Icerafting...I mean Packrafting the Six Mile

We have had a pretty disappointing fall ski season. So why not go packrafting? Marc, Jody and I decided to run the 2nd and 3rd canyons of Six Mile Creek.

Ambient air temperature: 20 deg F
Weather: bluebird skies.
Precipitation: 2-3 inches of snow on the ground in Turnagain Pass.

Marc and Jody getting ready to get strapped in just above the entrance to "Pearly Gates" and "The Nozzle"Ice forming on my paddle. All the eddy's were pretty much frozen over and were quite difficult to get in and out of.
My nemesis..."Staircase" at the entrance to the 3rd Canyon. I aptly named my previous bloggage "Six Million Dollar Creek" because this rapid claimed my knife and the inflatable portion of the spray deck. This thing ate my lunch. I trashed my spray deck...I mean totally trashed it. It ripped all along the velcro, and all the way across below the stow clips. What does this mean? I had to raft the remaining 5 rapids with no spray deck. I was basically floating in a bathtub.

Notice the ice forming on my PFD. Everything was frozen. Including my hands and feet!

Success. The token group shot from the car hood at the take out.

Special thanks to Luc Mehl for helping us out with boat chasing, throw bags, river reading, paddling techniques, and "how not to get your ass kicked" advice.

Marc put this video together:



My trashed boat. Nothing a little aquaseal, tyvek tape, and Winter Ale wont fix!