The Mountain Ear, October 2025

The guide book said the left channel through Gunbarrel rapid was the best option in low water, but everyone else was running the right channel. Unsure of what to do, I hesitated before deciding to follow the guide book's recommendation. I rowed hard to get around a large boulder sticking out of the water that marked the entrance to the left channel.

This was my first multi-day trip, and I wasn't accustomed to how much slower the boat would be with five days worth of food and gear loaded into it. I pulled hard, but we were moving in the direction of the boulder faster than I could row around it. I shipped my oar, hoping we would just bounce off the side of the rock and into the left channel.

The river tends to have its own ideas. The current pushed us broadside into the boulder, then sideways up the side of the boulder. The raft balanced on its side for a split second before it was upside down, both occupants ejected. Once my head was above water, I looked for my passenger. We were both visible and breathing, but we still had a rapid to swim.

I don't know how any of the channels are to row through, but I can say that the left channel ended up being alright for swimming. In about the time it takes a toilet to flush, we were in calmer water, with the two kayakers in the group moving quickly towards us to offer assistance.

Thankfully, nearly half of our group were current or former river guides, and in a matter of minutes we had righted the boat and collected the two hats, four beverage cans, and one untethered dry bag that had all taken solo journeys through the rapid. I felt frazzled and a little bit embarrassed when Shannon rowed over and said "Mark, we are all between flips. We have all flipped boats, and we will all flip a boat again. It's part of being on the river. All of us are always between flips."

Of the 14 people in our group, a handful of us knew each other through the Rocky Mountaineers, another handful knew each other because they had guided together, but there wasn't anyone who knew everybody else before we launched. By the end of the trip, we were all friends.

I attribute some of that camaraderie to how people responded to the boat flipping. It would have been easy to judge me for the mistake I made and turn away. But instead, everyone turned towards me. People checked in. They offered reassurance. We talked about decision making on the river, and they shared wisdom accumulated over many years. Everyone on the trip showed one another that they cared, and we were able to have more fun as a result.

I don't think I would ever intentionally flip a boat on the second rapid of a multi-day trip. But in this instance, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. It brought us together as a group and gave us a tremendous opportunity to learn. Eli shared a mantra that fits this and so many situations well:

There is no losing in life, only winning and learning.

Go outside and be kind.

-Mark

Crossing Iceland

On Tuesday, 14 October at 7:00 p.m., Chris Dunn will be presenting about his experience crossing Iceland from sea to sea by foot and by packraft. The event will take place at Freestone Climbing Center, 1200 Shakespeare St, in their upstairs meeting room. We are excited to hear about Chris's adventure, and we hope to see you there!

Benefit Screening of "Ski" at The Roxy

On Tuesday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m., the Rocky Mountaineers will be hosting a screening of "Ski," a film about ski mountaineering by Nikolai Schermer. The club will be sharing the proceeds from the event with the Western Montana Avalanche Center.

Cabin Work Day

A big thank you to the many people who contributed to a very successful cabin work day on Saturday, 4 October. We were able to haul in a new cook stove and fuel, as well as a number of new items to improve the kitchen setup. We also cleaned all the flat surfaces and re-stocked with firewood. Now all we need is snow!

TRM Gear Closet

Our ‘exclusive to member use’ Gear Closet continues to grow. We recently added some BCA 2-way radios along with some CAMP alpine ice tools. This gear is for YOU to use at no charge. If you’d like to check something out of the Closet send an email to Mark.

A complete listing of all the gear we currently have available in the Gear Closet can be found on our website.

Upcoming Trips and Activities

Monthly Presentation - Tuesday, 14 October - "Crossing Iceland"
Monthly Presentations begin at 7:0o p.m., and will continue taking place every second Tuesday of the month until April.

Pint Night and Mountain Trivia - Tuesday, 28 October
A portion of all sales from 5-8 p.m. will be donated to the Rocky Mountaineers. Mountain trivia will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Monthly Presentation - Tuesday, 11 November - "Triple Crown"
Lauren Peruffo will give an account of her experience completing the Triple Crown of through hiking, the Appalachian Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail.

"Ski" Screening at The Roxy - Tuesday, 18 November
Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the Roxy box office.

Monthly Presentation - Tuesday, 9 December - "Avalanche"
Anna Matire will tell us about her experience as an avalanche survivor.

Please visit our event calendar for details on these events!!

TRM Merchandise

We have merchandise for sale and available for purchase at our presentations, quarterly business meetings, the Spring picnic, etc.  Please contact Elizabeth at heyartemisoutside@gmail.com if you’d like to purchase something for local pickup.

Beanie $25	Pint Glass $10	Keychain $5
T-Shirt $20	Trucker Hat $20	Buff $5

Ongoing Call for Photos and Videos

If you have some photos or videos you'd like to share that we can use for social media, event promotion, sponsor videos and our newsletter please email Elizabeth at heyartemisoutside@gmail.com or upload to this google photo/video link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/173AgLc4wrkYofvWA

Quarterly Business Meeting Minutes from 23 September can be found here.

Club Officers

President- Mark Albrecht
Vice President – Francis Horton
Secretary- Carson Ramsden
Treasurer- Tom Statz
Website- Kyle O'Connor
Archivist- Julie Kahl
Newsletter Editor / Social Media – Elizabeth Smith