Alaska TR

“-quote from the pierced cowboy trimming trees at the Byers Creek General Store.

I'm gonna make this short and sweet (relatively, lol). We did too much to write about but I think most of the trip report can be accomplished through the captions we'll all use on our photos.

Friday, June 18

Everyone met in Anchorage at the Spenard Hostel.

Saturday, June 19

Caught an early train to Seward, on the Kenai Peninsula. The train ride was spectacular and well worth the extra $10 it costs over the bus ride. Highly recommended.

We spent some time enjoying Seward (and getting our pic taken on the webcam. Thanks Q!). We had lunch, drinks, checked out a couple shops, etc. Hiked to our camping cabin on Lowell Point, about three miles outside of Seward where we met up w/ Yam's sister and the boyfriend who were in Seward for some fishing. Enjoyed a wonderful campfire and relaxed. The view of Resurrection Bay from camp is great!

Sunday, June 20

Sister and boyfriend left in the morning and we prepared for our all day kayak trip. The outfitter is on the same point as our CG so we're in no rush. Our CG main bldg has free coffee and an excellent porch overlooking Resurrection Bay. Spent a bit of time there. Met the guides and got ready for the daytrip. Kayaked to a beach, hiked to a waterfall, lunched at the beach, kayaked to another beach, hiked 4 miles in Cain's Head SP, kayaked back to the outfitter. There are not too many pics from this trip since it was tough to get to our cameras during the paddling. It was amazing, tho. The views from the yaks were great. The bay is long and narrow and surrounded by snow-covered peaks.

Monday, June 21

A shuttle picked us up from Miller Landing CG to take us to Resurrection Pass Trailhead in Hope to being our four day backpack from Hope to Cooper Landing. Hiked approx 7 miles to Caribou Creek for the night. Gradual uphill for the whole day, but not difficult.

Tuesday, June 22

Planned on 12.1 miles according to some trail descriptions we read. The 12.1 were mostly uphill. And, again, it was fairly gradual. There were some downhills, but only to cross a creek and then go uphill again. Very very warm on the trail. Low 80s, if I recall correctly. Treeline ends somewhere around 2,500 feet on the Kenai Peninsual. It's bizzare to be that low and already hiking in Alpine tundra. Hiked up to the Resurrection Pass and began to look for the supposed "abounding" campsites w/ no luck. Had to keep walking beyond Devil's Pass and finally found our camp on a plateua with beautiful views of the pass from all directions. Ended up hiking around 14+ miles today yet, after dinner, Pennsy and Tea bagged a peak for the heck of it.

Wednesday, June 23

This was our short day. Our day to play. The cabin we're headed to is on a lake and has a rowboat. Were supposed to hike 6 miles today. But, after yesterday's addt'l miles, we only had about four to go. Today's hike was simply spectacular. The fields south of Devil's Pass were bursting with wildflowers. So many I couldn't even beging to list them. The pics will never do it justice. Got below treeline again and hiked into a valley to Swan Lake. Almost completley downhill, gradual. Spent the day relaxing which means different things to different people... Wolfsister fished for trout (w/ success. Dinner for all!). Yam and I napped on the grass. Ltwt relaxed on the deck of the cabin. And, again, Pennsy and Tea bagged another peak.

Thursday, June 24

12.8 miles, mostly downhill, to the trailhead in Cooper Landing. On the way, we watched a float plane land, pick up forest service rangers and take off from Juneau Lake and lunched at Juneau Falls. The pace picked up, prolly cause we were all ready for some good Alaskan food. Once we hit the trailhead, we still had 1 1/2 to 2 miles of highway hiking to get to the lodge. Food was fantastic as were the drinks. Then, another 1 to 1 1/2 mile highway hike to the campground. No campfire tonight but we stayed up pretty late for once, past midnight.

Friday, June 25

Hiked back to Gwinn's Lodge for a leisurely coffee and breakfast and to wait for the bus to take us back to Anchorage. Got to Anchorage, picked up our car, did some laundry, visited the Anchorage REI, got some last minute food items and headed north, towards Denali State Park. I did some research before the trip and learned that the state park is visited by far fewer people than the Nat'l Park, is much much less "touristy" and has better views of THE mountain. And, you aren't restricted as to where you can drive or hike, so more freedom for us. On the way up, we took a side trip to Talkeetna and stayed the night there. Had a yummy dinner in town.

Saturday, June 26

Chartered a small plane out of Talkeetna for a trip through the Alaskan Range for an up close and personal view of Denali. Pretty amazing ride. Again, pics won't do it justice. Spent an hour in Talkeetna doing the tourist thing. Then, drove to Byers Lake CG in Denali State Park. Planned a killer hike up to the Kesugi Ridge which was not complete by all. Did I mention it hit a near-record high of 86F in Denali SP that day? Yup. We all left the lower 48 for cool temps and had only sunshine and 75+ daytime temps. Not what we expected in AK. Another late night around camp by some pretty wore out people.

Sunday, June 27

Drove back to Anchorage, dropping a TTer along the way (to see family). The rest of us dropped off the rental and headed back to the hostel. Had dinner and drinks at Gwennie's. Then, Wolfsister caught a cab to the airport for her Sunday night departure. Pennsy and I spent quite some time BSing w/ other hostel guests. Lotsa really neat people there.

Monday, June 28

Pennsy, Yam and Tea all flew out in AM. Ltwt and I had a 7:30PM flight so we caught a bus into downtown Anchorage to see the Art and Natural History Museum, an old cemetery, and the basic tourist strip to pick up some souveniers for family. Dined at a brewery then caught the bus back to the hostel. Got on a red-eye flight that night. Home early on Tuesday morning.

----

There are so many very nice people in Alaska. People are eager to talk, share, etc. It's a wonderful feeling.

The veiws are amazing wherever you go.

If I had more time...Denali is cool... But, I prefered the Kenai Peninsula.

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Gear Reviews

Asolo Xenon Venilated Leather Hiking Shoes - Broke them in w/ a dayhike a few weeks before the trip. That was it. This girl was blister free after 40+ miles on the trail. Wooo Hooo.

Very lightweight and comfy. Nothing too technical or fancy. But, they seemed to do the trick. My pack was pretty heavy at the beginning of this trip and my feet held up fine.

Big Agnes REM Insulated Air Core sleeping pad - Didn't need the insulation on this trip (it's PrimaLoft, if ya care). But, for 21 oz and 2 1/2" of pad, I took this along for it's maiden voyage. Slept extremely comfortably every night. Even on wood platforms in the cabin. Much more comfy then my foam pad/ultralite combo and weighs less. Awesome pad. The only drawback is that it's not self-inflating. But, well worth the few extra breaths it takes to blow it up. Oh, yeah, and it packs really small.

iRiver iFP300 MP3 player - Too lazy to find a link... I love having this along. People in Alaska stay up late when the sun is shining into the weeee hours of the night. So, when we were in crowded campgrounds, or when we were alone and I crashed early (which was most, if not every night), this came in handy to drown out background noise. Besides, I just love to have music with me. This is great. Just the right size to hold jus the right number of songs. You can set up folders for the songs, too. Just don't forget to hit the "hold" button when you go to sleep. This button locks the keys so you can't accidently press things when you toss and turn. I forgot that a couple times and woke up hearing the same song over and over and over... loo

Permethrin - I treated my clothes w/ this before the trip. I was virtually mosquito bite free until Denali. I realized that I had done laundry before Denali so the treatment must have wore off. I really think this stuff works. It's the second time I've used it and the second time that I was getting far less bites than my companions. I think campmor still sells it under the brand Permanone, or something like that.

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Oh, you want pics? I didn't have time to upload them all. Here are just a few to get ya started.

pics”

“Sounds like you guys had the time of your life.

The pictures are absolutely breathtaking and can't wait to see the rest!”

“Cool trip!! Thanks for sharing!”

“Holy crap! AMAZING pics. I can't wait to see the rest.”

“Are you sure you weren't playing with matches up there?”

“86 degrees! Y have to excuse me, but that is unfriggin'believeable! I spent 4 months up there and it reached 74 degrees as a high, once. Wow!

Pics are sweet Tara! TR is awsome. What an adventure, I wish I could have been there. Tea and ole' Pennsy prolly didn't know what to do with themselves with all those peaks out there. Did they climb anything unnamed?

The pics really define Alaska, that's what the whole place looks like, I kiss it, and am glad that you guys got to experience the granuer. (Nice Denali Pic!)”

“errrrrr, I MISS it.”

“I'll put the rush on my photo enginer”

“Thanks for sharing a great trip report and pictures. How were the bugs up there? Did you see any grizzly bears?”

“Aw, come on Buddha.
I'll bet you kiss it too.

Thanks for sharing, Tara.

I love the picture with the back of Pennsy's head in it!”

“Wow 86° I don't think it even got that warm here in upstate NY last week. I sounds like everyone had a great time and I really enjoyed the pictures and trip report.”

“I gotta get to the pics. Good trip report, but we need lots more details! I love the opening, with the quote. :-)”

“Nice pics. How many went, was it the 6 of you that show up in the TH pic?”

“Fantastic pictures and nice trip report. Sounds like all of you had a fantastic time. It's the trip of a lifetime. I can hardly wait to hear more trip reports and see more pictures.”

“Great trip report and pics so far - looking forward to more!”

“Great report ad beautiful pictures (can't wait to see more)! I'm so glad the trip went well and you guys had a great time.”

“Man, what an awesome trip. someday, someday I will get there to see it all for myself.”

“Wow!! Thanks for sharing. It sounds incredible!”

“that is SO cool, you guys. i got a rush just from reading the report...thanks for sharing! i've always wanted to go to Alaska...in the summer, that is!!”

“Excellent report. My brother and family lived in Anchorage for a few years (military), and we visited them for a couple weeks, going all over the place, from Hope to Fairbanks.

I recall that the fishing regulations were nearly impossible to figure out - still true?

Did you see much wildlife? We saw a couple of orcas racing up turnagin arm from the road - pretty cool. Also, grizzlies, fox, lots of caribou in Denali NP.

Was the "flight-seeing" expedition expensive? Seems like it's pretty outrageous in other places I've been; maybe not up there since it's such a common mode of transportation.

Did you find yourselves needing less sleep? I understand that to be a common occurrence for residents up there - need less in the summer and more in the winter.

Awesome trip. I have been thinking about doing a trip there sometime; maybe when BowlderSon is a bit older....”

“Great TR! Thanks for getting it on here so soon! And thanks for the little taste with the pics! It sounds like it was very enjoyable and well planned. Good for you guys!”

“Totally cool! Despite all the jealousy, I am really glad y'all had such a good time.”

“Glad you guys had a great time Tara..I've been to some of the places you talked about but I didn't get to hike..: ( That was before my hiking adventures..It is an awesome place..great pics..thanks”

“There was an Alaska trip? Lizssss!



Cool report and pics!”

“Great stuff.”

“Looked at the pics. Gonna cry. holy moly.



Got a few didjas for you:

1) didja climb Mt. Marathon from Seward. Straight up from town, they run a "marathon" up and down it on the 4th of July. Awesome views of the bay. While we were there we did a small charter (20 people, not 100) out to some galcer that was calfing. All day onthe water was a great spot. We ate at Ray's (???) right down on the harbor and stayed at the Van Guilder (????) hotel.


2) Where did you stay in Talkeetna. We stayed in a roadside bar/motel with the train track out back. A real dive, but one of the only choices. did you have a beer at the Inn in the middle of town?

3) did you look up Goretexx for a personal tour of "the big one"??

4) Did your plane tour land anywhere? We took one out of Talkeetna up tothe Ruth Glacier Ampitheatre where the little hut is. That flight ranks as one of the absolute best experiences of my life. I didn't have the $90 to spend (4 of us = $360/4) . .but am soooo glad I did. It was spectacular. I hope I always remember it.



You guys aren't "lucky" You deserve all the credit in the world for pulling this together, planning it, and making it happen.

COngratulations. I am thrilled it worked out so well!”

“Awwwww BB kisses Alaska. That's so sweet. BB and Alaska, sitting in a tree...

Now, to respond to questions:

Tilt - All match playing was left to Tea.

BB - I'm guessing they did climb things unnamed because the topo didn't identify either of the peaks except w/ elevation.

RichB - No griz. We saw a black bear from the train. And a couple from the plane (they were tiny little specs). But, no griz. I am only a little bit disappointed.

BowlderMan - WRT wildlife, we saw sea otter from some distance before we put the yaks in the water. Tons of eagles. Black Bear. Moose. Porky. That's about it.

Whether or not the flight-seeing was expensive is all relative. It cose $135 each, for an hour long trip. The flight was pretty amazing and tho I would normally not spend that kinda dough on a touristy thing, I think it was well worth it.

I found myself sleeping more than I have in a long time. I'm usually a very early riser, and expected to be the same on this trip due to the amt of daylight. But, I found myself sleeping in lots of times. Even til after 8 a couple times. I was pretty thrilled about that. The daylight did not have a negative affect on my sleep as I had suspected it would.

lee - We didn't climb Mt Marathon. But, we were aware of the annual run. I read some articles while there about some of the recent winners and record holders. They literally have to get on all fours to climb some parts of that trail. Wow!

Sounds like we may have stayed at the same place in Talkeetna. It was on the highway, before town. And, as you describe, there was a set of tracks direclty behind it. The place was called Latitude 62. We had dinner and drinks at a place called the West Rim, just off the main street. The "inn" you are prolly referring to was Fairview Inn, right? They had a live band that night, and, therefore a cover. And, since Tea is under 21, they wouldn't let him in. We had a great time where we ended up, tho.

We called Goretexx, but he was out climging a mtn in some other country and didn't get back to us in time.

The glacier landing was an addt'l $60 that we chose not to spend. I don't really regret it. I'm not a big fan of taking off or landing, so the fewer the better. :-)”

“Great Trip report and Pictures!!!!

This is definately on my todo list!!!

Anyone interested in a 2005 trip?”

“Anyone interested in a 2005 trip?"
LtHiker
10:13:50 AM
06/30/04
ignore this user

If I had the cash, most definitely, but that darn guy named Bill keeps taking most of my money.”

“wAHOOOOO!

Yes! Latitude 62 . . .I thought it was Latitude something . . but was confused because there is a really nice restuarant (at least there was) in Anchorage called Latitude something.

The Fairview Inn is it! great place.


Uhmmmm what else . .

Mt. marthon . ..it is an absolute scramble to get up it. Just goes straight up. Lots and lots of hand over hand scrambling on all fours. Coming down through the scree fields is neat though. You can "run" . .these big bound run steps that have you sinking up to your ankles and higher in "soft" scree. Most of the runners duck tape their shoes to their ankles to keep them on, and to keep the scree out.


Am glad you had a great time.


We are planning to go back (two of my wife's sisters live in Homer). but the "alaska" savings account is only a fiction and never has any money in it . . .:-(”

“Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! What a great trip. My body is still out of whack! My mind is jumping all over the place. And coming back to work is pure heck. (wah wah!)

Ok. Wildlife spotted:
1 bear (from train)
Dahl sheep (from train)
Numerous bald eagles
1 elusive albino eagle
moose
beaver
other various birds
and mosquito upon mosquito upon mosquito.

Ok. Since I took the least amount of photos, I was able to plop mine into webshots already. I may have a few of the captions off, but here goes:

Album 1

Album 2”

“

???”

“I was guessing...”

“I like the purple better.”

“Nice pics Yam!”

“"I like the purple better."
embear
12:20:23 PM
06/30/04
ignore this user

You just can't please everyone.”

“Great pictures, Yam. Thanks for sharing...”

“Awesome Yam!! Can't wait to see everyone elses.

Can you see the fear in my face on the plane pic? LOL

Embear - Honey, don't worry. I was awake, I swear. You were fun to chat w/ anyway! And, I'll get you back w/ an early morning phone call some day. :-P”

“Awesome Trip, gonna check out the pics now.”

“tarabull and yam..thanks much for the pics. All of us peons are now drooling for scenery!! Great trip.”

“They look even better when they clean up.


Oh, wait, you meant Alaska.


Never mind.”

“Great pix. Glad you all had a great time. Disregard the sour grapes thread.”

“Dang, I'm at work and can't see Tara's and Yam's pics. :o( I'll be working on mine tonight and MAYBE they will be ready by tomorrow night.

Embear - I do have evidence that Yam got partially gnawed on by a grizzly. You'll see the proof when I post the pics.

About the peaks Tea and I bagged, they were un-named and we joked about naming them after ourselves. Unfortunately, there were cairns on the summits so we weren't first.

Before I head out of here, I want to thank Yam and Tara for doing a fantastic job of organizing this trip. There were a lot of details and logistics to prepare for, and everything turned out super. The very few wrinkles in the trip got ironed out smooth and quick. Also, thanks to ltwtbkpkr for organizing the exellent kayak trip.”

“Sunday to thursday photos...


http://community.webshots.com/user/keith_kelleher”

“SOme of the photos look to be blanks...click on them in full screan and it should work....

I'll and more up later tonight.”

“I have nothing to say that hasn't been said.

Great pictures, maybe Pennsy will bring them all to Maine and make me more jealous.

Bastards. :)”