3 miles of this was really fun class II+ starting just before Moose Creek Rd junction. The Wind River offers a great mix of packrafting, hiking, fishing, and wildlife. Stop in at a local fly shop like the Lander Fly Shop, Cutthroat Fly Shop in Dubois or Rocky Mountain Discount Sports in Riverton, where youll be able to buy your fishing license (or directed how to do it), buy the flies that are hatching and ask for some local beta about the hot spots. Others run Class III and even IV in inflatable PFDs (Too spooky for me), but many "backpackers in a boat" paddle Class I-II without anything more than a foam pad under the jacket.. Richard, thanks for the info! The other mistake was running solo. It gets worn around the front of the chest, it's not long enough to go around your back. Jaymes overturned his boat and was quickly separated from his partner. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Leaving Fairbanks we fly 300 miles, over the Yukon River, to the small town of Arctic Village. We parked at Summit Lake, north of Paxson, where satellite imagery revealed an ATV trail that would bring us above the brush. 5. Rescuers were notified, but unable to save him. About 2 minutes into this run he went over a hole and flipped. The average packraft falls somewhere in the $800-$1000 range, which is a pretty penny for people just looking to get into the sport. For ocean kayaking I use the Sabre, and I also need pockets, they are stuffed with signal/commo devices. A club packraft trip down the grade 1 and 2 sections of the Rangitikei River. Thanks to Shimon Saito for collecting and sharing this information. The geography of the lake system provides 30 km of wind fetch before the crossing point. American Whitewater Incident ReportJohn Quimby, personal communication. 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. Have a look at our selection of paddles which have been specifically chosen designed and tested for packrafting. You mentioned to me in an email that you have terrific guides - you do indeed. I assume that you've looked at "squirt vests" that pull on over the head no zipper weight? For most whitewater and river packrafters a paddle between 200-210cm is the ideal, if you are doing more touring you can increase the length by 5-10cm. Wind is a common factor in open water incidents. In the absence of a real freeze-up before your trip, I imagine it will be fine but there may be a few cobble bars youll have to walk or scoot through. In my opinion, this would be the best place to list near misses since the AW site is already so mature. 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. Step 3: Picking a Paddle A few companies make packraft-specific paddles, like the Werner Pack-Tour M and Alpacka's Ninja. I know BAD! We then catch a smaller plane for a spectacular flight to the Wind River. The main challenge on this run is portaging downed trees through very thick brush. With ten easily accessible trailheads, it's a cinch to get to the slopes of the Wind River Mountain Range. All boats were Alpacka Llamas. Thanks Bigtime for this Trip Report. Meet your guide(s) for a pre-trip meeting in Fairbanks at 4 pm at Arctic Wild headquarters. Many of the creeks, like the Dinwoody . It may not display this or other websites correctly. 1. For our summer vacation in 2015 we decided to spend a week in August backpacking the Wind River Range in Wyoming. He truly gave us the trip we wanted! Elkhart/Titcomb/Knapsack/Shannons Pass loop back to Elkhart, or continue to Green River Lakes Trailhead? I'm glad this subject came up, because I was not going to use anything for river rafting in my 'toy' Sevylor TrailBoat, but this got me thinking I should at least make the 'burrito' or 'taco' with my GG ThinLight or a sitpad, and a shell. after a looong drive today but couldn't resist posting this photo, taken this morning during a packrafting descent of Boulder Creek in WY's Wind Rivers: Thanks to my partner, Joel Walthall (BPL Sales Mgr) for taking a GREAT shot for me! 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. My old NRS drysuit is heavy. The Wind River Range is protected by 750,000 acres of public land in western Wyoming. Their first packraft was the Itiwit Packraft Adventure 500, which we have already reviewed. Wind River Mountain Range. No direction but to follow what you know. That said, some PFDs will offer significant advantages over those casually . 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. See you next year! Or you can rent a canoe or kayak at Louis Lake Lodge and have a fun overnight stay. Check out Lander-based Wyoming Rivers Cooperative for details (they also offer incredible rafting trips). Duration 14 Days . 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. I am very interested in cruising mild river conditions during an extended backpacking trek at some point in the future. Reminds me of Sarahs IG post today fantastic example of role modelling open sharing! 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. You must log in or register to reply here. The Hollyford-Pyke loop is probably NZ's most classic packrafting trip. Join. TRAIL DAYS ONLINE! The total distance for his route was about 120 miles. But that just wasnt going to cut it for me this time. 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. JavaScript is disabled. Wishing You the Best! ' The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,802 ft (4,207 m), is the highest peak in Wyoming; and also Fremont Peak at 13,750 ft (4,191 m), the third . The Wrangells traverse is an Alaskan classic and is often the first route that gets recommended when discussing packrafting in the last frontier. The Wind River Range is home to 228 named mountains, highest and most prominent of which is Gannet Peak (13,802ft/4207m) - the tallest peak in Wyoming. 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. The Wind River lies in the northern half of the Yukon Territory, Canada just south of the Arctic Circle. Transportation beyond Fairbanks, food while in the wilderness, stoves, cooking & eating utensils, boats, paddles, life jackets, safety & repair gear and professional guide service. If you are into adventures, you must raft the Escalante River. Joe Hutto, The Light in High . River had dropped foot to ~1500 cfs. The analogy that comes to mind is going back to using cloths line to "protect" climbing routes becaues of it's handling characteristics while in your pack. 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. Pretty depressing to see fatalities related to no-PFD. Marty lived above the Matanuska River near the Lions Head run. Marty was swift water rescue trained, as was boater #3. Allrightsreserved. Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Waters with > Class 3 or strainers etc. Any late season info you could provide would be helpful! Did you leave them there overnight? Wind River Country reservoirs and lakes are really fun for stand up paddleboarding. After inflating our pack rafts and talking about river safety, we set off onto the Winda small, clear river. P.O. Thanks for the video, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around reeds and strainers, but seeing what you were dealing with makes it very clear. It's a backpackers' playground. I need survival and misc gear in my PFD firestarting kit, knife, whistle, camera, and a snack. I have done several backpacking trips in the Winds, but I had never started from Green River Lakes (GRL)and Tracy had never been to Titcomb . Lodging, non-camp meals, personal clothing and gear, waterproof river bag, fishing gear, and fishing license. Or the Outfitters of the Wyoming Wilderness and Bear Basin Adventures in Dubois offer customizable pack trips with professional guides. I could head into the Uintas again and meander between familiar pines and emerge at familiar lakes in familiar bowls where moundy rock lifts up on all sides. Jaymes H. Schoenberg (22) and a partner used packrafts to cross the swollen Sagavanirktok River en route to Arctic Village. A Membership is required to post in the forums. The common themes in these > accidents are cold, surprisingly swift water, and insufficie >. The group was evacuated three days later by helicopter. It appears to have been windy on the fjord on the day he disappeared. We were able to nail them down for a video chat Skip to content Close menu SHOP Kayak Paddles High-Angle Low-Angle Our premium articles include in depth journalism and insights from the Backpacking Light editorial team. * A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events. We've been wanting to packraft the Crooked River through the popular climbing area, Smith Rock, for some time. Packrafting is a unique sportyou carry your inflatable boat on your back to access the water. TRIP DETAILS Bike rafters can be superior and have no shuttle. A two car shuttle for a party of 4-5 can involve 938 km for one vehicle. (sorry could not figure out how to post a narrative does it go here?). The Valdez search and rescue team responded to an inReach alert regarding a missing packrafter. Native to the Sierra Nevada, California allowed their exportation for a brief time, and Wyoming stocked a handful of lakes in the Wind River Range. Packrafts are known as very forgiving crafts. 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. The nature of the river at their put in was cold, silty, with large hydraulics, but technically Class II. The river, which holds more water than . I like my TorsoLite-under-a-rain-jacket the most, until I can find (or make) something better than the Stearns model. April 18-23, 2021, Wind River Range (beginning of Sept 2021), Upper Toklat River (Denali NP) - mid-August 2018, Republic Pass Trail North Absaroka into Yellowstone Cache Creek and Lamar River, trip report: Wind River Range Ross Lakes, Bear Basin, Grasshopper Glacier, & Dinwoody Creek loop, Aug-Sep 2020, Yellowstone advice: Lamar River - Pelican Valley - Mirror Plateau loop this summer. It appears to have been windy on the fjord on the day he disappeared. 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. Started on a Friday at noon, finished on a Monday at noon, 2 hr. Enjoy short, easy day hikes or more intense backpacking trips, depending on what wets your whistle. Popular Activities Hiking & Backpacking Hunting & Shooting Higher, Longer, Deeper: Wyoming's Largest Range! A real PFD is a whole lot better. 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. Close calls are abundant within the packrafting community, serious injuries and fatalities have been rare. There has been some discussion about how they were able to rent boats without safety equipment. Rescuers found his packraft in a log jam. They have seven options for rafts, plus a range of accessories and spare parts. Find more at kathrynmontana.com and @kathrynmontana. You are using an out of date browser. All that is to say, thank you for compiling this, it helps to remind us of the consequences of one poor decision. I have found that if I invert mine and put a thin insulating pad on it, it makes a very cushy mattress. It is not marked, nor obvious, with lots of deadfall obscuring the start of the trail. As always, thank you for doing this. 2.5 inches to accommodate his long legs. 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. 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. We set up camp and enjoy our first night in the wilderness. Sounds like a good decision! This run is indeed a packrafting classic. I stopped counting at about a dozen, and it wouldnt have been so bad if I had not had a full pack on the boat! Based out of Fort Washakie, Wind River Fishing Adventures fishes the Popo Agie, the Big Wind River and Bull Lake. P.K. Is the Aug 24-25 class still a go? What is clear is that Yalil had a leash attaching himself to the boat and was trapped by the leash (not the black rope in the photo below that is part of the coaming). If there's a perfect packraft day trip, this might be it. A Frenchman was reported overdue around the northern end of Lake Rotorua. A 100-mile long strip of stunning, jagged mountains extending southeast of Yellowstone National Park through Wyoming, "The Winds" are a backpacking and trekking paradise. My trip reports: backpackandbeer.blogspot.com. Thanks for putting this together and keeping the risks real. New TRAIL DAYS ONLINE! Wind River Canyon Whitewater and Fly Fishing.