River News
Helfrich River Outfitters
The Dynamic Environment of Rivers – What Happened on the Upper Middle Fork in 2022 and Why It Happened and What it Means
The last few years have dealt us some interesting challenges on the upper Middle Fork of the Salmon River. In a domino effect of fires, storms, and mudslides, we are witnessing first hand the impacts of these events in a dynamic wilderness environment. These...
Women of Helfrich 2022
This month, we are celebrating the wonderful women of the Helfrich Team. We have some amazing, strong, smart women on our crew, and we are so proud of all of them. Each of our female crew members bring something unique and valuable to the operation. As we celebrate...
Breaking into the Current: Being a Female Guide on the Middle Fork
To be frank, being a female guide on the Middle Fork is hard. Guiding is a physically and emotionally exhausting job, and the Middle Fork of the Salmon is a particularly male dominated river. Before coming to Helfrich I had never worked with another female guide. At...
Birding Along The Middle Fork: A Personal Journey
Birding Along The MIDDLE Fork: A Personal Journey by Tim Gunderson HRO Guide The yellow-rumped warbler If you know me, you probably know me as a geologist. I have taught and studied geology for over 20 years. But, in 2018 I began to pursue an interest that had...
Staying Healthy on the River – Escape to the River Post Covid
Romance on the River – Jeremy and Laura Pisca’s Wedding on the Middle Fork
My husband, Dirk Gibson, grew up working on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and then he owned a Middle Fork Company of his own for a time. This led to meeting many special people, including Jeremy Pisca and Laura Stott. It was on one of our trips that the two of them...
In Loving Memory of Chris Olsen
It is with great sadness we inform you of the passing of our dear friend and long time guide, Christian Olsen. Christian's legacy with Helfrich Outfitters goes back to the days of Dave Helfrich. He started working for Dave in 1961, and worked steadily through...
The Flower Power of the Middle Fork in June
Spring time comes a little later up in the Frank Church Wilderness, making June the ideal time for flower children. During this time of year, you can spot blooms of many different species of wild flowers, such as syringa, camas, arrow-leaf balsam root, elephant head,...
Kidd Youren on History Channel Hit Show Mountain Men
Helfrich River Outfitter and Guide, Kidd Youren, and his brother, Harry, are once again series regulars on the hit History Channel Show, Mountain Men. Tune in as they embark on new adventures in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho! Kidd and Harry grew up the sons of a...
April 30th Update – Your Reservation & COVID19
Update - Your Reservation and Covid-19 Hello River Guests, We hope that you and your family are holding up well; staying both physically and mentally healthy during these last few weeks and months. Since the onset of the pandemic, many of us have had no choice but to...