McCarthy Creek

Its another paddling day, so I pop up early and excited. Again, I drive a couple miles back into town from my ‘stealth camp’ on the outskirts. Laying out gear alongside the van I multi task and brew up some coffee to take with me on my hike up river. Packing up for a single day, hike-assisted packrafting adventure is much easier and lighter without the associated camping gear of an overnight. This time I’ve also got quite a bit better info and I’ve even found another rafter’s run mapped out on CalTopo. It also is a simpler run than Clear creek. Essentially all I need to do is hike up alongside the river and pop onto it when I’m ready (or I find “Z Rock”) and paddle back. Loaded up and coffee in hand, I hike the mile to McCarthy with my paddle sticking up alongside my pack announcing my attentions to the locals I pass along the way. It actually earns me a couple smiles and a thumbs up from one. Just south of town there is a vehicle bridge that will serve as my takeout landmark. I scope out an eddy just upstream from the bridge and drop a GPS waypoint just for good measure. The CalTopo map lines out a hike up the right side of the river, but the raft guides talked about hiking up the left side. Finding a decent road running up the left, I go for that. After about a half mile, the road starts drifting away from the water however and as the sounds of the crashing flow get more faint, I start questioning my decision. The dirt road comes to an offshoot that appears to lead to a small Creekside cabin. Although I’ve heard Alaskans do not take kindly to trespassing, and all of them own guns, I head up the path and quietly pass the cabin, gunning for the river. I break through a bit of brush onto the riverbank and find the land alongside the braided river a perfectly good alternate route. Continuing on, I just hike the riverbank. For some reason keeping close to the river is comforting. There are a few signs of bear, but they appear to be black bear prints from what I can tell. Why exactly this means “not dangerous” I’m not sure, but that’s how my subconscious interprets it.

The going is pretty straightforward for a few miles, only requiring little hops of the occasional small side trickle. I’m able to keep my feet dry and stay out of the woods and a potentially more formidable bushwack through the trees. Then, as the valley tightens up a bit more, I intermittently loose a riverbank route and I’m forced into the trees. The vegetation is thin and easy to navigate, thankfully. I even find either a game trail or the social trail stamped down by others who have headed this same way. The canyon tightens a bit more as I progress, and the vegetation thickens a bit as well. My progress is slowed, but still steady. I pull the paddle off my bag in a very reaching back and drawing my sword sort of way that makes me smile, so that I can squeeze through the woods better. As I break back out onto the riverbank, suddenly think- Whoa whoa, wait. Along with my paddle, that side of my bag held to plastic rods that complete the cockpit ring of my boat when assembled. I drop my pack and check. Yep, they’re gone. Shit. I haven’t gone too far since pulling my paddle off, and the bushwhack didn’t take some ridiculous path. I can retrace it. Leaving my pack and paddle on the rocky shore, I doubled back and thankfully quickly found the rods. I laughed to myself that some bear might be running off with my pack as I’m back here grabbing them. If nothing else, that’d make a good story. My gear is untouched when I get back to it.

Not so lucky rabbit...

Securing the ever important boat pieces, I move along. In order to simplify my life, instead of fighting so hard to keep my feet dry, I just say screw it and do some wading. The water isn’t too cold, and I’ve only got a couple miles to go. Not too much risk of destroying my feet with abrasion injuries. The going is much faster, although a good bit chillier… once I wet my feet, what’s to stop me from going into my calves, then knees. Loving the water, I really am kindof having fun with the wading and splashing along. Its keeping me out of the steep and sometimes sketchy climbs into and out of the woods along the cliffy riverbank. I only brought a liter of water and I’ve finished it off during my little lunch break a while back. Before I get too dehydrated, I decide I’m going to put on the water at 3 whether I’ve made it to Z rock or not. I end up making it just a quarter mile from the rock, but I stick to my guns and set to building the boat and getting geared up for the paddle.

I’ve gotten more efficient at inflating the boat with its weird little stuff sack turned air catching bag, so the work goes a bit quicker than the past few times. Its hot, and I’m reluctant to get into my drysuit, but I’m well aware how cold the water is, and how much a swim would be different than even a knee deep wade. I squeeze into it and lash my pack to the front deck. Sending out a GPS message to two contacts that I’m getting on the water, I shove off. The run turns out to be relatively pushy wave trains, funneled through shallow channels and rock gardens. More water, and maybe even more fun than my Clear creek run. It only lasts an hour at most as the water is moving quickly and the run is only about 5 miles. My day on Clear creek was truly all day spent paddling. I’m smiling the whole time and enjoying the technical parts of avoiding rocks and shallows, while cruising and splashing along on the wave trains and holes. I’m glad I did it, even though the run was over a bit too quickly. My GPS logged me at 6.8 MPH at my fastest. That’s pretty darn fast for the rivers I’m used to. On the hike back out to the van I pop into “the Potato” one of the two choices in McCarthy for a post paddle beer, which I enjoy slowly. Another good day in the books.

Back at the van I tackle the long road out of the area a bit more slowly and cautiously this time and escape without incident. The long sunlight filtered through the lingering smoke over the copper river makes quite the sight to my right as I near the return of paved road. I’ll make some progress towards Glenallen tonight and see how meeting back up with Carson goes tomorrow.