Live To Rally & I just completed this trip, with a slight variation on the approach and portage. We began the hike from the Glacier Gap Lake trailhead, which cuts considerable mileage off from starting at Maclaren Summit. After following the excellent ATV trail all the way to Sevenmile Lake, we infl...

I and several others recently packrafted this remote Alaska Range river as part of this year's AlaskaCross, June 13-15. Most of us put in at Forotten Creek (3100') which at the low water we encountered provided just enough volume in the clear-running stream to make for an overall swift descent. Butt...

As expected, Birch Creek has very low water right now, but is suitable for packrafts. Canoeists or larger craft trying for a more traditional trip might find themselves lining in several places. The only rapids to consider on Birch are situated in a section from just above Clums Fork to Wolf Creek. ...

This post is a bit last minute, but I'm set to do the Hot Springs 100 at a rather leisurely pace starting tomorrow (was going to start today, but I figured the rain would boost the water for Birch a bit, given the May-long dry spell). My truck will be left at Circle HS and my "logistics liaison" wil...

Just got back from a trip. The bugs were a bit worse on the south side, but honestly not that bad along the river corridors. We slept in a 'mid shelter and I only needed the head net for three of our ten nights out.

I just recently wrapped up a leisurely 10-day packrafting trip that started from the haul road at Galbraith Lake, ending at Bettles with a flight back to Fairbanks. The 50-mile approach to the North Fork begins by hiking up an unnamed creek southeast of Galbraith Lake, which provides great walking t...

I also decided comment on the issue. The email I sent is listed below. --- Dear Mr. Angeli, I am writing this email to you as a concerned citizen of Anchorage, and as a general adventure enthusiast. I have heard you are involved in the new planning process for "encroachment and sustainment" issues o...

Where do you intend to transition/hike over to the Wild from the John? I haven't floated the Wild but the Upper John is an excellent class II/III float out of Anaktuvuk down to about Wolverine Creek. I would not recommend going past there with a packraft as the John flattens out considerably as it e...

Looking for a partner or two to packraft with in the Anchorage area this weekend. Solid Class III boater or better is preferred. I am thinking of checking out Echo Bend on Eagle River, but may be interested in Bird Creek or Six Mile. Haven't done the later two before, so I'll only consider floating ...

This may not be an issue for most folks, but occasionally (as was the case with yours truly) packrafters may encounter a situation where their inflate bag fails in field, provoking hideous thoughts of having to blow it up solely with their lungs...and since I'd wager most river-runners don't have th...

Gauge Height: 3.25 ft. Flow: 308 cfs I thought it might have been a bit late in the season to catch Echo Bend without the boniness getting way out of hand. I proved myself wrong this afternoon. Had I actually read the initial post for this thread before this evening after the run, I might have been ...

Anyone done Bridge-to-Bridge recently (past week or so)? I'm more wondering what the run is like during low water, as I've never done it before.

This problem is definitely what plagues the Alpackas. Just this week I put a large patch on the bottom of my Yak, partly to make the repair I did in the field a few months back permanent, also to reinforce that area with another layer of PVC. Not only did I put a hole in the exact spot where the sea...

I can easily see folks with one-piecers getting screwed by the airlines with their "oversize" baggage rules. Since a one-piece paddle is about the same length (or longer) as a pair of skis, I know that'll fall into the oversize category. They go by luggage dimensions, and anything big enough to hold...

Chris... It largely depends on what type of packrafting you'll be doing as to what an appropriate PFD will be. If you're using the packraft just as a tool (river crossings, lake paddling, fishing) I would suggest an inflatable Type V PFD such as those made by Mustang Survival. They come in either a ...

Will there be a WRT with packraft-specifics scheduled for spring/summer 2012 in Anchorage?