Recent adventuring

and blog posts

19Oct 202219 Oct 2022

So that’s what varsity trip planning looks like!

I want to share a highlight from last year’s Start and End at Home trip planning course. Christian Appel sent…

24Jul 202225 Jul 2022

Good Walking and Clear Water in the Baird Mountains

https://youtu.be/b5kQZs5gWoY In August of 2015, Sarah and I traveled to the villages of Noatak and Kivalina, northwestern Alaska, as part…

21Jul 202224 Jul 2022

2022 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic Report and Results

This report from the 2022 course is provided by Matt Kupilik. For information regarding the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic, email…

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…

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…