The Payoff

For many years I was just a hiker but I had bigger dreams. I enjoyed immersing myself in the splendid wonders of nature. Listening to the wind howling past on a high mountain, digging snow caves, watching all the animals of the forest, envisioning the life of the trees around me, being fascinated at how alive the desert was, and being at peace without all the wizzing and wonders of urban life. Yet I am always trying to draw out more from the wilderness environment.

Two great developments happened over the last two years. First, I took up fly-fishing. Second, I bought a packraft.

So last summer (2017) I incorporated the three (hiking, fly fishing, and packrafting) and finally the big payoff happened. For the first time ever I used hiking as a platform for my wilderness experience without it being the highlight.

So here is the outline of the experience. I wanted to packraft the Flathead River through the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I began at Lake Holland and hiked the 25 miles into the Bob to the headwaters of the South Fork Flathead. Floated the packraft to the White River. Set up a lower camp and then hiked up to the Chinese Wall and back down. Floated from the White river to Spotted Bear. Yes I did Meadow Creek Gorge solo (yes, I do have some beta to prove it). Hiked from Spotted Bear over Whitcomb Pk. to Schafer Meadows. Then floated from Schafer Meadows to Bear Creek take-out.

The trip was chocked full of highlights, way too many to detail. Everything from the Chinese Wall, to bull trout that were 30” easy, to running Meadow Creek Gorge. Total trip miles (hiking and floating) was about 180 miles. Total time was 10 days.

Headed back to the Bob in July 2018 to do it again, in bigger water, for another payoff!