Recent Adventuring

and The Packraft Handbook!

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The Packraft Handbook

The Packraft Handbook is the definitive instructional resource for packrafting—everything you need to know to begin, improve, or assist others.…

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Far East Alaska Range

Sarah and I have been eager to see this stretch of the Alaska Range, the eastern limit. For me, it…

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Arctic Refuge Road-to-Road

2020. https://vimeo.com/447040316 Will Koeppen posted a daily diary with ten excellent photos for each day of the trip. Check them…

May 2021: Promoting the packrafting “Culture of Safety”

27 Apr 202128 May 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…

Self-publishing an Instructional Book: Part I (Everything up to Printing)

29 Mar 202130 Mar 2021

I just spent a year writing The Packraft Handbook (pre-order it!). I’ve been producing bite-sized outreach content on my website for many years, but decided to quit my job and pour…

Risk Assessment for Rivers and Avalanches

15 Jan 202116 Jan 2021

Disclaimer: This discussion is based on my personal experience, collaborators' feedback on The Packraft Handbook, and publications (see references at bottom). This discussion benefited from the feedback of Trip Kinney,…

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Putting the Shoulder in Shoulder Season

29 Nov 202013 Dec 2020

A recent fall on the ice gave "shoulder season" new meaning for me. This post is about shoulder dislocations and a reduction technique that you can teach yourself. Based on…

Packraft Field Repair Kit

28 Aug 20206 Dec 2020

Let's talk about tape. My field repair kit has evolved from anticipating a glued patch to expecting tape to be enough. This is largely because simple tape repairs have been…

Route-Planning with ESRI Worldview

14 May 202018 Jan 2021

Whenever possible, I do route planning with Google Earth. Google Earth's 3D imagery allows me to fine-tune a route and identify features I might otherwise miss in two dimensions. But…

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For Sale or Trade, One Reverse-Averse Van

I wrote this Craigslist advertisement in 2018 and am belatedly giving it a home here.I think the advertisement is the most popular thing I've written; it even reached a friend…