Most people who kayak in Glacier National Park have hired the conventional looking canoes. But my kayaking experience was going to be far from conventional of course.
B has a pack raft. This is an elite group of kayaking enthusiasts who can unroll their boat from their hiking backpack and inflate it in less than 5mins and be ready to hit the water. It weighs just 6 lbs and with the paddles and spray skirt (used for white water rafting) it its just 8lbs.
He can also paddle down fast moving rivers in this, but we did not try this as one of my priorities of the trip was not to drown!
The morning we got up the sun had come out and the lake was perfect. My inflating technique needs work, so like a small child I had to have help. I’m not a proficient paddler so I dressed in waterproofs. During the entire three miles of paddling I bathed myself in lake water, slowly filling my boat in the process.
I was really impressed at just how efficient and comfortable these rafts are. They are also jolly expensive. B’s cost nearly $1200 and now there is such a demand for them, there is a long waiting list, as the company that makes them does so by hand.
If you get a puncture you can repair pretty easily and on you go. You don’t sink immediately. We were the envy of all the other paddlers, although I must have let the side down a bit with my technique.
After four hours on the water, with a bit of Fly Fishing by B we headed back to camp for lunch and for me to dry out.
In the afternoon we took a hike off trail. Last time to spot bears before our drive back to Bozeman. En route we saw a mountain lion foot print very clear and very fresh in the mud. Unlike bears, if you come face to face with one of those you spray the f@ck out of it immediately and act aggressive – those cats do not mess about.
Sadly no wildlife sightings during our little jaunt, but we did stop at a pretty little creek to soak up the sun and for B to do a spot more fishing.
whogivesamonkeys 
Posted on September 8, 2014
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