Discussion points--trip needs

We will have a mix of boating experience on this trip.  This is a great opportunity!  I've tried to be really detailed about gear needs, especially considering safety.  


1)  Roster
please email me asap if you are coming.  Comment below or in an email with questions.

2)  Travel dates

A 5-day trip on the river is great--that's 13 miles a day.  The shuttle and driving from Missoula takes 2 days.  Takeout and drive back is about the same.  I hope to leave Friday, March 26, and camp on the way.  Drive and shuttle on Saturday, the 27th, and put on the river sunday, the 28th.  If all goes well, we will hit Birch Creek on Thursday, leaving lots of time to travel home.  If we need an extra day, that still leaves the weekend to get back home safely.  Comments? 

3)  Gear
We need to make sure everyone has suitable gear.  This .pdf has a gear list, but it seems to be geared toward warm-weather trips.  Last year, the days were 50-60 degrees, the water was about the same.  Wetsuits and splash jackets or drysuits are mandatory, as are helmets, flotation for hard boats, and good drybags.  Each boat should have a throwbag, canoes should have bow/stern lines for lining rapids.  Camping/cooking stuff should be pretty light.  Please comment below or email me if you have gear needs or questions.  I can rent gear from the University outdoor programs.

I have a wrap kit, it would be great to have one more.  Please comment if you intend to bring safety gear so we know what we can count on.

I will bring one first aid kit, we should have more.  I am wilderness first aid, Julie is an RN.  I know we have some EMT's and ambulance people out there--what are your wilderness first aid skills?


Anyone have a satellite phone?  I don't think this is mandatory (maybe you do), but if we have one out there, why not? 

4)  Food
at some point, we need to decide who's bringing what.  Once we know how many are coming, we can plan this.  Should groups plan whole dinners?  All potluck?  Please comment or email.  

5)  Camp gear
It's a long trip, and especially with canoes, we will need to make sure we don't duplicate stuff.  How many stoves do we need?  How many coolers?  How many water containers?  Let's discuss--comment or email.

6)  Water
If we have enough rafts, we can bring lots of water.  We can filter or treat out of the river if we have too, but there are cows and it is a muddy great basin river.  There are numerous springs--we filtered from them last year.  Good water!  Dromedary bags are awesome for canoe tripping!!  Get one if you can; they really help.  We can cook with river water for sure.

7)  Fires
Are fine, and we will love them!  Some sites have lots of wood, others little.  We will do the best we can.  Let's leave no trace as much as possible, but have fires!  Firepans are not required!

8)  Waste
Must be packed out.  If rafters have partner toilets, you rock!!!  But wag-bags are the way to go otherwise.  I will bring a rocket box for human waste, we should also plan space for camp garbage.  Everyone should bring a supply of wag bags and something to store them in for themselves!!!


9)  Canoes
Julie and I will be C-1 boaters, so will others on the trip.  Most of the rapids are class II to III-.  Some are technical and rocky, but most are short drops with pretty big waves.  You will get lots of water in your boat.  Last year, we all had cut off milk jugs to bail.  This is fine, but over the course of the day, it takes lots of  time.  Consider a bailer; here are some examples from NRS.  If you find a better one for canoes, please comment!

10)  Miscellaneous
Did I leave anything out?  Or is this blog thing a pain in the ass?  Please comment.  I'm trying this out as an organizational tool, maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.  

The River: links to regulations and resources

BLM Regulations for the Lower Owyhee

This link takes you to the BLM management site for the river.  You can order a map for $10.  There is a .pdf of the map here.

Oregon Rivers commercial guide

This link takes you to a .pdf that has lots of details about the river, including necessary gear, shuttles, etc.

USGS flow gauge for the Lower Owyhee

Other links and resources?  Please comment or email.

Trip Overview

                      Nuisance rapid on the Lower Owyhee, 2009


Please join us on the Lower Owyhee for a spring break river trip (March 27-April 3, 2010)!  The 65-mile trip will take us through a open grassland valley full of shorebirds, then into a rugged badlands where Ouzels sing, and then into Green Dargon Canyon--a sheer sided feature that rivals the lower canyon on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Canoes (single and tandem), kayaks, duckys, and rafts are all welcome.  One of the challenges of this river is its remoteness--shuttle drives are long and once you are in, the takeout is where you need to get to.  Because of the remote nature of this trip, we don't want to take chances.  We will scout rapids, and it is totally acceptable to line rapids if you want--I will probably do some lining!!  Please visit the other posts so we can arrange all the details and plan for a well-organized trip!

Organizational goals:


1)  We need a trip roster soon, especially concerning those folks that will be shuttling.  I suggest that we have the roster by March 1.
2)  We should also have firm trip dates by this time.  Travel and shuttle will take 2 days for those of us in western Montana.
3)  Shuttle planning and vehicles--also by March 1.  Depending on how many people come and how many canoes we need to schlep around, this could take some work.  We need 4WD trucks for the takeout, especially if we take out at birch creek!  This takeout is great as it allows us to miss the windy lake, but the road is steep and tough.

Please visit the other posts so's we can get the ball rolling!  Hope to see you on the river!