What is there to say about the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone? So much more than could ever be transcribed into a trip report, but I’ll start with it being an unattainable pipe dream of mine that I had completely written off after the flood of ’22 made it an even more extreme endeavor than previously imagined. When fellow RMA team member Austin Woody invited me to follow him into The Box, I was apprehensive, hesitant, and nervous about my physical fitness and skill set as an expedition boater, but if he was comfortable with my ability then so was I.
Upon entering the canyon and floating past our last chance for an easy escape, I was quick to observe the character of this River; big, fast(we had a healthy flow), and too many class V drops to spend time scouting. Just gotta trust our seasoned guide and follow yer bro in front of you. But the rapids were so good, of such high quality, that we were having too much fun to be gripped.
The scale and magnitude of this place was so spectacular, that no pictures, videos, or beta could ever do it justice. It is one of those places that you just have to see to believe. It is by and large the most incredible place I have been on this Earth.
Watch Video here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1137078297401545
On our second big portage, I stopped to think about the high cost of admission to this place. The blood, sweat, and pain that was flowing out of me as freely as the river below. The immense physical task of navigating this savage wilderness, is what keeps people out. It is what kept General Howard and Colonel Sturgis and the 7th Calvary from pursuing Chief Joseph and 700 of the Nez Perce into The Box. But then once admitted, the toll isn’t fully paid. What the Nez Perce had that the US military did not, was a fight for their lives, sheer will to survive any and everything. I knew once I was in this deep crack, my only way out was to charge as hard as I ever have and maneuver my craft to the best of my ability. I didn’t make it out without incident, as the River Counted Coup on me on one of the must run rapids.
Thank you to my team for the bond created on an excursion like this. I will ride into battle with you boys any day!
-RMA Team Athlete Heath Bradley