Recent adventuring

and blog posts

Courses

Off-trail trip planning (January, 2022) and swiftwater courses (May, 2022) are posted!Continue reading “Courses”

24Sep 202124 Sep 2021

South Fork Matanuska Loop

This has got to be a candidate for the best true packraft loop around, especially during the autumn. The loop…

24Sep 202124 Sep 2021

The American Whitewater Accident Database

In September of 2021, American Whitewater (AW) updated their accident database to include “packraft” as an available boat type. Why…

16Sep 202116 Sep 2021

If my book was a playlist…

I have a very early memory (as a 6-year-old? 8?) of my mom using lyrics from a Beatles song to…

South Fork Matanuska Loop

24 Sep 202124 Sep 2021

This has got to be a candidate for the best true packraft loop around, especially during the autumn. The loop is best done in two nights: 18 mile hike, 16…

The American Whitewater Accident Database

24 Sep 202124 Sep 2021

In September of 2021, American Whitewater (AW) updated their accident database to include "packraft" as an available boat type. Why is this exciting? This update allows us an unprecedented tool…

blog

If my book was a playlist…

16 Sep 202116 Sep 2021

I have a very early memory (as a 6-year-old? 8?) of my mom using lyrics from a Beatles song to teach me not to trust strangers. I was about to…

safety

Shallow Water Crossings (Wading)

I returned home after a day of swiftwater rescue practice to messages about a hunter whose body was recovered in the Wrangell Mountains (Alaska). Friends had shared the news because…

The Whale’s Tail

13 Aug 202119 Aug 2021

The "Whale's Tail" is a unique mountain peninsula in Denali National Park. The Tail is bounded by massive glaciers in the Alaska Range. Can you see it? Most people access…

Whittier to Valdez by Sea kayak

8 Aug 202113 Aug 2021

Soon after booking flights for a hike/packraft trip to the Brooks Range, I broke my foot playing frisbee. Sarah and I scrambled to come up with a Plan B. We…

May 2021: Promoting the packrafting “Culture of Safety”

27 Apr 202113 Aug 2021

What is the "Culture of Safety"? The packrafting Culture of Safety is an effort to normalize safety. We want it to be normal to wear a life vest, paddle at…

Show Up and Blow Up

12 Apr 202115 Apr 2021

In 2012 I started making "Show Up and Blow Up" highlight videos of whitewater packrafting. It was fun to go back through the videos and identify the learning progression. How…

Let’s Talk About Drowning

5 Apr 20215 Apr 2021

I'm embarrassed to admit how late in my outdoor recreation game I learned how to help a drowned patient. I wasn't there when my friend Rob Kehrer drowned, and if…