Click here to watch a slideshow of the Lochsa RendezvousThe parking lot at Fish Creek, a popular launching spot along the Lochsa River, was full of bright, colorful kayaks, paddles, dry suits and helmets.
It was the first opportunity this season for much of the local river community to run the Lochsa. A prolonged winter has affected water levels across western Montana. At one point, Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures owner Wayne Fairchild questioned whether the water in the Lochsa River would rise to a floatable level by the first week in May.
Each year, on the first weekend in May, hundreds of avid rivergoers and outdoor enthusiasts gather at the Lochsa Lodge, 55 miles southwest of Missoula on the Idaho side of Lolo Pass, to celebrate spring, Cinco de Mayo, old friends, new friends and revived business.
Mostly though, the weekend marks the kickoff to the Lochsa River whitewater season.
"We don't sell T-shirts," Fairchild said. "We don't publicize it. People just know about it."
A week ago, snow was still falling at Lochsa Lodge. Winter brought some of the heaviest snowfalls in 25 years to the lodge.Earlier in the week, snow covered the lodge's front lawn - where about 300 rafters and kayakers camped out Saturday evening, listening to live music and congregating around a bonfire.
Lochsa Lodge owners Don and Andrea Denton plowed much of the snow to the side to allow spots for tents and vehicles, but space was still limited for rendezvous weekend.
"It seemed so strange to see people sleeping on the snow," Andrea Denton said when she arrived at the lodge Sunday morning.
But then again, a lot of strange things happen at Lochsa Rendezvous.
A scruffy man with no shoes and no shirt started setting off fireworks at 9 a.m. Saturday and the pyro activity didn't end until midnight - when U.S. Forest Service officials phoned the lodge.
A group from Salt Lake City and Missoula passed around a fifth of Jim Beam to wash down their breakfast burritos.
Later that day, a soaking-wet Ira Vasgaard was lying with his eyes closed on the side of U.S. Highway 12, barely able to move, seemingly unphased by the traffic barreling down the road several yards away.
The 26-year-old kayaker needed to catch his breath - understandable considering he spent the afternoon swimming Class 5 rapids.
An experienced kayaker, Vasgaard had just finished paddling the Lochsa River between Fish Creek and Split Creek, something he had done hundreds of times before. But on Saturday, Vasgaard and kayaking pal Ben Litz decided to ditch their kayaks for a less conventional means of navigating the river.
Sporting women's swimsuits and water wings over the top of their dry suits, Vasgaard and Litz hit the rapids atop a $70 round inflatable air mattress made for sunbathing in swimming pools (which amazingly didn't pop on the jagged rocks) and big colorful blowup water toys - the kind specifically designed for young children.
"We planned on swimming the whole river," said Litz, 29.
And swim they did - about three-fourths of the nine-mile stretch, in fact.
The duo doesn't recommend just anyone pulling off a stunt like this. The Lochsa River "is not something to be taken lightly," said Vasgaard. The two kayakers are in the water 200 days a year. They wore life jackets and throw ropes under their costumes.
But they do it because they can, and it's fun.
"We're trying to get a movement," Litz said. "Next year will be better. Think Mad TV."
Typically, the Lochsa River is running the highest around Memorial Day and into the first of June, Fairchild said. This year, if there's not a sudden streak of hot temperatures, Fairchild predicts running the Lochsa River into July, which hasn't been done since 1996, he said.The Lochsa Whitewater Rendezvous began 17 years ago as a whitewater kayaking rodeo on the national circuit and attracted kayakers from around the world. It preceded the Bigfork Whitewater Festival, which features the popular "Wild Mile" of the Swan River.
By the fifth year, however, the event became too popular.
Crowds piled alongside the narrow, windy highway adjacent to the Lochsa River to watch the races, which didn't please officials from the Idaho Transportation Department. Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures couldn't afford the liability insurance to keep the event going, Fairchild said.
Though the kayaking competition ended, "we just continued the party," Fairchild said.
Lochsa Rendezvous brings in big businesses to the Lochsa Lodge, a four-season resort. Those who prefer to rent the cabins - as opposed to kickin' it in the dirt (and snow) in tents - often make reservations as they leave for the following year.
"We are slow in April and there's not much to do in the area," Denton said. "It's a celebration for us too. ... We are finally busy."
There's been talk of expanding the event, possibly by bringing in environmental and conservation groups to set up booths to promote awareness, or having outdoor stores bring demo equipment. But for now, "it is what it is," Fairchild said.
It's a party.
Reporter Chelsi Moy can be reached at 523-5260 or at chelsi.moy@missoulian.com. Reach photographer Arthur Mouratidis at 523-5270 or at arthur.mouratidis@lee.net.
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