Two dead in Selway Wilderness rafting accident.

[44hunter45]

Details still a little sketchy. inReach button punched.

Two dead after rafting accident on remote section of Selway River

Two people died in an apparent rafting accident on a remote stretch of the Selway River on Saturday afternoon, according to the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office.

www.spokesman.com

 

[morley.tyler]

Damn- gotta be careful out there early in the season.

T's & P's

 

[Beignet]

Oof. That’s tough. Gauge at Lowell seems like it’s been cranking.

USFS daily Paradise gauge readings lead to a 404 “page not found” now?

 

[INMT]

That river is no joke. Especially this time of year.

 

[MarvB]

Damn, that's rough...We had a SAR meeting today and it sounds like a some climbers went down in Washington state as well. Spring seems to being it out unfortunately.

Three people died and a fourth was injured while rock climbing in the North Cascades in Washington state. Authorities in Okanogan County said the climbers were believed to be rappelling a steep gulley near North Early Winters Spire when their anchor failed.

 

[TheTone]

That river has enough sketchy stuff in mid summer flows to make me not want to even consider it in early season runoff

 

[mtmuley]

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/accidentid/119382

Some guys I work with have been down that stretch of river dozens of times and also this time if year. One of them shared this with me that shows what happened. mtmuley

 

[INMT]

https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/accidentid/119382

Some guys I work with have been down that stretch of river dozens of times and also this time if year. One of them shared this with me that shows what happened. mtmuley

Dang. That’s a sad deal. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ccc23454]

Not trying to bring humor to a truly sad situation but am I the only one who's first thought was some bear hunters watched gritty and flipped infatable kayaks while bear hunting?

 

[BAKPAKR]

Not trying to bring humor to a truly sad situation but am I the only one who's first thought was some bear hunters watched gritty and flipped infatable kayaks while bear hunting?

My brother ran into a group of bear hunters at the Shearer airstrip (upriver a ways) a week or so ago.

 

[mtmuley]

Not trying to bring humor to a truly sad situation but am I the only one who's first thought was some bear hunters watched gritty and flipped infatable kayaks while bear hunting?

River guys are a tight group. The guys I know didn't say anything about that. mtmuley

 

[INMT]

My brother ran into a group of bear hunters at the Shearer airstrip (upriver a ways) a week or so ago.

Hopefully it wasn’t them.

I worked backcountry trails in there in the early 2000’s. Awesome country.

A short bit later I started working with a packer who was a caretaker at the Selway Inn for a while. Had kids and moved more front country.

 

[El Jason]

Just me, or does a 10’ raft seem a little small for 20k cfs?

 

[mtmuley]

mtmuley

 

[It’s Bucky]

Sad deal. I had a coworker lose a close friend while whitewater paddling kayaks last year. He hasn’t been quite the same since. What a life changing event for all those involved.

 

[Schutzhund]

View attachment 372305
mtmuley

Wow. Powerful message. That is incredibly beautiful and brutal country. I've been very near there. River guys have a respect and love for the wild places and adventure that resonates in all of us and should be familiar. Rest in Peace. Thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones. Ride easy

 

[INMT]

View attachment 372305
mtmuley

Dang. I’ve spent a bit of time at the guard station there maintaining trails. Big river and steep, gnarly, inaccessible terrain. Had my first mountain lion encounter almost 20 years ago just downstream from Moose Creek. Good energy to all involved and affected.

 

[Flynarrow]

I've done the Selway twice. IMO the Selway is not just any whitewater river. It is unforgiving for anyone who flips due to the lack of slower large pools to recover if flipped. In May high water you could be in the very fast, very cold water for miles. I suspect some level of hypothermia could have played a role in these fatalities.

 

[44hunter45]

Finally some details. Interesting read.

Selway River deaths: a cascade of tragedy

One rafter died of heart attack; another drowned

www.dnews.com

 

[El Jason]

That’s a good read. What an unfortunate chain of events.