On Aug 19, 2005, at 11:02 AM, Tom Smith wrote:
It's not an indelicate topic at all Rachel. As it happens, I used to
guide raft trips on the Main Salmon mid-70s through mid-80s, and we
used
a big ammo box with a seat jerry-rigged for comfort.
Tom,
Thanks so much for the info - much appreciated. Timely, too, as I had
just been thinking "Hmm, maybe I'll have to look online to see what
river runners are doing these days."
Coincidentally, it was the Main fork of the Salmon that I ran, back in
... must have been 1986 or so. Back when I bent instead of breaking
;-) Must've been around the same time you were guiding.
It was a fun trip - I'd never been on a raft-supported trip before, so
it felt like we were living in the lap of luxury. Plus we could bring
non-kayaking friends/spouses along as well, so they could see what we
were so into. We had two smallish oar-rigged rafts that a couple of
local (Minnesota) guides brought along and rowed. I tried rowing one
through a smallish rapid. Wow, those babies are hefty! You really
have to plan ahead...
Funny memory of that trip: There was a big hubbub at the put-in, and
as it turned out (when we got a glimpse of her) Brooke Shields was
taking a rafting trip down with a commercial company at the same time
we were going. Talk about not roughing it! Every day a phalanx of jet
boats would zoom past us down the river (while Brooke and entourage
rafted down at a more sedate pace) and by the time we got to the first
really great campsite there they'd be, all set up with real tables and
chairs, shade umbrellas - and of course the tents all ready to just
step into. Oh, and there were steaks sizzling on the grill, and the
tables were laden with fresh fruit, icy beverages, etc.
We'd paddle on to a reasonably good campsite further down, and then,
tired but happy, get out our much more camping-like provisions to make
dinner before setting up our tents...
Of course all the women in our group had *two* eyebrows, and no one
worried about breaking a nail... ;-) We had a great time.
I wonder what sort of "bathroom" set up *they* had though?
--- R.
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