Authorities recovered a black and yellow inflatable kayak on the 25th, and the paddler one week later. Thanks to Shimon Saito for collecting and sharing this information. As one paddles the smaller lake it transitions from Gatorade colored to clear. Every time a string of free days approaches, Ive been waiting until the very last minute to nail something down because nothing exciting has been jumping out at me. The hike up to Berry Pass is seriously underrated, and the views of the 20 Mile watershed are absolutely . A Membership is required to post in the forums. Ben Kilbourne has been backpacking since his days in the womb. The adventure range of packrafts are versatile and varied. The other activities are endless: at Boysen, you will relish in the scenic and comfortable camping set ups, volleyball courts and picnic areas. Saw no one on the porcupine trails and most people on the highline trail. Recommend bringing a fishing rod for the slow meandering sections. There are some beautiful campsites nestled into the shores of the lakeslike the sandy campsites youll find when you kayak or canoe across Worthen Reservoir from the boat ramp. Ran it in August, 2014 at about 850 cfs in beautiful weather. Thanks to the drysuit and thermal layer, my core was 100% normal the whole time. Box 925 When it comes to Wind River Range backpacking routes, there are a few premier trails to choose from, each varying in length, difficulty and terrain. Ken Knight and I had a little exchange going in another thread in which I pulled in my horns a bitbut having spent 10 years guiding wilderness canoe trips and many more as an avid paddler, it's hard for me to not react strongly. Even here in the Southeast, the rule is dress for the swim. He is personable, knowledgeable about the Arctic, and has excellent group management skills. The Sondre Stromfjord is an almost linear, 170km fjord which can funnel foehn winds fjord the Ice Sheet. Join us for fun paddling and wildlife watching in the Brooks Range this fall. Denali provides a wide range of rivers to run in the park, from wide, braided streams to deep, boulder-strewn rivers. 2 packrafts and 2 paddles were lost, one paddle and 1 packraft remained. Photo: Getty. Wow, glad you put this together, thanks. The reporting party was reached and assisted within hours, and the missing packrafter was found, deceased, on rocks farther downriver. After the climb we packrafted back to the trailhead, awesome! Peter was paddling alone, in an Alpacka Raft Scout, which is not intended for use in whitewater. Marty then led the group from shore down stream. Use the links below to share this content: Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total). 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. Every boater, even those with backpacks, need some sort of PFD at some level of risk. Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. The paddler was in their 70s, and it is suspected that their paddle leash snagged the debris. Wow, Richard, awesome data! Continuing to encourage drysuit use in the packrafting community is important. He was always willing and ready to teach, to talk, to listen, to do another hike, or to lie low in camp if we were beat. 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. 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. His partners found him after thirty minutes and performed CPR, but recovery was not possible. The rapids consist of steep drops and boulder gardens, as described in this link: river description (go to [4]). I like your approach of considering the drysuit as part of the initial kit & cost. 1 Thunder River Tr.-->Esplanade-->Tapeats-->Deer. Saw another packraft on the lower lake with a fisherman inside, excellent fishing on the Green R. too. Jaymes overturned his boat and was quickly separated from his partner. Wind River Canyon Whitewater and Fly Fishing. Check Price at Amazon. It gets worn around the front of the chest, it's not long enough to go around your back. Looks like a lot of fun. It appears to have been windy on the fjord on the day he disappeared. 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. While these paddles impressively combine a lightweight and packable build with durability, a range of standard double-bladed kayak paddles can also get the job done. The geography of the lake system provides 30 km of wind fetch before the crossing point. Temperatures vary dramatically in the Arctic. 1080p HDI crossed the Brooks Range from the valley of the Hulahula river on the north to Arctic Village on the south side.Packrafting in the Gates of the Arc. It's risky. A post shared by Tom Mckendrick (@thomas.mckendrick). Elkhart/Titcomb/Knapsack/Shannons Pass loop back to Elkhart, or continue to Green River Lakes Trailhead? And, you dont paddle with someone who doesnt have one on. Sport-boating anything Class III and over must of course be done in solid foam PFD I think! Experience Required: McCarthy Creek to Kennicott River (CLII+) Medium to Very Hard 6-12 hours $$ One nice hike, two amazing rivers! Packrafts are known as very forgiving crafts. Packrafting is a unique sportyou carry your inflatable boat on your back to access the water. I stretched the neck gasket over a large muscle-milk container for a day or two and it was still just a little tight. Since then, they have thrived in the most remote high mountain lakes that beckon anglers from all over the world. Most skills learned are applicable to packrafting. Cold water is brutal. You mentioned to me in an email that you have terrific guides - you do indeed. Allrightsreserved. Thanks for posting. Can you swim strongly and with confidence to affect a self-rescue? But its only a matter of time. I can give a personal account of the Lions Head/Rinke incident. I am not sure this post will gain the attention of those needed to input, but can anyone suggest a starting point for packrafting? From the Elkhart trailhead parking lot, take the Pole Creek Trail directly adjacent to . Cold rains and snow are possible, but mostly, bad weather might come in the form of rain. I know BAD! Rivertons Wild Willow Camping and Fishing has family-friendly walleye fishing, and Landers 307 Outfitter offers both wade and boat trips. Christchurch to Clarence Bridge - 240km. He had a paddle leash attached to his spray skirt pull loop. A club packraft trip down the grade 1 and 2 sections of the Rangitikei River. Select a suitable river (class 1 -2 ) by picking one . One of my favorite musicians has a great song about the Verde River (he lives in Jerome). 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. Popular Activities Hiking & Backpacking Hunting & Shooting Higher, Longer, Deeper: Wyoming's Largest Range! I'm packrafting the 117-mile-long Tay, Scotland's longest and most powerful river, from source to sea, and this kind of excitement is par for the course. Seneca Lake is right at the beginning of some of the most spectacular high alpine climbing and backpacking routes. Hi Jay, yeah, a $50 PFD and $600 drysuit might have saved three of these lives. And yup there are some big creeks flowing from those hills. All told, the range has more than 30 peaks higher than 13,000 feet and over 130 glaciers dispersed across three-quarters of a million acres of public land. First-world problems, I know. I could head south and hop on a river, but the 100-degree heat in the Moab area made this look pretty unappealing. I packarafted a small area of the wind river range last July (2016) at the green river lakes trail head/ campground. He checked in with his PLB the evening before. $$$ We think the Wind River is the finest river trip on the south side of the Brooks Range. She was hypothermic when she reached help. The Wind River Range is one of the best backpacking + climbing wildernesses in the lower 48. Enjoy short, easy day hikes or more intense backpacking trips, depending on what wets your whistle. 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). Wyoming Rivers Cooperative is strategically located just 2 hours from Yellowstone National Park and Jackson Hole Wyoming, nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains. 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. Our premium articles include in depth journalism and insights from the Backpacking Light editorial team. The Wind River Range mountains are very different from peaks in Colorado. The Classic: Titcomb Basin Trailhead Start: Elkhart Park Mileage: 29-30 miles RT Trip Type: Out-and-back This can be combined with a loop hike and a climb of Gannet and/or Square top. Mine uses 5/8" nylon straps with side release buckles attached to 1/2" miniature grommets in the pad's RF welded rim. Nisutlin River Family Tour Ruby Range Adventure. A 3/4 length pad works better for flotation but tends to roll you, where the short length of the torsolite keeps you chest up, but making it harder to do an aggressive swim if needed. These packrafts are designed for excitement whether bouncing down a river or cruising over wave trains. Enjoyed tour trip report and video! Join the mailing list Receive emails with resources & training opportunities "Start and End at Home" Online trip and emergency planning course "Paddle Up a Level" Online packrafting course "Wild Ice" Online ice safety course River safety & rescue Packraft-specific rescue and skill instruction; Mind & Mountain My wife Sarah's awesome fitness programs: Ski . I have swum rapids with it. We camped next to the car and woke to find snow blowing horizontally. Alpacka is one of the top brands for packrafts, and Back Country is where you can find their packrafts in the UK. Moments later he went through another hole and was separated from his boat. It is not clear if they were in the boat or swimming when they came into contact with the debris. Visit the BCP store for more information. Care to give any thoughts on this shelter? Wind is a common factor in open water incidents. With ten easily accessible trailheads, it's a cinch to get to the slopes of the Wind River Mountain Range. I assume that you've looked at "squirt vests" that pull on over the head no zipper weight? P.K. Packrafting Course Level 1: Medium 2 days (3rd optional) $$ Learn and practice the foundational skills you need to have fun on the water. The other mistake was running solo. Started on a Friday at noon, finished on a Monday at noon, 2 hr. I appreciate the swiss-cheese model of incident causation to visualize this incidents occur when a bunch of small holes line up perfectly wrong. Theres a boat ramp and full marina to help meet your needs, and the serenity of the still water makes a perfect spot for some quality bird watching. Twenty of the 21 highest mountains in Wyoming are in the Winds, all except for the Grand Teton, just a couple hours' drive north. The highest point on this loop is Texas Pass at 11,500 feet above sea level. Body Glove mens 3t Cinch-m Water Shoe, Black/Yellow, 11 US. JavaScript is disabled. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. 1. John & Roman et al that 14 oz vest is a Stearns Class III, you can buy them at Wal-Mart. This is the first packraft fatality on record, and predates the modern era of packrafts designed for downriver travel, circa 2000. Any input would be greatly appreciated. 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. Stephens boat was punctured and his helmet showed signs of impact, but not necessarily from this incident. Thanks Bigtime for this Trip Report. 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. If you get hot, jump in the river for a cool down. Pack less. Find Bens essays, trip reports, gear reviews, paintings, songs, and other work at benkilbourne.com. Is there a publication that lays out the basics? Youtube videos of his boat dont show any perimeter lines, but do show a red leash connecting his paddle to the spray skirt grab loop. There has been some discussion about how they were able to rent boats without safety equipment. 531. All that is to say, thank you for compiling this, it helps to remind us of the consequences of one poor decision. I'm wanting a real whitewater PFD. 08.20.21 to 13:20 we approached the rapid of the Delikskiy cascade (category 3). The nature of the river at their put in was cold, silty, with large hydraulics, but technically Class II. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=54904743/a=25662137_25662137/t_=25662137, http://jhpackraft.com/packraft-info/trip-ideas/, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=09188500, http://wyomingnaturalist.com/river_green_warren.html. 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. Great shot, Ryan! One of the most sought after activities in the Wyoming water is fishing, and its an incredible way to experience the landscape. For spectacular river fly fishing, check out the North or the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie, the Green River or the Little Popo Agie. As always, thank you for doing this. See full equipment list. 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. Juneau Police Department information release (2021-09-07)Juneau Empire article. No intent to chide. For sometime going here to the Verde and the Mazatzal in the winter to hike and wander for abit has been big on my list. The geography of the west has become familiar to him. In fact, a $15 "Walmart special" PFD will likely have the exact same amount of flotation rating as a $200 boutique sea kayaking vest. Most parties use either gullible friends or commercial shuttles. An alpine valley at over 10,500 feet deep in the Wind River Range, Titcomb Basin lies below peaks on the Continental Divide that soar 3,000 feet above the Titcomb Lakes, the highest of which is 13,745-foot Fremont Peak. TRAIL DAYS ONLINE! Once born, his explorations have taken him all over the west, but especially the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. A guidebook describes the area above and below this section as Class V. Neither Class V section is scoutable from the road. We set up camp and enjoy our first night in the wilderness. Neither boater wore PFDs (or drysuits, I assume). Marty lived above the Matanuska River near the Lions Head run. "The wilderness was spectacular, the leadership perfect. Reminds me of Sarahs IG post today fantastic example of role modelling open sharing! But if Im going to be taking several days off from work, I want the intention behind a trip to make me feel like every moment is worthwhile. USARA statement regarding Peter JollesCTV News, Vancouver. Sarah Kilbourne 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 are using an out of date browser. Seems like a beautiful float so we were hoping to get a hike in and then check it out - if the water was reasonable. This run is indeed a packrafting classic. No wildlife except for one Moose on the bank. Autumn on the Wind offers clear cold nights, aurora viewing, fall colors, and excellent hiking. Joe Hutto, The Light in High . It was running close to 1800 cfs (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=09188500 ), mostly class II, with ~6 mandatory portages around wood, not too pushy, very scenic. This photo might be from this section of the river.