Hanging Ten With Poppa

We decided to take a drive to Mariner Park at the head of the spit. The wind was a non-issue, and the tide had just gone slack. It was a decent sun preparing to set, and we decided to do a little ice surfing. It was a pleasant outing.

Denali

Here's  a picture of the Alaska Range with Denali at the 3 o'clock position. I took it from a Shared Services flight from Kuparuk to Anchorage. I have flown over Denali National Park more than 100 times on this work flight, and every time I still strain out the window to get views of the mountain, the park road, Wonder Lake, the Muldrow Glacier and more. Its one more opportunity to scout my route from Kantishna to HQ. From 30,000 feet it looks like it could be done in an afternoon, which is absurd. It also looks blue, really blue, and cold; and thats a harsh reality.

Airplane

This worked great right up until the video camera came out, then the plane crashed and burned...

More Eggy

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Let The Games Begin



Winter Kings



We got pounded with snow recently in true maritime fashion. The temperature was hovering right around freezing and it just started dumping on us. It took a small break, the storm circled out to sea for some more moisture, and it came right back onshore and hit us again. Total accumulation at sea level was about 2 1/2  feet.  I had to go out and shovel the driveway a few times because my fear was that it would start raining and then freeze hard, in which case you are totally screwed. Besides, if I hadn't shoveled it out, we would have been stuck in for days.    
Fiona was in her Chariot being towed by momma, but she wasn't really that keen about the whole snow scene. Not a good omen for a tough Alaskan chick.

Fall on Alaska's North Slope

Safe to say that fall is officially over on the North Slope, but I wanted to take a moment and show some wonderful migrating animals. I saw fewer swans than usual this past summer and fall, and i never came across caribou herds larger than about 100 or so. I did watch this grizzly bear cross the road directly  in front of my truck and watched him for about half an hour before he disappeared. That was fun.

Halibut Ceviche

 Fresh, zesty, delicious, healthy.Homemade halibut ceviche.











I love it!!

Clarity

Looking North From the Confluence of Savage River and Jenny Creek
Denali National Park Wilderness Preserve     

   Another winter is upon us here in Alaska, and with it my thoughts have returned to Denali National Park and the Spring Trail. I am a man passionate about traveling through the park's wilderness area on a self-sufficient winter expedition. The tentative date for the latest expedition on Denali's Spring Trail is late February 2012.
 I will leave you with a photo of last years lenticular clouds, both day and night. They are clear indicators of high winds aloft in mountainous regions, and are harbingers of potential weather systems to come.

Swiss Cheese

Spring is finally here on the shores of Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet, it appears. Winter was relatively mild here in the "banana belt" of Alaska, but there was a cold streak in early March followed by a severe blizzard that left kept planes from flying for 3 days. My home at sea level recieved about 2 1/2 feet of very wet snow in 24 hours followed by rain and then a HARD freeze followed by about 2 more feet of snow. By the time the second round of snow landed the first had melted, at least at 200 feet above sea level., but at elevation the snow never left.
So, into the swiss cheese I headed on my trusty snowmachine to harvest next winters firewood. The "cheese" is my buddy Jeff's dog trail through the forest to a seismograph line that leads anywhere. He is kind enough to let me use his access and cut spruce bark beetle killed trees for firewood. The snow at his place is 5 feet deep in the forest in places and firm enough that you can point your toe and go anywhere. There is a small concern of bogging down in soft snow or navigating into a tree well, but the access is pretty outstanding. I drop my trees, buck and limb them, and then trailer them back to my home where I stack them in preparation for splitting. It may only be April in Alaska, but next winter is just around the corner.

A Dead Wolf in Every Pot

I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but it just seems like the wolves and bears in Alaska--pretty much any predator that humans view as competition--are systematically removed from the equation under the assumed interests of hunters and outdoorsmen.
I have no problem with dead wolves, a few of my close friends trap wolves regularly and they are welcome to eat at my table and pursue their ventures.I draw the line at the loss of protection for wolves in Denali National Park. The recently removed buffer zone for the wolves in NE Denali only affects an area of about 125 square miles, but it affects the survival of an already stressed pack. There are approximately 70 wolves in Denali right now--the lowest number since the mid 1980's. These particular wolves are among the most viewed and studied WORLDWIDE. What do you say we do our best right now to help eradicate them? There will be no review of this new policy for 6 years. Way to go! Why don't they just launch the helicopters and get it over with?
I am equally disgusted by the people who feel that they should boycott tourism in Alaska because of this. Much of this policy is federal influence, or federal interests being played out on state lands.
Do you think this has anything to do with the recent killing of a woman in Chignik by wolves? What a coincidence.

Wolves Lose Again

I'm typically not one to raise a stink politically, but enough is enough.You know, I was personally quite bummed out this fall when Dr Gordon Haber perished in a small plane crash inside Denali Park observing wolves. It was something he had made a career out of, and those who knew him best said it was almost an obsession, leaving him apparently unable to meet some of lifes daily chores. Gordon studied the wolves of the Denali area for over 25 years, and had a love and respect for them that few will ever duplicate or understand. I tip my hat and my wine to you Gordon: I predicted ( in my household) that his death heralded the loss of protection for these majestic, intelligent animals....turns out I was right; that sure didn't take long. The Alaska Game Board just removed the buffer for protection of  wolves in the NE corner of the park, putting the wolves back in jeopardy. Its estimated that 4 trappers will benefit from this action, which could result in the loss of 22,000 wolf sightings for tourists who dare to invade our parkland every year. I'm not sure how many hunters will benefit from this, I'm sure that these far-flung packs are just devastating caribou and moose populations in the remote Lake Minchumina district.

The Fortymile pack near Tok is under attack as well. Lack of snow has made it difficult for aerial hunters to target the projected killing of 200 ( out of an estimated 300) wolves in the area. Thank god for helicopters! They finally figured out a way to track them without adequate snow cover. Awesome!! Smoke a pack a day!

It amazes me that I live in, love , and continue to tolerate this STATE OF REDNECKS.  May this wolf print that I photographed on the Upper Savage River in March be the last print ever seen by man. Run and hide, friends. Interested in Gordon's work?

http://www.alaskawolves.org/

On The Ice

That's what we call it: on the ice. Whether you are talking about ice roads, ice residents , or ice rides lots happens in the winter on the North Slope of Alaska.

  Ice roads are built across the tundra: snow and water are hauled in, dumped, and manicured into roads and pads to facilitate drilling and general access. In the spring, they disappear....though it is easy for the trained eye to detect where they were by the presence of later and hence greener grasses.

This little red fox is a personal friend of mine. When I miss my wife and daughter I pull up to him and we have a chat. He is an arctic gargoyle, wiating patiently for a handout, though he never gets one from me. My wilderness ethic will not allow it.

These are rollagons, and they are expressly for winter tundra travel. The wide tires disperse weight and minimize damage to the tundra. They are capable of pulling massive loads and are exploration workhorses.

Fishing for Water

We all need water, and one way of retrieving it from a deep hole in a frozen river is to pull it out with a Nalgene on a line. Thats precisely what Jeremy is doing here; fishing for water.

Lenticular Night

Night-time. I still love the night, and I awoke at 3 am on a full moon to take some pictures of our campground at the confluence of the Savage and Jenny.  Check out the lenticular clouds in the background; they are indicative of high winds aloft. We weren't really harassed by wind during our trip, though  a few days after our departure they did kick up to 55mph in the mountain passes. That would not be pretty in freezing temperatures; it would more accurately be a dangerous scenario at best. Anyway, it was still and beautiful the night I took these pictures and I really wanted to strap on the skis and take a long jaunt. I didn't because I thought it dangerous to travel around at night on a frozen river alone.
     There was one point during the night that an extremely noisome and furious wind passed OVER the tent without touching it. I felt as if I had just eluded the Nazgul.

Overflow

When you reach the confluence of Jenny Creek and the Savage River, head north to avoid a steep cutbank blocking your progress westward. Thats just what we did, and when we got to the micro valley that feeds a small stream into the Savage we were met with overflow. This overflow had forced water up the edges of this small valley and turned it into a half-pipe pf sorts with ice clinging to the upper edges. I had never seen this before.

Snow and Wind at 69 Degrees North Latitude

This is a photo taken on the Beaufort Sea Coast a few days ago. It reflects the amazing diversity of snow and ice, quite different from the Savage River scene but surprisingly similar too.

Pressure Ridges and Open Water

The Savage River had lots of open, deep leads in it. The water itself wasn't necessarily deep in all spots, though there were some dark holes, but the dropoff into these holes was impressive. i imagine that the ice freezes on top of the river and then pressure builds up, breaks out and overflows onto it. This probably happens hundreds of times during the winter, with lower layers breaking off into the river until the river ice is literally suspended above the flowing water in many places. As I said, the water is quite shallow in places, but falling into one of these holes or breaking through the ice could be a devastating experience. I am naturally cautious on ice, and these rivers were no exception; they are dangerous places if you are careless. They are also quite beautiful.

Parts of My Lung

 When I wasn't shaking from imaginary fever, or blowing imaginary beachballs out of my nose, I was coughing up balls of this....imaginary bloody phlegm. This is a tame photo compared to the piles that were accumulating in the small vestibule of the tent. Just the mere fact that I stopped to take a picture of this is a small indication that I was feeling well at that particular moment. Those moments never lasted long. I leave for work tomorrow and believe that out of 21 days off I was pretty sick for 16 days. The worst of those days were in Denali. Trust me when I tell you this: there is nothing worse than being 20 miles from your truck on  a winter camping trip when you are this sick. It sucks.

Making a Move

It was time to get out of the treeline, if nothing more than just for my morale. It was a short trip out of the campground to the confluence of Jenny Creek and the Savage River. The panoramic views and open-ended horizon made camping here a big bonus after a tough couple of days. We camped right on the edge of Jenny Creek, nothing more than a rivulet, really. But she provided us with instant access to running water. We wouldn't have to melt snow for our meals; we didn't care about the fuel consumption at this point, but the time saved was considerable. It was time to take stock in our situation, poke around a little, and hopefully come to grips with our current predicament.

The Savage Road

Day two started out okay, I thought i was feeling pretty strong considering the illness that was surging through my body. Jeremy was, once again, incredibly upbeat and optimistic. I can't really say I felt the same, and credit alot of it with being sick.  We discussed the potential round-trip to Toklat as we broke camp and did our chores. There was no alarm set for the morning, so we didn't get out of camp until well after 10am. If we were to be serious about making miles this would have to stop, in my opinion. Thats when it dawned on me....this wasn't serious in that manner anymore.
     We pulled out of camp and started heading west out the road for the Savage River. Things were better today in the elevation department as the road leveled out and a few minor downhill dips were encountered. On the few uphill pulls that we had I found myself extremely weak. At this point I was feeling quite feverish and had started to cough regularly and uncomfortably; it was quite challenging to be outdoors in the cold under circumstances like this.........I was not having a good time. That's bad.
 A few miles into it, I turned around to look for Jeremy. I was going to hold up and tell him that I wasn't going to make it to Toklat, only he wasn't in sight. I waited a few minutes, but then I started to get quite cold in my sweaty trail gear so I dropped  all my gear on the road, pounded some water and skiied back down the trail. As I turned a bend in the road I saw him sitting on his sled. He had hurt his knee. His exact words were, " My knee is killing me." WOW, was all I thought....we are falling apart fast. We exchanged a few words and decided to proceed to the Savage River Campground, a sheltered drive-in campground with about 50 sites. The gates were closed, which was a pain in the ass to negotiate in the deep snow of the trees, and we went downhill into the campground and chose the "group site" with its multiple picnic benches and large food locker. We set up camp, Jeremy took some prescription pain killers and a nap. He was experiencing some debilitating  pain while in the prone position. I stayed awake and formulated multiple plans: I was sure that this was the end of our endeavor and that his knee injury was going to be the turn around factor. One of my ideas was that he stash his food and perishables in the food locker to lighten his load, and we ski out and report this to the rangers. I wasn't sure how they were going to accept this prospect, but it didn't matter. When I mentioned it to Jeremy he was incredulous that I was suggesting we leave on account of his knee. At no point in all of our negotiations were we disrespectful or rude to one another: I have been in wilderness situations where that was not the case. We decided to sleep on it, under a full moon. It snowed an inch or two that night--dry, icy snow with no sticking power whatsoever. The slightest wind sent it running. We both experienced broken sleep and bizarre dreams, and in the morning we made another decision; lets make a move down to the river, camp by running water, get a view, and do some reconnaisance. My coughing was getting worse and was now joined by bloody phlegm. It was a depressing day for me, and it was time to make a move out of the trees.

9 Mile Drainage

We made camp that evening at the 9 Mile Drainage on the park road. I had definitely been on autopilot the entire day; it was cold, windy, and my enjoyment level was low. We worked as quickly as possible to stomp out a landing zone for our tent, brew water, and get into our bags. At some point I took off my sweat soaked clothes and put dry warm capilene and down on. After eating and drinking we climbed into the tent. That's when I started to shake. I would say that I was shivering, but I wasn't; I was shaking uncontrollably throughout my entire body. Even my legs were getting into the act with convulsions. This was not good.
    I do very well in the cold, so for me to be laying in dry clothes in an extremely warm bag in -20 temps shaking like a leaf in the wind was scary. Jeremy kept a close eye on me, and I rolled out of my bag and donned my down jacket. I then grabbed my nalgene with boiling water in it and tucked it into my jacket. Its warmth was unbelieveable and I forced myself to relax my body. This seemed to work--I had to calm down and force myself to stop shaking. Sleep came soon afterwards, though I do remember waking up a few times that night in a sweat and being chilled. Morning came and we proceeded to break camp: more boiling water, eating, drinking, filling our thermos.....it took two hours, as anticipated. I was weak, sick, but warm. It was time to make a move further into the park.

Pint-Sized Culprit

This is my 10 month old daughter Fiona holding her inhaler. It appears that she aquired viral pneumonia from the local day care center, brought it home, and handed it out lovingly and generously. I had just gotten home from the slope, having worked 21 nights in a row, and letting this sick baby sleep on my chest while I reversed my schedule and tried to catch up on some sleep seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. Of course, we didn't know she had pneumonia then, just the sniffles. At any rate, this cute little pipsqueak infected me with a serious case of adult flu. In essence, my daughters' illness was about to fully manifest itself in me and proceed to kick my ass.

KickOff

Well, after a long drive to Talkeetna and an even longer night at a local roadhouse--seems we walked right into a musical fundraiser-- we were finally at the park. The snow cover at the entrance was excellent, and there was lots of it. We went to the winter visitors center and were discouraged to hear from the rangers that only one musher had been west of the Toklat River and he was rewarded for his efforts with broken sled runners from bouncing off rocks. Not good. They listened to our plans, we filled out the necessary forms, went over our gear list, and paid our fee. They made it clear to us on more than one occasion that we were completely on our own out there. Having traveled in Denali's back country during winter before I was expecting this frank talk. Its what makes the trip worthwhile; self-reliance. We then spoke with another ranger who had been out mushing recently and she gave us some more info: the trail to Toklat was doable, but beyond that it was questionable at best. She informed us that the mountain passes were barren. We left the center knowing right then and there that Kantishna was completely out of the question, but a round trip attempt to Toklat sounded reasonable.    We saddled up our sleds and gear and headed through the kennels and out the trail. Almost immediately the dog trail crossed another older trail that headed downhill....that was the trail through the Hines Creek drainage, only they weren't mushing on it. The trail we were on ran uphill and directly onto the seasonally-closed park road. We thought it best to stick to a freshly packed trail and proceeded to slog uphill  to the 9 mile drainage. The temperature was hovering right around zero that day, with a breeze that held the windchill at about -15. Did I mention that I had the flu? I blew bubbles out my nose for the next 6 or 7 hours as we climbed nonstop. It was a grind, though not unanticipated.  There was new snow on the road; untrodden and windblown. Fresh moose tracks crossed the road in multiple places, along with a few sets of large , deep-set wolf tracks.

    By the time we stopped at dusk to make camp my throat was raw from sucking frozen wind all day. We made camp, boiled lots of snow to eat and drink. I filled Nalgenes with boiling water to put into our sleeping bags. The temperature dropped to about -20 that night, and my flu was about to go from bad to worse.

Almost Game Time

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I plan on starting my drive to Talkeetna in the early morning (its about an 8 hour drive north from Homer). My partner Jeremy will drive down from Fairbanks and meet me there. We got a cheap hotel and plan on going over our gear one last time in a warm place, eating a pizza in town, and talking strategy and safety. I made sure the hotel room was ground level and we can drive our trucks right up to the door.

I also plan on stopping by Talkeetna Aero in the afternoon and chatting up our pilot, who has been extremely helpful and accomodating with information. If they can fly a plane then they get THE BLUE RIBBON from me as everything else they've done has been awesome. Sure hope he can keep it in the air.

We have been put through the ringer lately emotionally: while I was on the North Slope reports started trickling in about a warming trend hitting the interior. Well, it was true. Denali Park got as warm as +48 degrees one day and was actually above freezing for almost 2 weeks. Warm Chinook winds from the south were devastating our snowpack. We were crushed. After 8 months of planning, organizing, researching, and training we were hearing that our dream was literally melting away. We were speechless, and had given up all hope of the trip in 2010.

 Well, it appears that our snowpack survived! I flew over the entire state yesterday and saw snow from Prudhoe Bay to the Gulf of Alaska. The interior's warm spell has passed and it is now locked into a deep freeze with snow predicted for the park every day for the next week. Temperatures are now about negative 15 (a little colder than we'd like, naturally, but better than the alternative), and should remain well below freeezing for weeks to come.

So, why are we doing this Jim? Thats actually a tough one to answer, but I'll try. I love to camp, its great to be outdoors...especially up here in Alaska where the opportunity for adventure exists and the feeling that you're the first person to ever walk the land is right outside your door. Winter camping is especially wonderful: there are virtually no people out there, water is accessible, there are no bugs, and you can literally go anywhere on frozen terrain. I will be able to navigate up and down frozen rivers, across muskeg swamps, and over inhospitable tussocks with ease. There is also a serious challenge here. Physically, we have to be in good shape: I have been running and doing aerobic exercises for 8 months now. I did some weight training recently to improve my strength. My job is quite physical, so that helps too.  Winter camping is also something that must be taken seriously in a safety aspect. Hypothermia and frostbite can cause serious problems and even kill. Avoidance in this matter is first and foremost on our minds--we will not take any unnecessary chances out there: we will dress to avoid these issues, hydrate and eat nonstop, and hole up when we have to. This is not a trip for someone with poor winter skills and little winter camping experience.

As for the specific location of this trip, a better spot could not be had anywhere in my opinion. Denali National Park and Wilderness Preserve is a gem year-round, but especially so in the winter. The route we chose is through a non-mechanized wilderness boundary--no snowmobiles, no planes landing, just pristine wilderness through which we will observe the unparallelled beauty of the Alaska Range massif and its residents. This is the heartland of the wild: moose, caribou, wolverine, pika,wolves, beaver, fox,marmot, marten, lynx, hare, sheep, ptarmigan....the list goes on and on. To have the opportunity to pass through their natural environment during winter and observe them firsthand  is nothing short of a religious experience for me. This is a personal pilgrimage.

By day two on our trek , we will pass out of forested areas and enter open stretches of taiga. We will then enter compartmented mountainous regions that will force us to ascend numerous passes in excess of 4000 feet. That may not sound like much for Colorado, but at these latitudes it is completely exposed. Wind at elevation in exposed mounatin passes is a serious hazard in regards to the chill factor, and thats why I carry an anenometer: its simply no joking matter; if the windchill is in the danger zone we will find shelter immediately.

 In the summer, these areas are simply gorgeous and offer varied wildlife. I have had intimate encounters with both grizzly bears and wolves above treeline between Toklat and Eielson. Once you start to go west of Eielson, a gradual descent ensues and the foothills of the Alaska range fall away, exposing a massive piedmont plateau and glacial system falling from Denali itself. It is unbelieveable, and the view will literally be all ours. I don't anticipate seeing another person out there in 11 days; the kennel rangers have informed me they haven't been west of Toklat once this winter. Price of admission for two people  for 10 nights? $10. Can't beat that!

Shower Time

One question continues to keep coming around when people ask me about this trip. Will you be taking showers? The answer to that is NO. The only running water will be approximately 33 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are absolutely no facilities where we are traveling. So what are we going to do about hygeine? For starters, I have my Frozen Ones packed for daily wipe downs, baby powder for application, and Purell for germ killing. Also, on a few select days (weather permitting), the second cooking pot that we are hauling will be put to use. One member heats the water and the other member gets ready for a truly invigorating 1.5 liter bird bath. No washing of hair, no submersing of body, just a hot water and soap bird bath. You'll know when its happening because you will hear us screaming. Its the bathers responsibility to have clean warm clothes at the ready after this brain freezing event. Enjoy.

Back to the Grind

You may be asking yourself, "Why would anyone pack in January for a trip that doesn't take place until late February?" I have an answer for you: I'm a Field Services fueler for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; I work in the oilfields of Arctic Alaska at the Kuparuk River Unit on a rotating schedule of 3 weeks on/ 3 weeks off. So, upon my return to Homer on February 23rd I need to be packed and organized for this trip--and I am. I will be leaving for Denali on the 26th of February and can't afford any surprises in the packing department. I won't be posting any more blogs until I get home;  in the mean time I will be dragging my hose across the arctic. You may also be asking yourself, " Why would anyone who works in the arctic dragging a fuel hose through snowdrifts drag a loaded sled 100 miles through the sub-arctic on their time off as a form of recreation?" Good question. If you stick with this blog and continue to visit you will get the answers to that, too..........Cheers!

The Headlamp

A headlamp is a lightweight necessity to carry on any any camping trip or excursion. This Petzl lamp has 3 settings and a handy red lense that flips up--it will allow you to maintain night vision: this can be quite handy for nighttime photography, late night tent duties, and general utility. It also won't blind your tent mate. These lamps are LED and cost anywhere from $25 to $45, depending on what you want. They are great for lighting personal space and are very economical on battery usage. I have had this headlamp for 7 years.This is the only light source I will carry on this trip.

Shaving Weight

We now have everything we want packed and organized. Now is the time to really sit back, relax, and go through your gear again mentally. What do you want and what do you really need? What gear can you leave at home without compromising safety and overall comfort? Its easy to say, "Well, I'm already hauling 100 pounds of gear, what's another pound or two?" This is the time to reflect and eliminate, if possible, and thats just what I've started doing. I will return to this post as necessary and keep this list updated.

• Gale Force pants--not coming.I already have wind shells, insulated pants, and longjohns. I will ski every day in longjohns and shells. If I get really cold, I still have my Chugach Pants. The Gale Force pants are a luxury, they are staying at home. I may miss them out there, but I won't die without them.
• Emergen-C drink mix--I already have vitamins in my breakfast pack.We have lots of dry beverage packed, these little drink mixes are not a necessity, and the ziploc was substantially dense for such a small item.
• 5 pounds of cocoa-- We're not ready to leave this extravagant bundle of joy at home just yet...but we are going to spoon out our servings in a portion-controlling manner. We think we may be able to drop it down 2 pounds. If we come up short, we have plenty of tea. Still just a thought at this moment, because I'm not willing to give up steaming cups of hot cocoa. Your body will need the sugar content to stave off hypothermia--its more important than the actual temperature of the cocktail!
• FLIP Ultra HD Video Camera--staying at home. I already have 2 still digitals and am more concerned with becoming overwhelmed with battery and camera care than the weight. Leaving this at home will allow me to focus more time on still photography and thats my goal anyway. Both my still cameras have video capabilities but I won't dream of using it due to battery conservation. There is also no intent to review pictures in the field for the same reason.

Coping with the Cold

I'm not going to spend an extremely long amount of time on this subject ( I very easily could) , but I will tell you that everyone deals with the cold differently. Some people get cold hands, some cold feet (that would be me), some cold cores, and some don't get cold at all. If you are new to cold weather camping, or just looking for a refresher course, I suggest you do some internet research or buy a comprehensive book. This book is one that I keep as reference in my library, and I reread it recently in anticipation of this trip. All the modern gear in the universe can't help you in a cold weather scenario unless you spend some time in the outdoors and find out how your body copes with the cold. Hypothermia can strike quickly,  and frostbite can be almost instant in certain weather conditions. You need to know how to recognize, treat, and avoid these dangerous scenarios.  I will share some tips: when traveling use the buddy system; my partner Jeremy and I will be keeping a close eye on each other. Shivering indicates the onset of mild hypothermia, and must be treated immediately in a wilderness situation before it is allowed to escalate into moderate symptoms. If  I become irritable, complacent, or start slurring my speech I am showing signs of mild to moderate hypothermia and it also needs to be addressed immediately. If Jeremy has white blotches on his cheeks and nose he is being frostbitten, and this also needs immediate attention.  The very best way to deal with these issues, and others, is avoidance through experience and knowledge. Hydrate often and regularly; observe the color of your urine--it is an excellent indicator of dehydration. Dress for the conditions. Eat regularly--keep the fire burning inside you.  An old military acronym we used was COLD: keep it Clean, don't Overheat, dress in Layers, keep it Dry. The cold is no joke, learn how your body deals with it and practice in it before you fling yourself into a scenario that leads from fun to fatal. Every great warrior has a chink in his armor, find out where yours is before you go into battle. And go into battle hydrated: dehydration is an insidious contributor to cold weather injuries.

The Route--Click on the map for an enlarged version

Our route will begin at Denali Park Headquarters, where Park Rangers start their dog team patrols at the Kennels. We will climb above treeline on the Hines Creek drainage, which will deliver us onto a low mountain pass and Jenny Creek. From here we will cross the Savage, Sanctuary, and Teklanika Rivers , encountering sparsely forested areas on an otherwise exposed stretch of taiga. Passing Igloo and Cathedral Mountains, we will ascend Sable Pass and then drop down to the East Fork of the Toklat River. A large board valley will allow us to avoid climbing the potentially treacherous Polychrome Pass and will deliver us to the Toklat River. Proceeding west, we will encounter boxed mountainous regions as we climb Highway Pass, Stony Hill Overlook, and Thorofare Pass on our way to Eielson. Panoramic views of Denali and the Alaska Range will be our constant companion as we continue west above the Muldrow Glacier and McKinley Bar on our way to Wonder Lake. From here we will head north to Kantishna and our pre-arranged bushplane extraction. If time and weather allow, a potential side trip will be Bear Draw on the Toklat River. Clicking on this map should bring you to an enlarged version.

Christening of the Snow Ships

The pulks/sleds/snow ships have now been christened with cheap boxed red wine. I have chosen the name "S.S. Kid Karstens" for my ship,  in honor of the first Superintendent of what was originally named Mount McKinley National Park. Harry Karstens was often referred to as "the kid", but was revered as an honest, hardworking, and highly dependable mail deliverer, musher, river man, and steward of what is now Denali National Park and Preserve (he was equally despised by poachers, moonshiners, and trespassers). Jeremy Bahr of Fairbanks has chosen the name of his ride to be "S.S. Broad Reach", which is a sailing term. It's a point of sail when wind is at the beam.

Recommended Reading

Some are dated, all are spectacular reading...