BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho man is home safe after his solo raft trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River went south. 73-year-old Thomas Gray's raft flipped in a Class 5 rapid, forcing him to spend several days in the backcountry without supplies.
Gray launched from Marsh Creek on May 17 and ran into several log jams along the way. At one point, John Haugh, Custer County Sheriff's Marine Deputy, said Gray injured his leg trying to get his raft out from under a log.
Eventually, his raft was swept away after flipping in a challenging rapid called "Dagger Falls." Haugh said Gray spent two days waiting for another crew to come by. All he had was his dry suit he was wearing, a helmet, jacket and boots. No food or water.
Gray does not remember the third night. But he spent several days hiking about 20 miles out, where a local outfitter group found him on the side of the road on May 22.
"For the man to cover that kind of country in those freezing conditions without food, drinking creek water, and then eating snow is just incredible," Haugh said.
Gray has more than four decades of rafting experience. He has run that section of the river many times. Two years ago, Haugh said tragedy struck.
"He and his brother were running Marsh Creek, and his brother succumbed to his injuries at Dagger Falls," Haugh said. "And I was the marine deputy and had to spend two weeks trying to locate his body and then him flown out by helicopter. So, at that time, I met Tom. It was unbelievable when I was told who it was because knowing the person and then two years the day, I just couldn't fathom it."
When the men reunited, Haugh said he got emotional.
"I gave him a big hug. I said, 'Tom, I'm not a huggy kind of person,' and we had a big bear hug," he said.
Search and rescue looked for Gray on the river and in the air, but Haugh said they just missed each other. He recommends always going down the river in groups, wearing a river rescue knife and having some sort of communication device.
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