YAKUTAT FATBIKE/PACKRAFT 2015

YAKUTAT FATBIKE/PACKRAFT 2015 PARTCIPANTS:
Joolee Ahrends
Doug Armstrong
Jim Bennett
Shane Bowlin
Trevor Davis
Wally Hufford
Bill Jirsa

LOGISTICS:
Fly Alaska Airlines from Anchorage to Yakutat.  Fly Yakutat Coastal Air from Yakutat to Lituya Bay.

May 23, 2015:  As a group we had spent nearly a year discussing, planning, and researching the trip we were about to embark upon. We were finally at the airport in Anchorage boarding our flight for Yakutat.  We had disassembled our bikes and boxed them up for the flight and had our packrafts and camping gear packed in our luggage.  Following a brief stop in Cordova we landed in Yakutat and immediately hauled our belongings to the hanger at Yakutat Coastal Air where we reassembled our bikes and made contact with our pilot, Hans.  Then it was off to the Yakuat Lodge where we ate halibut burgers and talked excitedly about the upcoming trip.


Doug Armstrong reassembles his fatbike upon arriving in Yakutat.

May 24, 2015:  The next morning we all met at the Yakutat Lodge for breakfast.  The pancakes were huge and the coffee flowed abundantly.  We had a departure time of 9:00 AM, so we made our way to the plane in time to load last minute items and take photos prior to take-off.  Once people and gear were loaded, Hans started the plane's engine, taxied down the runway and we were off!

The flight to Lituya Bay was about 45 minutes and we cruised just above the beach.  Occasionally we would see mountains to our left through breaks in the clouds.  It was a great flight and before we knew it we were landing on the beach near Lituya Bay.  We had finally arrived!

We unloaded our gear and Hans took off leaving us in a place that we all immediately knew was wild and remote.  The only sounds we could hear included the wind, the crashing of the waves on the beach, and our voices.  We put our bikes together and loaded our gear on them before riding about a mile up the beach to what would become our first campsite near Echo Creek.  After pitching our tents part of the group went to Lituya Bay with their packrafts while the remainder stayed at camp to watch the gear.  The plan was for the first group to return after several hours so the second group could go to the bay.  But, Jim returned early saying he wanted to remain at camp so he and I watched things while the others visited Lituya. 

While Jim and I were guarding the gear we spied a wolf coming toward camp just across Echo Creek from us.  It seemed to be curious but ultimately thought better of the situation and retreated following the stream back into the woods.  A few hours later a bear appeared and didn't seem to realize we were there.  It came down the stream edging ever closer to camp.  Jim was napping so I woke him up and said a bear was coming our way.  He grabbed the bear spray and we dashed to the edge of the stream.  The bear meandered toward us totally oblivious to our presence.  We watched it for a while as it came closer and closer.  Then I heard Jim say, "Where did I put the bear spray?  I set it down right here somewhere."  We looked at each other, then the bear, then started scrambling to find the canister of bear spray.  A few seconds later we found it, and in all the hubub the bear identified us and took off into the woods.  We didn't see it again for the remainder of the day.

Once everyone had returned to camp we shared stories of the day's events as we cooked our dinners.  The packrafters had a great time at Lituya Bay and the camp managers had some excitement observing the local wildlife.  The weather was beautiful and before long everyone except Trevor was sound asleep for the night.



Seven fatbikes, packrafts, and camping gear loaded in the Otter and ready to fly from Yakutat to Lituya Bay.

The view from the Otter on our way to Lituya Bay.

Unloading gear on the beach at Lituya Bay.

Fatbike and Otter at Lituya Bay.

A few hours after our arrival we had a visitor.  This wolf was very curious and really checked us out before loping away.

Just a few hours after the wolf visit we had another visitor...this bear.  He didn't notice us for a long time, but when he did  he behaved like a good bear and skidaddled into the woods.

Doug makes dinner at camp 1 near the edge of Echo Creek.


May 25, 2015: The next morning we awoke to some beautiful weather and a story about a bear that Trevor had seen the night before. He said it came down the stream shortly after the rest of us had gone to the tents. He watched it for a while before it dug a small hole in the sand and went to sleep across the the stream about a hundred yards from camp. And...it was still there. Sure enough. As we all turned and looked across the stream there was a bear sleeping in the sand. We didn't know what else to do so we all started making breakfast and watching the bear as it slept. After 15 minutes or so the bear was startled awake, jumped up, looked at us, and took off at warp speed down the beach and out of sight. That was the last we saw of the bears at camp 1.

Once everyone finished breakfast and packed gear for the ride we were ready to roll.  That's when Jim told us he was ill.  Very ill.  And, he seemed to be getting worse.  He said he felt well enough to ride so we took off.  There wasn't much else we could do.  But, as the morning progressed his condition worsened.  We took a long lunch break and he rested which seemed to help.  Everyone else took naps on the beach as well.  We rode slowly taking frequent breaks until we came to our first river crossing. 

We spent a considerable amount of time deciding on the best location and strategy for crossing.  The tide was coming in and as we waited an eddy developed on the other side of the river.  It was time to go and Trevor made the crossing with ease.  The rest of us followed and eventually we were all on the same side of the river.  It was getting late so we decided to set up camp and have dinner.  Afterward we sat around a bonfire on the beach discussing the day's events.



The next morning we woke to some beautiful weather.



Shane hoists his bike to carry it across a small stream as we leave camp 1.

Bill took a power nap following lunch.

So did Joolee.

Jim loads his fatbike on his raft for a stream crossing.

Doug paddles his raft/bike/gear across a stream.

After crossing the stream we made camp, ate dinner, and sat around a campfire.

May 26-28, 2015:   Jim wasn't feeling 100% the next morning, but  he was feeling better.  After breakfast we packed our gear and took off riding into the fog.  It was fun cruising down the beach watching other riders as they disappeared into the rolling banks of mist.  We were making great progress and enjoying the ride on hard packed sand when the beach suddenly filled with boulders of varying sizes.  We pushed and lifted our bikes for a while thinking we would soon be riding the hard packed sand again. 

Boy, were we wrong.

We had arrived at Cape Fairweather and would spend the better part of the next three days hauling bikes and gear through some of the gnarliest jumbles of boulders on the face of the planet...and I don't think that's much of an exaggeration..

As the day progressed we ended up shuttling our gear and bikes separately making double trips through the boulders.  Then it started to rain making the boulders slippery.  Around 6:00 PM, we stopped for dinner and ultimately set up camp in the trees above the boulders just a few feet beyond a bear trail.  The location was less than ideal but a layer of soft moss about 10 inches thick covered the ground making for a very soft sleeping pad.  The rain continued through the night which led to constant dripping on the tent.  Although there was some condensation inside the tent the next morning we had remained relatively dry all things considered.

During breakfast we discussed several options for getting our belongings through the boulder field.  We determined it would be best to abandon our bikes and carry our gear to the end of the boulders, then return for the bikes and carry them out separately.  We also thought it might be easier to follow the bear trails along the edge of the forest, so we packed our camping gear in our backpacks and started walking.  Eventually the bear trails became too brushy and we were forced back onto the beach.  We had anticipated that part of the group would move faster than the others so we stayed in contact with walkie-talkies.  We left around 8:00 AM, and just after 4:00 PM we exited the boulder field and set up camp next to an exquisite clear water stream.  It seemed like heaven.

Bill, Joolee, and Trevor decided they wanted to go back and retrieve their bikes that evening while the rest of us stayed at camp.  They didn't return with their bikes until nearly 11:00 PM.  The next morning Shane, Doug, Jim, and I woke early and left camp at 7:00 AM to retrieve our bikes.  We actually had fun on our way scrambling over the boulders and telling stories.  It was easy to move without any weight on our backs and shoulders.  When we got to the bikes we took off the wheels and attached them to our backpacks, which also had our packrafts inside.  Then we used straps and ropes to create a sling to help  support the weight of our bike frames which we carried in our hands.  It was pure agony jumping from boulder to boulder trying to maintain footing and balance.  It was amazing that none of use slipped and got hurt because the potential for serious disaster was ever present.

A little after 4:00 PM we arrived back at camp.  The boulder ordeal was over.

That night we sat around camp eating dinner and telling stories when Joolee pulled out a pot with a lid on it.  When she uncovered it there was a cherry cheesecake inside!  It was absolutely beautiful.  We were stunned, but it didn't take long for each of us to find our sporks and devour it in nothing flat.  It was so good.



Bill and Joolee leaving camp 2 ready to ride the beach.

Riding in the rolling fog.

Beach fatbike rider.

Before long we arrived at the boulders along Cape Fairweather.  At this point we had no idea what we were in for.

Shane takes a break several hours after we entered the boulders.

We carried our bikes and gear for a while.

After a full day of carrying gear we stopped to camp.  We cooked and ate dinner while sitting on the boulders in the rain.  We set our tents up in the woods in some soft moss.

The next morning we decided to abandon our bikes and haul the remainder of our gear to the end of the boulders.  The following day we would return to get our bikes.  All told it took just about three days to get everything through the boulders.  Subsequently, we were way behind schedule and had used up much of our food.

May 29, 2015:  We were anxious to pack up the next morning and get going.  We really didn't know what the beach ahead would bring but we hoped it wasn't more boulders.  Turns out it was some of the best riding of the trip.  The group careened down the wide flat beach splashing through small streams and enjoying the hard packed sand.  Before long we arrived at Sea Otter Creek where we deployed our packrafts once again and loaded our bikes and gear on them for about a half mile float.  Once on the other side we deflated the rafts and reassembled the bikes.  More fantastic beach riding followed and before long we made it to the point we all considered to be the crux of the trip--the bushwhack to Grand Plateau Lake.

We had an impromptu conference on the beach.  We knew we were about three days behind schedule due to the boulders slowing us down and consequently we didn't have enough food for all of us to make it back to Yakutat without starvation being a serious concern.  Shane and Trevor wanted to finish the trip but everyone else was happy to call in an airplane for a pick-up the next afternoon.  We put our food out on a tarp to survey our supplies and gave Shane and Trevor what they needed to continue.  Then Jim and I waited on the beach with the gear while everyone else began bushwhacking with Shane and Trevor toward Grand Plateau Lake.  Several hours late Doug, Bill and Joolee returned and we rode about a mile back down the beach to a small stream where we set up camp.  We ate the last of our last dinners knowing that we would be picked up the following day and return to Yakutat.  Then the fog rolled in.



We're finally able to ride again!

The clouds lifted for a while and we could see the mountains!

Group consult on the beach.  Since we were so far behind schedule part of the group decided to call for an air taxi to come pick us up.  Shane and Trevor wanted to finish the trip.  We would give them the food we could spare and they would bushwhack to Grand Plateau Lake and ride the remainder of the beach to Yakutat.

Bill and Trevor consult the GPS just before the group separates.

May 30-31, 2015:  Waking up up we ate a leisurely breakfast and slowly packed our gear.  We had confirmed through Bill's inReach that the air taxi would fly out to pick us up sometime in the afternoon.  The fog continued to roll in and out as we sat on the beach, telling stories and waiting. We heard an airplane in the distance early in the afternoon and we jumped to our feet thinking it was our ride.  We never saw it and it didn't appear to be looking for us.  So we sat back down and waited some more.  We told more stories and as the time passed we communicated with the pilot via the inReach.  He was worried about the fog but was willing to make a flight and try to find us.  Several hours later we watched the plane swoop down on the beach about half a mile from where we located.  The plane didn't land and that was the last we saw of it.  Later we found out the pilot never saw us due to the fog.

We reestablished camp and ate half rations for dinner.  We were low on food and didn't know how much longer we would have to stay.  Fortunately, the next morning the fog had lifted.  The pilot told us he could send a smaller plane which could be landed on the beach more easily but he would have to make two trips to get all of us and our gear back to Yakutat.  About noon we could hear a plane and when we looked up we could see it was headed straight for a landing on the beach in front of us.  We loaded three people and all the gear we could for the first flight back.  An hour later Doug, Jim, and I were back in Yakutat.  Bill and Joolee arrived an hour-and-a-half after that.  We got rooms at the Yakutat Lodge and ate dinner at the restaurant.  Since we were a day late getting back to Yakutat we also had to go to the airport to change our return flight to Anchorage to the next day.



After a two day wait the air taxi finally arrived.

We were able to fit three fatbikes in the small plane once the wheels and tires were removed.

Flying along the beach back to Yakutat.

 June 1, 2015:  We ate breakfast and drank coffee at the Yakutat Lodge before boarding our flight to Anchorage at 11:00 AM.  Shane and Trevor were still riding their way back to Yakutat and would arrive the following day.  Then suddenly the trip we had spent six months preparing and planning for would be over. But, what a trip it was!

DENALI NATIONAL PARK 2014

We rode the bus all the way to Wonder Lake on a rainy day.  It was a great trip!

A sow and cub walk on the road in Igloo Canyon.

This bear walked along side the bus in Igloo Canyon.

A bull caribou negotiates a ridge in Sable Pass.

Mrs. Huffy pedals her fatbike at Sable Pass while we were waiting for Troy and Linda to arrive.

The Hufford family atop Polychrome Pass.

Messin' with the antlers at the Toklat River rest stop.

Troy on his bike at Sable Pass.  We had just ridden from Polychrome Pass and we were waiting for Liz to arrive on a bus from Teklanika.  We watched a sow with two cubs while we were waiting.  Then, along came a wolf!

Troy, Liz, and I had to board a recently arrived bus while this wolf passed about 50 yards away.

The Gilbert family from the Boston area.  A super cool outdoorsy posse enjoying their time in Alaska.  We really had a great time getting to know them.

Emily got to help the ranger during a campground presentation.  She took this wolf hide around the audience so all the visitors could check it out.

The hikers posing at the Highway Pass sign just before beginning the hike.

Mrs. Huffy hiking in Highway Pass with Denali in the background.

Posing in front of the waterfall which was the destination for the Highway Pass hike.  Laura was climbing up the side of the valley at this point.

Hiking back to the road after spending some time at the waterfall.

'Ridgerunners' on the flanks of Cathedral Mountain.

Look closely and you will see Laura and Troy hiking across the face of this scree.

Gettin' by with a little help from her friends, Mrs. Huffy gets assistance from Troy crossing Igloo Creek.

Emily picks blueberries from a massive berry patch across the road from Igloo Campground.

Linda picks some blueberries and stores them in a water bottle for safe keeping.

We had a great trip to Denali National Park this year.  It was our 14th annual family trek to Teklanika Campground.  The Zimmerman family met us there and we became friends with the Gilbert family from the Boston area while we were camping.  Here's how things happened:

August 2, 2014:  We left Nikiski and made it as far as Wasilla before I noticed we were having tire problems.  The front passenger tire looked soft so we drove to Johnson Tire Service where, almost $1000 and 45 minutes later, we were back on the road with six new tires.  We stopped at Byer's Lake Campground a few hours afterward where we spent the night sans mosquitoes.  If you have ever been camping at Byer's Lake during mosquito season you will know how significant it was to be there without them.  Very pleasant.

August 3, 2014:  We woke early the next morning and were on the road by 8:00 AM.  After stopping for fuel at the the Chevron station in Cantwell we made our way to Riley Creek where we emptied the RV holding tanks and took showers before driving to Teklanika.  At the Savage River check-in station we saw a huge bull caribou walking slowly up the Savage River.  It was a great welcome to the park!  We took our time driving to Tek and enjoyed the scenery.  Liz and Laura rode their bikes the final five miles or so before the campground while Emily and I drove ahead to pick a campsite.  Upon our arrival we met several members of the Gilbert family.  They said they had seen a grizzly on the road just after they passed Liz and Laura. When Liz and Laura arrived at the campground they said they were totally unaware of the bear!

After setting up camp we ate lunch, walked on the river bed, and visited some more with the Gilbert's.  The Zimmerman's arrived later in the afternoon and we decided to take an evening bike ride.  We were going to put our bikes on the bus and go up to Sable Pass and ride back to Tek.  Because we had four bikes we had to catch different buses (a bus rack can only hold two bikes).  Liz and I caught the first bus and rode to the top of Sable Pass.  We unloaded the bikes and waited for Troy and Linda.  We watched ground squirrels, a raptor, and three HUGE caribou.  We waited and waited.  And waited some more.  After nearly two hours we realized something must have happened and we started riding for Tek.  We passed a bus in Igloo Canyon, but Troy and Linda weren't on it.  When we got back to the campground we found out the bus driver Troy and Linda had been riding with suddenly became ill at the Teklanika Rest Stop and had to be replaced by another driver which took several hours.  The remainder of the evening was spent around the campfire.  Bed time was 11:30 PM.

August 4, 2014:  What a great day!  We loaded up five bikes on two buses and arrived at the top of Sable Pass just after noon.  On the ride up we watched a sow with two cubs as they ate and walked down the road in Igloo Canyon.  We saw them again as we rode back toward Tek on our bikes and had to wait nearly an hour before they were far enough off the road so we could pass.  It was the Zimmerman's first Denali bear delay.  The remainder of the ride was fast and fun.  Liz and Emily had remained in camp to organize and the RV, ride bikes around the campground, and walk on the riverbed.  They also played cribbage.

After lunch the entire group hopped a bus to Tattler Creek.  We saw the bears in Igloo Canyon again although they were much further from the road.  We hiked up Tattler Creek as it rained and we got very wet.  Back at the campground we talked with the Gilbert's.  Scott, the father, told us some stories about the time he climbed Denali.  It sounded like it was quite the adventure!  After dinner we sat around the Zimmerman's fire and went to bed late again.

August 5, 2014:  Today was the day we had decided would be best to ride the bus to Wonder Lake. The weather was supposed to be rainy which would be good for riding in the protection of a bus.  We made salami sandwiches and got the snacks ready.  Then we discovered we didn't have any baggies.  We wrapped our sandwiches in foil and used shopping bags to hold small amounts of snacks.  It was an improvisation that worked for the remainder of the trip.  At 11:25 AM we boarded the bus and met Dale, the driver.  He imparted lots of good information as we bounced along.  As we were riding past Cathedral Mountain we saw the Gilbert family on the other side of Igloo Creek as they were hiking.  Along the way we saw seven grizzlies and a black bear near Wonder Lake.  The rain was heavy at Wonder Lake so the mountain was not out, but we did find plenty of ripe blueberries which we picked and ate on the spot.  On the return trip we saw lots of caribou and a sow with two cubs in Igloo Canyon.  The bears were hunting and  we watched as they excavated and caught a ground squirrel in its burrow.  We had never seen that before.  When we got back to Tek we talked with the Gilbert's and found out they had summitted a peak two times from two directions on their hike.  Then it was time for dinner and a party in the Dutchmen.  The Gilbert's and Zimmerman's came over and we had a cribbage tournament, ate some caribou, and had some drinks.  We talked about all sorts of things and took turns playing cribbage.  It was great!

August 6, 2014:  The rain was pounding down this morning.  The Gilbert's broke camp and came over to say goodbye.  Scott gave us a feather which we placed above the stove in our RV.  It was great to meet and get to know them.  Before they left we took photos and exchanged contact information.  Hopefully our paths will cross again someday.

Later in the day the rain stopped and the sun came out.  Troy and I decided to get on a bus and take our bikes to Polychrome Pass so we could ride back to Tek.  Liz waited for a later bus and would meet us at Sable Pass with her fatbike so we could all ride back together.  When Troy and I got to Sable Pass we could see a sow with two cubs by a small pond.  There was also a bus pulled over watching them.  Turns out that was the bus Liz was aboard.  After  a while the bus began to move making its way to Sable Pass.  Then, as the driver was unloading Liz's bike she said, "Get back on the bus--wolf!"  Liz, Troy, and I scrambled onto the bus and watched as a wolf trotted past only 50 yards away.  It was cool.  We later talked with the Wildlife Tech and found out it was the alpha female of the East Fork pack.  The ride back to Tek was great.  We even passed the sow with cubs as we rode down from Sable Pass.

After dinner Troy came by and wanted to know if any of us were interested in going on an evening bike/hike to Igloo mountain.  Laura was the only taker.  They rode bikes five miles to Igloo before hiking up the mountain.  Laura said it was strenuous but she had an awesome time.  They summitted the lower of the two peaks.  It took them three hours to make the round trip.

August 7, 2014:  We went for an awesome hike to a waterfall in Highway Pass.  But, the excitement really started in Igloo canyon.  As we were riding the bus we noticed that lots of vehicles were stopped on the road.  We soon found out it was because two sub-adult grizzlies had gotten into a fight a few hours earlier and one had killed the other.  The winner was burying the carcass when we got there.  We got some grisly pictures. 

Upon our arrival at Highway Pass we spotted some caribou walking down the stream and easily found the waterfall.  The mountain was out and it was a beautiful day.  Troy, Linda, Tika, and Laura hiked to the top of some ridges while Liz, Emily, soaked in the scenery and enjoyed the waterfall.  As we were walking back to the road we looked back and saw a grizzly walking across our path several hundred yards behind us.  None of us had seen it while we were hiking.

Back at camp Doug Armstrong stopped by while we were eating dinner.  He was there for a class about glaciers.  It was good to see him and quite the coincidence.

August 8, 2014:  This was our final full day at Tek so we decided to ride a bus to the social trail near Sable Pass.  Immediately after we left the Teklanika Rest Area we saw a grizzly on the Teklanika River bed.  We also stopped in Igloo Canyon to watch the killer bear eat the dead bear and then fall asleep on top of the carcass.  It was a spectacle indeed.

When we got off the bus we crossed Igloo Creek and part of the group went up the ridges while others followed the trail around the back of Cathedral Mountain.  After several miles we were reunited for the hike back to the road.  We passed a couple of packrafters as they were hiking on their way to the Sanctuary River where they planned to float back to the Sanctuary Campground.  That would be fun to try sometime.

We hitched a bus back through the bear death area before getting off near Igloo Campground to pick blueberries.  We found lots of them and filled our water bottles and plastic bags with them.  Back at camp we had caribou beanie-weenies for our final dinner at Tek.  Afterward we went to a ranger presentation about wolves.  It was good and Emily got to help the ranger by taking a wolf pelt around for the audience to examine.  The final campfire and cribbage games of the trip were played and that was it.  Our final day in Denali was done.  Bummer.

August 9, 2014:  We broke camp early and started our drive out of Teklanika in some nice weather.  It was difficult to leave.  As we drove toward Cantwell we noticed huge numbers of caribou hunters headed for the Denali Highway.  Trucks pulling trailers loaded with four-wheelers were everywhere.  As we made our way south the weather worsened.  By the time we pulled into a camp site at Williwaw Campground in the Portage Valley the rain was coming down in sheets.  We cooked dinner and played a card game before going to bed.  It rained heavily all night, so we got up early and made it home by noon.  Our annual trip was over.  But, we are already talking about and making plans for Denali 2015.  Can't wait!