Another fantastic Middle Fork season is in the books! It’s been a few years since we’ve had a season mostly free of curveballs from Mother Nature — and while there were a few minor surprises, this one went about as smoothly as we could have hoped for. We don’t want to call this season “uneventful,” but it was a welcome change to have no wildfires, blowouts, or unplanned flights. Of course, as any outfitter knows, there are always a few “fires” to put out behind the scenes — but with such outstanding guests and a hardworking crew, everything ran beautifully.
Once again, we were lucky to have phenomenal guides and incredible guests. Many of our familiar faces returned — and we can’t overstate how special it is to share the river with guests who come back year after year. You’ve become part of the family, watching our kids grow, our guides move through college, and even transition into new careers beyond the river. We love getting to do the same with you and your families too! Some of you may have been lucky enough to share a trip with Jeff and Mary, Alex and Nancy (we missed you this year, Nanc!), the Andersons, Jeremy and Laura, and so many others we’ve come to know and love over the years.
As much as we treasure our returning guests, we also take so much joy in introducing new folks to the Middle Fork for the first time — and there were plenty of magical firsts this summer.
We had an incredible crew on the Middle Fork this season. While there are too many to name here, a few deserve special mention!
Zoe had her first season guiding in a drift boat — how many of you got to ride or fish with her this summer? She was a rock star. We also had a great lineup of sweep boat drivers — Charlie Steele, Peter Tooley, Jack Grim, Duncan Swersey, and Reed Stokes — who worked hard to set up our deluxe wilderness camps trip after trip, we so appreciate the work they put in to make our trips the comfortable and unforgettable Helfrich experience.
Some new faces really impressed us and brought great energy to every trip: Kent Kohler, Peter Hunter, Jaid Brickson, Maddy Erickson, Luke Fadling, and Jacob Checketts. Amelia Howard, our new warehouse manager and office help, knocked it out of the park this year – making sure all of the food (one of the most important parts of a trip!) made it out to the river and was packed appropriately. And finally, a huge thank-you to our trip leaders — Cole, Trafford, Dylan, Hogan, Zoe, and Kidd — each brought their own strengths and leadership styles that made this season one to remember. (Stay tuned for a special guide spotlight on Jacob later in this newsletter!)
The Helfrich family continues to grow! With Fallon, Quinn, Moxie, and Sadie’s new baby Auger all spending time around the operation, there was no shortage of giggles, naps in the shop, and tiny helping hands. It’s a joy watching the next generation learn the ropes — literally — as this truly becomes a multigenerational business.
We wrapped up the season with a fantastic September, running an upper river trip, a lower canyon trip, and two charter cast-and-blast adventures.Our Upper River trip is always a favorite — a four-day, one-angler-per-boat fishing adventure on stretches that haven’t been fished commercially in months. With fewer guests and pristine water, it’s an intimate and unforgettable experience.The Lower Canyon trip reminded us why we love fall on the Middle Fork. The crisp days, peaceful camps we rarely use, and that golden evening light in the Impassable Canyon — it’s hard to describe the beauty, but it always feels like something worth pausing for. And finally, our charter cast-and-blast trips closed the season perfectly — great friends from across the country reconnecting in the backcountry, swapping stories around the fire, catching trout and bird hunting. We were lucky enough to host two incredible groups this year.
As we close out another season, we’re filled with gratitude — for our guests who continue to trust us with their adventures, for our hardworking guides and staff, and for the river itself, which keeps showing us something new each year.We’re already dreaming of next summer — new faces, returning friends, and another chance to share the magic of the Middle Fork. Until then, we hope you’re finding your own wild places this fall and winter.
In 1947, Prince Helfrich started the High Cascades Boys Camp with just four paying boys and a simple idea: teach young men how to be capable in the outdoors. What began as a small mountain pack camp grew into two-week wilderness sessions that ran into the early 1970s, eventually expanding to include both horse camps in the high country and boating camps on the river.
Boys learned to fly cast properly, pack horses, tend a fire, row in current, and respect the power of wild places. Promotion was modest — a seminar at Meier & Frank in Portland and strong word of mouth — but the program grew steadily, shaping generations of boys, some of whom later returned to work in the Helfrich river business.
What follows is a firsthand look at how those camps operated — and the values behind them, in the words of Dave Helfrich, from his book Around the Campfire. Purchase the book Here
Boys camp is something my dad started back in 1947, and we ran those camps into the early ‘70s. Some were horse camps, and some were boating camps. I think the first camp we put together we had about four payin’ boys. I still hear from some of ‘em.
I was fifteen years old at the time. At that age I was a good packer. I could handle horses. Dad worked through Jack Meier of Meier and Frank in Portland. Jack was a good friend and customer. He made lots of river trips with us over the years.
Jack Meier put up a display on one of his floors up there in Portland. He would have a tent, the kind we were using, and all that stuff set up. He had a good display of sleeping bags, and fly fishing outfits. He invited Dad to do a seminar about once a year. He publicized the event, so people knew that Prince Helfrich was going to be at Meier and Frank to talk about the Skyline Summit Camp, and to see the camping display.
And then there was a Doctor Goldsmith. Although Dr. Goldsmith had two girls, he was completely in favor of teaching boys how to do things. He was a real supporter of Prince’s Boys’ Camp, and he spread the word about the camp to his patients. He told folks how we taught boys how to assemble a rod. We’re talking about fly fishing. We’re not talkin’ about a bunch of spinnin’ and worm outfits. We were showin’ the boys how to attach the reel correctly, how to string the line up through the guides, how to tie on a leader on, how to tie the fly to the leader, and then how to fish. Dr. Goldsmith was a good promoter.
Early on, many of those kids went back and told their friends. We weren’t doing very much advertising, just that little annual Meier and Frank thing, old Doc Goldsmith, and word-of-mouth by the campers. We also printed a little brochure and sent it out to people.
The program grew to where we had as many as twenty-five at a time. In fact, I think we limited it to twenty-five. We had two two-week sessions. In addition to fishing, we taught good camping manners, how to conduct yourself out in the wilderness, how to build and tend a fire. Starting a fire wasn’t a problem. In August, it was pretty dry up there in that country, so we taught them how to tend it. We packed into the high mountains, and this necessitated using the horses we used for elk and deer hunting, and for other pack trips in the mountains. I took several pack trips in the mountains after I graduated from high school. We had this pack string and we’d been using them back in the Boy’s Camp, and they were broke in. Man, every horse knew where his place was. They were well behaved.
We also did some hatchet work. Can you imagine a camper being allowed to do that today? I also took my two good target rifles. We had a 50-foot range out there. I’d put these targets up for the kids to shoot at. We’d give a prize to the kid who had the best group. They didn’t have to hit in dead center. I judged them based on the best three shot group, and that was fairly easy to figure out who won.
We set up horseshoes and other kinds of games for the kids to mess around with. We kept them busy. We’d take ‘em on hikes. They’d get a little restless, and so we’d say, okay fellas let’s go up here a ways. We’d take off and head there above the trail and go across country, then circle around and come back. Boy, you wouldn’t dare do that nowadays.
We taught the boys how to take good care of the wilderness, and how to fish and fly cast. And we had practice in taking hooks out. Every once in a while one of the kids would hook himself. We later took the barbs off so if someone hooked themselves, or hooked one of the other kids, the fly would be easier to remove. The hook could be easily retrieved with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
We had a boating camp too. That camp evolved with a few of the older kids. They had been going to the mountain camp where we packed in, and they were getting restless to do something else. So my dad hatched the idea of taking them down the river in boats. He had a whole fleet of those little plywood boats that he built. Double-enders. He taught these kids how to row. Later, some of these kids came to work for us in the business.
So we developed the River Camp. We’d teach those kids how to row, and how to follow one another, and how to follow a good lead boat down the river. If someone had a hard time keeping up, the lead boat would have to slow down a little bit. We’d teach these kids how to row in a current. They’d row across the river, touch the bank and come back. They’d find out quick there’s a current out there, and we’d sure find out if they could row or not, and adapt to that current. We always worried that the boys might be too casual about the river and the rapids. It’s much better to be a bit anxious about the river, than to be too casual.
And then we had a Fall Boys Camp up on Smith River. We didn’t have to use the horses there. We could just hike in and take everything we needed. And that was for boys about eight to ten. If they were 11 or older, they could come to the River Camp.
Ever wonder what keeps your favorite guide crew coming back each season? Probably not, because between the beautiful river canyon, great comradery, and a few thrilling rapids it seems pretty obvious. However, one perk of the trade, which has been very enticing in my post-college years of guiding, has been the flexibility to take multiple months off work during the winter. Many guides take this time to recuperate from the busy season, spend time with family, or travel and seek out other adventures. Being an avid skier, I have found it hard to not spend this time, and every penny I made during the summer, on exploring snowy mountain ranges. One such place that has kept me coming back for more is northern Japan.
This past winter my girlfriend, and I made our third trip to Japan in search of deep snow and killer ramen. Having been to Japan in previous years we more or less had the logistical kinks worked out, and a handful of Japanese friends looking forward to seeing us again. With our wildly overweight ski bags packed we hopped on the long flight to Tokyo. On past trips we dedicated 100% of our time to skiing on Japan’s northern island Hokkaido. However, this time around we planned to stay in the country for two months allowing us a couple weeks to explore the Japanese mainland – Honshu. After weaving our way through the beautiful cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima we hopped on the bullet train, and made the 13 hour journey to the island of Hokkaido. And, yes that does mean taking the train under the ocean, and no you can’t see out the sides of the tunnel, much to my girlfriend’s dismay. As green bamboo forest gave way to snow covered volcanoes it was like being reunited with an old friend.
After arriving in Hokkaido we proceeded to pick up our van from our friend Mr. Taishi Kawaminami. He runs a camper rental company called Tomo Campers, and is a great guy to talk to if you are spending some time in Hokkaido. From there we headed to the coastal town of Otaru where we had a quaint Japanese house waiting for us for the following six weeks. We had spent time in Otaru in the past, and knew we wanted to explore it more in depth. It’s not a place I would recommend going to if you are looking for an english speaking resort experience such as Niseko. But if you are after remote backcountry skiing, a bustling port city, and rich history it’s worth a stop.
For the next month we proceeded to ski our hearts out, getting in about 25 days in the backcountry, and a couple at the small local resorts. Having a house as a home base made it easy to immerse ourselves in the local culture. We spent most evenings at the local fish markets finding new ingredients and different vegetables to put our river culinary skills to the test. After a good meal we would trudge through the snowy streets to one of the local onsens where we would soak, and sauna until our eyes could no longer stay open. We were lucky enough to share these experiences with a handful of friends from Idaho who came out for a couple weeks. It’s hard to describe skiing through birch forests full of chest deep powder with best friends, but it’s nothing short of magical.
Towards the end of our trip our good friend and one of Helfrich’s newer fishing guides, Peter Tooley, joined us for an ambitious adventure to close out the trip. Our goal was to ski Mount Rishiri. Mount Rishiri is a remote volcanic island, and the most northern extent of Japan. So far north that most signs there are in Russian. And as we took the 4 hour ferry across the Le Perouse strait we could see the southern tip of Russia’s Sakhalin Island. Once on Rishiri we had a short weather window to attempt the summit. However, even on the clearest day the wind is notoriously strong in this part of the sea of Japan. The day of our summit bid was no different. About ¾ of the way up we were met with extremely strong gusts on an exposed ridge, and we were forced to find cover. With no sign of the wind letting up we were made the call to turn around, and ski the lava channels that meander their way to the ocean. Even though we didn’t reach our objective, the beauty and power of this place was not lost on any of us. I guess we will have to give her another go next winter.
It was bittersweet landing back in the states, but we have another winter’s worth of memories and stories to reminisce on during those hot August days. I’m excited to hear about everyone else’s off season adventure, and can’t wait to be on the water!
Avery Stansberry – 2024
To learn more about Avery and the other amazing helfrich guides, check out our Meet the Team Page
