Proving that the bushbuddy stove indeed is capable of using multiple fuels. Lots of moose in Wyoming.
Inflating packrafts with the dry bags from our Arctic Dry Packs. Just a little tape'll do it and makes the process soooo much easier and faster. Packrafts were inflated in just a few minutes with a 65L dry bag.
Our camp on the Boulder. Joel used a Gatewood Cape (Six Moon Designs) and an old style Alpacka raft with detachable spray deck, and I used the Wild Oasis shelter (Six Moon Designs) and the new Alpacka with integrated spray deck.
The ultralight version of the throw bag. A tiny silnylon stuff sack with about 40 feet of AirCore Ursa Rope. The stuff sack is easily thrown simply by clipping the end of the rope to the boat (or tree, or...), filling the stuff sack with water, and tossing it to your buddy.
Sort of "dry" gear to "manage" hypothermia in the 42 degree water: Curtis Designs booties worn over wool socks and inside trail running shoes proved to be something less than optimal for cold water. I was wanting my neoprene booties but warming my feet at the end of the day simply meant I had to walk back and forth a lot to restore circulation in my feet. Much better were my NRS gloves, splash pants, and splash shirt, which were great. That didn't mean I wasn't wishing for an ultralight dry suit!
Scouting a drop in proved interesting. Boulder Creek's canyon water was a bit discontinuous - shelf ice across the river! By the time we dropped in, we pretty much had a straight run to the bottom.
Getting ready to drop in, adding the splash top. When backcountry packrafting in whitewater, your splash/dry suit serves double duty as hiking raingear and ground cloth under your tarp.
Dropping in below the (almost) last section of river-wide shelf ice. The canyon water of Boulder Creek is spectacular at low water (now) - it should prove to be a legendary packrafting classic at high water.
Alpacka rafts are amazingly forgiving. They are actually hard to flip in small creeks; this gives you great flexibility in turning, leaning, pulling, and ferrying. You can pretty much nail your line wherever it is. Big rivers...another story.
Is this fun or what? I love this shot - see the water coming from the paddler's left blade?!
The Arctic Dry Pack is lashed to the front of the boat, and serves very well to counterbalance your weight in the rafts. See my smile?! Yeah, ok, this is a little bit fun.
Boulder Creek is aptly named. As the river's canyon opens up and the creek flows into Boulder Reservoir, it becomes a nightmare of rocks and shallow water that is "practically" runnable only in high water. We did it anyways, in spite of better judgment. Thank goodness my sleeping pad (TorsoLite) was in the bottom of my boat.
Joel shoots a series of drops in the canyon. This was his first time packrafting. Sometimes "the best instructor is, uhhh, the river itself". I'm sure somebody famous said that.
Joel explodes out of a standing wave formed at the base of a pourover. I think this is the point where he becomes ... addicted.
