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Pack River Trip Report, May 24, 2003

By Chuck Fisk

Fourteen hardy paddlers and one not-so-hardy passenger (Chuck Fisk) gathered on May 24 for the first "official" club trip on the Pack River in several years. After assembling at the Sandpoint McDonalds, the group moved up to the put-in at the Highway 2 crossing near the Schweitzer turn-off. The area has been considerably stabilized against erosion by the placement of a lot of crushed rock ballast in the parking area. Most of the group elected to get the shuttle out of the way by taking cars all the way to the proposed take-out on Highway 200 near the Lake Pend Oreille confluence. Just in case the rather strong breeze got too strong, we left one car mid-way at the Country Store. With shuttle completed, we were under way about noon. Less than an hour later a cow moose was spotted some distance away on a tributary stream, but that was our only sighting on the trip, which has usually provided four or five. After a lunch stop on a grassy shelf, we stopped at the Country Store for ice cream. Pierre made the difficult landing on river-left, while the rest of the group decided river-right, though a longer walk, was considerably easier! Weather and wind cooperated, and we elected to finish the trip all the way to the Highway 200 bridge. Dramatic storm clouds with occasional booms of thunder to the east caused a bit of uneasiness during the afternoon, but held off until we were safely off the water about 6 p.m. Most of the group chose to have supper at Ivano's in Sandpoint. Midway through the meal the thunderstorm hit with full fury and continued through the drive home.

Due to Chuck Fisk's surgery, trip leader Diane Adams assembled, on rather short notice, probably the largest club number of participants ever. Besides here, there were Marion Cox, Richard Everett, Steve Neufeld, Jeff and Chris Stevens with passenger Chuck Fisk, Nancy Anderson, Pierre Finch, Jane Schelly, Ken McKenney, Larry and Sharon Riordan, Harvey Brown, and Rosemarie Bisiar. Paddling in four canoes and five kayaks.