Fall Packraft Season...its on

Pictures of packrafting don't do the sport justice...that's why you see all the video's posted.  And still the videos don't do the rivers and creeks any justice...that's why you just need to get out there and do it, and maybe swim a little, and throw your buddy a rope once in a while.

I've had some firsts this year, to include the South and Fork of Eagle River, what I would call "Middle" Bird Creek, and hopefully Canyon Creek to Six Mile before freeze up, and I should prolly mention - thigh straps!  Others have been hitting some huge lines (CL V) to include the Magic Mile on Kings River (check out Timmy J's boof at 2:23) and the Upper Willow.  Be sure to check out these videos, as they are the pioneers of packrafting.

Marc and I toured up Echo Bend at higher water (600 cfs) and found this to be very pushy, yet enjoyable.  View Marc's first hand video of what it's like to swim the best beafy part of Echo Bend.


I recently had the opportunity to boat with the Roman Dial's, as the old man gave us a run at a good stretch of Bird Creek.  His video shows some good carnage on Center Falls, much like mine does.  I took some newbs back on Columbus Day for the goods.  Here is an account of how things went down.

I suppose "The Birdcage" is my first named rapid.  The "Birdcage" was my nickname after my last trip to the desert.  Frank "Rage" Palestini nicknamed me the "Birdcage" after our hellacious upper body workouts.  Seeing that I suffered from lagging chest development, he deemed it appropriate to give me some birdseed for the parakeets.

So i'm anxiously awaiting my new paddle purchase, a Werner Powerhouse, 4 piece, 197cm, 30 deg feather.  Thank you PFD.  Lets go paddling...

I'll leave you with a quote that I saw on Forrest McCarthy's 2010 video compilation:


"Ironically as they paddle more and more whitewater, their reward circuitry (for dopamine) dulls, which makes the easier runs less satisfying and drives them to still harder runs and bigger drops to compensate. They are essentially chasing the high of earlier, heavenly thrills on easier water. This is precisely what we see with chronic alcohol or substance abuse." 


This explains it all.