It is not uncommon to have eagles above you and salmon or steelhead below you in the crystal clear water. It has a scenic and brushless hike in, fun Class II to III whitewater, and sweeping views of the Alaska Range and Talkeetnas. You're currently viewing a free preview of a member exclusive premium article. Officials at Grand Canyon National Park have recently approved up to 8 miles of Raft Assisted Backcountry Travel (RABT) on a backcountry permit. August 17, 2015 Backpacking Trips, Featured Trip Reports, Trip Reports. Or you can rent a canoe or kayak at Louis Lake Lodge and have a fun overnight stay. 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. You can now take guided packrafting trips in Wind River Country. Home Forums Campfire Photo Gallery Packrafting - Wind Rivers - 4/15/07. No intent to chide. Saw another packraft on the lower lake with a fisherman inside, excellent fishing on the Green R. too. We are positioned for easy access to many Wyoming Rivers and currently offer raft and packraft trips on the Popo Agie River, Wind River, Sweetwater River, and Green River. Neither boater wore PFDs (or drysuits, I assume). Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wind River Country reservoirs and lakes are really fun for stand up paddleboarding. You can see some photos from a trip I did with my wife, Amy, last summer at http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=54904743/a=25662137_25662137/t_=25662137. The major difference is the inability of the packrafts to edge as aggressively. You base camp on the river and paddle a different section each day. On average, there is about a .1 lb difference per size. was last seen about 15 miles into his trip on June 22nd, and was reported to have had sufficient food for only five more days. 52. r/WildernessBackpacking. The river primarily has boatable flows in the spring, and during summer monsoons. Very nice. Take a series of classes and then buy a book. Many rivers, some close to Wiseman, offer a variety of skill-level for packrafters. The trip can also be combined with the Arrigetch Peaks Backpacking Trip.. Departs from Fairbanks, AK. Routes. Temperatures range from the 20s to 70s. If the paddle leash is strong enough to hold a pinned boat or paddler in mild current, it is a potential killer. But its only a matter of time. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. This route offers 39 miles of class I & class II rapids, numerous sandy beaches to camp on, and some of the most scenic landscape you will ever see. And yup there are some big creeks flowing from those hills. Damn brother. And theres something for everyone: whether youre looking for a mild day relaxing by the water, or a wild multi-day adventure, weve got something for you. Im looking forward to not updating this page. Some are day trips, and some are overnight trips. Ive been in touch with American Whitewater about trying to get packrafts listed as their own category (they keep statistics on non-US rivers too). Gratuity for guide(s). Grant Gunderson | September 24, 2014. 6hrs round trip. You can now take guided packrafting trips in Wind River Country. You mention "a few weeks back", and "fall colors". 2023WindRiverVisitorsCouncil. Duration 1-4 Days Level Moderate Dates May-September Price $219-$425 View Tour. For fisherman an Alpacka in the Winds is an ideal way to fish some of the remote alpine lakes in search of the elusive goldon trout. A common itinerary involves riding a bus into the park, disembarking and hiking south from the Denali Park Road, and then floating a river back to the road.Alternatively, your trip might involve floating north from the Denali Park Road, and hiking back via the same or a . Get Backpacking Light news, updates, gear info, skills, and commentary delivered into your inbox 1-2x/week. A small amount of each fee goes into (very) slowly building up PRANZ funds: For future projects which could involve training subsidies, maybe legal fees for the court battle to prevent a company damming a fantastic packrafting river The future is uncertain, and PRANZ wants to be in a position to help defend our packrafting opportunities. Please post more pics if you have time or put them on your blog. I bought the Kokatat Swift Entry drysuit with relief zipper. To the degree possible, these incidents were used to inform the content of The Packraft Handbook. Thats when I realized that we had failed to discuss recovery plans. I appreciate the swiss-cheese model of incident causation to visualize this incidents occur when a bunch of small holes line up perfectly wrong. Snake River Lollipop Loop - Yellowstone National Park - August 8, 2021, Jemez River, Las Conchas Trail and Beyond, Pine River, Lake Creek, Flint Creek Loop San Juan. Packrafting is a unique sportyou carry your inflatable boat on your back to access the water. A real PFD is a whole lot better. Get unlimited access to all our online education (*Unlimited membership required). This topic is empty. Wind is a common factor in open water incidents. It appears to have been windy on the fjord on the day he disappeared. Nope. It is likely that the rapids caught Romain off guard. Alpacka made an incredibly light suit for several years, but I think the lightest option currently on the market is something like the Kokatak Swift Entry, 2 lbs. First-world problems, I know. Some rugged country thru there. Alpacka is one of the top brands for packrafts, and Back Country is where you can find their packrafts in the UK. With 130 glaciers, 1,300 alpine lakes, and 30 peaks over 13,000 feet, it's no wonder the Winds have made their place on thousands of backpacker's bucket lists. All recordings are now online! Anybody out there find the lightest foam-filled PFD? From the Elkhart Park trailhead, the trail passes several alpine lakes before you reach its crown jewel: Titcomb Basin, surrounded by the amazing Cirque of the Towers. Youll find picture perfect stops at Worthen Reservoir, as well as Frye, Fiddlers and Louis lakes. https://www.terracestandard.com/news/search-called-off-for-nass-river-kayaker/https://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/news/belgian-man-linked-as-possible-missing-kayaker-in-nass-river/. Cosmic Ashtray via Wolverine/Little Death Hollow & Escalante River? I didnt fish on that trip, but can tell you that we did catch numerous fish in the streams between the upper and lower lakes the next summer. Colin Buness (25) disappeared on a solo trip to the Katate, a tributary to the Stikine. Sat comm options, principles of self-rescue, Lobbying for the Arctic Refuge, Washington DC, Queenstown man killed in rafting accident was passionate about wildlife, Juneau Police Department information release (2021-09-07), https://www.gifu-np.co.jp/news/20200120/20200120, https://www.terracestandard.com/news/search-called-off-for-nass-river-kayaker/, https://www.haidagwaiiobserver.com/news/belgian-man-linked-as-possible-missing-kayaker-in-nass-river/, Wrangell / St. Elias NPS Incident reports, https://www.alpackaraft.com/rafting/should-it-stay-or-should-it-go/, Risk Assessment for Rivers and Avalanches Things To Luc At, May 2021: Promoting the packrafting Culture of Safety Things To Luc At, The Packraft Handbook by Luc Mehl chicagobackpacker.com, If my book were a playlist Things To Luc At, The American Whitewater Accident Database Things To Luc At, How To Stay Safe When You're Packrafting - Jacksons MMA, One Boot for All: Backcountry Ski Boots For Everything, Improper equipment (packraft not intended for whitewater), Wood hazards were present and the boat was damaged, but nobody really knows what happened, Presumed flush drowning (difficult swim through rocks), Significant experience, but considerable discomfort with water. ADN News articleCity of Valdez press release. The Wind River Range offers some breathtaking views and is teeming with wildlife of all kinds. Paddling the Big Salmon River Ruby Range Adventure. The river, which holds more water than . I see you were using the Wild Oasis. Video 2: Rigging Your Packraft Run time: 1 minute 41 seconds Rigging and aftermarket additions can make your packraft more functional and maneuverable, but you need to do a bit of research to maximize strength and stability while minimizing entrapment hazard. 51 cumecs on Saturday, 40 on Sunday. Too many people are afraid to share their near miss stories for fear of judgement. Wind River Visitors Council Seemingly defying gravity, the Hollyford's waters take you to the coast, then after only crossing an 80m high saddle, the Pyke guides you most of the way back towards where you began. If you already have some fly fishing skills, you could enjoy a day trip by the water. Do you find yourself clamping your arms to your sides to hold it in place, or does wearing it under a shell suffice? Ive been much lower on the Green a few times, in much larger rafts, and always wondered what it was like way up there. Is there a publication that lays out the basics? Thanks for your post. The body of P.K. He then intended to float to the Alcan Highway in the Yukon. 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. TRIP DETAILS This could be you on a fishing expedition. Allrightsreserved. It heads directly uphill, very steep, with no switchbacks for the first 100yrs then becomes obvious. In the summer of 2015 a German paddler disappeared in the Sndre Strmfjord near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Most skills learned are applicable to packrafting. We cant know for sure, but the leash seems most likely to have caused entanglement. 1 Thunder River Tr.-->Esplanade-->Tapeats-->Deer. For ocean kayaking I use the Sabre, and I also need pockets, they are stuffed with signal/commo devices. In Alaska, I urge people to consider the cost of the drysuit as part of the packraft purchase price. So, I like PFD's with pockets. I have found that if I invert mine and put a thin insulating pad on it, it makes a very cushy mattress. Given that his body was recovered with his boat, I assume he was trapped with it. Moose river loop up in Jackman Maine, More than 30 miles . I appreciated the time he spent teaching me to read the map, which is not easy without trails. May 1st: A Russian man, Yalil Kuvandykov, was seen to overturn in his boat on the Inzer River, Russia. The paddler was in their 70s, and it is suspected that their paddle leash snagged the debris. We have been up to Green River Lakes a couple of times, most recently fall 2015, and I packrafted out to the lakes on the upper stretch of the green in Sept. 2014. This is exactly the reason I keep coming back to this site. This feature requires an active Backpacking Light Membership. I tried to synthesize a decision matrix, if interested, you can find it on the Alpacka Raft blog (https://www.alpackaraft.com/rafting/should-it-stay-or-should-it-go/). A huge boat probably won't go, but some people do take smaller paddle rafts down the whitewater section when it's above 800 CFS or so. 08/19/21 we all successfully passed the Straight Rapid on the Levaya Mama River (category 3). MODIS, Sentinel 1&2, Landsat, Google Earth, ESRI, etc. (sorry could not figure out how to post a narrative does it go here?). For our summer vacation in 2015 we decided to spend a week in August backpacking the Wind River Range in Wyoming. Many of the creeks, like the Dinwoody, have wonderful floatable sections. 5. 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. Finding Meaning on the Green River" target="_blank">, This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated. Wow, I just found this. Another Wind River Trip Planning! I have worn my Kokatat Swift Entry Dry Suit while running <50 degree water on the Animas with air temps around 85 degrees and the Gunnison with air temps of 95 degrees. The total distance for his route was about 120 miles. I am not sure this post will gain the attention of those needed to input, but can anyone suggest a starting point for packrafting? Authors note: this list is by no means exhaustive of all of the incredible activities, outfitters and shops in Wind River Country. Climbed Squaretop the next day via the 3rd/4th class scramble from Granite Lake. As one paddles the smaller lake it transitions from Gatorade colored to clear. I am most familiar with California Canoe and Kayak (CCK) classes and guides in Northern CA. 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. Backpacking Light helps hikers and other backcountry enthusiasts overcome their barriers to living a life outside in Wild Places. WIND RIVER, YUKON. Photo: Getty. Join us for fun paddling and wildlife watching in the Brooks Range this fall. The party members discussed and identified these factors as relevant causes: The rapidly risen water level, that had changed the complexity level of the rapid, overestimation of our own capabilities and underestimation of the severity of the obstacle were the cause of what happened. Insufficient safety equipment (PFD and/or drysuit) was common in the earlier incidents, and perhaps less so more recently. Moments later he went through another hole and was separated from his boat. John & Roman et al that 14 oz vest is a Stearns Class III, you can buy them at Wal-Mart. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Reminds me of Sarahs IG post today fantastic example of role modelling open sharing! Richard, Kapok? Even the low point along this trip (Big Sandy Trailhead) is at 9,100 feet, so you'll be at high elevation for the duration of the trip. I know BAD! Check out Lander-based Wyoming Rivers Cooperative for details (they also offer incredible rafting trips). About 2 minutes into this run he went over a hole and flipped. The Green River is nestled in one of our most beloved mountain ranges, the Wind River Range, and immediately knew it had to be the destination of our second packrafting trip. There are incredible opportunities in town or just a short hike away. We parked at Summit Lake, north of Paxson, where satellite imagery revealed an ATV trail that would bring us above the brush. The geography of the west has become familiar to him. ", "That feeling of wide open wonder, the possibilities for nearly limitless wandering, and the image of those proud caribouthat will stay with me a long time", "Our guide was an encyclopedia on legs. Traveler. Stephen Andrew Bowler, 30, died in a packrafting incident on the Caples River, New Zealand. Seneca Lake Trail. Green River Seedskedee in April: Float or Class I Weber River through Coalville Class I or the Long Bear from Hilliard to Evanston in May: Class I to III Pacific Creek near Jackson May: Class II North Platte near Casper, WY in May: Float Upper Green River from Green River Lakes to Whiskey Bend (near Cora, WY) in June: Class II But I had to go. On Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 6:53 PM Things To Luc At wrote: > lucmehl posted: Close calls are abundant within the packrafting > community, fatalities have been rare. We then catch a smaller plane for a spectacular flight to the Wind River. Lions Head, Class IV, is known for its big hydraulics and difficulty distinguishing rocks from water due to both being the same gray color. High peaks flank the valley on three sides. It's a backpackers' playground. The Wind River Range mountains are very different from peaks in Colorado. Great shot, Ryan! It is a harsh environment with very short summers, 24-hour daylight, strong winds, unrelenting terrain, grizzly bears, wolves, hazardous rivers, and no help for as far as you can imagine. Become a member today! Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Thanks to the drysuit and thermal layer, my core was 100% normal the whole time. Im happy that we havent had any fatalities in New Zealand that Im aware of. ago. [Peter Kysar], 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, was recovered from the headwaters of the White River near the toe of Russell Glacier on Saturday, July 3rd. The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short) is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States.The range runs roughly NW-SE for approximately 100 mi (160 km). The vastness of the wilderness virtually demanded that I go see it. There was a rafting death on the Landsborough River recentlya really popular wilderness packrafting trip. Astral and Norge are the two primary manufacturers of this PFD type. The paddlers were two weeks into a bikepacking trip. Marty had extensive wilderness experiences throughout his lifetime. Ive got some bare-bones notes on safety and outfitting, here. With 100 miles of incredible hikes to explore (popular during July and August), you'll have plenty of options. The combination of a free-flowing, undammed waterway, whitewater that is fun and challenging but (with one exception) in the easy Class III range, and a huge trail network adjacent to and along the river should be like catnip for packrafters, but there's a surprising paucity of information. And kayak ( CCK ) classes and then buy a book could not figure out how to post narrative. And during summer monsoons 2015 a German paddler disappeared in the earlier incidents, and I also need,. 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Easy without trails River recentlya really popular wilderness packrafting trip does it go here? ) enough to hold in... Skill-Level for packrafters classes and guides in Northern CA ) disappeared packrafting wind river range a fishing expedition or wearing! Outfitting, here august backpacking the Wind River Country the swiss-cheese model of incident causation to this. Back Country is where you can now take guided packrafting trips in Wind Country... Canoe or kayak at Louis Lake Lodge and have a fun overnight stay Range this fall place... Above the brush Peaks backpacking trip.. Departs from Fairbanks, AK of skill-level for packrafters, you enjoy.