I usually don't get excited about new gear unless it's the latest new camera, but I just ordered another new packraft from Alpacka, I have two now. I plan to pick it up at the Alpacka shop in Mancos, Colorado and I'll have it just as the temps start warming up for boating in Australia.
The new boat is yellow and has yet to be named. Any ideas for a name that doesn't include the word banana or lemon cream puff?
This is packrafting in yellow boats on the Picton River this past year.
Next Week I am loading up the sea kayaks for a trip down south. I'll be spending five days on the Murray River. I am excited to spend time on this river which is Australia's longest river. Plans while exploring the Murray include a chance to paddle through the recently declared Barmah National Park, located 40 kilometers upstream from the river town of Echuca. This park protects a remarkable forest of river red gum trees that are the iconic tree of the Murray River. These red gums require periodic floods as part of their life cycle. Currently the Barmah is in flood and a boat will be the best way to view the forest.
Of course before leaving on any trip I check the seven day weather forecast and I am pleased with the report. The chance of rain is 90% during my entire week on the river and in the Barmah forest! I am excited for this weather because it means there is a higher liklihood of good storm light and better saturated colors in the rain soaked forest.
Being on a river during a storm is a great photo opportunity since storms often follow river basins and can be the catalyst for dramatic and quick changing light conditions. My last experience with river storm light was just last month while packrafting down the Huon River in Tasmania. I've included two photos I took during that trip.
As we paddled down the Huon River I would try to position myself between my two packrafting mates, Roman and Cody Dial. This position allowed me to shoot a boater both downstream and back upstream. That was the perfect place to be when I saw this remarakable rainbow form above Cody downstream. I stopped paddling and was able to shoot a few frames of Cody as he continued downriver.
Then I waited for Roman to appear. As I sat in my packraft the rain moved upstream, the rainbow faded and I was soon getting drenched as the cloud passed over me. The cloud continued upriver and just then the sun broke through as Roman came in sight. The sun illuminated the rain drops perfectly against the dark forest.
I was able to frame Roman in the corner and fill the rest of the photo with the falling rain drops. I guess that is what's called getting lucky with the weather. My fingers are crossed that I'll have the same opportunities on the Murray.
I am just returning from packrafting the Franklin River in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park in South West Tasmania with Roman Dial and his son Rome. The Franklin River is Australia's equivalent of the Grand Canyon for its sense of remote wilderness and challenging boating. We took 5 days exploring the 100 kilometer long canyon from the confluence with the Collingwood to Sir John Falls on the Gordon River. Click here for Roman's video from the adventure.
The rivers fast moving waters offer kayakers, rafters and especially packrafters with day after day of challenging white water. Our first camp, perfect for three people, was the Huon Pine camp ten kilometers down stream from the Collingwood-Franklin confluence. The Huon Pine that is this camps name stake is over a meter wide and is estimated to be almost 1,500 yeas old. This Huon, seen in the picture above, has a perfect view of the Franklin and grows just above the high flood zone 18 meters above the river level .
Scouting river left on the lower rapids of Thunder Rush in the Franklin Rivers Great Ravine. Our portage around this rapid involve a high portage requiring some fixed line and a short rappel back to the river.
Continue reading "Packrafting the Franklin River Tasmania" »
Here the Dial's, Roman and Rome, set out from Lake Pedder, in the South West National Park inTasmania, for some pack rafting on the Anne River. The Anne River is a steep creek that has only been boated three times in the past ten years so we knew to expect almost anything. The two days on the Anne turned out to be a classic low water level workout. Each day involved 12 hours of the hard labor of pushing, pulling and paddling our boats over countless rock bars, but we enjoyed some nice boating as well.The photo below is Rome Dial on the Upper Anne River where it drops at about 400 feet a mile. The Anne is beautiful creek boating at the right water levels. During our descent we tried to imagine how nice it would be if side creeks delivered us more water, but despite overnight rains this never happened.
The first day we made only ten km as we were slowed by shallow water and the constant need to push or drag the boats over rock bars.
The five kilometer section we paddled from the old wooden Clyde Bridge to Blue Gum Flats was an easy float. Although this was just a short section of river it was also some of the most beautiful river we have seen in NSW. The Clyde River has it's source in the Budawang National Park a Wilderness area about 30 kilometers inland from the ocean. The river meanders in a southerly direction on it's 110 km. journey to the Tasman Sea. For much of this distance the river is bordered by National Park and State Forest. This protection helps keep the waters of the Clyde exceptionally unpolluted since it does not pass through any major settlements or industry sites. For this simple reason it is one of the cleanest rivers on the east coast of Australia. The Clyde is also one of the last major undammed rivers in Australia. The indigenous Australians named this river Bhundoo.
