Our trio was enjoying the whitewater rodeo of the river's upper half, where the average gradient sits at a very steep seventy-five feet per mile. My partners were two other Alaska adventure junkies from Anchorage: Agnes Stowe and Seth Holden. The last time we were together was a year ago on the gigantic alpine wall of the Mooses Tooth, getting pummeled by freezing spindrift. Here on the river, the weather was perfect for hypothermia; a steady drizzle hung in the air while the afternoon temperature soared into the low... forties. We were on the lookout for the second crux rapids where the Aniakchak drops eighty-three feet in one boulder-strewn mile. Our plan was to scout this section to gauge the danger to life and limb. We would play the conservative card; any injury out here would be a serious situation. Besides, in this weather, just going for a swim would be life threatening. You gotta love early July in the Aleutian Range.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Crux Rapids on the River
- Packrafting the Aniakchak
- Hidden Creek
- Remoteness by the Numbers
- Back to the Rapids
- Wooly Worm and Wily Char
- Sockeye Rocket
- Winding Down
# WORDS: 3640
# PHOTOS: 15
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