OT - My trip to Gates of the Arctic National Park

Sea2Ski · February 13

So some of you have asked for a post about my trip to get the Arctic national Park. This will be a thread with several postings because it is a big story to tell. I will not get to them all tonight, but I will break them up in logical blocks of the trip So let me get started….

I think I have to start back in 2019 when a friend of mine who used to live down the street came to me and asked if wanted go on an adventure. I said “count me in! What are we doing?”

The goal was to get a Gates to the Arctic national park in Alaska. It is the second least visited national park in the national park system. If you look up stats, they only get a couple thousand visitors per year because there is no way to get to the park unless you 1) get flown in or 2) hike 4 miles into it. We were going take a float plane. Over the next several months we studied maps, downloaded off line maps, printed, highlighted and laminated paper USHS maps, we got on forums, we contacted outfitters, we asked people for opinions, we scoured YouTube for videos and eventually we ended up coming up with our route…. but I’ll get to that later. The blue X was where we were headed.

Once we knew our route, we had to get an idea of how long we were going to go for. Our goal was to have an adventure, have a loose schedule, not be overly pressed for time, but we wanted to do as much as we could. Alaskan weather is unforgiving and we knew that, so we planned for weather days. But we also knew that we had to know how long we were going to be away so that we had the right amount of equipment and food with us. Going for 7 vs 10 days vs 14 days ended up to be three totally different trips. We opted on a planned 11 nights in the park but 17 nights away.

So what was the plan?
Fly Philadelphia—> Seattle—>Fairbanks

Take the Dalton highway (Ice road truckers) North 240 miles to Coldfoot
Fly -125 miles into the park and be dropped off at the headwaters of the Alatna river
Packraft down 90 miles over 11 nights and get picked up at another lake.
Fly back to Coldfoot
Pick up shuttle flight back to Fairbanks
Fly back to Philly

Now it was time for procuring the correct equipment and planning for food. We knew that you never go into a trip like this without untested tried and true equipment. So this is where practice trips and trial runs came into play. Before I go much further, I need to tell you about some of the constraints we were under. To do this, I have to jump back-and-forth throughout the trip so bear with me. There were a few major constraints. The biggest one was how we were going to get back to Fairbanks after the trip. We were going to take the shuttle flight where you were constrained to 40 pounds of gear in addition to whatever you were wearing. For this reason we had to balance durability cost and weight. We had to know what we were going to take on the shuttle flight, and what we were going to ship separately via US mail. We carried everything with us to get there but we were going to ship other things back.

Another constraint we were under was that we were packrafting most of the trip. So all of our gear had to be in waterproof bags and backpacks and they had to be able to fit on our rafts. God forbid something happened we would also have to be able to carry everything.

So now that you know some of the things we were doing and how long we were going for, let’s get to the good stuff.

Food: we were planning on doing a lot of fishing and we were hoping to catch fish along the way. However, we knew we could not count on catching them so we had to be prepared if we didn’t. We figured on 2600 cal a day. We chose high calorie snacks and meals. Valerie’s, protein and weight were all calculated to the day and meal. Most were freeze dried because they did not take much room and they were lightweight. They also packed down and could fit into our bear cans. Below was all the food before and after packing. In the top picture, each “column” of food at the top of the picture was one days food. Stuff to the side and bottom was additional snacks and extras. Although we plan to be in there for 11 days, we needed to have enough for 14 in case they could not pick us up because of weather.

Everything else we needed redundancy on. Tents water filters, knives fishing, rods, rope, patch kits, bear spray….you name it. After we put all that together this was all my gear before packing.

We then packaged everything up. I ended up with one backpack and one box 24” long x18” wide x10” deep.

Now that you know the details of the trip the following posts will have many more pictures.

Let’s go! …….

lkapigian · February 13

That’s just Nucking Futz !

Braggart · February 13

Right up my alley. Love remote, love having to rely on nothing but yourself and your wits.

Looking forward to hearing about the adventure!

Sea2Ski · February 13

Off we go….
After getting to Fairbanks and spending a night we got our final supplies. These included fuel for stoves, a satellite phone, and bear spray since some of our cans did not arrive despite shipping them four weeks before the trip.

All our gear got packed for the van shuttle up the Dalton highway. Along the trip, we saw cars that lost control and went off the bank, a truck that lost a wheel, aa other truck that had 3 push cabs to get it over hills because the payload was so heavy, we crossed over the Yukon River, and crossed over the Arctic Circle.

We made it to the tiny place called Coldfoot.

Here we spent the night and registered with the National Park service about our trip: where we are being dropped off, where we were going to be picked up, what our gear was like such as colors of our rafts and tents and we provided them the phone number to our satellite phone

Next it was time to repack everything for the flight in so we were 100% ready to go…

alaskanassasin · February 13

I don’t think you had any problem catching fish! Tuned in!

lousubcap · February 13

@Sea2Ski- First- thank you for reengaging into the forum with such a great thread regarding your challenges but more importantly the foresight over an extended period you and your team had regarding an adventure of a lifetime. Talk about details and getting them right!!
What a team and personal achievement. The inner sense of this accomplishment cannot be measured. Heartiest congratulations!

Sea2Ski · February 13

It was Sunday morning and we were supposed to be on the first flight in on Monday morning. So we planed to take the day to relax walk around and repack everything. My friend Keith took over the room and repacked all his stuff first. We went to eat, picked blueberries and then it was my turn then it was my time to pack. I had all my stuff spread out in our room. The phone rang. It was Coyote Air, our outfitter who was flying us into the park. They said there was a weather front coming in and if we wanted to go in, we would have to leave within 30 minutes; otherwise, there was a chance we would be forced to wait until Wednesday or Thursday. We took all my stuff and stuffed it In our dry bags and backpack. Things I planed to leave behind for after the trip got packed up and went with me. It was 20 minutes of total chaos!

And away we went……

Sea2Ski · February 13

The flight was insane. 125 miles in and we went so far north, we were above timberline and in the Arctic tundra.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/8x/lj4pa1d22vrf.jpeg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/j4/jl03uiytek25.jpeg

We landed and got set up for 2 nights. Right away we did catch fish.

Temperatures were all over the place. Most of the time at night it was in the low 40s, During the day it could swing between 50 and 60 in a matter of an hour. We saw snow, rain, sleet, sun, mist, fog you name it. The warmest was in a valley and the sun was out. 76F. The coldest was 31F. some days we saw all of those things.

We went for a walk and we found wolf tracks and wolf scat. To give you an idea of the size of that wolf scat, the bear spray is 10 1/2 inches long with a 2 1/2 inch diameter.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/64/rpahqxic6m8g.jpeg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/sz/xwrk5oou3mos.jpeg

Then it was time to start rafting.

The lake we started at was the headwaters of the Alatna river. There are no dams or gates or anything, so the start of the river is so shallow you can’t raft it. We paddled to the end of the lake, then packed the raft up and hiked until we could line the raft, then the raft with our gear, then eventually with us in it.

Legume · February 13

I love this.

Botch · February 13

Oh damn, this is fun! Thanks for taking the time to document this for us, @Sea2Ski!
Hope you mention the two biggest dreads for me, on a trip like this (listed in order of Horror):
1. Mosquitoes, and
2. Bears (I know you mentioned bear spray)

What's the least-visited Nat'l Park? I would've guessed Teddy Roosevelt in ND (where I've spent many happy weeks) but this place looks even less visited, by a long shot!

Sea2Ski · February 13

Last post of the night.

As we were lining our rafts, my friend turned around and said “look there’s a person.” This was on day three of our trip down. We had not seen a plane. We have not seen a person, no jets overhead, no helicopters, nothing…. I thought he was crazy. Then this woman came out of nowhere. She was from Tasmania and she was walking across Alaska. We were the first people she saw in 13 days and she was two days out from her first food cache. After talking to her, I asked her what she missed the most and she said someone to talk to and something sweet. So I casually went through my pack as we were talking and I gave her some Jell-O instant pudding which had milk powder mixed in so all she needed was to add water. You would’ve thought I gave her a winning lottery ticket. We have since stayed in touch and to say this woman is an adventurer is an understatement. She proved to be the only person we saw until the pilot picked us up.

So we kept working our way downstream….

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/o6/nkidwwtocsyd.jpeg

Along the way, we were challenged by rapids which we did not feel comfortable rafting, water was so shallow. we had to walk, wicked downpours, moose, and lots of very friendly birds. Some would get as close as two or 3 feet to us. But what struck me was the silence. The only thing you heard was the sound of the river, wind through the valley and going over rock ledges.

We were hoping to come across a very gentle part of the river and we thought we were coming up on one. As we got closer. we realized it was not water, but it was ice. It was like a mini glacier. About 500’ long, 200’ wide and roughly 5 feet thick. We were not expecting that. It was pretty cool!

If this post is interesting to you, stay tuned…. The trip takes a turn that we were not expecting. More tomorrow or whenever I get to it.

kl8ton · February 13

This is epic! Thank you so much for sharing!

Sea2Ski · February 13

@Botch. The Mosquitos were not bad with the exception of 3 times. The worst was the second day. The wind died down and they were pretty bad. Compared to what I have read and pictures I have seen, I would guess it was a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. We were lucky. I only had to put on my headset two times for about an hour. We prepped by spraying the appropriate clothing and gear with this - it was a life saver. Once in the tent, I had tape around my tracking poles and I was able to make a lint roller like loop and dap them when they landed somewhere. That eliminated any sleeping issues because of buzzing or biting.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/ps/o3nkdfbs4pat.jpeg

Bears - yes, the comments will start flying after this statement. I had three cans of bear spray and my buddy had two. That’s it. That was our protection. We chose not to bring firearms. I could go into all the reasons why, but after much discussion, videos, reading, and despite having the appropriate firearms available to us, we decided not to bring any. I will leave it at that.

I had made custom holders for mine, and they were perfect. Secure hold and easy to move and adjust because we had to have it on us at all times. Even when rafting. After all, we were in grizzly territory and we had food. I realize that I do not have any good pictures of it. I did take a screenshot of it while on my pfd. My holder was more secure than the neoprene one it comes with but I was also able to get it out quicker too. I might further develop it for fun. It was held on by mini carabiners.

Botch · February 13

I have one extremely old can of bear spray, which I had to use once in New Mexico, to protect my photo gear from three locals; I'll say no more.

REB17 · February 13

Epic thread. Thanks for sharing

lkapigian · February 13

Legume said:

I love this.

I concur

JohnInCarolina · February 13

Mark this has to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen on this site. Just wow man!

Sea2Ski · February 13

Thank you everyone. Glad you are enjoying the story. I am trying to keep it brief, dispute the long and wordy posts. But if I want you to get just a hint of what we were doing and going though, I have to tell you some of the details. For every one told, I am leaving out 10. So if you have questions, please ask.

@Botch. I neglected to answer one of your questions. National park of American Samoa is the least visited. I presume because it is on the other side of the world. GOTA is second, because it is so remote just to get to the closest road, then it is another 4 mile hike from there to get within the park boundary. ….. or you do a float plane drop off which is what we did. Let me tell you that is a moment when you are dropped off. One minute you are in a very, very small town, but there are other people and cars around. Then you get in a plane and you get dropped off. You watched that float plane taxi around the lake and then takeoff. You watch the plane fly away. With it goes all your sense of backup and security. You have a “oh Sh1t” moment. You realize that you are now on your own. There is no running back to the car to get something you forgot. There is no cell service. There is no “I’ll wait here until somebody sees me.” You are alone and hope you are prepared for anything that could happen. Yes, I was there with my friend, but you are still alone.
That is a feeling that sticks with you… and I loved nearly every second of it.

lousubcap · February 13

So glad you are taking the time and making the effort with this epic thread. Spectacular does not do it justice. What an incredible experience. Very much looking forward to the next installment.

alaskanassasin · February 13

So quiet the tinnitus you never really noticed is screaming in your ears. Did you see bear trails in the valley? A lot of people might not know that they walk in the same steps on their trails leaving a perfect dotted path through the tundra.

Stormbringer · February 13

That's an incredible write-up, thanks! I hadn't realised that the arctic circle went that far down.

johnmitchell · February 13

Thanks for sharing Mark. Start my morning with a cup of coffee and this fantastic post. Doesn’t get any better than that.

ColbyLang · February 13

Epic read so far. Cant wait for the rest of it. Thanks for sharing

Dyal_SC · February 14

That’s an experience of a lifetime! Super cool.

REB17 · February 14

I’m still trying to process the odds of seeing another person on a trip that remote.

RRP · February 14

REB17 said:

I’m still trying to process the odds of seeing another person on a trip that remote.

And it was a woman by herself besides! I wonder if she carried a weapon - seriously, I wonder.

stevez · February 14

Wow! This is epic and I'm loving it! Thanks so much for sharing this.

REB17 · February 14

RRP said:

REB17 said:

I’m still trying to process the odds of seeing another person on a trip that remote.

And it was a woman by herself besides! I wonder if she carried a weapon - seriously, I wonder.

Agree. I admire and respect the decision to go unarmed. I think a fireman would be included in my belongings

Buckwoody Egger · February 14

fantastic sea2ski!!! very generous of you to share.

kudos also to kl8ton for sending out the bat signal and lk for the assist.

kl8ton · February 14

Buckwoody Egger said:

fantastic sea2ski!!! very generous of you to share.

kudos also to kl8ton for sending out the bat signal and lk for the assist.

Well he has a history of good stories and fun adventures/projects. I like big boats and offshore fishing and hobby livestock and DIY stuff and this guy was always next level! I missed his posts.

alaskanassasin · February 14

I know this isn’t my thread yet I keep commenting on it, but…. having a can of pepper spray for bear protection is like using an Element extinguisher stick when your car in engulfed in flames, if you will @RRP

OT - My trip to Gates of the Arctic National Park

Comments

Categories