Hike, Fly, Float Dan Clearwater combines paragliding with packrafting
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earning a new outdoor sport changes the way you look at a map. Hike & fly pilots see potential launch spots where trampers might just see appealing lunch spots.
When I learnt to packraft, the river was no longer an obstacle, it became the objective. A big part of planning a trip is satisfying a curiosity. “What will it be like?” “Will it be possible?” And as I looked at the map, tracing rivers which I’d paddled, near launches that I’d flown, a small curiosity was born: “I wonder if you could combine paragliding with packrafting?” I certainly wasn’t the first to think it, but it was hardly a common combination. A loaded hike & fly pack is heavy enough, could I manage the extra bulk and weight of a packraft
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and paddling gear? A mid-winter day trip was the right opportunity to find out... From the Routeburn, hike up to Sugarloaf Pass. Fly down into the Dart valley and packraft home. The route was short enough to be achieved in a day, and had a few tracks nearby, so if things didn’t quite work, then it was simple enough to ‘hike & hike’ from any point back to the car. An interesting challenge, non-committing, beautiful... Why not give it a go? I spent a fair bit of time the night before, staring at piles of gear in the
Above; Skywoman flying a Skyman. Melanie Heather lands in the Dart Valley Below; Chilly climb through wet beech forest Lower left; David Cleary hikes towards launch above Sugarloaf Pass Photos: Dan Clearwater
