Nate O Taylor

Food, Fishing, and Outdoor Adventures

The Bob

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Bob Marshall.jpgThe Bob Marshall wilderness complex is a protected area encompassing over 1 million acres in northwestern Montana. “The Bob” as it is affectionately called is named after, you guessed it Bob Marshall.

Bob Marshall was an early explorer and adventurer who began his outdoor career in the Adirondacks, establishing his love for the outdoors. The man was a complete animal with dozen of hikes of over 70 miles in a day, all while writing and sharing with the world his experiences. He wrote some articles and books but what is most important about ole’ Bob is that he was the reason and the impetus for the eventual pass of the Wilderness Act of 1964. See below…

Bob started his career in 1925 as a forester for the U.S. Forest Service and made several expeditions to Alaska, Montana, and throughout the Adirondacks. He was one of the founding members of the Wilderness Society and held several high level government posts in the FDR administration, all centered around forestry and the outdoors. His Wilderness Society defined wilderness as an environmental and social ideal, something that was unheard of at the time. It was this Wilderness Society that eventually lead to the passage of the aforementioned Wilderness Act of 1964 (9 million acres under protection currently). Despite his premature death at the age of 38 in 1939, he made a lasting mark on the way we think about the outdoors and how we look at conservation. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, Death Valley Wilderness, Denali Wilderness, Bob Marshall Wilderness, and dozens more all exist today on account of his activism and efforts.

Now that we’ve established who this guy is I’m sure you’re wondering why anyone would care at this moment in time. Part of any trip is the journey of getting there, and perhaps no place requires a greater journey than a float trip through the South Fork of the Flathead in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area of Montana. I’ll be doing that in one week.

Plotting a Course

This is the culmination of over a year of planning and preparation, the majority of which was done in June of 2017 and then in the last several weeks. Arranging drop float logistics requires advanced planning and thought. The hike in to the confluence of Young’s and Dahaner Creek is over 20 miles and the hike out at the other end of this adventure is about 5 miles. You need animals and help on both ends and those dates book up quickly because there aren’t a lot of people providing those services. Even after you’ve gotten your people lined up and deposits paid you are still at the mercy of the snowpack, even in a normal year your window is only a few short weeks to get a boat down the river. Our start date is July 7 and we will be the first group taken in by our outfitter for the season.

3 Boats

8 People

7 Days

__ Bull Trout

 

Bull Trout Legality

Gear For Packing

 

 

 

 

 

Late Summer Day in the Gorge Pt. 2

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Sunrise from Camp

We awoke around 0830 to this view from our kitchen. No one was on the river yet and we packed up and began the second half of our journey. The lower part of the canyon has significantly more technical water and rapids to navigate. At late summer flows it hardly resembles the rapids during higher water but nonetheless it can be somewhat demanding on the oarsman to make a few moves throughout the day.

We did actually do some fishing on this trip, and hoppers were on the menu, big ones. We threw the biggest stuff we had, single dry, right on the bank and had a few great takes. We didn’t break any records, (well maybe just a record for most 7″ fish in a day) but we caught a few average ones as well.

Hopper

More Hopper

The first section that most stop to give notice to is Boulder Garden, which has significantly changed over the years and in my opinion is much easier now. Even so, its worth mentioning because the campsite there is nice, and for me it marks the start of the lower part of the canyon.

Just Upstream of Boulder Garden

Boulder Garden

After this point you are met with a quick succession of rapids that demand in the very least some attention to your surroundings. Cable and Squeeze both require the oarsman to slide through some narrow slots, both on river right (as of this writing at 1000CFS).

Interspersed between these features are vertical walls of basement rocks that are approximately 1.7 billion years old. While the Geology of the area is fascinating, archeology sites along the Gunnison Gorge have yielded discoveries of petroglyphs, baskets, arrowheads, and tools, some of which are up to 14,000 years old. Point being, don’t forget to look up, you are peering back in time like you can only do in a few places on the planet.

Old Rocks

As you come to the Grand Finale rapid the canyon closes down to its tightest corridor yet, the calm waters signaling that you have made it out in on piece.

Dad Bod

The last few miles are a prototypical trout stream accentuated by endless runs and riffles before we pulled out. Fishing through here was excellent even as we began to pass those along the bank that had hiked up several miles to fish the mouth of the canyon.

Last Few Miles

All the information I have gathered and find useful for a trip can be found here.

Get some…

Late Summer Day in the Gorge

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Welcome

It has been some years since I went down the Gunnison Gorge. In that time I feel as though I’ve matured (slightly) and am generally much more prepared to tackle logistical problems that places like the Gorge present. For instance, I’ve learned that the sun is hot on the Chukar Trail, and to leave early, so as to do your hike in the cool morning air, void of the relentless summer sun.

The Gear Going Down

My partner and I arrived at the trail, and despite the fact that we planned accordingly, we failed to take into account the cumbersome anatomy of your standard rowing frame. So while the first trip down was uneventful, the second trip proved to nearly break our spirits. In hindsight, those mules look like a heck of deal.

The Heavy Stuff

Campsites are a premium, and while you may have your pick if you’re early enough, experience is the only way to know which ones offer the best accommodations. This issue was of further importance to us as we had elected to use our hammocks once again. The Gunnison Gorge, while gorgeous isn’t exactly a thicket of pine trees, but rather a collection of small Juniper trees that can easily be mistaken for shrubbery. That being said, we picked the best option that we determined based on some Google Earth images. I get ahead of myself however, there was much that had to happen before we slept for the evening.

Someone Beat Us Down

 

 

The Put In

In an effort to curb the weight on our backs we only brought 2 beers and enough ice for cold cocktails at camp. After that hike that beer tasted so good.

Cold Smoke

Just Some Fishin’

We meandered through the upper canyon, this section is mellow in comparison to the lower half and allows for a more relaxing day of cocktails sight seeing. While the entire run is only 14 miles it is easily broken into a 2 or 3 day jaunt. Just due to the fact you have to carry your equipment down the mountain means you are investing almost half a day worth of effort to get started. Point being, don’t do it as a day trip as there is so much to see and do on the relatively short stretch down there.

Camp was pitched in the early evening, and our selection turned out to be fortuitous. Mature Juniper trees offered several hanging options, and a makeshift bench served as our table to prepare our freeze dried food selection.

Kitchen

Hammocks

Remember how we didn’t bring beer in order to save weight? Instead we put some ice in a Hydroflask to make some bourbon and cokes that evening. Best idea ever. Nothing like a cold drink after a long day in the woods.

Cocktail Hour

Sunset at Camp