Selway River

In 1964 the Wilderness Act became the law of the land for the United States. At the time, the very idea of preserving nine million acres of land in its natural condition was revolutionary -- no nation before then had ever tried to make so much of its territory permanently off limits to development.

The Selway river runs through the Selway Bitterroot wilderness. Although it has a foreboding name, this lush, forested area is nothing short of incredible. The Selway river is said to be the second hardest river to get a permit for, (right behind the Grand Canyon) and definitely one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. This river boasts water clarity of nearly 50 feet, forests that have never been logged, and scenery like you have never seen. This wild place only has a few scattered reminders of civilization

I was lucky enough to grab last spot on a permit, and grateful for a wife that was okay with me taking a week off of work, a week away from her, and did it without a complaint. (I don't know if I would have been so understanding.)

After leaving later than I would have liked we started heading up the south fork of the Payette river. The driver noticed that he was being followed by someone he knew and pulled off to talk. I had the opportunity to meet Dean Fairburn We had to cut our meeting short despite the beautiful day and continue on. The drive continued on until we arrived around 2:30 am. We camped in a horse pasture next to the car, but woke up to some amazing scenery.

After waking up, I quickly found our group. They were all wondering who in the world would be driving in so late. Everyone was in good spirits and were excited to start. The water was clear, the weather was nice, and spirits were up.

The water was about half of what it usually is this time of year, but when you draw a trip to the Selway, you just go. I did not expect much playboating, but hoped for it. I think that this one I would like to do again at double or more flow.

I just could not get over how clear the water was. I grew up in Utah, and remember learning to boat in rivers that had so much sand and dirt in them that you would literally have to flush them out with clean water at the end of the day. I wish that I had brought snorkeling gear with me. Some of the deep pools had enormous boulders. It would have been fun to swim underwater through them.

One great thing about river trips is just hanging out with friends by the fire. The stars shined bright enough that you could see the milky way galaxy. The crisp night air was nice, in comparison to the 100 degree heat of the city.

We took a layover day, and enjoyed hiking and incredible scenery. We did see a baby brown bear on the hike, and tons of wildflowers were in bloom.

This was a great trip. Along the way we flipped a couple of rafts, were eaten alive by sand flies (above beach) but aside from that, no carnage whatsoever. I would highly recommend this river. If you pull a permit, definately take advantage of it. (no matter what the water level is) It was neat to see people, in our group, who had been putting in for permits for the last 10 years, that were finally able to go.

As we were travelling home and started to get our messages, we learned that Dean Fairburn passed away while guiding clients down the river. My heart goes out to his family and friends. Read more about Dean here.

The Selway River