MO: Intro to Packrafting (30 miles)

Shamelessly copied from Water Dog's shameless copy of Savage's intro to packrafting trip.

The most important fact is if you don't have a Kokopelli or Alpaca style raft (or a way to beg, borrow, steal one), you cannot come on this trip. We can try to source rafts from other DCULers who aren't signed up for the trip or if those signed up have spare rafts. If you are interested in attending, but don't have a raft lined up yet I will keep you on the waitlist.

Water levels dictate everything, so if levels are too low or suicidally high we may punt to another waterway or reschedule.

The broad outline: Walk most of our miles on Sat, then camp out on a small site on the Habron Gap trail. Sun, we walk down to the Shenandoah, inflate our rafts, then hit the water. Sunscreen and full coverage clothing is your friend. Sunburns on the water are easy to come by.

The details:
We'll meet at the Bentonville boat ramp at 10am. You will lose cell phone service as you head south from Front Royal.
We'll park then head north along the blue blazed TT (starting with a bit of road walking), then hang a left on the oranged blazed Massanutten Trail. We'll walk the 11-ish miles to Habron Gap, hang another left, walk a quarter mile more then camp at an established site. This entire section is dry, dry, dry, including camp. There is water nearby, but plan on hiking further than you want downhill to access it (~.5mi).
Sunday morning, we'll make the easy downhill 2 mile cruise to Page Valley Road. Roughly a .25 mile or so from the road we'll cross our one and only water source. We'll fill up there (you don't want to drink the Shenandoah), then head to the boat ramp to deploy our inflatable flotilla.
It'll be a 17 mile float back to the 613 bridge where the takeout is.
What you'll need:
Packraft, Paddle, and PFD
Optional: Helmet, dry bags, dry jacket, paddling gloves.
The Klymit Flat Water Dingy is NOT acceptable for this trip; it is way too slow, even when powered by a strong paddler. Beg, borrow, or steal for a real packraft.
The only real challenge should be Compton Rapids (Class II).
Likewise there is little need for a helmet, except possibly at Compton Rapids.
There is a possibility of renting packrafts--I will not be organizing it. You can get it done on your own, but forming a group to rent may produce cost savings. (https://www.packraftingadventures.com/rentals) rents packrafts and is semi local. Rentals can easily fall through or be expensive.

If you do wish to purchase, Alpacka is the gold standard. But there are other makers like Feathercraft and Kokopelli. Packrafting isn't a cheap investment.

Final notes: Expect roughly a 2.5-3 mph pace on the water. We won't see much (if any) white water as the goal is to keep this beginner friendly. We will be paddling all day Sunday, so you will need some upper body stamina. Of course you can also stop and rest and enjoy the float!

Video of July 2019 Intro to Packrafting: https://youtu.be/DhugQ4o087w
Video of June 2015 Intro to Packrafting: https://youtu.be/vnA264ygzW8

I'm just a co-participant on this trip, not a guide or an expert. I've never done this route before and have no special training (organizational, medical, or navigational).

By RSVPing to this trip or any other DC UL trip, you agree to these guidelines and to DC UL's waiver liability terms (https://www.meetup.com/DC-UL-Backpacking/pages/Liability_Waiver/)

Dues: Members and above, don't forget to pay your annual dues. You can check if you need to pay dues by seeing if the current year is listed next to your name in your DC UL profile. Applicants do not need to pay dues for their first trip. To pay your dues via PayPal, use this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15 (10 annual dues plus a 5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project.)

Carpool: As per our carpool policy, riders should pay drivers $0.10/mile.