Middle Fork of the Salmon, Retrieving Runaway Boat, Boundary Creek - Murph's Hole 6.66' 6/16/11 

Murph's Hole is named after one of the truly great Middle Fork Guides, Mike Murphy. On his first commercial trip in 1981 he flipped in this hole, and then again, a half hour later, in Velvet. He flipped once again right in front of me, at 7.2 ft. in Rubber. Tall, regal and always a hoot to guide with, Murph was one of the best guides anywhere, but on his rookie year he found out what the Middle Fork at high water was all about. If any guide deserves a rapid names after him, it is Mike Murphy.

When I started guiding on the Middle Fork in '77 there remained nameless a couple of the potentially hazardous rapids in the upper run, like "Murph's Hole" or "Hell's 1/2 Mile". Over the course of numerous runs we learned where to not be in those stretches. Private parties generally had no such body of experience, and many a trip were ended with flips and lost gear in these rapids. In its 1st yr, '78, Rocky Mtn. River Trips started calling the rapid at 4.3 "Hell's 1/2 Mile", a beast at low flows

Hey Greg, the next time you float the Middle Fork make sure to gaze up at the splitter crack rising out of the river at "Cliffside Camp", 89.7. I hear it gets deep water soloed by guides who also climb, but it was unclimbed until I did the first ascent in 1982 with a sweep boat guide named Jamie Ross. Rating it 5.10b, the crux is a mantle at about 30 feet, but the juice is in the endurance to stuff jams and pull the traverse to the arete. I led the crack about 5 times. If you climb, climb this!

Thanks for hitting my suggestions on the positive side...there are some who pull the oar and always decline sage advice. I think the Middle Fork is Premium at 6-7 feet: exciting, quick miles, and the lower canyon offers up some substantial size and beef. There are, however, rapids of Grand Canyon proportion that never appear until 8 feet or higher: Ski Jump, 32.2 mi. (run is a spine splitting the center left) Cub Creek, 53.5 mi, (run Lt. to Rt. across top to bust mammoth lateral getting Rt asap

I understand it is the best eddy on the river, but was worried about making sure the guide was picked up before I started in on the new project of fetching the raft. I figured the kayakers had a pretty good chance of keeping the boat from getting lost. If I had pulled out after it and had any problems, like a flip, it would be two rafts, 2 swimmers, and not much other help.

This clip really captures the intense nature of the Middle Fork at high water: Fast, few eddys, cold temps and surprise turns of events that leave parties strewn along the banks. The first stopping point for this party following the dump-truck was "Cable Hole", a reliable eddy at any water level. The capture eddy is not far above "Lodder's Rock", which is a swift dogleg (1st rt. then lt.) into a fence of large boulders/holes. And raft in trouble needs to be pulled to shore at "Cable Hole".

But your point is taken. On a future trip the optimum strategy would be to position high in the eddy and try to attach a 30 foot line to the raft as it goes by and dynamically pendulum it into the bottom of the eddy.

OOPS...the run at "Ski Jump" in really high water (7+ foot) is to eat the "V Wave" RIGHT of center. This rapid presents Grand Canyon sized hydrolics, and it would be wise to scout it. I did a "read it and run it" at 8 foot water, and it packed a real punch. I hit the seam with a downstream ferry and powered through, standing on the oars. The way the snow pack looks this year, it is quite possible that the river will get that high, so beware! At those water levels: Run hard tubes, rig with WET straps, keep the load as low to the floor as possible, sling "flip lines", keep a tight formation, launch in a tight formation, have throw bags ready, wear dry suits and high top foot ware no sandals...they inhibit swimming and get sucked off your feet, rendering you disabled) discuss the big hazards before launching , and always run a very conservative line. The Middle Fork at 7+ foot water is solid Class IV+, with serious consequences due to its remote location, and swimmers get distributed all along the banks rapidly. Good Luck!!

The huge eddy at 8:46 is called "Tipee Hole", names for the two triangular rocks that border each bank of the river at its top, and this is the only significant eddy after "Murph's Hole". Middle Fork guides with lots of high water experience would know to regroup here, and in the event of a flip or dump-truck, they would know that this it THE place to rescue any rafts. Too bad the lead raft failed to snag that guide-less here... they had plenty of time and equipment to do that...next time?!

The rack for "Cliffside Crack": set of stoppers, Camalots -.75, 1(2-3), 2(2-3), 3, draws and a new leaver sling to rap from. To rap, simply drape a sling over the horn on the arete and rap back into the raft, which you have anchored to the wall in the quiet eddy at the base of the crack. This climb is only possible at low water because the swift current makes parking the raft safely problematic. One 60m rope does it. If this climb were in Yosemite, it would be five stars and climbed daily!

Last of the BIG STUFF at 8-9 ft: Rubber, 91.1, is washed out, but does have a flipper lateral from right bank to mid-current, so keep center; Hancock, 92.2, THE BEST WAVES ANYWHERE...EVER!! A string of 12-15 foot glassy laterals at the top to buster froth below; and the worst of the worst, the hostile one, "House Rock", 94, pure funkness puking off the wall in this hard right turn, with a hole train keeping you near center to enter, then "Clam Shell Rock" makes a river-wide hole, I went left.

Other significant rapids at 8-9 ft.: Haystack, 68.1 mi, (Huge holes every where be, scout-FOR SURE- high on left bank)flipping a raft here would be a disaster at this level because the river is nothing but speed- 15-18 mph- below; Jack Creek Series, 70.7 mi., basically keep to the left of mammoth blind holes; Redside, 82.7, I run tight right bank, which is a cool sneak at just about any level; Weber, 83, mammoth lateral on Lt at bottom to avoid; Lower Cliffside, 88.7, tight Lt ONLY!