Glacier Raft Crews Complete Unprecidented 123 Mile Float… In One Day.
On Saturday May 30th, eight current and former Glacier Raft Company guides completed the first single-day navigation of the Flathead River from the Schafer Meadows Ranger Station, located deep within the Great Bear Wilderness, to the Sportsman’s Bridge, just north of Flathead Lake. The journey, completed as the river neared its peak flow, took just under 18 hours.
The first 28 miles of the trip, known as the Upper Middle Fork, is located within the Great Bear Wilderness and is home to consistent class IV and V whitewater at high flows. The two four-person crews put 14 ft AIRE rafts on the river at 5:10 am and exited the wilderness at 10:00 am, covering nearly 30 miles, that normally takes two to three days to navigate, in under five hours.
After completing the wilderness section the paddlers still had to cover over 40 miles of class III-IV whitewater above West Glacier and nearly 50 miles of flat water between West Glacier and Flathead Lake. The incredibly demanding trip began before sunrise and ended after sunset as the crews pulled into the take out at 10:54pm.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this trip happen and allowed us to kick off the summer of 2009 with such a fantastic accomplishment!
For more detailed play-by-play from the expedition check out this article from Thursday’s Daily Inter Lake.
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/06/04/sports/outdoor_life/outdoor_life_8755908154_01.txt
