The Little Su(sitna)

I've been wanting to run this section of the Little Susitna ever since driving up to Hatcher Pass to go skiing.  Tim Johnson calls this the "best non-stop, road-side, bang for your buck in Alaska!" in his book Alaska Whitewater:A Guide to Rivers and Creeks in the Last Fronteir.


So we didn't actually run that section of the river, but ran from the Hatcher Pass bridge over the Baby Su, to the Edgerton Parks Road bridge.  I must say, it was mad balla.

I always love after work packrafting in SCAK.  The regular team rallied for another adventure, with a small contingent from the Meetup Group.

And this is how we started the day.  Doc with a little swim lesson.  The "Warmup Rapid", a small little Class III section.


Gearing up at the put-in.

Doc, Patrick, and Doug ready to shred the "Sieve".  Doc would get his boat pinned below the large rock in the center of the river.  This was his second rope rescue of the night.

Jody workin' it.

Doug running the "Sieve".  The rock in front of him is where Doc got pinned.  I ran it clean ;-)

Lots of Class II splashy fun.

Brian 'splainin what it's all about....F-U-N.  Shown in one of the many pools of the pool-drop characteristics of this river.

Schooners of beer and pizza were on the agenda at Pizza Man, an after boating tradition.

Speaking of other boating traditions... is to drink a beer out of your bootie if you swim a particular rapid.  It's known as the "bootie beer".  And if someone in your group retrieves you or your gear, you owe them a round.  Doc declined.