Rafting Mishap Kills Man Trapped By Tree

A rafting trip with friends on the Salmon River ended with a 22-year old man drowning after being thrown from his raft.

The accident Sunday afternoon happened at Halfway Gulch just downstream from the Pine Creek Rapids near Shoup. The section of river known as the “day stretch” is often used by locals and a handful of outfitters.

Lemhi County Sheriff’s deputy Sam Slavin said Jason Armstrong was sucked under the tree and stuck there for nearly an hour before rescuers were able to free him.

High winds blew the giant Douglas fir into the river last Wednesday, said Shoup resident John Hulihan. Hulihan reported the problem to the North Fork Ranger District office.

Hulihan said District Ranger Rogers Thomas could not send someone to remove the tree. Thomas, who declined to comment about the accident, said only that he and Hulihan talked by phone about the tree.

Hulihan alerted everyone he could to the tree’s presence, including kayakers from a nearby Boy Scout camp. But he said the tree was difficult to see from the river. Other rafters had trouble with the tree last weekend, including one in an inflatable kayak who got hung up on it.