Hello from the East Bay!

Duketogo13

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Jun 29, 2021
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I've been researching packrafting on and off but I've yet to do any of it. Been hiking, backpacking and what have you for quite a long time now and I feel like packrafting would really open up some unique opportunities.

After doing coyote gulch as a hike several years back I've always wanted to do the route from below it down from forty mile to davis gulch. Just got back from doing the Subway this Monday and it's been a reminder after the pandemic of how much I really miss Utah and being out there and it's kicked my behind into gear to start getting more serious about planning the above trip. It seems easy enough in terms of technical skill needed for a newbie. Hoping to humbly get some help from those with experience!
 
Thanks for the welcome!

Yeah I've been holding off on grabbing a packraft just yet because I admittedly already have a gear hoarding problem. I was ideally trying to think towards plotting out a trip for September of October but with how bad the heat/droughts have been I'm not sure that it's going to actually be possible water level/flow wise this year.
 
I guess I'm in better company than I thought w/ my packraft curiosity... maybe we all need to bite the bullet and do a beginners trip. :lol:

I have a cheap Klymit packraft I've paddled around on some small mountain lakes in CO/WY, but I keep telling myself I'll get a nice one (and learn to use it) for Alaskan rivers one of these days... sure would've been a nice addition to the kit on any of my previous trips up there.
 
Welcome from a former Berkeley, N Oakland resident. I've to date managed to talk myself out of an Alpacka raft due to the drought, my gear hoarding, and not wanting to deal with permits for routes like the San Juan River. I have a cheap Klymt I can use for flat CO River crossings, but it's not rugged enough for bottom dragging trips like the Escalante River.
 
Welcome from a former Berkeley, N Oakland resident. I've to date managed to talk myself out of an Alpacka raft due to the drought, my gear hoarding, and not wanting to deal with permits for routes like the San Juan River. I have a cheap Klymt I can use for flat CO River crossings, but it's not rugged enough for bottom dragging trips like the Escalante River.

Thanks! I love the general area but it's so crowded here in the Bay. I feel like I have to travel so far to get anything that feels remotely peaceful for outdoor stuff and all the fires have closed off/shut down so many areas that were a bit more off the beaten path. Hopefully wherever you are now is treating you well!

Utah has been my go to spot for outdoor adventuring for about ten years now and even in those years I've watched certain spots really blow up with popularity. Which I feel has made getting permits, like you said, even more of a nuisance. I was looking into the Alpacka Scout myself but with it's price tag I've wanted to ensure I'll get the chance to get my money's worth out of it before biting that bullet.
 
Hopefully wherever you are now is treating you well!
Thanks! I've been working remotely for over 10 years, so I tried out a bunch of outdoor towns. I ended up buying a house in SW UT b/c at the time I was traveling to the Bay once a month and didn't want to be too far from a direct SFO/OAK flight. You could do worse than the Bay, with a great regional park system, public transportation network, and road biking options, but I get that everything feels crowded and the mountains/desert are far away.

Alpacka usually has a sale around the winter holidays. You might also
consider a rental.
 
You could do worse than the Bay, with a great regional park system, public transportation network, and road biking options, but I get that everything feels crowded and the mountains/desert are far away.
The way the climate has been changing over here has been making my day dreams about moving to someplace more remote feel like they may become a reality. I do feel lucky for many things that are great about the Bay and we do have a lot of great state/regional parks. I try to go to Redwood Regional twice a week but over the pandemic it's becoming so crowded. California is definitely not lacking for things to do but it's just overcrowded. I've been trying to get away up to the Redwood National & State Park system once a month or so because it's still possible to get trails to yourself out there. So much of the Trinity Alps area are still shut down due to all the fire damage.

Yeah it may be smarter to just wait till then and try to get it a bit of a reduced price. But I was hoping to try to find a weekend in September or October when the weather is a bit cooler and trying to throw together a trip to Escalante. Still trying to make up my mind.
 
I am also in the group of people that have been looking but haven't taken the plunge. I'm sure if I had one I would plan a trip for
Southern Utah, but the trip I really want to have one for is the Owyhee's in Idaho.
Right there with you...haven't taken the plunge yet, but it sure is tempting! Alpacka raft is a good follow on Instagram if you want more inspiration. I just discovered the Owyhee (online) and it looks like a beautiful canyon with lots of petroglyphs...I really want to see it some day. I think it's in Oregon though...at least the part I've been researching is.
 
Welcome from a fellow East Bay resident and packraft curious member! Utah is also my go-to escape.
Yeah I've got to admit, originally from the East Coast, I've lived in California though for almost 15 years now so my first trip to Utah was about 10-11 years ago now. But it really blew me away and I try to get back there at least once a year since and more often if I can. I don't think any other place I've traveled has really captured my outdoor imagine quite the same.

It makes me a bit sad that I hadn't discovered it/ventured out west more earlier in my life as already I've seen it become so much more crowded even over this past decade.
 
Right there with you...haven't taken the plunge yet, but it sure is tempting! Alpacka raft is a good follow on Instagram if you want more inspiration. I just discovered the Owyhee (online) and it looks like a beautiful canyon with lots of petroglyphs...I really want to see it some day. I think it's in Oregon though...at least the part I've been researching is.

The Owyhee's cover a large area of SE Oregon and SW Idaho. I grew up exploring that area as a kid and young adult. If you make it out there just make sure you have plenty of gas and perhaps an extra spare. It is a very large area with a very small, spread out population.
 
The Owyhee's cover a large area of SE Oregon and SW Idaho. I grew up exploring that area as a kid and young adult. If you make it out there just make sure you have plenty of gas and perhaps an extra spare. It is a very large area with a very small, spread out population.
Thanks for the advice. The area I'm looking at is around Jordan Crater and Hole in the Ground on the river. You're right, there's not much out there.
 
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