Ice Jams

Ice jams on the upper river are causing the flow to fluctuate up and down almost 400 cfs in a matter of hours. I took a ride up to Wisdom in the upper valley and saw several small jams. Just above Dickie Bridge there is a massive jam that extends almost to the East Bank access. It’s jammed up so tight that half the river is flowing out of it’s banks all the way to the highway. Warmer weather is predicted for the next few days and hopefully it will break through then. From Wise River to the confluence with the Beaverhead the river is ice free but all that ice scouring the bottom on the upper part is keeping it pretty murky. Normally all the ice is gone by the end of March but this is not a normal year. The amount of snow in the high country surrounding the upper Big Hole Valley is mind bogling.