Alpacka Raft’s official blog recently featured a family of three packrafting through Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — seven days, roughly 50 miles, with a five-year-old son along for the ride.
If your own kid loves adventure, a trip like this might be within reach. And even if adventure isn’t quite their thing, this post is worth a read anyway. Not as encouragement to book an expedition of your own — but as a reminder that kids grow through whatever kind of trip you take them on, big or small. It’s a piece that speaks to parents more than it does to paddlers. Meet your kid where their curiosity already is, and the growth follows. Go somewhere with your kid.
Into the Refuge by Bush Plane
The family flew into the refuge by bush plane. Gear included an Alpacka Raft Ranger for the son and a Gnarwhal for the parents, Aquabound paddles, and PFDs — an Astral V-8 for the adults and an Otter 2.0 for the boy. The gear list itself is worth noting for anyone planning a family trip, or anyone just starting out in packrafting.
Seven Days, No Phones
On day three, heavy rain pinned them to the riverbank. They passed the time with card games and drawing, and celebrated the father’s birthday in the tent. The son reportedly asked to stay one more day. On the last day, they paddled downriver imitating the calls of gulls.
As author Emily L. Doig put it in the original post: seven days without phones — proof that the best family memories happen far past where the road ends.
Related Link
→ Alpacka Raft Blog: One Big Family Adventure: Packrafting Alaska’s Arctic Refuge
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