One of the supreme pleasures in life is seeing a new landscape for the first time, when every foot and view is totally novel, and the area lacks any trace of mental map for orientation. That was what I got to do today, and it was glorious.

Gunnison Gorge is a half a Grand Canyon, with a smaller river and loads of gorgeous P-J country. My favorite part of the day was grinding up the ridge from the west in 4Lo only to stop, suddenly, at the abrupt rim of a waterway outer logic says shouldn’t be there. 50s and sunny in later November is easy to like, too.

I should mention that based on this, the first outing, the new MTI Vibe might be the ideal non-rescue, non-SUL packrafting PFD.  After seeing it at OR back in August I requested, and received, one of the first production vests.  The very nice fit, good feature set, and practical fabrics (poly, rather than nylon, for better UV resistance and less water absorption) all promise a great deal.