Half of my life is spent at 59 degrees North latitude on the shores of Alaska's Kachemak Bay. The other half is spent at 70 degrees North latitude on the Central Beaufort Sea Coast. Lots happens in between, too, in this land known as The Last Frontier.







25 January 2010

The Pulk

When I was an Arctic Warfare Instructor in the Marine Corps an officer addressed our unit and said," How many of you went to Norway in 1984?". A few tacit nods in the crowd indicated that many had participated in those frigid exercises and were headed back. He then said, "Well, I've got good news for you. Good news is we got you dog sleds for your gear this time. Bad news is YOU'RE THE DOG!!". 26 years later and I'm still at it, playing the dog...
 The pulk, or sled, that I will pull in Denali this winter is the very same one that I haul firewood out of the forest with behind my Tundra. It has passed the test with flying colors and still comes back for more.
  My sled of choice for this trip is the Jet Sled, a beefed-up kids sled with high sides and a raised lip to reduce drag. I customized it (I should say "both" as I use two to haul firewood and am supplying Jeremy with my spare) by drilling holes into it and passing stout 9mm climbing rope in and out of the upper lip around the entire edge of the upper frame. This gives me tiedowns all around the sled and also eliminates weak spots where the rope meets the sled. Rather than being pulled by just two points on the front of the sled, the entire frame is pulled. I drilled large diameter holes to accomodate the climbing rope and smaller holes where I zip-tied the rope to the sled. Leave enough rope out of the front of the sled to pass through PVC tubing--this will keep the sled at an even distance behind you and it will not interfere with your kick-step when skiing. Cross the poles and you will get terrific tracking and maneuvering capabilities when cornering. Attach carabiners to the figure 8 knots placed at the end of the PVC and you are ready to clip into the belt on your large backpack.
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2 comments:

  1. DonataJanuary 28, 2010 at 8:43 AM

    How much weight will you be pulling when the sled is full of your gear? How much will your back pack weigh?

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  2. Pat AhernMarch 4, 2010 at 8:57 AM

    the pulks will weigh in at about 60 pounds fully loaded with 14 days supplies. The trip is scheduled to last 11 days and 10 nights but we are carrying emergency rations. My pack will weigh about 15 pounds.

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