Clad in drysuits and helmets, nearly 100 people riding on inflatable flamingos, unicorns, moose and more brave the rapids of the Sixmile Creek’s first canyon near Hope on Saturday. Folks cling to their pool floaties, but many are separated after passing over some of the strongest rapids in the state. The race is the third of the day and follows a whitewater kayak and packraft competition that concluded just minutes before.
The first Six Mile Creek Whitewater and Bluegrass Festival was held nearly 20 years ago by a group of whitewater enthusiasts who wanted to raft competitively and camp along the creek. Organizers later added bluegrass musicians to the lineup.
“It brings the community from all over the state together, it’s awesome,” said Max Walton, who helps organize the event with rafting partner Tim Johnson. “There is a whole whitewater crew up in Fairbanks that come down for it, Homer, all over the state. It’s a really awesome opportunity for new boaters to get out on the water because there’s safeties everywhere.”
According to Walton, the whitewater season in Alaska is short, seeing its peak in the summer. This, and Alaska’s size, makes it difficult to meet whitewater fanatics from around the state. He says for some, it's one of the only occasions to connect with fellow whitewater paddlers from Alaska or other parts of the country. For others, the festival is a chance to try something new on the water.
Gary Myers stands proudly for a photograph with his purple inflatable bear after completing the pool toy race. He’s from North Carolina, but his New Year’s resolution was to never pass up an invite. That frame of mind, and an invite from a friend, is what brought him to Alaska for the festival.
“A nice little Alaskan girl actually named this bear, this bear is named Lupine," Myers said while holding the inflatable bear. "This is a gummy bear, and basically I thought if I brought the flips with me, I’d have an advantage. I felt that this big fluffy head was going to help crush through some big, frothy waves we’d be careening towards.”
Unfortunately, Lupine obstructed Myers' view and he ended up swept off the bear.
“Let me tell you what, there was a time where I was separated from Lupine, and I said to myself ‘Do I go for the W, or do I rescue the bear?’ And at that moment in my life, I had to rescue the bear, I just had to rescue the bear," Myers explained. "This little Alaskan girl, I knew she’d be all teary-eyed if we didn’t rescue Lupine, so I said ‘Heck with the W, maybe next year, we gotta rescue Lupine.’”
Ben Stone of Knik River was also in the inflatable pool toy race. He was riding with eight other people on a monstrous floaty that resembles one of Alaska’s most well-known creatures.
“I have never been in a moose before, so it was kind of an experiment," Stone said. "It kind of turned into a hot tub, because it wasn’t self-bailing. The water couldn’t leave once we went through the rapid, so it turned into eight person soup at some point, but it floated. We sent it and made it through.”
After the races conclude, the music begins. Paddlers set up their tents and dance to the sweet sounds of bluegrass music.
“There’s a lot of like-minded people out there, obviously, but they don’t always cross paths," said Piper Dixon, a packrafter from Seward. "It’s something like this that gets everyone together, gets them stoked on the sport. A lot of people are going to end up paddling with new friends after this, so it’s that, and another good excuse for a party.”
“It just brings so many diverse groups of people together," Myers said. "Sometimes we’re isolated, especially in the post-Covid era, but when we have events like this and we can remember what it’s like to be outside in mother nature, and frolic around in her bosom, there’s no greater experience.”
The Six Mile Creek Whitewater and Bluegrass Festival is held near Hope the last Saturday of every July.
