Waddington Creek - Eightmile

This stretch has ample opportunity for geology discussion.  The biggest topic of discussion is one of The Salmon River's major hazards-a nearly-river-wide bedrock ledge.

Back in 2010, we were totally unaware of this ledge and nearly caught by surprise.  Luckily, it shows a horizontal fall line and that tipped us off.  The ledge is not part of a diversion structure--it is a naturally occuring chunk of bedrock ledge practically spanning the river.

It is neceswsary to go as far left as possible to avoid going over this steep and rough ledge.  We talked to a woman at Heald's RV park who actually did go over the ledge in a raft.  She said everyone was banged up pretty good but no one had any broken bones, just cuts and bruises.  At high water this ledge could be exceptionally dangerous.

We did take photos of the ledge in 2010 and will continue to attempt to find them.  It would be possible to get a photo from the river side by taking the Lake Creek Road off of the Williams Creek Road.  This hazard deserves a prominent mention in the river guide.

The creative partnership that helped bring Eleven Mile RAP into existence needs to be discussed.  WIthout IDT's participation, it's possible this key RAP would exist.

There is no river access for water craft at Eight Mile.  This needs to be explained.  The various rocks and another ledge in this vicinity deserve mention.

Now let's move upstream to Camp Creek.  This is a major potential RAP and needs to be noted on the guide.  There is a Class II rapid not far below Camp Creek that should be noted as well.

Note that on our waypoint sheet below there is the number "45"  that's where we used the BLM Trimble GPS to find the precise intersection of teh 45th parallel with The Salmon River.  The IDT sign denoting the 45th parallel is considerably far away from the actual point.  We think the location of the esoteric spot is worth noting.
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As one nears the Eight Mile area, one enters the Salmon Valley.  We think the entrance and exits to both Round and Salmon Valleys ought to be noted on the guide.  Likewise, we made a note of the point where one can see the Continental Divide for the first time.  It is a majestic view and well worth calling attention to.

There are numerous in-channel rocks in the eight and seven mile area.

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