Alpacka Raft’s blog featured a long-term project to run California’s Russian River from Lake Mendocino to the Pacific — 115 miles, tackled section by section. The trip was carried out by Rivers for Change ambassadors Will Hubert and Billy Uhlhorn-Thornton.
There are trade-offs either way depending on how you use it, but the switch from a conventional inflatable kayak to a packraft, and how much it helped once made, is a story plenty of inflatable kayakers in Japan will recognize too.
What stood out most, though, was the answer to the question of why anyone runs rivers at all. There may be a feeling only people who paddle rivers ever really get. Reading it was a good excuse to think again about why running rivers matters in the first place.
A Challenge That Began With Failure
The first attempt covered the 50-mile stretch from Ukiah to Healdsburg. The team took on a 12-foot blue inflatable kayak and, within just 9 miles, had to portage nine times — the trip refused to go smoothly.
The Switch to Packrafts
On the second attempt, the group ran 58 miles from Frog Woman Rock to Geyserville by packraft, successfully. At Boneyard Rapid, backlighting led them to pick the worst possible line and they capsized, but a kayaker who happened to be nearby pulled them out. The switch to a lighter, easier-to-handle, self-bailing packraft turned fear into something closer to joy, they say. The final leg, 57 miles from Healdsburg to Jenner, is planned for October.
Trash and Native Species at Risk
The post points to trash piling up along the riverbanks and to wild salmon and steelhead populations in crisis. Abandoned cars, toxic substances, and invasive species are described as threats to the river. A community paddle-and-cleanup event is also planned for October.
Related Link
→ Alpacka Raft blog: “Willows and Hidden Stories: A Russian River Source to Sea Journey” https://www.alpackaraft.com/blog/russian-river-journey
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