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St. Maries River, June 17th

By Dan Hansen

Class: III

Put-in location: Santa, Idaho
Put-in time: 9:45 a.m.
Take-out location: 6 miles upstream from St. Maries, Idaho
Take-out time: 7 p.m.
Paddlers: Dan Hansen (member); Brad Krueger (non-member); Brian Gautreau (non-member); Cinder, a North American LBD (Little Black Dog). Brian and Dan in a Dagger Legend tandem canoe; Brad in an inflatable solo kayak.
Water level: 450 cfs
Details: This was not an SCKC trip, but should prove useful to others wondering the minimum flows required for running this 19-mile stretch of river.

Brad (who rowed dories for a Salmon River guide service as a teen) first suggested about five years ago that he and I run this stretch of the St. Maries. We miss it every year, either because the weather is bad or because the flows are too low. This year looked like another missed opportunity. The few reports I'd read about the St. Maries suggested minimum flows of 800 cfs, and the river has been averaging about 300 in recent weeks.

A storm the week before our trip caused a spike in which flows hit 1,100 cfs. It had already dropped significantly before the weekend, but we decided to give it a go, figuring the worst that could happen was we'd be dragging the boats through rock gardens.

As it turned out, we didn't have to walk, but did leave Dagger green on every rock in the canyon. Another six inches of water would have helped, and I wouldn't go again at flows this low. Still, none of us regretted pulling the trigger on this day-long adventure of whitewater and wilderness.

Kudos to:

1. Cinder, who dug up and swallowed whole some sort of six-inch burrowing rodent during shore break.

2. Brian, who had a close encounter with a moose while Dan and Brad were running the shuttle.

3. The three of us, for disappointing the five turkey vultures that were soaring over the biggest of the waves.

4. The town of Santa, for a lovely and convenient put-in.

Trip food: Hostess Doughnettes from Albertsons.