Im planning a fishing/packrafting trip for July of 2017. Two packrafters were paddling the Class I+ section of the Tama River (western Tokyo) when one paddler snagged on submerged or partly-submerged river debrismetal wire or a loop. The next day, his empty raft and backpack were found on the southern shore, about 12km away. Intro to Packrafting Embark on a journey to one of Fiordland's hidden gems. I have led several canoe/backpack loops of the Bigelow range and Flagstaff lake in western Maine. - Yellowstone National Park - September 13, 2021, Grand Canyon Loop: Thunder River -> Tapeats -> Kanab -> Sowats. There's the Caribou, Forager, Gnarwhal, Wolverine, Scout and Explorer 42, as well as the Classic Series. Wyoming's Wind River Range offers one of the most scenic and rewarding backpacking trips in the Lower 48. Like the fiber from the tropical tree? Join us for fun paddling and wildlife watching in the Brooks Range this fall. A Frenchman was reported overdue around the northern end of Lake Rotorua. Is there a publication that lays out the basics? It can be found at the south end of Beaver Park. Falcon Publishing. Choosing one trip out of the nearly endless options within a five-hour drive from Salt Lake City has been feeling like a daunting task lately. Richard, Kapok? You must log in or register to reply here. I bought the Kokatat Swift Entry drysuit with relief zipper. His partners found him after thirty minutes and performed CPR, but recovery was not possible. Outfits like Diamond 4 Ranch or Sweetwater Fishing Expeditions out of Lander can haul your belongings into the mountains on a guided pack trip into the Winds, which includes camp, horses, a guide and a cook. He was not wearing a PFD. We spend the next week enjoying this little river, as well as exploring our surroundings on layover days. Saw no one on the porcupine trails and most people on the highline trail. Astral and Norge are the two primary manufacturers of this PFD type. Wildland Trekking has a six-day rim-to-rim trip where you'll hike into the canyon. Backcountry access Bettles, AK. First-world problems, I know. What follows is a general flow of events. It's a backpackers' playground. Though Id share some details regarding our trip last weekend (June 14-16th, 2013) following Forrests (http://jhpackraft.com/packraft-info/trip-ideas/) trip idea and his post. Moose river loop up in Jackman Maine, More than 30 miles . Im happy that we havent had any fatalities in New Zealand that Im aware of. I could head south and hop on a river, but the 100-degree heat in the Moab area made this look pretty unappealing. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Winner Creek to 20 Mile Packraft. Nova Alaska Guides extricated Marty and boater #3. The other mistake was running solo. The Forager, Gnarwhal and Wolverine are from . wanted to get a gage to see if folks had ever checked out the Green River Lakes area this late in the year. It was initially (wrongly) reported in the news as a packrafting fatality. 2 packrafts and 2 paddles were lost, one paddle and 1 packraft remained. Regarding price it's the perfect packraft for beginners but . Self-bailing and full spraydeck and skirt models, and attachments like thigh braces will keep you connected to the packraft, and smiling the whole time. After contact by cell phone they walked out to Mat Glacier view area. Starting on the open tundra, it flows beneath limestone spires, past glacial lakes, and through the boreal forests of northern Alaska. It has these additional benefits: it can be worn under a properly sized windshirt or rainwear for insulation, in lieu of a high loft vest; the two side straps and the accordion style foam on the sides allow a comfortable athletic fit for paddling; and there is an elastic safety loop that locks the zipper in place. The Continental Divide crests the Wind River Range's entire length. You're currently viewing a free preview of a member exclusive premium article. I'm wanting a real whitewater PFD. One of my favorite musicians has a great song about the Verde River (he lives in Jerome). As one paddles the smaller lake it transitions from Gatorade colored to clear. Wishing You the Best! ' I know BAD! 12 day backpacking and packrafting in Gates of the Arctic, Alaska. We never even saw a single backpacker throughout the entire . That said, some PFDs will offer significant advantages over those casually . One of the most sought after activities in the Wyoming water is fishing, and its an incredible way to experience the landscape. Two packrafters swam in Eagle River (you can get a sense for the nature of the river from this video taken a bit upstream), with overnight equipment. Such a joy to spend days where time was meaningless. For our summer vacation in 2015 we decided to spend a week in August backpacking the Wind River Range in Wyoming. If you havent fly fished before and are looking for a little bit more of a wild day, you could enjoy a day of guided fly fishing. As always, the trip was more than I expected and I had a great time. Ryan, thanks that paints a picture of small, semi-technical, low volume streams. We camped next to the car and woke to find snow blowing horizontally. For another place to enjoy a quiet romp around the water, head up the Loop Road above Bruces Bridge in Sinks Canyon into the Shoshone National Forest. What Ive learned is that you can be reasonably comfortable in a drysuit even in warmer weather wear lightest layers or shorts under it. All recordings are now online! Rescuers were notified, but unable to save him. Seneca Lake Trail. I find the notion of the torso light torso burrito "interesting.". Close calls are abundant within the packrafting community, serious injuries and fatalities have been rare. Any input would be greatly appreciated. And yup there are some big creeks flowing from those hills. I started looking at a Wind River high route and felt more excited with the prospect of an ambitious thru-hike, but there wasnt time to plan that as I would be leaving the very next day. USARA statement regarding Peter JollesCTV News, Vancouver. I have swum rapids with it. Tp. Hot showers are in order! A post shared by Tom Mckendrick (@thomas.mckendrick). Great shot, Ryan! It is not clear if they were in the boat or swimming when they came into contact with the debris. The geography of the west has become familiar to him. It is likely that a dry suit would have made a huge difference. Imagine this: waking up to the smell of crackling bacon, watching morning sunlight hit the Dinwoody Cirque and listening to a Clarks nutcracker sing from a whitebark pine outside your tent. Online trip-planning course: Jan-March 2022! Once at the lake we followed game trails through the open areas on the left/ north side of the lake to a prominent shelf then traversed right to the large gully descending from the saddle, linked rock ribbons on the left side of the gully to the saddle staying mostly off the snow, some cairns. It is located in the beautiful Peel Watershed, a collection of 6 rivers that flow north into the Peel River and later into the Mackenzie River that flows into the Beaufort Sea. 52. r/WildernessBackpacking. $$$ We think the Wind River is the finest river trip on the south side of the Brooks Range. P.K. Perfect conditions. John & Roman et al that 14 oz vest is a Stearns Class III, you can buy them at Wal-Mart. Very nice. http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/15/index.html. They also have a one week class called Rapid Immersion they conduct on either the Trinity River or the South Fork of the American River. We are lucky enough to be located 10 minutes walk from the diverse Murrumbidgee river. American Whitewater Incident ReportJohn Quimby, personal communication. . From the Elkhart trailhead parking lot, take the Pole Creek Trail directly adjacent to . Visit www.WindRiver.org for license information, outfitters and guides. I am not aware of any publication that teaches the basics of packrafting but, there are many that teach river kayaking. Autumn on the Wind offers clear cold nights, aurora viewing, fall colors, and excellent hiking. I appreciate the swiss-cheese model of incident causation to visualize this incidents occur when a bunch of small holes line up perfectly wrong. We do some river canoeing and sea kayaking, now I have to add desert paddling to the to-do list. Become a BCP Supporting Member and kiss them all goodbye. Since then, they have thrived in the most remote high mountain lakes that beckon anglers from all over the world. Continuing to encourage drysuit use in the packrafting community is important. Check out Lander-based Wyoming Rivers Cooperative for details (they also offer incredible rafting trips). 20 Days of Backpacking & Packrafting the Brooks Range in Alaska - Aqua Bound Colorado Outward Bound instructors, Noah Larsen and Arthur Shain, took on Alaska's Brooks Range for a 400-mile packraft and backpack expedition in August. The reporting party was reached and assisted within hours, and the missing packrafter was found, deceased, on rocks farther downriver. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. The Wind River Range offers some breathtaking views and is teeming with wildlife of all kinds. Experience Required: McCarthy Creek to Kennicott River (CLII+) Medium to Very Hard 6-12 hours $$ One nice hike, two amazing rivers! This photo might be from this section of the river. I dont know for certain which section Peter was paddling, but I see a 6-km stretch of Class II/III water that could be scouted from the road. Duration 14 Days . It is not uncommon to have eagles above you and salmon or steelhead below you in the crystal clear water. The paddler was in their 70s, and it is suspected that their paddle leash snagged the debris. I noticed a swim in one of his videos where he holds onto the boat by looping an arm through the deck combing, so that might have played a factor in his fatal swim as well. Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you prefer the calm of floating rivers and lakes without a fishing rod in your hands, there are a lot of places and options for adventure in Fremont County. Nizina River (CL II+) Medium to Hard 1-3 days $$$ A classic Alaskan river . In Alaska, I urge people to consider the cost of the drysuit as part of the packraft purchase price. My route started and ended at Green river lakes area, went up lakeside trail to porcupine trail, lost trail for a mile then re-found it in a sound of music like meadow (saw some nice trout in the pools of this meadow stream), camped just short of intersection between south gypsum trail and porcupine pass, had a moose visitation just after sunset, next morning hiked straight up porcupine pass into beautiful mountain meadow with small stream (from melting snow spots) and what appeared to be cranberry bushes, stoutly in bloom, continued to new fork porcupine trail, then turned left to clark creek trail, did some tenkara fly fishing at Kenny lake (lake full of small trout, seemed like brown and brook trout, a bite on nearly every cast even with 10-15mph winds) set up camp at said lake; morning continued on down clark creek trail, (took a dip in Clark lake, that really woke me up) eventually joined highline trail and as soon as could see river walked through meadow, inflated boat and weaved through the river meadow after some time river became clogged with non-runnable wood jammed sieved out boulder gardens, very beautiful; I began to exhaustively portage around these obstacles eventually deflating and rejoining highline trail, setup camp approximately directly across from square top mountain. 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