I didn’t mountain bike last weekend. I missed it, but it was ok.

I went rafting instead.

Run #1 was a short 2 and 3 quarter mile run along the Skookum Canyon stretch of the St. Joe River. The Forest Service describes this run in a flourish.

Several hundred yards after Tourist Creek, the river enters Skookum Canyon. A thousand yards of violent class III and IV rapids limit this section of the river to highly skilled experts who have first thoroughly scouted this section. each year this canyon claims several boats.

Good fun.

Unfortunately, we got to the river later than planned and had to drive right past the second planned run on the St Joe, as we raced to Montana before the sun set. After camping overnight near St. Regis, we headed east on I-90 to find the big water of the Clark Fork. 10 miles of mostly calm water with a couple good sized rapids made for an enjoyable day.

But that stretch of the St. Joe beckoned. I had nothing to do on Sunday. My intrepid guides had nothing to do on Sunday. “Let’s stay an extra day and hit that stretch on Sunday.” Again, the forest service has a way with words.

GOLD CREEK TO BLUFF CREEK BRIDGE

Seven miles of floating through this scenic canyon with sheer moss-covered cliffs and deep pools takes 3 to 5 hours.

Because the canyon is narrow, the water is usually deep enough to run through July. In August, though, this run may mean a well-scarred boat.

Several undeveloped campgrounds are available.

The roughest rapids on the St. Joe River are on this section. Tumble Down Falls, a 6-foot drop located about .2 miles above Tumble Down Creek, is preceded by 200 yards of grade IV rapids. Several violent eddies and souse holes, plus other long difficult rapids, dictate that this run be attempted only by experts in white water kayaks and rafts.

Now that is the kind of water I was looking forward to. The river flows are already extremely low, it’s now two days after the trip and the flow may have reduced below the threshold by which a raft can navigate. As it was, we hit several rocks, one of which tossed me unceremoniously into the drink.

I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend 3 days than on the wild rivers of Idaho and Montana. I only wish I had brought a fly rod with me.