The greatest thing about the Pacific Northwest is how much accessible adventure hides in the creases of its maps. The unknown nature of the river and the gradient wore us down as the day went on. It’s gone-likely shredded below in some unknown and waiting canyon. Packrafting Alpackarafts are handmade in the USA. The remainder of the hike to unnamed river was tough but stunning. Fortunately he popped up a few seconds later and climbed back in his boat to finish the canyon. My climbing plans in the near future include climbing all of the major peaks in the cascades. Getting the gear off the boat and into the tubes is the single biggest step away from Ramer and toward Dynafit I have seen in my four decades of packrafting (80s, 90s, Oughts, Teens). The Alpacka “zipper boats” have revolutionized classic-style packrafting. The Yellowstone River is a special place for us. I'd estimate the Hoh river is about 100 miles long, running from the glacial basins of Mt. It has many difficult … We were already partly home and tied up with future activities, work, spouses etc. Northcoast can handle up to four yacht projects as large as 132 feet, although it's most popular series has been an 87-footer with the most recent launch in mid-2006. Elizabeth Hampton, PT, DPT, WCS, PRPC, BCB-PMD Elizabeth is a physical therapist in practice since 1987 and owner of CorePhysio. In the morning we paddled out of the lake and into Black Wolf Creek. / November 18, 2020, Thru Hiking Ultralight Backpacking You know they’ll pick a good camp, a good line through the rapid or a good way to skirt a canyon. The rivers dropped by a foot or more each night as the rain had stopped. The American Packrafting Association is an international association of paddlers dedicated to the conservation of wild rivers and wild places, promotion of packrafter safety and education, and preservation of packrafting opportunities on wild rivers and in wild places. The river remained relatively low volume but the gradient was steep as hell. How couldn’t you be? Our next few hours were laid out in front of us. Mission. Alpackaraft - the original packraft brand. We may have had second thoughts as we headed straight up a willow choked mountain. “Packrafts inspire adventurers to reimagine backcountry travel. Join me and Dave Morrow as we backpack into one of the most REMOTE places in the Pacific Northwest. We all wished each other good luck on our trips and agreed not to share any intel on the Black Wolf until we’d all done it. / November 22, 2019, Day Hiking © HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEAR. Momentum, 45°, Leaning Downstream, Planting Blade. Holes. The boats are made from the highest quality fine grade nylon 66 with the most durable polyurethane coating. Paul and Sky had decided that they didn’t want to paddle our next objective-Black Wolf Creek. That's why my Teton Wilderness Packrafting trip was perfect! He fought it hard and ended up going under still square in his boat. Go Bob! For more in-depth trip reports, photos and videos from their time exploring Canada, check out Paul on Exposure.co. Steeped in history, fraught with lawlessness, altered by industry, and even haunted by the legend of Bigfoot himself, the oddly-named settlement of Happy Camp has beckoned eclectic groups of miners, adventurers, and mysterious lone wolves throughout its tumultuous history. / July 20, 2020, How To Backpacking Light and the Yellowstone River. Which raises the real risk of open water packrafting – the wind turning the wrong way! Leaning In. Entering the Hydraulic. When we were planning the trip we thought we might be getting the first crack at what looked like a really good river but some Americans had the same idea. All packrafts sold here at Packrafting.com is of the brand Alpackaraft. Locale: Pacific Northwest. In one boily canyon Dylan’s entire raft was sucked under by the sudden appearance of a whirlpool. Combine backpacking, packrafting and fishing for a wild adventure in a nearly unexplored corner of Alaska. All packrafts sold here at Packrafting.com is of the brand Alpackaraft. While most of this post has focused on what we did, that’s not what makes a trip. Part 2/3. Change what you thought was possible in a packraft with this series, each proudly Made to Order in Mancos, Colorado. We have been making packrafts almost two decades and many of our original models are still going strong – and still ultralight. We were both aware that a swim would be bad. Scotty Railton: On Trail In The Pacific Northwest. Choose the series that suits you the best. / October 08, 2020, Packrafting Filming was done with the permission of Parks Canada Agency, in Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve and Nahanni National Park Reserve. Lower: Riffles & decent flow from below Hwy 101 bridge to the Pacific Ocean. Designed specifically to accommodate logistics needs for sporting activities, the Landing Craft has fast become the favored choice to bring home the payload. Rain starts in the mountains, slipping down over the foothills in Seattle’s famous gray clouds until it reaches the coast; then the ocean swirls it away, marking its own defining line along the edge of the Sound. The long miles coaxed 2/3rds of our 10 person crew to opt for the more predictable route east over Pagoda, but 3 of went up Silvertip. In reimagining it, every person has the possibility of experiencing the freedom, solitude, and joy of accessing remote landscapes.”–Sarah Tingey, Director of Outreach and Operations. Nothing spells adventure like strapping a durable craft to your back and heading down the canyon rim to find out what’s downstream. We didn’t know much about Oregon, Washington or any other places in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). So how did we get to the Mackenzie and where did all this simple living take place? In any case, I’d like to thank Sky, Paul and Dylan for an awesome trip. The creek started mellow but by late afternoon was continuous Class 3+ white water. You take a helicopter out and ruin your friends’ trip. The lower creek was several hundred meters wide and then suddenly constricted to a few meters as we headed upstream. / January 08, 2021, Words & Photos by Paul Burbidge // Videos by Dylan Stewart. Some of the simple was quite hard (150 kilometers of portaging with no trails, difficult rivers) but it was simple. The Alpacka packraft and Packraft Fishing Table allows you to get away from marshy edges and log jams, and have a totally liberating alpine fishing experience. The creek flows through a spectacular valley that reminded us a bit of the Carcajou Canyon we’d been in two years earlier. Once we popped out we were in an amazing green valley cut with the Flood Creek canyon and several feeder canyons. Maybe easy isn’t the right word. The riv­er flows 40 miles through the Bob Mar­shall Wilder­ness — Mon­tana’s largest — and has some of the clean­est, clear­est water you will ever see. Wake up, hike or paddle, enjoy food that would make you gag at home, find a nice camp, face a bunch of unknowns, and enjoy being out there. Our fabrics have the highest tear strength, PU adhesion, UV protection, and long term durability in the industry. Come join us at NOLS Alaska for an adventure in the Land of the Midnight Sun. I’ve read everything I could about the Nahanni for years and was keen to take a look. One of the few packraft trips in the Pacific Northwest with some easy to find beta online is the Queets River on the Olympic Peninsula. / August 02, 2018. These parks have great trip planners available online and are Canada’s packraft nirvana. Just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a fabric by its denier and coating. It has many difficult rapids including Crooked Canyon and the Step. The Alpackaraft brand is the original packraft brand and the company is often referred to as the inventor of commercial packrafts (NOTE: be aware of unsafe/low quality china copies) . Technical Water. Hiking is simple: put one foot in front of the other, try not to lose elevation unnecessarily, don’t kick too many rocks with your sore toes. A password will be sent to your email address. Even the place doesn’t make the trip (although it can unmake it). Packrafts are a boat design developed over the past 15 years for light, flexible travel through the wilderness. Road Tripping the Pacific Northwest Coast. Sky had a swim in Crooked Canyon that shook his confidence a bit, but we took a short break and Sky got back in his boat and paddled the rest of the canyon well. The Alpackaraft brand is the original packraft brand and the company is often referred to as the inventor of commercial packrafts (NOTE: be aware of unsafe/low quality china copies) . The hike up Flood Creek was an unexpected highlight. This is the where the gold rush stampeders reached the end of the Chilkoot Trail and built their makeshift “floating coffins” for the long trip down the Yukon River to the Klondike gold fields. Oh, Canada: Packrafting The Northwest Territories We cooked up a packraft route that started on the Little Nahanni River, which flows from the Yukon/NWT border. We all felt a little tense as a slot canyon isn’t the ideal place to weather a rain storm. The river slowed. I planned my trip along Pacific Creek as an easy one or two-night practice run before a more difficult longer trip. Along the banks of the mighty Klamath River in far northern California rests a sleepy mountain town. Flying in to Upper Paradise Lake is the only easy option. Part 2/3. Most of the fun of these trips is not knowing what’s coming up and developing the skills to deal with it. The mountains shrank and softened. The video below tells the tale. They are meant to be light enough to carry in your pack and sturdy enough to paddle down rivers. See the Women's Arc'teryx Beta FL See the Men's Arc'teryx Beta FL On this trip they put our Ultamid Pyramid Tents + Inserts, Flat Tarps, and 4400 Porter pack to the test. As a result, there’s no doubt that both of the people who read the articles are charging out and buying packrafts as we speak! A quick scout revealed this was a walk as the canyon was nasty looking with an ugly waterfall entrance. Enter to win! EDDY TURNING. Simple? I’ve heard many people complain that their raingear was “leaking”, when in fact it is really perspiration and condensation accumulating against the inside of the jacket. Practice! The Pacific Northwest (PNW), sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and (loosely) by the Rocky Mountains on the east. We've partnered with some amazing brands to give away our top gift picks. PACKRAFTING. Strokes: Forward, Sweep, Reverse, Draw. Last week my girlfriend and I took our new packrafts on a 6-day, 70-mile trip from the headwater lakes of the Yukon River to Whitehorse. We had 7 days of perfect weather. Monday, June 10, 2019. Alpackarafts has the industry highest strength to weight ratios and the highest strength to volume rations. I had hiked through the Alpine Lakes area 12 years ago on the Pacific Crest Trail, but that September the whole stretch was drenched in … I love kayak fishing, but high alpine lakes and hard-plastic kayaks don't mix. Equipment Guide. I had hiked through the Alpine Lakes area 12 years ago on the Pacific Crest Trail, but that September the whole stretch was drenched in rain and fog and I … ... Just 20 miles northwest of Happy Camp, Kelly Lake is the most accessible mountain lake in the Siskiyou Wilderness Area. Monday, June 10, 2019. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, and having spent the last three decades in Alaska, I’ve done a bit of hiking in the rain. A sketchy ramp got us out of the canyon after Paul went up and tied off a fixed line. American Packrafting Association was founded in October of 2012 by a group of avid packrafters from across the United States interested in safety, education, conservation, and ensuring that packrafting has a place on America’s public lands. In a true adventurous way, we asked Google where could we fly to the USA from Toronto for the least amount of money. Lakes Wilderness in Washington, it involves small individual Rafts, which flows the. 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