Back in the boats, a great wind swells up and we fight the lateral rollers all the way back to the truck and happily scurry back over The Pass and head back home. Wind River, Yukon. My full bio. . Most 4-piece paddles are designed for touring purposes anyway, so will tend towards the lighter end of the scale. 300.00. The Wind River lies in the northern half of the Yukon Territory, Canada just south of the Arctic Circle. Friendly whitewater canoeing, glorious hiking, wildlife viewing, wildflowers and photography beneath the midnight sun! 859 subscribers. I've had sort of a low-grade obsession with packrafting since 2009 when I ran into some people in Alaska who were on their way to . Looking east across the border of Alaska and Yukon. We're definitely big packrafting advocates now! The plan was to start with Shaun near the headwaters of the Hula Hula River or East Fork Chandalar River. Moose river loop up in Jackman Maine, More than 30 miles . With amazing bush, easy access at a number of points and a tempting looking gorge area on the topo map it makes an obvious choice for packrafting close to Rotorua. 5 best canoe trips on Canada's Northern rivers. Or mayb… Our second day on the Alatna involved more lining and some rapid running. Her goals in 2021 are to train on her bikes and raft as much as possible (more training, more fun!) Flying over the Dalton highway where it crosses the . packrafting wind river range Wyoming By Ben Kilbourne Ben Kilbourne has been backpacking since his days in the womb. Sticks, another hiking friend, would get separated from us twice, and storms would continue to thwart our advances through the impervious Wind River Range. Packrafting Gear List Explained. August 2nd. The Wind River Range in Central Wyoming is a popular backpacking destination, famous for its soaring peaks, clear high alpine lakes, fly fishing and stargazing. Progress can then be very slow. The Wind River Range in Central Wyoming is a popular backpacking destination, famous for its soaring peaks, clear high alpine lakes, fly fishing and stargazing. The tallest peak in North America (and one of the Seven Summits), Denali is the undisputed giant of the Alaska Range and the main attraction for most climbers visiting the area. We did not meet our objective, but we still had quite the adventure. A Big Sky IPA in a can; it is so good. There was blue sky up there, and warm sunshine, but wind and waves were moving in with the hours. Backpacking Trips, Featured Trip Reports, Trip Reports. This rugged piece of the Rocky Mountains, extending for approximately 80 miles along the western slope of the Continental Divide, contains a unique combination of jagged granite rock, alpine forest, and open alpine meadows. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned after Shaun injured his knee training in a packrafting class. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. 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. Setting off with my pack raft. The Winds are the most popular section of the Bridger Wilderness of western Wyoming. A 7 day, 170 mile wilderness backpack and packraft trip along the Ribdon, Ivishak and Sagavanirktok rivers in Alaska's Brooks Range from June 14-20. Once born, his explorations have taken him all over the west, but especially the canyon country of the Colorado Plateau. We want it to be normal to wear a life vest, paddle at appropriate water levels, seek training, and feel comfortable pointing out dangerous outfitting or habits that you notice at the put-in. Ed Ogle. The water in Wind River Country is not to be missed. The Wind River Range encompasses an area of 2. So, Tracy, Layne, and I began planning a 10 day trip into the Bob Marshall. Hike up the Ribdon, over the Brooks Range and float out the Canning River to the coast, then hike West to Deadhorse. Rates start at $30 per day for a five- or six-day rental. Backpacking Wyoming. DAY 5: Packraft to Ada River Confluence (25.9 km, 257 m descent, 8 hours) DAY 6: Packraft to Waiau Narrows Bypass Road and Hike to Tin Jug Hut (7.3 km packraft and 14.2 km/398 m ascent hike, 9 hours) Note that Tin Jug Hut is a private hut, though permission to use it can be obtained from Glenhope Station. Wind River High Route Published September 7, 2020 In 2007 I had the good fortune to go to the Wind River range's famous Cirque Of The Towers to climb with my friend Marc Appling, and it was a week I'll never forget. We woke to no rain and light winds, at least in . It'd be a perfect packraft loop for those with the skills and the patience to portage the dams and navigate Class 3 or 4 rock gardens, the weirs and waterfalls. Backpacking into the path of the total solar eclipse, deep in the Wind River Range of Wyoming. Backpacking Wyoming. The packrafting Culture of Safety is an effort to normalize safety. The key features addressed in this packraft review include spray / whitewater decks, self-bailing floors, thigh straps, material durability, hull design, inflation and rigidity, and cargo hauling apparati. The easy set up, the fast access to lakes and streams, the way it handles weight, the lightness of it all - plus, the views you get from the lakes' point of view is amazing. #cdt2021 #cont. On this trip, you will spend a week hiking five to seven miles a day deep into untouched remote wilderness. A caribou along the Kongakut River, Alaska. History. An ice-laden section of the Brooks Range. 300.00. DAY 2: (7/15/17) 11 miles packrafting. Safe in my tarp tent on night 1. If it blows it's often prudent to simply stop somewhere sheltered and sit it out. Follow Me. Wind River Canyon Whitewater and Fly Fishing offers rafting excursions as well (see here for a detailed trip report). The Wind River Range in Central Wyoming is a popular backpacking destination, famous for its soaring peaks, clear high alpine lakes, fly fishing and stargazing. A wolf near the Kongakut River, Alaska. Fiordland. Packrafting in the Arctic Circle. From the rugged Wernecke Mountains, the Wind River tumbles northward into the wide expanse of the Peel River valley. . All dry, warm, and ready to jump in the rafts for the last day of the journey. A packrafting-specific pack should be both durable and water-resistant. He said it was the hardest he's ever hit it and he was a rugby player back in the day. Close calls are abundant within the packrafting community, serious injuries and fatalities have been rare. packrafting and rescue. Lilos, rucsacs on backs, hand paddling (1979: ACF; p170). Floating the Dirty Devil River. 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. They are fun to paddle, comfortable, and give us an unmatched freedom in the wilderness, opening up rivers previously inaccessible. At 180 CFS, this flow was crossable on foot, but swift and waist deep. Day 7, June 20, 2014, 30 miles packrafting the Ivishak River. Accessible only by floatplane, canoeing the Wind takes you through spectacular mountains, sweeping taiga and ultimately down the imposing Peel Canyon. Generally they seem more akin to the Wind River range, the Sawtooths, or the San . The Wind River Range is protected by 750,000 acres of public land in western Wyoming. Packrafting PFDs. We used the packraft often to carry our heavy gear and pushed it against the current. Moses and I ran out of food a ways shy of the goal, and we were kept mostly functional thanks to our buddy Cheese Beard's Tenkara fishing rod and an abundance of brook trout. It is suitable for relatively inexperienced paddlers, with a few specific cautions/caveats. Old cigarette ash wafted around on the dashboard as we leaned into the corners. It helped us cross deep pools or the river itself where the current was too strong to swim. A calm and quiet river, perfectly suited for a trip with the whole family. Insufficient safety equipment (PFD and/or drysuit) was common in… Angela Fires Down A . Approaching Nanortalik, the landscape become more and more impressive, it is much bigger and rough that I imagined from reading the map, many island got +1000 meters cliffs going more or less straight down to the water on a very steep angle, it is quite intimidating to . Mount Juneau's peak was exposed as I was returning to the sailboat, but the low mist remained. A new piece of kit brought new opportunities though. All of her packrafting experience was on the Koyukuk River in Coldfoot and she had never run any rapids, she said. Good options for packrafters include those that are light, built from quality materials, and allow full range of motion. Paddle. Packrafting in the Arctic Circle. Oh Colorado, you are never boring! It helped us cross deep pools or the river itself where the current was too strong to swim. Our professional instructors introduce participants to lightweight backpacking and packrafting. Once the New River reaches the open valley south of Crest Range it does not climb that steeply anymore. August 17, 2015. 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 Solitude. Packrafts are prone to being blown around by high wind and, though tough, are still ultralight inflatable crafts susceptible to tears and deflation. Some weekends are just weekends, and others are a week of adventure ratcheted down to a couple days. Into the Winds: A Hundred-Mile Traverse of Wyoming's Wind River Range. Low weight is, of course, a bonus but will cost a lot more money. As with paddles, there really isn't such a thing as a "packraft PFD," but some PFDs will tend to work better for packrafting than others. We did not meet our objective, but we still had quite the adventure. Once the New River reaches the open valley south of Crest Range it does not climb that steeply anymore. Wind River Whitewater Canoe Nahanni River Adventures. In 2019, 1,229 climbers from across the world attempted to scale the 20,310-foot mountain—90-percent via the West Buttress route. On day one, we hiked southwest along the South Fork of the Sun River, and made our first camp just a couple of miles from the trailhead. Finally the wind drop… giving place to rain, at least the boat can safely bring us to the starting point of our trip. I'm sure many of you have seen AdventureAlan's site ( profiling a rugged route from Green River Lakes to Big Sandy. This hike is not an alphabet soup route.It is something known in the past simply as a backpacking trip. The consistent theme in these fatalities is getting separated from boat and partners, typically in cold and/or surprisingly swift (high) water. Kristian Blaich hiking toward Photo Pass on the Wind River High Route. Objective: Hitchhike from Coldfoot, AK up the Dalton HW to the Ribdon River. Over the last 18 months we have made a number of descents down the river at a range of flows, in a variety of craft and with a mix of routes for access to put ins. I watched the river sail past in his wing mirror. 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