The 2023 Open ran from lower Holland Lake to Marias Pass, under overall kind conditions. A late spring led to a sunny May, with snow levels tapering northwards, and the foothills of Glacier having a drastically lower than normal snowpack. Moderate temps in the week leading to Memorial Day kept both the Middle and South Forks low given the time of year. Participants where blessed with abundant rain on day one.

The inevitable temptation of road access near Spotted Bear saw lots of folks bail. Packrafts had fun with various stretches of the South and Middle Forks, and a few folks had rather less fun with Big Salmon Creek. Several routes into the Middle Fork drainage saw plenty of bear sign, and a Middle Fork big enough to likely require a swim for the boat-less. Thus most, if not all of the finishers in this high attrition year had boats. Squishy conditions combined with inevitable hardpack miles up to obelisk saw abundant “exploding feet.”

Everyone had a good time.