I took an inflatable raft to 13,000ft to go paddle on an alpine lake
Alpine Packrafting with the Kokopelli Rogue R-Deck
Finding Joy In Multi-displince Outdoor adventures…
Over the past few months I’ve become a lot more excited about multidisciplined outdoor adventures. In my personal life in Boulder, Colorado it’s become pretty rare for me to go a day without doing two different outdoor sports. I typically bike to and from my office then end the day by trail running or rock climbing.
In the winter, I will start my day by taking a few runs at the local ski resort and end my day hiking, running, or at the climbing gym. I know this isn’t a typical lifestyle for most people but I do love having a well-rounded set of hobbies to bring me all sorts of joy in the outdoors.
This summer, I’ve really enjoyed linking these two sports together a little more intentionally. Taking a bike ride to a trail head and going on a mellow trail run in the mountains can leave me feeling pretty fulfilled knowing that I just had a fully human powered adventure. Then came this raft came into my life in the realm of opportunity really expanded….
Giving you access to new experiences
These pack rafts aren’t made to run class four or five white water, they are made for you to enjoy the outdoors in a new and exciting way. Primarily, it allows you to experience two amazing outdoor pursuits in one day. Paddling around on a lake at 13,000 feet wasn’t ever something I would’ve dreamed about but suddenly it became possible.
The raft only weighed a few pounds and could fit easily into my 55 lite backpacking bag so it seemed like a natural combination of the two activities. We could hike for a few hours, pull out the snacks and enjoy a whole new activity up at the lake. The night before we went on a hike I was giddy with excitement.
Outdoor Gear is a tool
I think of a lot of outdoor gear as a tool. Climbing gear enables you to get up a mountain. Skis allow you to slide down it. If you’ve never used climbing gear before, your first thought when standing at the base of a vertical cliff is not “hey, I think I’m going to climb that.” However, with the right tools it enables you to have a great new experience.
This pack raft has done that for me.
Getting inspired to explore more
I have hiked to lots of alpine lakes before but not once have I thought to bring an inflatable raft to use out on the water. After doing it this time, I only want to do it more because of how wonderful the experience was. When I returned from the hike, I immediately began researching different pack rafting routes in Colorado and Utah because walking downhill with this raft felt a lot less cool than floating down a river in the mountains instead.
I rarely advocate for people to buy certain products because I don’t always believe they will vastly change their quality of life. If you have an old bike, you can still find joy going on a bike ride. If you have an old surfboard, you can still find that beautiful feeling of standing up on a wave. However, there’s not really another alternative to a pack raft. It opens up a whole new outdoor sport!
New Ways to Enjoys the Outdoors
Hiking 10 miles with a light raft in your backpack allows you to enjoy these alpine lakes in an exciting and innovative way. Sure, you could carry an inflatable paddleboard or kayak on your back but those typically weigh so much that your legs would crumble beneath you before you made it to the top. So, all this to say, it was definitely the right tool for the job and a tool that I hope to use a lot more in the future…
Connect with Roo
Roo is a commercial/documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado but travels all around the world for his filmmaking career.
He has produced films for Outside Magazine in Ireland, camera operated for Netflix in the Rocky Mountain West, photographed among indigenous communities in Peru and Ecuador, directed videos with professional climbers in Mexico and has received notable recognition in his hometown of Orcas Island in Washington State for his work telling uplifting stories in the outdoor space.