A wild ride on the Middle Fork

By DAVID ERICKSON

Whitefish Pilot

Deep in the pristine Bob Marshall Wilderness, at the confluence of Strawberry and Bowl creeks, the Middle Fork of the Flathead River begins its journey to the southern border of Glacier National Park.

Known as one of Montana's mightiest rivers, the Middle Fork flows through the largest tracts of wilderness lands in the lower contiguous United States. Carving its way through rugged glacial valleys and lush forests, it is one of the most protected rivers in the country.

Designated a Wild and Scenic river by the Congress in 1976, the glacier-fed Middle Fork is also one of the best whitewater rafting rivers in Montana.

There is no better way to spend a scorching summer day than barreling down a Class IV rapid in an inflatable kayak, punching through ice-cold waves with the Crown Jewel of the Continent on one side and the Great Bear Wilderness on the other.

Thousands of people run the Flathead every summer, and I recently decided to experience the thrill ride myself.

Driving east on U.S. Highway 2, one gets the sense that this river is special. Deep gorges covered in thick forest hide the river from view most of the time I was driving, but every once in a while a bright blue ribbon broken only by sections of white rapids came into view.

It is a river that's pinned between 3 million acres of secluded backcountry, yet it is highly accessible to anyone with the courage to attempt such aptly-named rapids as "Jaws" and "Bonecrusher."

I decided to try my luck solo with an inflatable kayak, a featured boat since 1994 from Glacier Guides-Montana Raft Co., one of several guiding companies that run the Middle Fork.

At first it seemed like a terrible idea, as the low-lying craft takes in much more water going through a rapid, but therein lies the beauty. The kayak goes through the waves instead of over them, so you slice through even the biggest rapids with ease.

Another benefit is you stay wetter and therefore much cooler in the sultry heat. I also appreciated being able to steer my boat wherever I wanted, as opposed to being at the mercy of five or six other people.

When you are on a river as gorgeous as the Middle Fork, you want to be able to check out osprey, bald eagles, elk or other wildlife on the shore whenever you happen upon them, which is often.

On a river trip, you will run the gamut of emotions from contented relaxation to adrenaline-loaded thrill. The lazy stretches of the river are for reflecting on the breathtaking beauty of Big Sky country, while during the whitewater sections you will be thinking about only one thing — saving your own skin from being pummeled through a rapid without your boat.

It's a nice combination, and it's enough fun to keep thousands of tourists flocking to the river every summer. I never felt like the Middle Fork was crowded, however, unlike some other stretches of water in Montana — the river is big enough and undeveloped enough so that you feel isolated.

I asked longtime raft guide Denny Gignoux, a partner of Glacier Guides-Montana Raft Co., about some of the reasons he keeps coming back to Glacier year after year.

"It's a special place," he said. "I've been hiking in Glacier since I was a kid, and it was a beautiful, clean place. It still is, and I want my kids, and their kids, to be able to experience that as well."

Gignoux said his company stresses the importance of Leave No Trace ethics because, along with rafting, they are the only company authorized by the National Park Service to guide hiking trips in Glacier National Park.

"We focus on preservation and maintaining the wild and scenic qualities of the area, because that's what people come here for," said Cris Coughlin, one of the owners of the company.

Her company has even forgone the usual necessary evils of billboards or bright green manicured lawns along the highway leading into the park.

As I was leaning back in my kayak, having just barely escaped a rough stretch of whitewater with my camera gear intact, I reflected on the fact that most rivers in the U.S. are either dammed, polluted or squeezed by subdivisions or agricultural development.

There could be no better designation for the Middle Fork than "wild and scenic."

I hope it stays that way.