous river over the course of a few hours. But Middle Fork River Expeditions offers 4, 6 and 10 day river rafting adventures.
Season
Northern Idaho rafting season gets underway in May and runs through September. Raft trips on area rivers like the Salmon and Snake experience their biggest water in late May and early June. The summer months of July, August and September offer calmer but still engaging rapids and warmer weather.

The best option for half- and full-day whitewater trips is the Salmon River right outside the town of Stanley. Several local whitewater operations run trips that start in Stanley, out an hour north of Sun Valley. The Salmon trip offers rapids ranging from Class II to IV. Half-day trips run about 11 miles of the river, while full-day trips run 21 miles. Another option is the Class II, 18-mile North Fork Payette River from Sheeps Bridge to Hartsell Bridge, located just outside McCall. Other nearby rafting trips, such as the Hells Canyon trip, require multiple days.

Idaho River Rafting has never been so accessable to so many people of all ages. Middle Fork River Expeditions caters to all types of people in all aspects of life and geography.

Come join us this summer for some Idaho River Rafting in the heart of the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return. You will want to return, again and again.

See you in Stanley, Ellsworth

Joshua Roper Photography in Boise, Idaho is offering canvas art prints of stunning images from around Idaho and The West. For the holidays, an image of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River is featured at 10% off to all MFRE clients. Please visit the print gallery for print size options.

Print Gallery: www.joshuaroperphotography.com/prints

From Tom Crum e-mail, dated Dec 1, 2011. Tom and Cathy Crum have floated with MFRE on the Middle Fork Salmon the past 2 years and are going to raft the Grand Canyon with MFRE and Tour West this April.

“The Magic of Quiet

The snow is falling quietly here in the Colorado Rockies, lightly coming to rest on the naked November branches and creating a soft white blanket on the ground below. The earth is going to bed for the winter. The quiet time is what Mother Nature chooses now, the time for hibernation and recovery – time to rest. Of the many things we have to be grateful for this season, we often forget to give thanks for a very important one: the beauty and healing spirit of quiet.

Some days the world seems to have lost its sense of nature’s quiet time. Everything is digitally alive – phones, computers, televisions, clocks, vehicles – and we all seem so busy about some thing or another. I love the noisy, frenetic craziness of it all, but only in its place.

Nearly 40 years ago I went to a three-month-long intensive meditation training program in the Swiss Alps. Knowing that, within weeks, I would be expected to meditate for six to eight hours a day was daunting to a young guy who had trouble sitting still at all. But I was determined to somehow struggle through, to see if there was anything to that “meditation stuff” that people told me would be so good for me. At first I had to ease into the practice, but by the time I was meditating alone for six to eight hours a day – in 30-40 minute segments with breathing exercises and yoga asanas in between – I didn’t want to stop. Although the length of time I spend meditating nowadays seems like a baby step compared to when I was in Switzerland, it is still a blessing that helps me let go of my addiction to the thinking, ego mind and relax into the big picture, into the mystery – where I find creativity, connection and love.

Isn’t that true in your experience? Isn’t it from the place of mystery – of quiet – that you often become open and awake? Where you recognize that it is not the ego that provides the most fulfilling path, but the quiet, the letting go?

In our lives there is much physical activity, lots of great interaction, lots of information being shared. But we can make a point to start each day learning and practicing the art of meditation and the appreciation of silence. During activity too – such as while skiing – we can periodically return to quiet – listening to the sounds of the mountain and of our skis in the snow. In our Magic of Skiing program we like to end the day with a silent run. Connection to the environment deepens, our awareness expands, and joy and learning accelerate. In quiet we find the moment. We find the magic.

Thomas Crum”

Tom is an amazing man and teacher. We are blessed to have his presence on the river.

Come and join us this summer for some Yoga on the Middle Fork Salmon and the Main Salmon. Meg Ellsworth will lead the yoga every morning and evening, as well as lead some meditation as well, both seated and walking meditation. Yoga is a great way to open up to the wilderness on the river trip. The flow of the form of the body FLOWs like the river. Doing yoga on the river can be a transformative experience.

A little bit about the Yoga and Meditation Teacher

Meg Ellsworth
As a teacher of Hatha Vinyasa Yoga and Vipassana Meditation, Meg Ellsworth’s approach to yoga asana both grounds and opens students to the energetic experience of the practice. With an emphasis on process and focus on clarifying intention, Meg weaves sequences together that allow for exploration in postures and necessary time for meditation.

Meg has been a student of Yoga since 1995, training extensively with Sarah Powers. In 2000, Meg’s devotion to the practice of yoga and meditation, and deep love for the philosophy of Yoga and Buddhism, lead her to a teaching practice. Now, Meg is part of the faculty as an assistant yoga instructor at the Insight Yoga Institute, which offers trainings in Yoga, Buddhism, Mediation, and Spiritual Psychology. Meg assists in the Insight Yoga Institute’s 720-hour Yoga Alliance endorsed certified program.

She is the mother of two daughters and leads Sacred Wisdom Circles workshops for mothers and babies with her partner, Catherine Stone, a doula and lactation specialist. Meg is looking forward to working with you to explore the connections between mind, body, and heart.

We hope to see you on the Middle Fork of the Salmon or the Main Salmon river this summer, doing yoga in the largest wilderness area in the USA.

See you in Stanley!

Ellsworth

Middle Fork River Expeditions (www.idahorivers.com) is celebrating it’s 30th Anniversary by offering Stand Up Paddling (SUP) for participants on it’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River trips in Idaho. Stand Up Paddling uses a larger surfboard platform and a large paddle to steer. Middle Fork River Expeditions has partnered with Todd Bradley and C4 Waterman (www.c4waterman.com) to provide Inflatable Stand Up Surf Boards to it’s guests in 2010. We are the first outfitter on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River to provide this option. Please look for the March 2010 article in Standup Journal (www.standupjournal.com) on Stand Up Paddling the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Paul Tefft with Enviro Action Productions (paultefft@enviroactionproductions) has recently produced a video of the 2009 Whitewater Stand Up Paddling Championship (www.riversup.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/53-riversup-dvd-promov2)
Please join us next summer to try this amazing new sport on the Middle Fork!

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho is the premier wilderness float trip in the US and flows 100 miles of Wild and Scenic free-flowing river through the largest wilderness area in the US. The canyon is the second deepest in North America. Because of its remote location, human presence in the area was somewhat limited, leaving it in the condition we see today. The Middle Fork of the Salmon is unspoiled, remote and roadless so you can be sure you will “get away from it all”. Simply put, it is the best river run in the West!

Middle Fork River Expeditions, licensed and bonded outfitter, has run safe and well-managed river trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho for 30 years. Trips are 4 and 6 days of exciting river rafting, wilderness camping, fine fishing, and adventure travel. Our equipment is specially designed for wilderness whitewater rafting, and offers mild and wild boat choices (oar boats, paddle boats, inflatable kayaks and Stand Up Surf Boards). Ask about special river trips with kayak instruction or wine and massage. Our river guides are seasoned professionals, licensed by the state of Idaho and First Aid Certified. They are expert river runners, magnificent cooks, great storytellers, and knowledgeable, helpful outdoorsmen.

Check out our website for photos of Stand Up Paddling from our inaugural trip in 2008.

Join Middle Fork River Expeditions for a magical wilderness river vacation learning how to Stand Up Paddle. Or bring your own board for the more experienced Stand Up Paddler.

For more info contact:
James Ellsworth, owner
Middle Fork River Expeditions
PO Box 70
Stanley, ID 83278
(800) 801-5146
www.idahorivers.com

Here is the new Middle Fork put-in sign at Boundary Creek. It looks really great. A great intro on some of the wildlife you might encounter on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

I am thankful for…

my pets.
the world.
my family.
all of the people I love and those that love me.
flowers.
my life and friends and family.
mother nature and my friends and family.
friends and family.
having great food, having a really really nice family.
books.
my house.
food.
food.
my parents and this school.
ally.
the world and my family.
my family.
the world.
food.
nature and books.
love.
family.
my life.
shelter.
my life and others.
turkeys.
my family, my house, my friends, my things and what I can play.
books.
being a part of a community, having wonderful friends and mentors, sharing delicious food and giving and receiving lots of love.
me.
everything.
I am thankful for the rivers that we run, and the canyons that we travel, and the stars in the sky that we gaze upon at a crackling campfire.

We are a most definitely a grateful bunch.

Wishing you and your family and joyous Thanksgiving

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you spend it relaxing with friends and family. If you are traveling for thanksgiving, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

Happy Friday!