Author: DaveC
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Done
If on seeing the above creek you think it too small to packraft, you would mostly be right. Being there right on the heels of snowmelt would have put another 4-6 inches into it, which would have padded out the rocks, if not the many downed trees and willow seives. For two reasons my decision…
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How the Mountain Tools Stealth pack works
I can’t recall which came first, the Jet Pack I bought used well over a decade ago, or my browsing the now charmingly basic and antiquaited Mountain Tools website for their extensive catalogue of hardwear, and unique house blend backpacks, which they’ve sold largely unchanged for a very long time. That Jet Pack had some…
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Flathead Rivers management plan, this time for real
Back in 2019 I beat the drum for packrafters to comment on the Flathead Rivers management plan update. 5.5 years later, we’re at the same place, due to staffing, COVID, and one imagines political foot dragging, but during a noteably different time. It would be difficult to convey the change in mood the pandemic brought…
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In tepid defense of seat packs
Over twelve years ago I wrote a series on bikepacking for Backpacking Light, which included what I still believe was the first systemic review of “modern” bikepacking gear. It wasn’t an especially complex project to take on, given that the folks selling seatpacks numbered three (Carousel, Epic, Porcelain Rocket), and the folks selling off the…
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Thruhunting
Generally speaking, hunting and hiking are not compatible. Speaking here of big game hunting mostly, and understanding that species distributed far across the landscape often require extensive hiking to find. But, it is always better to selectively walk, and know enough to head straight for those modest pockets on the landscape which a given species…
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Summer vacation on the Middle Fork
The logistics were simple, which was the point; park at the city airport in Kalispell, pay Red Eagle Aviation nearly $700 to fly us into Schafer Meadows on the Middle Fork of the Flathead, then float back to town. At least to West Glacier, as that is the first place you can get both ice…
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Stooge Speedbomb; bikepacking and enduro
The Speedbomb has continued to be money well spent; as given that a winter of sparse skiing has smoothed into a truncated and sporadic spring for floating, making the past 6 months a great time to ride bikes a lot. It was also money spent at the right time, as some good, prominent press saw…
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2024 Bob Open report
The 2024 Open ran from Rogers Pass to Woods Bay on Flathead Lake, making the second longest course yet. Conditions leading up to May 25th were mixed, with a mild winter and cool spring, and a big storm 10 days prior that left up to a foot of snow in mid elevations which had previously…
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The dad pack
Over the years I’ve made, and used, many very large backpacks; and while being a firm believer in having huge capacity and moderating packing choices rather than enforcing discipline with a crammed pack, have still occasionally found the fleet coming up short. Our family Isle Royale trip two years ago was the best example; with…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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