A light breeze ripples the water on the lake. The sun
sparkles over the
1000
foot granite cliffs of
Barring Mountain. With a crew of one, the good ship Wyzard shoves off onto
Barclay lake -- opening day of Alpine Yachting season. A few paddles later,
a three yacht flotilla forms at the outlet of the lake, exhilarated by the
prospects of an afternoon of scenic splendor, floating and paddling in the
quiescence of Barclay Lake.
Rumors have it many years ago it was the exception rather than the rule to see people on the trail. Now you are lucky if you can find a parking spot at the trail head. When you arrive at the typical alpine lake, you have to hike past several day hiker's picnics before you can stake out a homestead of rocky shoreline from which to view the sights and have a little lunch before returning to your car. If solitude is what you are looking for, you might try getting up very early and hiking in a few more miles to the next lake or two up the trail. More likely than not, instead of day hikers, you will be bumping shoulders with troops of backpackers.
However, in an Alpine Yacht, you are freed from the landlocked trailside crowds, the vistas of snow capped peaks and puffy clouds floating off in the distance are wide open and unobstructed. The light afternoon breeze typical of alpine lakes, cause the yacht to drift effortlessly from view to view-- the best of many worlds.
What is an Alpine Yacht? Your basic alpine yacht is an
inflatable two man raft that stuffs into an average size day
three and four man rafts, particularly
if you are interested in family yachting experiences.
As with any 'cruise' there are many things to do. The spectrum of activities depends on the size of the yacht, the passenger list and their creativity. In a solitary yacht, reading is perhaps my favorite activity. My favorite solo yachting activity is to paddle far into the middle of the lack, slide deep into privacy of the floor of the raft, stripping down to whatever seems comfortable and catching a couple of hours of sun. Only don't forget the sun tan lotion and to roll over once in a while! Some will of course fish from their yacht.
If it is exercise you are looking for, rowing a raft is an excellent source of inefficient exercise. If it is effortless motion you desire, an energetic crew of youngsters can come in handy -- so long as you remain captain and are sufficiently sedated by the scenery to cope with the tussle for who is going to row and the inevitable water fights. Also, don't forget the life vests. On overnight yachting excursions, slightly deflated rafts can perform the double duty of a sleeping mattresses (on solid camp ground of course). As a cautionary note, prudent alpine yachting excursions will head to shore to avoid storms, particularly if the storm looks like it may have an electrical component. Rumor has it that a raft or two in the middle of a lake make very attractive targets for lightning. This is one of those experiences best left to rumors.
There are many acceptable and inexpensive two man or larger inflatable rafts on the market that make suitable alpine yachts. Perhaps the most important feature is to have an inflatable bottom floor. This is where your body sits against the cold water. The air of the floor provides some insulation against the cold water in the typical snow fed alpine lake. The small amount of flotation provided by the floor air compartments may also provide a small but significant safety margin should the main compartment of the raft suddenly deflate. This danger seems somewhat remote in the middle of a lake. However, you never know where or when Jaws may strike, particularly if you are fooling around in the middle of the lake trying to add more air to the raft. Swimming great distances in the cold of an alpine lake is an experience most would wisely avoid.
The path of least resistance and lowest cost is usually to look for a raft that comes complete with oars. The typical pump for a yacht is a compromise between cost, weight and size. Expect to spend between 5 to 20 minutes inflating your yacht. A foot pump frees your hands to have a snack before launching and is generally faster although bulkier. It is also nice to have a pump that can be reversed to suck the last bits of air out of the raft to ease squeezing the yacht back into the pack at the end of a cruise.
The raft valves also differ in style and apparent quality, although it should be noted that in more than a decade of alpine yachting, I have not yet heard of a valve failure in any of the various inflatables owned by myself and friends. The floor compartment typically has an simple inflatable plug typical of toy inflatables. The better main compartment valves are scaled dawn screw cap versions of those found on serious white water rafts. These valves provide a very efficient one way air flow into the main compartment so that if needed, you can unscrew the outer cap and inflate the boat in the middle of the lake without worrying about letting all of the air of the raft out. This assumes of course you don't unscrew the inner cap, in which case you'll find out what it was like to be on the Titanic.
If you are seeking new vistas and experiences away from the crowded shorelines of our backcountry mountain lakes, Alpine Yachting may just be the sport for you. Whether you are an experienced or novice hiker, you will be surprised at how much you have missed stuck on the shoreline. There are few more comfortable places to contemplate the wisps of clouds brushing off nearby mountain peaks than nestled comfortably in the bosom of an inflatable yacht. One also has the opportunity to visit those mysterious islands in the middle of lakes -- places where the blueberries remain plump and unpicked. Alpine Yachting opens up a whole new spectrum of places to explore and things to do once you reach a lakeside destination.
Of course, in true backcountry tradition, you will be left to your own to figure out just where and when this year's opening day for Alpine Yachting season is. Just before the snows start in fall sounds good to me. <G>
