Floaters, others warned of high, fast rivers

By Nick Gevock - 06/26/2008

Lugene Dunmire knew she and her friends were in trouble while rafting the Big Hole River last Saturday as they tried to come into a bank to pull over.

The river was running high and fast, yet the float had been a good time up to then. As the five floaters pulled in just upstream from the Jerry Creek Bridge, Dunmire saw a log that they couldn’t avoid slamming into.

“The river just sucked us right into the bank and bang, we hit that log,” she said. “One of the girls in the front of the boat was thrown out and the front of boat went down and took on a lot of water.” The rower lost an oar and Dunmire said she tried to grab a bush to stop the boat. That was when she felt the full force of the river, which is flowing high. They later managed to get control of the boat and get out and her friend was able to swim to safety.

But their harrowing experience was just one of a handful on the Big Hole that day, she said. They saw two boats get slammed into the bridge, and heard stories later in the afternoon of a boat spotted floating upside down in the channel.

The warm temperatures and rapidly melting mountain snow of the past week have swelled area rivers and streams, creating conditions and hazards that floaters haven’t seen in years.

For area kayaking and rafting enthusiasts, it’s an incredible year. The high flows mean intense rapids that are challenging for thrill seekers.

But for area anglers and average floaters, the flows can catch people off guard and make a fun day on the river hazardous.

“I would classify it as dangerous,” Mike Marcum, co-owner of The Stonefly Fly Shop in Butte, said of the Big Hole River. “Don’t challenge the river, especially when you’re wading, because the river will win.” Marcum said he’s not encouraging people to avoid area rivers because there is some good fishing right now. But waders need to know where they’re going, know that they can safely access a hole and use caution while along the river.

That’s even more so the case for floaters. The heavy flows can down streamside trees, create new logjams and cause other hazards that floaters need to be on the lookout for.

“All over the place right now the rivers are up and they can be dangerous,” said Rick Waldrup, recreation planner with the Bureau of Land Management in Dillon. “You have your hard-core river runners and for them it might be a great time to go, but for most of the rest of us who are out for recreational river fun, this is not a time to be on the river.” The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest put out an advisory last week letting people know that area streams on the forest will also be flowing strongly.

Waldrup said the BLM cannot and doesn’t make a policy of telling people not to float any stretch of water. But they do want people to be aware of the danger out there.

The Madison River’s Bear Trap Canyon section below Ennis Dam is a good example. The Kitchen Sink area of intense rapids is raging at its current high flows.

“It’s running at 5,220 (cubic feet per second), which is huge,” Waldrup said. “Our policy for our own employees is not to get on the river when it’s above 3,000.

“I’ve seen it in the 4,500 to 5,000 cfs range before hiking the trail and there are definitely some places in the Kitchen Sink that would clearly be deadly if you ended up in them.” The Big Hole River is much more benign. But it too has hazards caused by trees, debris and other things. Marcum said when there is a hazard in the river, a floater will move toward it a lot faster right now.

Floaters need to know their equipment, be experienced on the oars or with their kayak and otherwise be prepared.

“If you just brought a brand new raft and you’ve never oared before, this wouldn’t be the time to float,” he said.

Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com.