Nanuq Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 I'm home from a backpacking trip up on Spencer glacier, and it was the most strenuous thing I've ever done. It was spectacular bluebird skies, howling wind, ice and cold... it just doesn't get any better than that. I promised Lani that I'd write about it, so here goes. We got dropped off by the Alaska Railroad at the Spencer whistlestop and decided to try the new taped-off "trail" to see how well it connects the whistlestop to the hut up above at Grandview. This is an ongoing project by the Huts association to make it easy to connect the dots in the backcountry of Alaska. I did some quick scouting around and found the orange surveyor's tape, and went off up the "trail" for a quick looksee to see what kind of shape it was in. My pack was only about 70# but it was my tall and wide external frame pack, and the "trail" was set in the previous winter when the snow was deep and all the alders were laying down. First mistake. The meathead that set the trail just went in a straight line on XC skis tying tape to branches, not knowing what was under the 10-12' of snow. Turns out there are terrain features like bog holes, downed trees, muck, hills and hussocks that get snow blown in behind them, etc. So the "trail" was nice in winter but it was incredibly tough to get through the alders as thick as your forearm, with hip-deep drifts, buried sprung branches, and more bear scat than you can shake a stick at. Half of the tapes had fallen off the trees so I'd have to set down my pack and go scouting for the next tape, usually lying on the ground tied to a broken twig. Then I'd tie it up, backtrack, get my pack and keep going. Much of the time I was standing on branches buried in the snow, getting flotation like snowshoes, to get across huge drifts in amongst the alders. I finally decided it was nothing the rest of the group would be able to handle without breaking an ankle or worse, so I started to backtrack. Then I looked over to the side through the alders and saw some of the group walking ON THE RIVER ICE heading upstream with their packs on. I hustled over cross-country as fast as I could through those bloody alders and got them off the river, and made them walk the shore ice. Good Lord, it's a miracle nobody went through. We got to a beautiful wide (exposed) snowy river bar and had a perfect view of Spencer glacier. The wind was just blasting down off the glacier, and they thought we should set camp there. I smiled and said no, and they kind of gathered around and I explained it's like a metaphor for life: it seems beautiful and easy and relaxing but it's really danger lurking in wait to bite you. I said "what happens when the glacier calves and sends a huge wave down here, or the wind comes up in the middle of the night after the sun goes down, and blows us off this bar, or anything worse than that? Where do you think the bears are going to walk, through those alders or down along this shore?" and they saw the danger that was disguised as a sunny day on a riverbank. So we packed up and went upriver further, then bushwhacked some more up around a knoll and across a few streams and eventually found a high cleared area with grasses and stink elders. It was dry dead grass, with solid ice 1" beneath the surface. By the time we got there they were exhausted. We all pitched tents and cooked some dinner, and everyone climbed into the feathers by 8PM. Next morning I was up early so I drug my tarp out and laid it in the sun and had a nice snooze for a couple more hours till everyone else got up. We roused the lazybones and everyone got some breakfast, then broke into groups. We wanted to accomplish 3 things: 1) scout the tape trail some more (yeah good luck with that) and 2) pick 3 potential sites for a new backwoods Hut on the moraine, and 3) map out where this river flowed from the hillside up above us down to the Skookum river. I volunteered to do #3 so my group got ready to go and off we went for hours more bushwhacking through more alders and bear poo. We fought our way north and east toward the sound of the falls, and the snow got deeper and the alders got thicker. I found lots of good teaching moments, since some of the group hadn't spent much time in the backcountry. I was asking them things like "why is there more snow in here" and "why are the alders lying over like this?" and stuff. They were really good sports, and didn't realize I was giving them chances to rest up as they argued and came up with their best answers. We eventually ran into flooding where an ice dam had choked the river, and the water was deep in the trees. By that time we could see the falls through the trees so I took a GPS reading and we used my watch to figure out which way was north (this is why God made mechanical watches) then they all decided how far away the falls were from our position, and drew maps in their notebooks and estimated the falls' position from the GPS lat-long. Then I decided enough was enough, and headed off toward higher ground to get out in the sun and find the better path for the return. We crossed a few beaver dams and found a near-vertical climb up through the alders and devils club, and came out up on the high flats. They all laid down in the sun and gasped for awhile, and tried to pick the devils club thorns out of their forearms and hands... some of them had grabbed for a hold as they slipped, and grabbed the wrong stuff (ouch). We packed up again and headed south, and eventually we could see our tents off across the flats. I told them the story of the tent with the lamp inside that Scott used to tell at scout camp, and how a glow in your heart is what people see when they look at you in a crowd, and how we could see our tents glowing in the sun, and it really clicked with them. They were really dehydrated by that point, and starting to get headaches and get cranky. We found a nice stream coming right out of the hillside and falling down some rocks to our trail, and they were concerned about drinking it without filtration. I told them about a study I'd read about Alaska's clean water, and why I believed that water was plenty clean enough to drink, so they all filled their water bottles and stuck their heads in the streams, and had a nice cooldown. I went off scouting for a trail to camp the easy way, and found something promising, so I got them all going again and we scrambled down a bank, over a beaver dam, and then had a nice casual walk along some grassy flats back to camp. It was the perfect ending for our bushwhack. We were exhausted and scraped from stem to stern, had bear poo all in our boots and had several close encounters in the scrub, but got back safe. A few more days of that, exploring and adventuring, sleeping on ice and sharing good food over a fire... getting completely sunburnt... it was a fantastic trip. We saw tons of bears and moose, iceworms, fell in the river a few times, lost some gear and made do sharing what we had left, and on the way back out we found a much faster and safer trail than the alders full of bears. We stopped for the biggest ice cream cones you've ever seen in Girdwood, and now my garage looks like an REI store with all my gear hanging up drying. It was incredibly hard, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My feet hurt so bad I can't bend my toes, and my forearms look like I shoved my arms in a blender. But wow was it a GREAT trip! The "trail" through the alders Our campsite Avalanches up the mountainsides Resting on a riverbank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuccadoc Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Great story Nanuq! I friend of mine has a practice outside Fairbanks and he could keep us riveted with stories for hours on end. You live in an amazing part of the world! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Sure beats my weekend standing on the sidelines watching soccer games. My kind of trip Nanuq....Looks like a lot of work, lot of reward kind of adventure to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Great story. The where to setup camp was very informative. So what watch did you wear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 So what watch did you wear? I usually wear the Bond Sub for things like this, it's been everywhere and done everything with me. But for the rotten ice and crevasse fall potential, I thought I'd leave the valuables at home and I wore a Seiko OM. The Monster is a heck of a good watch, plenty tough, and it doesn't mind freezing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 thanks for sharing nanuq whether they realize it or not, thems some lucky kids to have a guide like yourself to teach them life lessons and outdoor practicalities... congrats on a great trip!! deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff g Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Very cool...(so to speak). I just returned from Hawaii, a bit warmer there, but like you I wore my Monster. Work horse for sure. Your kids are lucky to have a dad like you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Good read! I wonder, does sticking to the lower Kenai Peninsula and The Russian River/Kenai confluence in September make me a 'wuss' or just plain smart? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Good read! I wonder, does sticking to the lower Kenai Peninsula and The Russian River/Kenai confluence in September make me a 'wuss' or just plain smart? I would normally vote "smart" but bears know how to swim, too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJo35 Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Geezus Nanuq, what an adventure that was! I've got to hand it to you, and give you a lot of credit for taking on that kind of challenge. What kind of safety equipment do you bring? Compass of course, but GPS too? Phone (SAT)? Radios? How about a rifle or .45 for protection from your furry friends? Just think, I was considering an Seiko OM for my vacation last month. However, instead of the freezing cold, I needed to watch my bottom-time during my dive @ Punta Sur off Cozumel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Just like Norway...but maybe even tougher. Impressive pictures Bob and what a bear shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 hehe i'll be over soon ... in the pleasant confines of a boat though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 I would normally vote "smart" but bears know how to swim, too... Yes sir! This is known. But, the savy flatlander can utilize other resources not exclusive to the wilderness; say, exploiting the ignorance of international tourists: The bear, although acclimated to the aquatic mode: will demure the Floridian angler, and his rations, if well worn about his person at all times: moreso, if Frenchmen will insist on and comply to, abandoning their packs on the spoil islands. Packs, filled with baguette, that hours earlier, were positioned well and close to the spitting fry pan repleat with Canadian bacon: And still, it's the subtle clues that nature will provide to even the most occidental tourist: That all may soon be revealed to the mutual surprise of man and beast from the brush: Well worth the chance, deminished by the exercise of caution and heeded advices to behold: By one's lonesome, with other than a human friend to concur: "Yeah Dems, this is awesome." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 You're fitter than me matey! I realy don't think I'd cope with that any more. I maintain that the best way to see that part of the world is from a nice heated carrige on the WP&Yukon Speaking of bears, I love this sign! Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailboss Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 I would normally vote "smart" but bears know how to swim, too... LOL, that is NOT a happy looking bear! I love the look on his face. Far too close for comfort tho. Col. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Manny Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Great posts guys. Thanks for taking the time to share the adventures. Do you want to hear about how sore my back is from carrying coolers of beer around this weekend? I'm thinking not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Great post. I do miss the backcountry hiking having moved to the big City for work. Someday when the kids are old enough to carry a pack, I'll take them out for a real trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 What great responses! And all over-the-top jaw-dropping gorgeous, EXCEPT for Dems' fishing shot at The Confluence. Ahem. Are we to believe he was THE ONLY person fishing The Confluence? Yeah right. It hasn't been that unpopulated since, oh, the late 60s. Unless... was there a bear standing behind you as you snapped the photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demsey Posted May 27, 2009 Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 was there a bear standing behind you as you snapped the photo? Probably. And it would make for a better story, but, truth be told, it was the middle of the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2009 Probably. And it would make for a better story, but, truth be told, it was the middle of the night. Okay, I can see that... what, about 12:30 in the morning? That's when the day-bears go off shift and the night-bears are just clocking in. Good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted May 28, 2009 Report Share Posted May 28, 2009 Exact opposite end of the parallel for me,.. camping is a done a little differently here.. sleeping on ice ? .. I'm shivering just picturing that in my minds eye.. Shoot when it got cold sleeping away from the tents on the beach.. we'd bury some coals in the sand and sleep on that.. but what you all do there in Alaska .. is really survival skills at it's best.. I thoroughly enjoyed you sharing this adventure .. thanks B !! A~C Lani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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