Kennicott Guides Set High Bar for Packrafting Education
Packrafts on the Kennicott River - Photo by Michelle McAfee
Michelle McAfee - CRR Staff
Eleven years ago, a lanky, curly blond-haired kid from New Jersey showed up in McCarthy for an internship at Kennicott Wilderness Guides (KWG). Spencer Williamson was, at that time, two years into a Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education program at Brevard College in North Carolina and was a whitewater kayaking instructor with the ACA (American Canoe Association).
Within a decade, Williamson and the visionary owners of KWG created the first commercial packrafting courses with a curriculum recognized by the ACA, the oldest and largest paddle sport organization. KWG blazed trails down glacial rivers with packrafting in the Copper River Valley, setting a high bar for safety, skill, and fun factor.
Williamson grew up in New Jersey in the same town where Dave and Carl Felts lived. Dave, a bush pilot, and his brother Carl, a horse farrier, had been guiding hunting trips out of Solo Creek since 1979. Dave and Williamson hit it off, and when Williamson began applying for internships, Dave showed him a picture book and told him to check out Alaska.
Williamson applied to several guiding services in the valley and took a liking to KWG. Monte Montepare, Jared Steyeart, and Betsy Bradbury were the new owners of the guide service then, based in Kennicott, and didn’t have an intern program set up yet.
It didn’t sound like KWG would work out, but a week later, Montepare received an email from Gary Green, a McCarthy bush pilot, telling him to hire the kid from New Jersey. Montepare called Williamson back and said that if Gary Green said to hire him, that was good enough for KWG.
When Williamson showed up that summer in 2011, he said the vibe on the local rivers was, “white knuckle, let’s just put on the river, go down, and get out of there.” The overarching view locally of paddling was, “It’s scary.”
Williamson was coming from North Carolina, where whitewater kayaking was very prevalent, and the vibe was more like, “Let’s go surf some waves, catch some eddies, boof some waterfalls, play around on the river, hang out, and have a good time.” Locals were wary of running rivers for good reasons. The coldness of silt-laden glacial rivers and the remoteness of the rivers in the Copper Basin elevate the inherent risks.
Williamson said, “Packrafts in Alaska were used as a tool to access remote areas. Fun was secondary to a bigger mission.” He brainstormed the idea with Monte, Jared, and Betsy, of teaching courses and swift water rescue to arm people with the knowledge and skill needed to run local rivers safely and with awareness – and have fun. He presented a curriculum based on ACA knowledge and training and began experimenting with locals in McCarthy who were keen to try something new. Williamson said, “The local community was really excited about it, and the timing was good. People saw a need for more instruction and awareness of risks associated with the sport.”
The courses he teaches at KWG are for any skill level, including someone with no experience at all. Williamson says he loves teaching, and added, “Rivers deserve respect, and it’s important to have some sort of mentorship, a sensei guiding you, someone who has a lot of experience and can push and teach you but not go past the line.”
Williamson doesn’t hide his stoke doing what he loves with people he loves - Photo by Michelle McAfee
He mentions Luc Mehl’s book, “The Packraft Handbook”, as describing that concept of needing a “mother duck” on the river, whether that’s a friend, class, or a group. For beginners, Spencer recommends, “Starting on flatwater and working your way up.”
Pardon the pun, but packrafting is about to blow up. The sport is growing, with more demand for packrafting-specific instructors. Williamson and the owners of KWG worked hard for a decade to make packrafting it’s own discipline, recognized by the ACA, setting a high bar for safety and instruction. Last year the ACA decided to add certification for packraft instructors, separate from kayak instructors.
Williamson said, “I think we were the first ones to start teaching packrafting courses in general, and there are a couple of others happening around the state.”
It is becoming more of a recreational sport but is also utilized for search and rescue and hunting. Courses in packrafting skills and swift water rescue allow people to confidently and safely explore all that Alaska offers.
Education is making packrafting more user-friendly. Williamson said, “It’s a very practical craft, but proper knowledge, risk assessment of the river, and training are important, especially in our area. It’s not a good idea to just hop on the river and think it will be okay. In our courses, we teach a lot of people who say ‘I’m here, I have all the gear, I had a scary experience, I want to learn how to be safe.’”
Williamson describes people lighting up and smiling when it clicks with them that there is an actual equation, when they understand the mechanics and break it down into steps. He said, “When we teach them ‘speed, angle, and lean’ to catch an eddy or peel out, and in three days see people go from flatwater to Class III doing it with grace and style - that’s pretty cool and gratifying as an instructor.”
Williamson credits Montepare, Jared, and Betsy of KWG for loaning him a boat and introducing him to packrafting in 2011. They started out experimenting and just having fun on rivers. There was no commercial packrafting then when he said to them, “Here’s a curriculum, I’m certified, I love teaching, I want to do this.” They said yes, designed courses, hosted packrafting festivals, and set the bar in the industry for teaching courses. Williamson said, “I couldn’t do this without them.”
Williamson with Packraft Festival participants on McCarthy Creek - Photo by Michelle McAfee