On the Drop

Back to it this morning working for Joe Bloomquist and the Missouri River Lodge. I do more days for Joe than any other outfitter and have for the past seven seasons. The first day I ever worked for Joe, I showed up at the lodge and he asked if I would like to float the Dearborn with his clients…I’d only floated it twice before and I was never the one rowing the entire day. My ego didn’t allow my sensibility to decline so I got a raft from Cross Currents and headed up HWY 287.


The first set of rapids we ended up taking a couple 360’s after ramming a canoe that had been wrapped around a rock. We did dislodge the canoe and recovered it—scared the crap out of me but the clients loved it. When we got to the take-out at Mid-Canon, there was a note for me to take the shuttle rig from the shop as there was a, “minor mishap” with my truck. The mishap was the shuttle driver hitting the ditch at 70mph. Epic day.

Today shouldn’t be as eventful. The tributaries are on the drop so everything should be cleared up. The weather the last couple days has arrested the run-off again. The winds should be light out of the southwest today but tomorrow shifting to the northwest. I think we’ll head down low today and maybe do the canyon tomorrow.

Keep ‘em where they live…