Winter Is Here!!!

Winter has arrived to Salmon River country. At the top of the river, in Stanley, it has been quite cold. Last week a blizzard brought snow, but it was hard to tell exactly how much. The wind blew over 30 mph for 24 hours. Some spots in town were bare and others had three foot snowdrifts. I couldn't sleep witht the racket the wind made trying to take off my roof. The next day it warmed up and rained. The day after that it cooled off and snowed. And so it goes. Stanley, ID weather is unpredictable. This image is from the Sawtooth webcam. It shows what the 100 year round residents of Stanley experienced today. Well, 99 of them. I'm in Manhattan.

Going Down In Grand Style

I love wilderness rivers. There's something about slipping around that first corner, away from all ties, being completely self-reliant. It makes my heart soar. I remember Sawtooth Adventure Company's first Main Salmon trip. I remember making that first corner alone in our gear boat, the Big Banana. I was crying, laughing, shouting, babbling all at once. My whole soul screaming 'this is it!' That alone was worth all the work.
On October 28th, 16 of us drifted around the first corner of a three week Grand Canyon float trip. We were a long way from the high, green, cool Salmon River. It was my first time. We were lucky and we knew it. Friends, I'm here to tell you, floating a new river, one unknown to you, is one of the best experiences in life. Do it.
One of the best parts of guiding multi-day river trips is watching guests experience the Main Salmon for the first time. In the movies, when the pirates open the chest, the treasure is so bright it reflects on their faces. I get to see that look on faces all summer long. You make reservations, you get the gear together, you travel, and then, one day, you get in the boat and slip around that first corner...

Look what the SAC crew is up to

We are very proud of our guides. They are motivated, spirited adventurers. Josh teaches art and coaches high school football. His team went 7-0 this fall. Becka is headed to massage school. Erich is spending three weeks floating the Grand Canyon. Jared's going surfing in Nicaragua. Andy, Vanessa, Jonny, and Leah are in grad school. Brenden works as a cat-skiing guide. We're not sure what Tony's doing... Mike and Sonya took last summer off from SAC and did a three month 1200 mile sea kayaking expedition up the inside passage from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska. Mike is a professional photographer, and they created a blog of their travels. Check it out at www.mikeandsonja.blogspot.com.

WHAT A SUMMER!

Wow! What a summer! Sawtooth Adventure Company had its best season yet. More river trips, more offerings, and more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

The day stretch continues to be the most fun and highest quality one day raft trip near Sun Valley, and it continues to grow. Highlights included hosting the largest river trip in Idaho history. Seven busloads of FDCC lawyers and their families held one of the world's largest water fights. Including guides, there were over 350 people.

Our wilderness river trips on Idaho's Salmon River of No Return were really something special. I know, because I was lucky enough to go on every single one. Sawtooth Adventure did 6 Main Salmon trips. They included our annual training adventure, a high-water kosher trip, fun in the sun with the Texans, family fun, adventures with mother nature, and the bachelor party. I will write individual accounts of each trip as the fall progresses and post some pictures.

Summer Is Here!

Hooray! It's summertime. Dust off your life jacket, and let's go play! Here at Sawtooth Adventure Company we have a lot going on. We have a new website http://www.sawtoothadventure.com. We are entering our second season of wilderness river trips. We are offering mountain biking, fishing, horseback riding, scenic flights, rock climbing, and of course our one-day rafting trips on the Salmon River near Sun Valley, ID. As always, we aim to please, and will do just about anything to insure that your adventure with us is incredible. Join us, and let's go have the time of our lives!

River Guides field a lot of questions. One of the more common ones is, "Do you run the river in the winter?" Well, probably not. Here is a picture of the Narrows Rapid on our day stretch outside of Stanley. Notice the nose of the Indian Head Rock jutting out into the river top right. Brrr. Let's wait till summer.

A relaxing soak in Barth Hot Springs day 2 of our wilderness river trips

Deals on Trips

We have some great deals on wilderness river trips. Check out our website www.sawtoothadventure.com for more information, or give us a call at 1-866-774-4644 to explore the possibilities.

Winter in Stanley, Idaho

People often ask us what life is like along the Salmon River in winter. In Stanley we have already had two cold snaps where the temperature dipped below -30. The Sawtooth Mountains, which are the headwaters of the Salmon, have five to six feet of snow, and we are hoping for more. A good snowpack insures a great water year. So far so good! We'll have winter pictures soon.

Welcome to Sawtooth Adventure Compnay's Blog

Welcome. This is Sawtooth Adventure Company's blog: the place where you can read updates about our trips, the Salmon River, and everything pertinent. You can also leave your comments.