www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/yt/
www.packerexpeditions.com/
Take a good look at the lists and make a note of the things you have. Be sure to bring them to the check so that we can note the condition/weight and decide if we need something more suitable.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Gear List
Here are two good links about gear. We'll be doing a gear check when Blythe comes to visit in early June.
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/yt/
www.packerexpeditions.com/
Take a good look at the lists and make a note of the things you have. Be sure to bring them to the check so that we can note the condition/weight and decide if we need something more suitable.
www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/yt/
www.packerexpeditions.com/
Take a good look at the lists and make a note of the things you have. Be sure to bring them to the check so that we can note the condition/weight and decide if we need something more suitable.
Hike Logistics
Here is our itinerary for our upcoming hike. I filled it in as much as possible, but there may be a few holes that the rest of you will need to flesh out. I consulted old emails and receipts, so this is as accurate as the information I had in my inbox. Feel free to update and change anything as needed.
Thursday, July 5 -
Thursday, July 5 -
- 10 AM - Blythe arrives in Fairbanks.
- Noon-ish - Begin the drive to Haines (approximately an 8-11 hour drive).
- PM - Arrive in Haines, lodge at Amanda's friends' house.
- 2 PM - Take the ferry from Haines to Skagway (Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry).
- PM - Lodge at Alaska Sojourn Hostel (bring CASH).
- Early AM - Pick up trail permits (Trail Center, downtown Skagway). Have booking number and documentation handy.
- Early AM - Pick up train tickets (White Pass Depot, downtown Skagway). Have your receipt and confirmation number handy.
- AM - Take Frontier Excursions shuttle from Skagway to Dyea.
- AM/PM - Begin hiking the trail.
- PM - Reach Finnegan's Point (4.81 miles).
- AM - Break camp, comtinue hiking.
- PM - Reach Sheep Camp (6.94 miles).
- Early AM - Break camp, continue hiking.
- PM - Border crossing.
- Late PM - Reach Happy Camp (8.75 miles).
- Late AM/Early PM - Break camp, continue hiking.
- PM - Reach Deep Lake (2.5 miles).
- AM - Break camp, continue hiking.
- PM - Reach Bare Loon Lake (6 miles).
- AM - Break camp, continue hiking.
- 2 PM - Train leaves from Bennett to Skagway.
- PM - Stay the night at the Historic Skagway Inn.
- 8 AM - Catch ferry from Skagway to Haines (Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry).
- AM - Blythe leaves with Dustun; the rest of us drive home.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Annual Hike?
The Camino de Santiago may be out for a few more years, but what about making our trips an annual thing?
On one of our recent hikes Loda, Amanda, and I decided that we needed to do this again next year. I'm sure if Blythe were there she would have agreed, too. Amanda suggested Resurrection Pass Trail/Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail, a 26-mile trail running from Girdwood to Eagle River. It takes only a few days to hike it. Maybe we'll even be able to get a few other people to travel with us!
Here is some very general information about it from the Chugach State Park website. There you can also find a historical guide and a map of the trail.
Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail
Access: Eagle River Nature Center, or from Girdwood take Crow Creek Road to road end and Crow Creek Trailhead (managed by Chugach Nat'l. Forest).
Travel Means: Foot only.
Distance: 26 miles or 50 kilometers one way. See Special Features for shorter hike options along this trail.
Elevation Gain: 2500 feet or 762 meters to pass from Crow Creek Trailhead, 3500 feet or 1067 meters to pass from Eagle River Trailhead.
Difficulty: Easy to difficult.
Special Features: Trail follows historic Iditarod supply route. Mining ruins, spectacular views of peaks, glaciers. Much wildlife. Excellent day hikes from either end or spend a few days and hike trail length. Unabridged stream and river crossings can be difficult. Shorter hikes from Nature Center include: to Echo Bend (easy), 3 miles one way; to Heritage Falls (easy, large falls across river), 4.5 miles one way; Twin Falls (moderate, stream crossings, beaver ponds, waterfalls), 9 miles one way. This area closed to hunting, rich in wildlife - moose, beaver, bears, sheep, eagles. Hikes from Crow Creek include: to mine site (moderate, steep) 2 miles one way; to Crystal Lake and USFS cabin (moderate, steep, spectacular, reservations required for cabin) 3 miles one way; to pass and Raven Glacier (moderate, spectacular) 4 miles one way.
Winter: From Nature Center to Eagle Glacier or Ford site: Skiing on river surface, gravel bars up valley is often very good, avalanche free, overflow prone. From Crow Creek to Eagle Glacier or Ford Site: Very avalanche prone. Not recommended.
On one of our recent hikes Loda, Amanda, and I decided that we needed to do this again next year. I'm sure if Blythe were there she would have agreed, too. Amanda suggested Resurrection Pass Trail/Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail, a 26-mile trail running from Girdwood to Eagle River. It takes only a few days to hike it. Maybe we'll even be able to get a few other people to travel with us!
Here is some very general information about it from the Chugach State Park website. There you can also find a historical guide and a map of the trail.
Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail
Access: Eagle River Nature Center, or from Girdwood take Crow Creek Road to road end and Crow Creek Trailhead (managed by Chugach Nat'l. Forest).
Travel Means: Foot only.
Distance: 26 miles or 50 kilometers one way. See Special Features for shorter hike options along this trail.
Elevation Gain: 2500 feet or 762 meters to pass from Crow Creek Trailhead, 3500 feet or 1067 meters to pass from Eagle River Trailhead.
Difficulty: Easy to difficult.
Special Features: Trail follows historic Iditarod supply route. Mining ruins, spectacular views of peaks, glaciers. Much wildlife. Excellent day hikes from either end or spend a few days and hike trail length. Unabridged stream and river crossings can be difficult. Shorter hikes from Nature Center include: to Echo Bend (easy), 3 miles one way; to Heritage Falls (easy, large falls across river), 4.5 miles one way; Twin Falls (moderate, stream crossings, beaver ponds, waterfalls), 9 miles one way. This area closed to hunting, rich in wildlife - moose, beaver, bears, sheep, eagles. Hikes from Crow Creek include: to mine site (moderate, steep) 2 miles one way; to Crystal Lake and USFS cabin (moderate, steep, spectacular, reservations required for cabin) 3 miles one way; to pass and Raven Glacier (moderate, spectacular) 4 miles one way.
Winter: From Nature Center to Eagle Glacier or Ford site: Skiing on river surface, gravel bars up valley is often very good, avalanche free, overflow prone. From Crow Creek to Eagle Glacier or Ford Site: Very avalanche prone. Not recommended.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Hiking Schedule
Sunday May 20 - Murphy Dome - Meet at my house at 11am for a 1-2 hour hike involving a big butt-busting climb.
Thursday May 24 - 7pm - Moose Creek Bluff with the Fairbanks Hiking Club.
This hike is about 2 hours
and goes through forested areas over the bluff and across the flood
plain. NEW MEETING PLACE: Due to road construction on the Richardson
Highway, we will meet at the parking area off of Lawrence Road before
the entrance to Chena Lakes REC area. From Fairbanks head south on the
Richardson Highway, through North Pole, and take the Busby Road offramp.
Turn left under the highway and immediately right on the frontage road
following the signs to the Chena Recreation Area. Shortly after passing
Nelson road (on the left) the road makes a sharp curve to the left, look
for a parking lot on the left just after the curve.
Saturday May 26 - Hiking
club at Granite Tors. They are doing an overnighter but day hikers are
welcome. 10am at the trail head for a day hike. I think we should meet
at Bobbi's house at 8:45am and car pool.
Thursday May 31 - Ester
Dome at 7pm. Meet at the intersection of Ester Dome Road and Upper
Henderson Road. Follow Sheep Creek Road to Ester Dome Road, then up
about 3 miles to Henderson. This hike lasts about 2 hours and has some
great views of the Tanana Valley.
Saturday June 2 -
Tentative - 10am gear check and hike on Murphy Dome - to the top - 6
miles - OR - Wickersham Dome if gear check to happen June 10.
Thursday June 7 - TBA - Hiking club or trails off of Ballaine Road - Meet at the end of Meadow Mouse Lane at 7pm.
Sunday June 10 - Tentative
- 10am gear check and hike on Murphy Dome - to the top - * If gear
check has already happened then Wickersham Dome (Meet at Bobbi's House
at 9am and car pool. )
Thursday June 14 - TBA
Saturday June 16 -
Donnelly Dome. We could drive down early in morning. It's about three
hours away. Or we could sleep at our cabin at Summit Lake on Friday
night and try and bang out this hike first thing Saturday morning.
Thursday June 21 - Birch Hill or Ester Dome.
Saturday June 23 - *
Overnight hike* Mt. Healy trail and camp at Denali Park. Or Wickersham
Dome, which involves an 8-mile hike to a shelter and again in the
morning.
Thursday June 28 - Isberg
Trails - 7pm - Park at the pullout on the right about a mile down Isberg
Road from Chena Ridge Road. Follow Chena Ridge Road to Isberg Road,
then Isberg Road to the pullout on the right at about 1/3 mile.
Saturday June 30 - TBA - overnight?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Chilkoot Dreams
I had a strange dream while in Anchorage that I thought I'd share with the rest of you. Amanda had pointed out that it might be anxiety over the upcoming hike. Anyway, let's see what you think:
We were getting ready to hike, but the Chilkoot Trail looked more like the Himalayas. Drifts of snow were everywhere and it was pretty cold. I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and my backpacked looked more like a day-runner's pack. There were 20 of us waiting to go up the hill, but as we started to line up to get moving, I realized that we had forgotten our permits. And then I realized that I had forgotten my passport. I started freaking out and fretting about not being able to pass the border.
All in all, it was a rather silly dream and I woke up more amused than frightened or worried. Anyone else having crazy hiking dreams?
We were getting ready to hike, but the Chilkoot Trail looked more like the Himalayas. Drifts of snow were everywhere and it was pretty cold. I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and my backpacked looked more like a day-runner's pack. There were 20 of us waiting to go up the hill, but as we started to line up to get moving, I realized that we had forgotten our permits. And then I realized that I had forgotten my passport. I started freaking out and fretting about not being able to pass the border.
All in all, it was a rather silly dream and I woke up more amused than frightened or worried. Anyone else having crazy hiking dreams?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Notes on the Chilkoot Trail Presentation
I attended a presentation at Beaver Sports called "Hiking the Chilkoot Trail". Don Kiely from the Fairbanks Hiking Club was the speaker. He's gone on the Trail numerous times.
His presentation was mostly about logistics and securing permits (which we've already done), but there were a few gems that I found useful:
1) Break in your hiking boots (or whatever shoes you take). Don did say that while you didn't necessarily need hiking boots since most of the trail was, in fact, a good trail lacking rocky spots, the shoes you did wear should be broken in. He also recommended sandals for bumming around the campsites.
2) Bring a 30-foot bear rope. The campsites supply the bear canisters. Remember to read up on Canada's bear spray regulations. He said that encounters with bears were few, but that you should still be prepared.
3) The train is an awesome experience and well worth the money. This is the first year that the train is only running 2 days a week - it used to run 3. The train leaves Bennett at 2pm Alaska time, so we'll need to remember that when we cross the Canadian boarder. There are float planes that will fly you from Lake Bennett back to Skagway for a modest fee. Maybe next time, ladies?
4) Don recommended taking your time on the trail and exploring the area. He said that there were a lot of artifacts along the trail that were fun to see. He also suggested reading up on the history of the trail before going, just to appreciate more the historical aspects of the trail.
5) Don stressed the importance of everyone in the group being present in order to pick up the permits to hike the trail. They will no longer allow groups without all of their members to pick up permits. He said that if you've made reservations you can pick them up the day before you hike. Since we've got a pretty full morning the first day of our hike, we may want to consider doing this.
6) The trailhead begins in Dyea (pronounced Die-eee). I will no longer sound like an idiot when I try to say it!
A copy of the handout from the presentation is here. It's got a good list of books and websites to check out about the Trail. Let me know if you have trouble linking to it and I will email it to you.
His presentation was mostly about logistics and securing permits (which we've already done), but there were a few gems that I found useful:
1) Break in your hiking boots (or whatever shoes you take). Don did say that while you didn't necessarily need hiking boots since most of the trail was, in fact, a good trail lacking rocky spots, the shoes you did wear should be broken in. He also recommended sandals for bumming around the campsites.
2) Bring a 30-foot bear rope. The campsites supply the bear canisters. Remember to read up on Canada's bear spray regulations. He said that encounters with bears were few, but that you should still be prepared.
3) The train is an awesome experience and well worth the money. This is the first year that the train is only running 2 days a week - it used to run 3. The train leaves Bennett at 2pm Alaska time, so we'll need to remember that when we cross the Canadian boarder. There are float planes that will fly you from Lake Bennett back to Skagway for a modest fee. Maybe next time, ladies?
4) Don recommended taking your time on the trail and exploring the area. He said that there were a lot of artifacts along the trail that were fun to see. He also suggested reading up on the history of the trail before going, just to appreciate more the historical aspects of the trail.
5) Don stressed the importance of everyone in the group being present in order to pick up the permits to hike the trail. They will no longer allow groups without all of their members to pick up permits. He said that if you've made reservations you can pick them up the day before you hike. Since we've got a pretty full morning the first day of our hike, we may want to consider doing this.
6) The trailhead begins in Dyea (pronounced Die-eee). I will no longer sound like an idiot when I try to say it!
A copy of the handout from the presentation is here. It's got a good list of books and websites to check out about the Trail. Let me know if you have trouble linking to it and I will email it to you.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Accommodations:
I checked out the Skagway.com web site for places to stay. I only looked at accommodations with real beds. I am not sure about your feelings on where to stay before and after the trip but i would prefer a nice bed since i will be sleeping on the ground for four days. I was also thinking we would stay together so i researched places that would take on a small group. In some cases, prices would be per person (i.e. bunks) and others we would share beds and split the costs of the room or rooms. The prices (pre-tax of course) ranged from $15 to $50 per night. Not all locations had a clear cancellation policy and some only took cash. I tried to annotate these the best i could.
My pick is the Alaskan Sojourn for its price, bunks, and atmosphere. My second choice Cindy's Columbine cabin. Again, not too expensive, private with its own bath, and it can accommodate all of our party. We can even do a combination of places. Please check them out and let me know your top three choices. I will research them further. If you would rather camp, find a better location, or would rather have a private room, let me know that, too.
Once a decision is made, i will follow Bobbi's lead and pay for the rooms or deposit. If you would like your own room, again, please let me know and i will leave it up to you to make the reservation.
Bobbi: I think i will be flying down and either meeting you in Juneau or Skagway depending on your route. Please let me know your itinerary so i can schedule the rooms for the appropriate date.
Skagway Home Hostel and Gardens (Currently Closed/No online Reservations)
- Community Kitchen
- Hot Showers
- Dorm Style Rooms
- Help with Cleaning Duties
- $20 or $15 for Coed
- Two gender specific dorm rooms (bunk beds)
- One co-ed dorm (bunk beds)
- Bunks ~ $25.00 /night
- One Private Room
- $75.00 per night for private room. (2 people max)
- Free linens (we don’t allow use of personal linens or sleeping bags)
- Conveniently located, just a few blocks walk from downtown.
- Free Coffee and Tea freshly brewed every morning!
- Cash Only
Cindy's Place - Cabins
The Columbine Cabin
- No credit cards. $50 Deposit
- Private Bathroom
- Queen Bed and two Twin Mattresses.
- Microwave, toaster, coffee maker
- Continental breakfast foods plus fresh baked goods
- Rates are $125/double with food or $105/double with just hot beverages, $5 more for a double with separate beds, $15 each additional person with food, or $10 each additional person without food.
- Deposit on one room only. Reservations cancelled 30 and more before arrival, refunded. After 30 days only if able to rebook room.
- Complementary Transportation to/from the Ferry, Train, Bus, or Airport
- Full Hot Breakfast (Eggs, Bacon or Sausage, Potatoes, Muffins, Cereal, Yogurt, Toast, Fruit, Milk, Juice, Herbal Teas, and Ravens Brew Coffee)
- WiFi
- Alice and Flo Rooms: Queen and two twins $200
- Dottie: Twin Beds and 3/4 Bath $159
- Ida: Two Twin Beds and shared bath $119
- There are other options. If you considered this option, please check out website.
- Eight private with Double Beds and two shared bathrooms $75
- Color Televisions with cable tv - DVD players available upon request
- Private baths, some shower-bath combinations
- Micro-waves and Refrigerators available upon request ( depending on room)
- Complimentary Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate available in lobby
- Small Room - Queen and Shower $90
- Standard Room - Two Doubles and bath $100 plus $10 per extra person
- Deluxe Room - Two Queen Beds and bath $115 plus $10 per extra person
- 72 hour cancellatioin
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