In addition to guided fishing trips, we offer drop & float trips on the South Fork of the Flathead River. In the midst of all that, I’d forgotten to worry about my route for the final pass. South Fork just below the White River, ~1000 cfs. Seven of us left with Steve “Doom” Fassbinder, an experienced packrafter and guide, to run the North Fork Flathead for thirteen miles to the confluence of the Middle Fork downstream. Enter your email to be notified of new posts, The Volumetric Efficiency of Trekking Pole Shelters, BMWO Gear Choices – Where Man Does Not Remain, Ruokien säilyttäminen leirissä – KEVYESTI KAIRASSA. Trip Report: Packrafting the Middle Fork of the Flathead River July 15, 2019 by John Nestler in Packrafting , Trip Report , Photography , Camping Packrafting has always interested me, but it wasn’t until I won an AIRE BAKraft at Gauley Fest last year that I seriously considered putting a lightweight river … I've been getting lots of questions concerning what … If you can learn to go mistake free with your body, route and gear while pushing 40 miles a day, then you gain a nice safety buffer when you dial that back to 20. The Flathead, in northern Montana, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. At 7 pm I was on top. When I planned my route, I wanted to packraft the Spotted Bear River because it’s something I’ve never done. The snow began at only 5200′ after largely snow free conditions until above 6000′ on Gateway Pass. Tori.newburn Posts: 3 Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:12 pm. I had taken one look at that section while planning my route and concluded that it was impossible.”. I had purchased my maps from Cairn back in 2012 when they first came out. Packrafting the Flathead River in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness. From here the rapids were relatively continuous but shouldn’t be any harder. We had camped at the confluence that forms the South Fork and as we ate fish tacos and smoked pipes, we pondered what might lie down-river. It is also very remote. Hardest hit was my inflatable life jacket which was no where to be seen. So I stayed at full exertion despite the limited progress, and made my way to the headwall of Conner Creek having lost about an hour and a bit of skin to the alder battle. Day 1 – 38 miles (36 walk, 2 raft) Moving fast isn’t a superior way to experience the wilderness, but it’s good to do occasionally because a stress test exposes weaknesses and amplifies the learning experience. I’ve been stuck here enough times to know that they key thing is not discouraged and slow down even more. I could go on at great length on post trip thoughts and lessons, but for now I will largely refrain. In the following years I returned hoping to “learn how to do this” and figuring I’d soon have it mastered and the learning would cease. On my own, I got serious about the upcoming pass. The first BMWO was back in 2012 and I finished the 110 miles totally beat after 66 hours. 6 years ago. Nestled in the heart of Montana’s best Wilderness packrafting rivers, Great Northern offers packraft instructional courses. Where to go: You can go packrafting wherever a trail leads to a body of water. This summer, after so many years, I’ll pack into Big Prairie with my dad and small group of friends and then packraft down the South Fork of the Flathead River to Spotted Bear. Taking care of my feet has been a consistent challenge in the BMWO as they prune up and blister abundantly in sustained wet conditions. Six Montana paddlers took a five day backpacking and packrafting trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness to float about 56 miles of the South Fork of the Flathead River in mid-July. Trip Report: Packrafting the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. There are 3 main reasons for this as I see it: 1. With wilderness travel I haven’t been able to find a middle ground. Backstory. Well done. Despite the calm appearance of the South Fork Flathead River at the moment this picture was taken, it was actually running at 8,000 cubic feet per second … The raft did survive the night of rodents, but much of my other gear fared worse. Our goal is to give you the knowledge to push your planning and paddling skills into the wilderness. Aug 7, 2018 Take a journey down the green waters of this premier river through a wild and remote wilderness. In 2013 I was naive at how bad these could be and intentionally chose one, while in 2017 I had hastily planned the route from a USGS map that unbeknownst to me had used black for all the trails. 6 friends set out into Montana’s legendary Bob Marshall wilderness to float and fly fish the pristine South Fork Flathead River. Hope all is well with you up there in the True North. More broadly, very little to do with packrafting during the BMWO works out how you wish it would. Take a journey down the green waters of this premier river through a wild and remote wilderness. As I sit here now, I do regret not trying it because I could have pulled it off. It was a novel route I had invented via Google Earth, and it was both high (7700′) going to be late in the day. I made a token effort to patch it, but it was comically in vain given the size and abundance of the holes, and the poor tape I had on hand. Every strategy for taking care of my feet while walking 30-45 mile days in wet conditions is a losing one, but the trick is to lose slowly enough that my feet aren’t too beat at the end. I had MSR Shift youth snowshoes but I hesitated to spend 2 minutes putting them on, thinking they would sink through the isothermal mush just as badly. Soon after it popped during one unsuspecting step, and my entire pinky toe shed a sleeve of skin. Now I’ve participated six times and while I have learned a ton, I’m no longer naive enough to think that I’m near the point where I’ll know it all. After the trail gains the alpine, it circles around ridges and cliffs for 3 miles before descending on gentler terrain. But packrafts are also incredibly helpful for hikers and backpackers who wish to make routes and link trails that would impossible without a packraft. The South Fork of the Flathead in Montana is perhaps the best packraft river in the lower-48. Unbeknownst to me, Cairn hadn’t done all their research when the first batch of maps were printed, so they my planned trail over the Swan Range in black (major) despite its status as a long abandoned and slide alder covered logging road. I’ve realized the hazard of this, which is the first step in staying safe. This time around I was ensnared by a mistake from the map maker. A rowdy little creek is fun, but the whirlpools, boils and strange currents of a large river at high water are just unnerving. The South Fork the Flathead River, a great wilderness float and home to some sublime under-river cobbles. in Packrafting, Trip Report, Photography, Camping. Despite the currently okay weather (light drizzle), committing to spending a large portion of the day wildly exposed on this ridge while heavy rains were in the forecast was an easy option to decline. In this case, to stay on schedule I needed to be rafting the Spotted Bear at sunrise (5:30 AM) during the coolest part of the day and likely during bone chilling rain. It’s time to return once more to the giant ponderosa, the cutthroat, the steep ridge lines and the cold waters of the place that first taught me what a wild river is. The snow was total mush after the recent warm temperatures and now hours of rain, so I began post holing. I’ve learned so much from the BMWO on how to take care of my body, so it was really nice to have that pay off in terms of minimally sore knees and feet. I managed to miss the corner of that cliff, and made great time with the soft snow and alder allowing me to slow myself sufficiently, which wouldn’t have been possible on firmer snow. In minutes rather than hours I was down to Bond lake. Will and Drew had originally heard of Gates in 2007, but it had taken a few years to find a group of people that were interested in going so far off the grid. … APA Roundup - Packrafting the North Fork Flathead River. I’m still alive and kicking and going fishing for a few days next week. In the span of a few hundred meters the weight of carrying them paid off. Class I-II / PR 1-3. Once again, I am congratulating myself for not being in the BMO. Day 2 – 53 miles (28 raft, 26 walk) My mishaps when rafting almost always happen from a lapse in attention or judgement, so I used the lack of a PFD as a rallying cry to stay laser focused on hazards ahead. With that weighing on my mind, I started briskly down the trail at 8 AM glad for company from Will, who put in a tremendous effort last year to finish hours ahead of me. Thereafter they realized their mistake so newer maps have this route in red (which all the other participants were using) but I was unaware that Cairn had made this mistake and thus expected a maintained trail. Especially toward the end of the trip, going into Meadow Creek Gorge. Beyond were a few canyon sections with beautiful waterfalls, spooky currents and moderate rapids – one of which separated a fellow participant from his boat – but I consistently took the most conservative lines and managed to stay surprisingly warm and trouble free.  Other trails exist which are typically not maintained at all, and these are illustrated with a red line for “secondary”, which really means a brutal trail if you can find it. White, who has been packrafting for three years and kayaking for 12, had packrafted the South Fork of the Flathead River once before, the last time … At 1 lbs, the quilt is nice safety buffer and lets me go lighter on other warm layers. It is very scenic. A brief search revealed a strap sticking out from the under the porch, with the rest of the PFD underneath and riddled with chew holes. The ride in is 6-8 hours so at least two of the days will be devoted to riding on horseback. Watch out for the final takeout warning sign, which is well above river level and midway through the rapid right after the takeout gravel bar. Packrafting specific workshops, classes, races, meet ups... 1 post • Page 1 of 1. I paddled another 8 miles downstream from where the Spotted Bear River joined the South Fork of the Flathead, and was relieved to be clear of any substantial hazards. The South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana is one of those classic packrafting trips my husband and I had been scheming about for years. The South Fork of the Flathead River in Montana is one of those classic packrafting trips my husband and I had been scheming about for years. Unfortunately, I saw that they turned south, and then west. It is very scenic. Here the grand line was heading up straight up to 7000′ and remaining there for what would be a stunning (in good weather) 10 mile ridgewalk over 4 summits. Heavy rain continued as I moved up Clack Creek and disappointingly, I was greeted by substantial snowpack as well. Eventually I did try them and was pleased to find them enormously helpful. At the moment Alpacka packrafts are the only game in town. Story by Eric Hanson, Photos by Jacob Moon. I broke camp just after 4am and was at the put in spot on the Spotted Bear around 5:30am warmed up from fast hiking despite the steady drizzle. Two days of hiking takes the crew 25 miles up the banks of this roadless river. The PFD had at least 15 substantial holes including two large chunks missing. Length: 38 miles. The first few miles to Soldier Lake were fine but on the back side the trail became an overgrown logging road, and then deteriorated entirely as I joined the “trail” for 8 miles up Conner Creek. That’s a new best time for me in the BMWO (having taken 39 hrs in 2013) albeit on a shorter course (91 vs 98 miles), and also the most brief trip of the finishers this year. on what terrain does high snowpack disproportionately cause deadfall after a wildfire?). I reminded myself of the plan “cut left and if you get to a cliff, cut harder. Music from Hands Upon Black Earth (to reflect the dark, cold, wet periods of the trek) and Chris Cunningham (to reflect the cheery, sunny, warm periods of the trek). I put in and quickly had to navigate several logs across the river before the wood diminished and I was free to turn my attention to the upcoming rapids I had annotated on my map. I calculated that the full 9 mile ridge route would take 4 hours on snowshoes, which would leave me navigating complex terrain in the darkness, even if the rain/snow held off. I also couldn’t come up with a good reason to take on that risk, given that the 5 mile shorter distance would be offset by slower travel on the snow. I’ve been through horrible alder bushwacks before. On snowshoes I neared the headwall of Clack Creek and was greatly relieved to have the rain cease as I broke above treeline. 2019 BMWO By dropping off here, I had 1.5 hours of daylight to find my way below snowline and onto the Pentagon trail, which I accomplished by 9 PM. Below is the route I executed, with the mode of travel colored coded by purple (on trail), red (off trail) and blue (packrafting), and with dotted orange showing high alpine routes that went unexecuted. The trick is to keep the slope near that, and not hit spots that are substantially steeper still. Hi Dan, I found your video and description of your climb and decline and I have a great deal of admiration for your tenacity and your meticulous planning. Jared White paddles his packraft through a rapid on the South Fork Flathead River in July. Instead of packrafting at ideal flows, in good weather and with the company of friends, you often end up packrafting at high flows, solo, tired, during poor weather and at either dusk or dawn. This break in the rain put a new urgency in my step – urging myself to get up and over this ridge before rain, snow, fog or darkness arrived. Still I was glad for the company and we motored along with Will setting a crisp pace on the flats and me setting the pace on inclines. For a bit of context here, I quote the words of a fellow participant who would follow these tracks a few hours later: “On the top of the ridge Dan’s tracks should have turned north to follow the trail. If all goes according to plan, I hope to check out the Bob for a BSA trek at MOHAB. Enter your email to receive notifications of new posts. The Adventure That Started A Company Seeing the South Fork of the Flathead River for the first time in 2011, was really where the idea of starting a packraft rental company began. However, one of the problems with packrafting in the BMWO is that the timing of it never works out how you’d wish it would. It’s billed as not a race, but the “R” word slips out here and there – often enough to know that some individuals treat it as such. This section highlights packrafting on Danaher Creek and the South Fork Flathead River when the S Fk was running at 2,500 to 3,000 cfs @ Hungry Horse. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay warm enough to paddle all 28 miles, but I figured my best approach was to lay up a few miles shy that night so I could hike a few warm up miles before my dawn put in. Backcountry adventurers discover packrafting In this July 24, 2014 photo, Jared White paddles his packraft through a rapid on the South Fork Flathead River.in Mont. This 5 or 6-day fishing excursion is a once in a lifetime opportunity to fish the famous South Fork Flathead River drainage. Packrafting the Middle Fork of the Flathead River - YouTube The scenery is spectacular, as the river flows through a pristine and remote wilderness. This year I was trying to be more intentional about taking care of them, including bringing spare dry socks and using those inside the ephemeral dryness of Gore-Tex socks during the rare stretches without substantial fords. Congratulations on the new best time and finishing in what it sounds like a really great condition Physically. About handling rain – or perhaps snow – on the best new time ve been through horrible bushwacks! Likely Creek flow: 4,300 – 3,400 cfs @ MF Flathead West Glacier Gauge for now I will refrain. Hit was my inflatable life jacket which was no where to be seen did a trip. Day the team inflates their pack rafts and begins the float on this wild River wasn ’ t been to. 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