First timer in Alaska! what do i bring?

“I'm going to Denali Alaska for 5months. I am a beginer on camping I would love your insite on a few things that are a must have in my pack.”

“you're a first timer and you're going for 5 months!!!...are you actually camping the whole time?”

“gloves and clean underwear!”

“...and maybe a jacket, i heard it gets cold there”

“and a hat.”

“mosquito net, gear for temps 30's to 80's, fleece NOT COTTON, rain gear, bear cannister....”

“life insurance policy:)”

“sorry tokin, if you ask for advice here you'll get 5 smart @ss answers for every legit piece of advice

welcome to trail talk, dues are due at the first of the month”

“Bear Spray

what are you gonna do for all that time?”

“Unlike the material responses you'll most likely read here from the others, I have only one answer for you.

Above all else, make sure you allow yourself to be open to the beauty God has given us and let it enter into your soul so that it will awaken the spirit of love inside.

When you finally realize the love that is present in the wilderness, you will no doubt be changed forever and at the end of 5 months' exposure, you'll never forget the experience but only if you allow your soul to be spiritually awakened.”

“make sure to lather up with salmon oil every night before going to bed to keep the grizzly away. if that doesnt work, try bacon grease with honey”

“Who are you working for? Bringing any cute chicks up?”

“What stratusloop said...bring some cheese! Hard cheese should keep for a good long time, esp. in the cold weather there.”

“LOL, lyra, are you comparing what stratus said to cheese?
last edited: 4/27/07 12:37:25 PM”

“Hardy-har-har!”

“Bug repellant”

“DON'T EAT THE WILD POTATOES!!!”

“Bring a big F***ING GUN.”

“Avoid eating BBQ ribs.”

“wow this #&%!$ing funny.....I'm working as a Chef in a lodge there so maybe I should have been more specific for that I apologize. I just need a list of some essentials for two days hikes(seeing thats how many days off a week) I've been hiking and camping in yosemite and in the smokies...but nothing of this magnitude. I alaways went with people who had everything. Just some simple basics in a pak....I'm definitley trying the salmon oil and the rubbing of bacon though....that sounds like an adventure!”

“socks”

“SOunds like you are starting from ground zero. You'd better do some research and gear up.”

“ahhhhh, i get it.

You'll def want decent rain gear and bug repellant - a head net would be useful I'm sure. Good boots are key and a shelter that could take some wind i imagine.

Sounds like a great way to spend a few months.”

“As a local, I've got a few words of advice...

Be careful of the Salmon Bake. Great party spot with some gret live bands, but it can eat your paycheck. I know people that spent all their weekends ppartying and hung over. DOn't forget to get out and see this wonderful place.

Get a good mosquito head net. Don't just buy the cheepest one you can find, cheap ones are often hard to see out of and may not cover your entire neck. Take it with you anytime you go hiking.

Bear spray is a nice thing to have, but there are very few incidnts between bears and people around in Denali. You can buy some at the gear shop near your lodge.

Be ready to be shocked by prices. Things are spendy around the park! Unless you are driving up, you will probably have a hard time getting to fairbanks to stock up on cheaper food and booze.

On that note, if you really wnat ot go somewhere, you can probably hitch hike. It is socially acceptable here. A lot of the locals first came up here like you are, for the summer with no car. It may take a while before you get somebody besides a tourist passing you in a rental car, but if you really want to go to the coast or something, you can probably get there.

Hiking in the park doesn't really take anything special that isn't standard in parks in the lower 48. You'll want rain jacket, rain pants, fleece, tent, tent, stove, sleeping bag, pack, etc... Bear proof canisters are available at the Park's backcountry desk for free if you are going out into t he park. I think the gear store may rent some things, but don't quote me on that. Mke sure you have some good boots and I would definatley pick up a set of gaiters.

With only two days off at a time, you don't need any special gear like snow shoes or crampons, unless you are a uber athlete. Glaciers and snow covered moutains are a long ways off the roads.

Get ready not to sleep! I've been up here for years and I still have problems with sleeping during the summer when it does not get dark!

Most of all, have fun!”

“sweet, sounds like you're doing an internship?...are you a culinary student?...i'm a former culinary student myself and kick myself all the time for passing on the opportunity to intern at yellowstone...have fun”

“skivies”

“silver salmon and king salmon gear. Not in the Park, but in surrounding areas.
last edited: 4/27/07 6:13:12 PM”

“yes i am an culinary graduate and have been in this bizzz a little bit now....but I got the opportunity to go out to Alaska for the summer, i had to jump on it. I'm from south Florida so this is all a little new..well, staying an extended period of time. Now this sleep thing is there any recomendation on that(lots of booze) or tylenol PM...having sex every night!??!?!? I love the sun but not that much. Are LOWA boots a good choice they seem lighter than most...thatnks ZEN Ive been looking for some local insight I'm glad I came across this sight. And other must do's ? I'm kinda a picture taking machine any recomdations on that!??! tell me the good watering holes that I might have acess to.”

“Not sure if you can carry a gun inside the park, being that it is a federal park. But if it is ok, take one, I carry a 44mag, when I am out and about up there. But I don't go into that park.”

“Hey look!

It's Sargie poo!

How are you doing, you old bag of rotting meat?”

“Guns are not allowed in the park. And really, how many people could actually draw a gun and hit a waisthigh target charging torwards you at 35 miles an hour? It would proabbly be a bluff charge anyway and if you pissed of the bear it would trun intoa real charge.

Bears really don't worry me too much, what scares the crap out of me is not knowing when the person driving the rental RV in front of me is going to slam on their brakes in the middle of a 65 mph highway becasue they saw a moose. Bears have a reason for their behavior, smoe touristsare completely unpredicable.

Dealing with sleep? I tend to go on 3-5 hours a sleep a night for a while and then I wake up at 2 in the afternoon on a day off. You catch back up. the issue is not wanting to sleep, not the inability to fall asleep. When it is 9pm and a beautiful sunny day, sometimes you just have to go for a hike instead of winding down for bed. The seasonals do have kind of a college-like lifestyle, so if you play your cards right, you might have a warm sleep aid to cuddle up to.

Don't know about LOWA boots, but I think it is a decent brand. The important part is just a good tread and ankle support. if you are hiking in the tundra on a wet day, your feet will be wet no matter what you do, so all that fancy gor-tex crap is pretty much worthless.

Other local insights...

Don't speed in the park. the rangers are nice guys, but a few really like to write tickets. For that matter, don't spped anywhere from cantwell to nenana, the state troopers like writing tickets more than the rangers.

Don't even think of drinking and driving. This is always a BAD idea, but here there is only one road, so the troopers know where you have to go. Locals call it "running the gauntlet".

Most places to eat are overpriced and not that good. I've never eaten at the lodges, so I can't vouch for them (I'm sure your's will be great). Places that have been decent in the past are Panorama Pizza (15 miles south), Creekside(right next to panorama), Bub's Subs (in the area outside the park where the lodges are) and that's about it.

Watering holes? Just the one. Salmon Bake. The guy who runs it is making his fortune trading seasonal's paychecks for booze. But,m it is a fun place. The bands tend to be kinda of the mid-major type sometimes. Good bands from the lower 48 that are doing a show in Anchorage and fairbanks stop off for a show in the middle. Pint drafts of good beer will run you about $4.25, don't know what pitchers are. I would got ther more often, but I work a more typical 40 hour a week job and the bands tend to start at about 11pm. starting work at seven in the morning can be awefully early when you are up to 1 or 2 listening to a band.

Picture taking? The entire state! Take the bus out to wonder lake and stay a night. if you are lucky, the big ole moutain will be out. It is probably the prettiest place I have ever been. Don't forget you headnet, the skeeters will carry you away out theree.

You were pretty lucky to catch me, I usually only check this website once every few weeks and rarely write anythign. I'll keep an eye out this weekend if you have any more questions.”

“Unlike the material responses you'll most likely read here from the others, I have only one answer for you.

Above all else, make sure you allow yourself to be open to the beauty God has given us and let it enter into your soul so that it will awaken the spirit of love inside.

When you finally realize the love that is present in the wilderness, you will no doubt be changed forever and at the end of 5 months' exposure, you'll never forget the experience but only if you allow your soul to be spiritually awakened.”
stratusloop


praise allah”

“I'm not trying to spend a boat load of cash...so What do you think of the one man coufin type tens they seem cheaper and less poles than most? Also sleeping bag synthetic or down? Whats the weather like throughout these spring summer months ive read somewhere it freakin snowed in july before...is it that extreme in change?”

“synthetic bag is better. You can easily get into wet cold weather.

need a tent that can handle wind and rain. Dome tent is best.

Denali can be very nice Memorial Day weekend. We used to drive in when they plowed the road, before opening. One year first come first in, one year a generous lottery. Other years did the Denali Highway. BLM land, same territory. You can car camp, carry a gun for bears and can see bears, caribou, moose..

Read Bear Attacks: The Causes and Avoidance. Don't read it in a tent in the AK wilderness.


Cool rainy weather is summer is very common all summer, more frequent in August. Sunny days warm, rainy days cool. It can definitely snow on an odd occassion.

If you need to do some serious shopping, get a shuttle van to Fairbanks or ride the Alaska Railroad. The railroad trip is a blast. Walmart, Fred Meyers, Penny's, good outdoors stores.

I left a canoe in Fairbanks with a friend. He is always open to a late night canoe on the Chena river in the summer, always looking for somebody crazy enough to put it on the Gulkana for king and grayling fishing.
last edited: 4/28/07 8:33:50 AM”

“All you need is 10 lbs. of rice, a .22 caliber rifle, a camera, and some rifle rounds. Oh yeah, and be sure to give away your life savings OXFAM first.”

“There is probably a broken down bus in the bush, to use as a home base. Be careful crossing rivers.
last edited: 4/28/07 9:04:28 AM”

“LOL, love the "Alone in the Wilderness" references.

Zen, I'm glad you put all that info out there. I'll remember this thread when I take off for AK sometime.”

“pants”

“I too want to go to Alaska and don't have much experience with real wilderness backpacking and, even worse, I don't have a hiking partner for such an adventure :-(”

“I recommend reading Into the Wild as a backcountry guide for Alaska.”

“...uhm, from a backcountry guide I expect more than the examination of a troubled young mans soul-search and his pity ending.

I do admire the author Jon Krakauer though.”

“a shirt”

“Why do you say he was troubled? I think his parents might have been troubled by his behavior, but wasn't he perfectly happy with his choices? He was living his life the way he wanted to live it. He isn't the only person to die young. Young people die everyday driving to their boring 9-5 jobs.

Anyhoo, the original post brought to mind McCandless and his adventure, especially the list of what was said he took with him.”

“I like this one.


last edited: 4/28/07 5:20:04 PM”

“Pathman is right on about the weather, I've seen it snow fall from the sky every month of the year.

My only advice on tents is to make sure to use one that has enough room for you to change clothes inside, out of the mosquitos and rain.

Pathman,

just started that book today when I was at what passes for a laundramat aorund here. 30 pages into it, I can't believe I've never picked it up before. Is that pic from the Monahan Flats out the Denali highway? Great spot!”

“You should definitely wear a Strong Bad tee shirt. Even grizzlies must fear the awesomeness of the strongbad!”

“If memory serves me, the pic is from about the center point on this topozone page, looking north.

Good place to camp
last edited: 4/28/07 10:52:02 PM”

“Go into the park dayhiking to get to know it. Get places to start dayhiking are Primrose Ridge, Cathedral Mountain, Thorofare Pass, Stony Dome, Polychrome. Get on the camper bus &get to know the camper bus drivers like Dick who will tell you great places to hike.

Get Ike Waits' Denali Guidebook to Hiking, Photography & Camping in Denali. He is a photographer & shares get tips & hikes.
http://amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-5246329-5113457?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Ike+Waits&Go.x=14&Go.y=11&Go=Go

Lucky you're working in a restaurant & will have meals available!

Go to the Alaskan hiking forum at forums.outdoordirectory.com for more locals' advise.

There are a lot of small, lightweight tents that are reasonably priced. I always have used a down sleeping bag in Denali, packing it in a waterproof bag.

Yes, it snowed on us last summer in July one day, then The Mountain was out & we were hiking in shirtsleeves the next. So lots of layers & good lightweight raingear.”

“After reading most of the post, why don't you consider just bringing a sleeping bag, a good roomy free standing tent, some bug spray, a gun, and a woman, a water filter, plenty of food and money. And a dog that will fight with bears, cats, wolves and anything else that needs to be fought off.”

“...uh-oh, I had such a feeling it wouldn't be wise to say something against Chris McCandles around here.”