I’m finally getting up to Alaska this summer, approx dates June 16 through Aug 8, and I’m trying to figure out what I want to do when I get there.
The one firm commitment is the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic in late-July. That still leaves me 5 weeks before the event and 1 week afterwards to play. Can I get some suggestions from you all?
Here are some general criteria:
- Trip length of 1-5 weeks
- Mixed hiking and rafting, with a 80/20 to 60/40 ratio – I love hiking, and for me packrafting is just a tool to covering miles and opening up otherwise inaccessible areas and route options. I’m comfortable on PR1 and PR2 rivers, maybe PR3 if I get in some time in my boat before I go.
- I would consider glacial travel if I had an experienced partner – I don’t have the skills on my own since the “glaciers” here in Colorado are really just permanent snowfields (at least for another 10 years or so).
- High mileage and long days – 20-50 MPD and 15-18 hour days.
- As few bugs as possible, though I realize the limitations of that criteria given that I’m arriving just in time for the spring hatch
- Positive bear encounters, i.e. when they see me they run away
- Lots of off-trail travel, though certainly not opposed to integrating recreation trails if they help me get somewhere.
- Potential resupply points about every 7-10 days, i.e. any town with a post office to which I can send a General Delivery package.
A few of the ideas that I’ve been toying around with:
-
Stitch together former AMWC routes, i.e. start at Homer, hike to Hope; get to Eureka Roadhouse, hike to Talkeetna; get to McKinley Village, hike to the Gerstle; get to Chicken, hike to Central, etc. To get between ending/starting points, I could either hike there or hitch there, or a combo of both. For example, I could cross Turnagain Arm, take the dicey route from Girdwood to the Knik Arm, and then hitch on the highway to Eureka.
-
Get up to the Arctic Refuge immediately when I arrive, since the hatch there is probably a little later and I could enjoy some mosquito-free travel until the entire state is taken over by bugs (or so I hear that’s what happens). I was specifically considering hitching up the highway, heading east into the Refuge, then south over the Divide, resupply at Arctic Village, and float out the Yukon back to the highway.
-
Juneau to Anchorage along the coast. Not sure if I’m skilled enough to do this – even looking at pictures of the Hubbard Glacier makes me shudder.
Please also note that I’m looking for trip partners, especially when I first get there. See this post, http://www.alpackaraft.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=582 for details.
Thanks in advance for the advice.