# Selway, June 9



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Any previous boating experience or did you put in for this trip on a whim?


----------



## idaho_h2o (May 5, 2005)

What's your cut off? Are you prepared to launch at 6 or 7+ feet?


----------



## TboneCooper (Jul 8, 2019)

You would probably get a better response if you added additional information, like:


How experienced are you
What kind of gear/boats you have
How many people/boats are in your group
The way it's written now it basically seems like you're looking for a guided trip without paying for a guided trip.


----------



## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

Even more so I think the skepticism is you have a holy grail permit for one of the harder permitted stretches that will most likely be at or over flood stage. To drop in on water like that takes a crew that is pretty dialed, a lot of experience, and a lot of trust.

Can't wait to see where this goes, bhap23 please chime in.... :shock:


----------



## 6FEETandRISING (Feb 15, 2012)

As a former Selway guide, I would be a little worried with that launch date. Most of all my trips are between .8' and 5', and I just don't think I would really want to be in there around 6' or 7'. But that is just me, I've had my fill of scary high water.


----------



## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

6FEETandRISING said:


> As a former Selway guide, I would be a little worried with that launch date. Most of all my trips are between .8' and 5', and I just don't think I would really want to be in there around 6' or 7'. But that is just me, I've had my fill of scary high water.


Username does not check out! 😉


----------



## blueotter (Nov 30, 2018)

Some people's kids... :roll:


----------



## 6FEETandRISING (Feb 15, 2012)

HAHA....Well back in 2012 it held true, maybe not so much anymore. I've got a lot more to live for now.


----------



## bhap23 (Mar 2, 2020)

*Selway Redux*

The replies I have seen confirm my concerns. I don't have the skill set for a raging Selway. My pay grade stops at a good Middle Salmon. Definitely a trip that would require top experience. Not looking for a guided gig, but people better than me. NRS raft that homes in Bozeman with brother. We are 2, would want a max of 10. 
A rare ticket that is hard to let go....


----------



## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

bhap - Welcome to MountainBuzz and congrats on pulling the permit. You can probably find a good crew for the trip by posting here and should also consider posting to some FB groups or elsewhere to cast a wider net. You'll certainly want folks that are really dialed in, solid, and bringing their A-Game - it ain't a booze-cruise you're staffing up for. Maybe opening up to some solid kayakers would be a good idea as well. Others more familiar with the Selway can chime in on that. 

What's your own upper range of experience? Class IV? Class V? Folks will want to know a bit about you as well.

Good luck pulling a crew together. Make sure to bring back lots of GoPro footage for us old guys to enjoy!

-AH


----------



## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

Levels that time of year all depend on how the water comes down the hill. Look at historical snow pack to be educated but it's really up to the... Putting together a trip like this can be a challenge but having a backup plan will stack the odds in your favor. Don't give back your Unicorn permit until its obvious that the water is too high. 

Good luck and stay safe!!!


----------



## BlueTurf (Mar 9, 2013)

I pulled a May 30 Selway permit 5 or 6 years ago. I knew that the trip most likely would not happen based on historic flows but I invited a skilled group like you are trying to do. I just told them to be prepared to pivot to the Main Salmon if the Selway was too high. Our group cut off was 4.5 to 5 feet. It turned out to be 8+ on launch day. The Main Salmon was awesome. You can cancel your permit up to the last minute for safety reasons is what the ranger told me back then. 
Be safe, have fun.


----------



## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

I was on a low water Selway trip many years ago.

It was a raft trip but I was in my RPM Max.

Wonderful float, scenic as all get out. Even at low water several of us experienced kayakers, the rapids were fun, but kept us on our toes especially the drops below our tony point lay over.

Now with a lot more experience in kayaks and rowing rafts - a high water Selway float is out of my comfort range. Not saying avoid high water just saying at high water Selway is a challenge for most of us boaters and deserves your respect. This is a real wilderness type run not much help except what is in your float team.


----------



## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

Hope you get to go. I floated it in the early 80's, end of August. Beautiful run, I could only dream of running it at higher water, heard stories, no internet back than. Sounds like a back up plan is appropriate at higher flows, from boaters with more experience than I. I get excited just reading these posts of higher water there. Get stoked, but play it wisely. Have fun.


----------



## Redside (May 10, 2013)

While you can cancel up to the last minute, please try to make your decision as soon as possible. There are other people that might see the water level over your abilities as their starting point. Quite a few kayakers that run it at higher levels than rafters. And if you do cancel come back here and let us know, maybe a Mtn Buzzer will pick it up!

That said, a few years ago a friend had a June 9, which we ended up canceling and grabbing a June 12. Our 9th got picked up and making the move to 12th worked great for us. 

We put on around 16k and holding, which was about 6ft. We ran all the way to the camps just above Moose the first day. Did a layover and scouted the entire moose juice section by walking the trail. Ladle didn't look like there was a line at all, the other rapids did, but if we had a flip it would be chaos. The next day the water had come down like we were hoping. I think we probably ran it around 15k or 5ft something. We were able to pull out at ladle and scout it again and found a line that worked. We had a couple flips on the trip, running down a boat at that level is a lot of work.

Search for Selway info on here, lot of of good threads.


----------



## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

Because I'm a self centered narcissist, I say hold on to that permit until last minute. That way someone local like me can call my crew and roll it last minute. Seriously thou, do whatever you want the reality is, lots of permit come and go that time on the season and those interested usually get on.


----------



## Creature 1 (Aug 12, 2010)

I am the owner of Creature Craft and perhaps we can make this work out great. I am very interested and could perhaps have a boat or two you could use. We have a team of boaters who are very experienced in big whitewater and would love a chance to run the Selway at high water


----------



## wshutt (Jun 20, 2013)

It's beautiful ...... and its handed our asses to us or groups we have caught up with and rescued on the two occasions we have run it. As someone said earlier, lose a boat (or two as the party we caught up with did) and they will go and go. People are not kidding when they say look in the Clearwater. We had four Selway refugees with literally only the clothes on their (wet) backs in camp with us one thunder storming June night. 

That said I'm glad we got the chance when younger even if some of us (ie me) got so scared I hiked the trail and took on the abundant rattle snakes rather than get back on the water.


----------



## castuller (May 15, 2016)

I am interested and know a couple others that would be. Several Selway trips each, some of those trips at 5' plus. As others here have said, don't give up on it - at least not yet. Or do, so I can pick it up  Craig 719o-486-6670


----------



## bhap23 (Mar 2, 2020)

The cadre I would normally make this trip with is committed to the Yampa on June 3. I am comfortable with the Salmon in a good flow, but the Selway on June 9 is above my pay grade. I do not want to pass on such a rare opportunity, but I would need 6-8 people to provide what I cannot – experience and expertise. We raft out of Bozeman, brother and I with the NRS. In the hairier sections I would hope to pass the reins to a more qualified pilot, otherwise we are a solid but older pair. Anything above 5 will cause me concern. Sorta depends on the group?


----------



## cowboy907 (May 3, 2017)

*selway*

June 9th-could/most likely be all you can handle. I have done the Selway 1.5 times. First was in 2006. Beginning of June. First challenge was the arrangement of shuttle. Put in could still be snowed in, meaning tracks are required to access put in. Got to put in measuring stick read 6.4 maybe 6.7. We launched. Within the first 10 minutes it was obvious that this was not going to be a lazy float. 1st day we did not have any incidents. Began 2nd day with same optimism however, it got real, real quick. Temperatures reached 70 degrees that day, made the river full and that was before Moose Juice. Eddies were non existent. We were unable to scout any rapids the second day, I forget names, (green eggs and ham, granite? maybe). One of our boats flipped, took about 3-5 miles to catch it. By the time we made it to Moose Creek it was all we could do to tie our boats up. The current was so strong that we had to tie boats off from stern and aft. One boat's d-ring was ripped off just being tied off. Forest volunteers met as at camp, (from the runway up top). Told us they can't tell us what to do, but "don't go". They stated the river was well over 8 feet. Moose Creek was as big if not bigger that the Selway at that point. Next day we scouted the inner gorge and it was decided that there was no chance that ALL of us were getting through ALL of that. We decided to fly out. We spent the next 4 days packing 8 fully rigged rafts up to the runway to fly out. 6 years later we pulled another Selway (late June this time). Pretty much same crew, went down again and found our bottle of Whiskey we buried at Moose Creek and completed our Selway tour all the way to the real take out. It is a great trip. Its doable, but its no joke. You need to find some yakers, I wouldn't mind showing you where we buried our 2nd bottle of Whiskey.


----------

