A New Hobby: Packrafting!

There was a bit of an existential crisis in the spring of 2022. While, on one hand, I had tackled a few of my biggest adventures in the Grand Canyon, and my kids had also done some awesome hikes in the Superstitions, I was debating if I was actually enjoying these all-day grinds. I did enjoy the outdoors, right? Or was I just out here, challenging my legs and pushing myself on harder and harder things? So, in the spring of 2022, I bought myself an early birthday present: a Kokopelli Rogue-Lite packraft.

Why a packraft, especially in Arizona? I had first played with the idea of having a packable watercraft back in Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, as a way to traverse some of the lakes (like White Deer Lake), float down some of the larger rivers (like the Sturgeon River Sloughs), or access some of the islands in Lake Superior (especially the Huron and Manitou Islands). Arizona has a fraction of these options. Sure, the Grand Canyon makes for an intriguing argument by itself. Having a packraft at the bottom of the canyon opens up some backcountry options if you cross the Colorado River, or some fun float options that could break up an all-day hike. Then there’s the Verde River next to the Mazatzal Wilderness and the nearby Verde River Trail to make for interesting multi-day trips. More importantly, though, I saw it as a more leisurely way to enjoy being outside.

So, in the hopes of starting a relaxing hobby outside, I got this packraft and decided to start exploring the Salt River. The Salt River flows between Four Peaks and Superstition Wilderness, and while there are an annoying number of dams along it, there is a nice section below Canyon Lake for floating. There is even a dedicated tubing company that provides shuttles and tubes for groups, something that Chris opted to do for his groomsmen when he got married a few years back. Another recent splurge, a nice bike, allowed me to set up the shuttles myself. I could park at the planned exit, bike a few miles up the road (the Bush Highway runs along this whole section of river, from Granite Reef up past Canyon Lake) with my packraft in a backpack, swing into one of the many entry points, lock up my bike and inflate the raft, then float back down to the car and pick up my bike on the way home.

The first outing left a strong impression on me. I did a lower section of the river, from Goldfield Recreation to Granite Reef, which is farther than the tubing company allows their patrons to go, making for a quiet, peaceful float with plenty of wildlife sightings. Sure, this section had a lot of flat water, and my tall body barely fits in the packraft, making the paddling sections somewhat annoying. Still, the combination of the early morning, the quick sweat on the bike, and then the leisurely float made for a solid morning activity.

Over the next few weeks, I would continue coming back, trying out different sections of the river. This entire length of the Salt isn’t that long, about twelve miles in total, and there’s a lot of variation. The upper sections, right below Stewart Mountain Dam and through Water Users, have some of the more challenging rapids to go through, often splashing into my little craft, and long sections of calm, very deep, flat water. Between Pebble Beach and Goldfield are numerous little rapids, short flat sections, and relatively shallow water, making for the “quickest” flow. Below Goldfield, past Coon Bluff and Phon D Sutton, and then into Granite Reef are the laziest stretches, where a headwind can really push you around. It was fun learning these sections, combining different endpoints on separate sections, always starting early to avoid the rowdy tubing crowd, which frequently had alcohol and loud music to disturb the peaceful surroundings.

Even with my early starts, my adventures dwindled during the hotter months. It’s hard to enjoy an early morning bike ride in the predawn light when it’s so hot that sweat is pouring into your eyes. Over the next few years I would continue coming back for a few outings, early in the summer, and then peter out.

My kids became jealous of these adventures, so then I bought a cheaper, larger raft, one that all of us could fit in. The thing is huge and annoying on flat sections, so we spent most of our time above Phon D Sutton to limit the amount of paddling I’d have to do. Kids made for a challenging, if rewarding, addition. I couldn’t do the bike shuttle by myself anymore. There’s no way I would leave them alone, next to the water, with strangers putting in their own paddleboards, kayaks, and tubes, while I set up the shuttle, so I had to lean on my parents or wife to help out. They did really enjoy the time on the river, frequently hopping overboard and holding onto the side of the raft, floating alongside. (And yes, we all wore life jackets; the river is far too tricky with unseen hazards to go without.)

Now, four years later, I still enjoy floating down the Salt River. The packraft has held up, and I’ve learned a few good tricks, like using a small, battery-powered inflater instead of the included bag; having both a small and a large dry bag, one for essentials that is attached to my life jacket and one to keep my pack dry; and rolling up the raft so everything fits nicely inside my pack. I also appreciate the different attitude I have now. While I’m still working on allowing myself to enjoy hiking for the sake of hiking, without thinking about pace or distance, these floats are still just floats.

I still haven’t used the packraft on the Verde River, or the Grand Canyon, or any of those big, epic adventures (though I might soon!). That’s fine. I enjoy this hobby, and I like knowing that the option is there to do a big multi-day trip in the western Mazatzals or to haul the thing up and down those ridiculously big canyon trails. Who knows, maybe in a few years, depending on where life goes, I could also bring it to Isle Royale and try a whole new, very different type of adventure there.