From Kevin Lewis: My personal thoughts are that running Marsh Creek in rafts this year is very sketchy. I've heard that even kayakers are portaging several logjams and rafts would be even more sketchy. You are correct in your thoughts about wood. This section collects a ton of wood due to forest fires and the winter avalanches that shear off the dead trees and deposit them in big snow bridges across the stream. When the snow melts out in the spring the trees remain until a high water flush event happens and moves the wood downstream. The problem is that we have fewer and fewer flush events and more wood is accumulating in the Marsh Creek section. Second, the victim was a really big guy and wearing a wetsuit as opposed to a drysuit. This is not unusual around here as you can buy a really large wetsuit but it's more difficult to find a like-sized drysuit and it's a lot more expensive. When you're at 7,000' elevation in fresh snowmelt on a difficult river, I think a wetsuit is a poor choice. I'd like to hear more about the group and how they were running the trip. Bottom line, if I was invited on a Marsh Creek trip right now, I'd decline
UPDATE:
The following is a news release from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office
On May 24, 2022, around 7 p.m. the Custer County Sheriff’s Office in Challis, Idaho, received the report of a boating accident on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The accident had taken place around 2:30 pm that afternoon and was reported by the family of the accident victim.
Sixty-three-year-old Robert Gray from Mills Creek, Washington, was floating the Middle Fork near Boundary Creek when his raft struck a log jam, throwing him into the water. The water at that time was running about 5 feet high and flowing at a temperature of 40 degrees.
Robert Gray, tired and cold, could not self-rescue and was carried away by the swift current.
On May 25, 2022, around 12 noon, Custer County Search & Rescue located the body of a boater by helicopter. The body of the boater which matched the description of Robert Gray was located submerged in a log jam below Boundary Creek.
The body of the boater has not yet been recovered due to the rising runoff water and swift currents, which make the recovery too dangerous for personnel
Recovery efforts will resume as soon as the water levels drop and the recovery teams can get into the location.
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho/boater-missing-from-middle-fork-of-salmon-river-robert-w-gray-custer-county-idaho/277-0acc6f09-e1bc-494a-9400-385fa2f0e96a
Boater missing from Middle Fork of Salmon River
Author: KTVB Staff
Published: May 25, 2022
After a helicopter search, Custer County Search and Rescue located what they believe to be the body of a missing boater.
CUSTER COUNTY, Idaho — Custer County Search and Rescue located what they believe is the body of a missing boater.
The body, located by helicopter, was seen submerged in a log jam below Boundary Creek. Due to the rising runoff water and swift currents, recovery efforts have been deemed too dangerous for personnel.
On Tuesday, Robert W. Gray, 63, went missing at First Bend, downstream from the boat launch. The Custer County Sheriff's Office describes him as 5-foot-9, 280 pounds, and was last seen wearing a wetsuit and red life jacket.
Gray was floating the Middle Fork near Boundary Creek when his raft struck a log jam which threw him into the water. At that time, the water was about 5 feet high and flowing at a temperature of 40 degrees.
The sheriff's office believes Gray was not able to self-rescue due to the exhaustion and cold, and was carried away by the swift current.
On Tuesday, the Custer County Sheriff's Office said they received a report of a boating accident. By Wednesday, Gray's red catamaran was found lodged in a log jam upstream of Boundary Creek boat launch.
A search-and-rescue helicopter searched the Middle Fork of the Salmon River from Boundary Creek to Indian Creek Airstrip on Wednesday, May 25.
Recovery efforts will resume once water levels drop and the recovery teams are able to get into the location.
If you have any information, notify the Indian Creek boat check station of any possible sightings, or call the Custer County Sheriff's Office at 208-879-2232.
