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!