Canada: Great Divide Trail- Sunset Pass TH to Pinto Lake- Day 1

Canada: Canadian Rockies- Sunset Pass TH to Pinto Lake

Total Mileage- 8.50 miles

Total Elevation Gain- 2608 feet

Total Elevation Loss- 1742 feet

The Canadian Rockies! When a person thinks of the best backpacking and most stunning terrain in Canada, Jasper National Park in Alberta is always at the top of the list. Our plan for this 7 night/8 day, 100-mile adventure was to hike from Sunset Pass TH to Pinto Lake where we would hop on the Great Divide Trail and then end our hike on Skyline Trail, which is considered to be the best route in Alberta. Day 1 would take us from the Sunset Pass trail head to Pinto Lake.

Here is a link and free download to the GDT Map Atlas that we used to plan this trip. You can see Pinto Lake on the map above. Our route on the Great Divide Trail (marked in yellow) started on map E50 and counted upward (E51, E52, etc.) Please note that the mileage markers on the map are in kilometers, not miles.

We flew into Calgary, got a rental car, and made a quick trip to the MEC to pick up some bear spray and a few other accessories. MEC is the Canadian equivalent to REI. It is thirty minutes from the airport and along the route to Jasper. As an FYI, you may want to do some research into purchasing bear spray in Canada. If my memory serves me correctly it was quite a process which involved paperwork and a driver’s license. Our plan was to make the five-hour drive to Jasper and stay at the Best Western, which was a couple of hours from the trailhead, and start the hike early the morning of August 3. If you stay in Jasper you need to check out Bear Paw’s Bakery for some amazing pastries and coffee.

We took Highway 93 from Jasper to Sunset Pass TH. This particular trail is not a part of the Great Divide Trail, but connects to it at Pinto Lake where we would be setting up camp for the night. Let me tell you… there is nothing better than driving for five hours, parking, and then immediately starting hiking UP! For Indiana boys who live at 650 feet above sea level, jumping onto a trail a mile above sea level and immediately climbing to 7300 feet is really something for the lungs.

The good thing about our route was that it was all really well maintained and never too overgrown. Compared to the off-trail trips we have done in the past this trail was easy walking. Crossings were made easy through bridges and the dense scrub was easily navigable.

At about the five mile mark we finally got above the tree line and caught an absolutely spectacular panoramic view from above Pinto Lake. When I think back about this area it reminds me of a hybrid between the sawtooth mountains of Glacier National Park in Montana and Denali National Park’s expansiveness.

The trail goes down to the north side of Pinto Lake and is a little over two miles from the highest point. As you can see from the map above, once you connect at the Great Divide Trail juncture there are camping spots near the lake. For Pinto Lake camping there are not any permits to purchase. I didn’t get any pictures of the camping area (sorry), but I believe there were plenty of spots to camp.

Day 2 will take us from Pinto Lake along the Great Divide Trail in the White Goat Wilderness to Cataract Pass.

Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park- Iceberg Overlook to Iceberg Lake- Day 5

Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park- Iceberg Overlook to Iceberg Lake

Total Mileage- 6.04 miles

Total Elevation Gain- 891 feet

Total Elevation Loss- 1889 feet

Day 5 in Wrangell St. Elias National Park in southeast Alaska started with a day hike and ended with our trek to Iceberg Lake where the bush plane would be picking us up on day 7. Logistically there was a discussion on how we would play day five. From Iceberg Overlook (where our camp was set) we definitely wanted to do a day hike to find a hidden lake that had Patrick and Josh obsessed. But after the day hike, we discussed camping one additional night on Iceberg Overlook because it was just such a stinking great spot, likely one of my favorite campsites on any trip. But, with some rain likely late in the afternoon we decided to go ahead and make our break toward Iceberg Lake after the day hike.

Our day hike took us north northeast away from Iceberg Lake and up about 900 feet. As is typical with Alaska, there were blueberries once again covering every step. I have to admit feeling guilty when backpacking Alaska, because you just can’t walk without stepping on blueberries! Our hiking time doubles because we can’t help but continually stop and forage. So much goodness and abundance. Not to mention that this was a STUNNING hike. The higher we ascended, the more ridiculous the panoramic views became. If you ever make it into this area of Wrangell, figure out a way to spend an entire down day hiking around and exploring. You will be better for it.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say about this other than… wow wow wow. Out of every trip we have taken… THIS is the most beautiful spot I have ever stood. I could have stayed the entire week in this place.

After we broke camp, we began our five mile jaunt to Iceberg Lake. This is where we were planning to camp on night five and day hike from on day six. That plan would change, but we still had to get to Iceberg Lake and find the landing strip. We headed down the gentle slopes of soft, spongy tundra laden with rocks and boulders and it was a pleasant, leisurely trek. That is until we got down to the braided glacial streams that reminded us that Alaska is never to be taken leisurely! While the streams look like you could just jump over them in the pictures, let me assure you that isn’t the case. They are deep and very fast moving. Admittedly, we waste a lot of time trying to find narrow portions that are easier to traverse, rather than just jumping in and going for it. I have said this about other trips, but I hate wet boots. I will jump in, but I always look for an option that keeps my boots dry. But as you soon figure out in the wilderness, you just have to suck it up and get across.

The only hiccup we had with the crossings was that Adam lost one trekking pole a couple of days earlier, which was going to decrease his stability in crossing. I would either lock arms with him on a crossing, or throw one of my poles to him after I had crossed. On this particular section there wasn’t anything that required anything more than trekking poles and a basic understanding of how to cross. The deepest we encountered was just above the knees.

One additional navigational point. As you are traveling south from Iceberg Overlook, I would recommend hugging a bit more toward the west. If you look at the very rough Google Map above, you will see that cutting too far east will get you into trouble, as the terrain gets very step and hard to traverse. Also, if you err toward the east, you will have an incredibly difficult time getting back to the airstrip because the crossings become too difficult. There isn’t any real way to tell you how to do it other than to stay away from the more eastern route.

As is typical with difficult sections, I rarely take pictures. Sorry. It was cold and rainy and we were pretty wet from the crossings. After finishing the last portion of stream crossings and getting into the sand, we ducked into a small sand carve out to block the incessant and biting winds, and to also figure out our navigation points. It is at that point that we used the GPS device to check the weather. What we saw was that the rain was going to continue for the next day unabated at 100%. We debated what we ought to do, because the next day was to be a full day of day hikes. We decided to send a text to the bush plane company to see if they were going to be in the area the next day. As it turned out, they would be dropping a group at the exact spot where we would be camping. While it was unfortunate to bail one day early, none of us felt like getting hypothermia. We set our tents up in the sand while it poured rain (yup, nothing there but sand!). After getting off the cold, wet clothing and drying out the tent, I went to bed in my toasty sleeping bag.

The next morning was cold and rainy, as expected, but it wasn’t long before we could hear the low roar of our ride out. Wrangell St. Elias was everything and more and more and more. I absolutely cannot wait to go back there one day.

Reblog: All Creation Sings

Hey lovers of the outdoors!

I wrote a new post on my other blog entitled All Creation Sings.  I recount a specific moment in Alaska when summiting Mt. Eielson when I saw Denali for the first time.  It is a faith post, so if that’s not your thing you may choose to disregard… but I thought you each would identify with the emotions that I share in the post.

Btw… I am heading to Wrangell St. Elias NP in Alaska at the beginning of August for a week in the wilderness.  New trip reports will be coming then.

Peace…

Brandon

California: John Muir Trail- LeConte to Palisade Lakes- Day 2

John Muir Trail- LeConte Canyon to Palisade Lakes

Mileage- 11.1 miles

Elevation Gain- 3705 feet

Elevation Loss- 1512 feet

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but our trek from LeConte to Palisade Lakes was interesting and a bit of a mixed bag. Our morning was absolutely stunning and clear but the afternoon was really pretty brutal (again) because of the smoke from Rough Fire. We had not quite figured out that the smoke typically rolled in early afternoon. So with our 8am start, coupled with breaks/lunch, we inevitably had about 2-3 hours of smoke at the end of our hiking day. Nonetheless, we had over 11 miles to cover and over 3700 feet total elevation gain from LeConte to Palisades Lakes.

In early September, morning temps are on the cool side and obviously cooler at higher elevations. It wasn’t uncommon for us to have long pants and sleeves (maybe even another layer) from the time we awoke until the time we broke camp.  That is what it was like this first morning.  You can see where the sun is shining, but it’s warmth is just out of reach. From LeConte we began to descend for a little over three miles to Middle Fork Kings River, which by the way is the lowest point (8113 feet) until after Mt. Whitney.  From LeConte, it’s about a six hundred foot gradual descent that will take you through a beautiful (and peaceful) meadow called Grouse Meadows.  I jumped off of the trail to break through some scattered pines to get a few shots.

The remainder of our day was up.  From Middle Fork Kings the next eight miles would have us climbing over 3500 total feet in elevation.  It’s an eastward trek following Palisade Creek with Mather Pass set in it’s sights.  We would stop just a couple of miles shy of Mather Pass and leave it for the next day.  Our destination for this day was Palisade Lakes.  And the only way of getting to the lakes is by climbing the Golden Staircase.  Being that we would not be stopping to set up camp at the first of the two Palisade Lakes, our climb up the staircase to our final camp was about 2500 feet.  I admit that this day was tiring.  Of course, we were still adjusting to the elevation, but that climb up the Golden Staircase was taxing. But we pressed on another mile to reach the first of two Palisade Lakes.  By the time we reached the first lake I think we were ready to set up camp!  But we still had two miles and another thousand feet to go.  We put our heads down and found a way to grind out those remaining miles.

We could have camped at the first lake, but there was another guy already there.  We took our chances by going to the second lake for a little more solitude, which worked perfectly.  We had the second lake all to ourselves!  That was great…and there was the added benefit of cutting mileage for our next day… but we were getting a bit grumpy at the end of this day.  The smoke was taking it’s toll for sure.  There were several campsite options at the second lake.  A few of them were southwest of the trail closer to the lake.  We took a couple of spots in a piney area toward the southeast end of the lake.

Once the sun began to hid behind the razor edge ridge line across the lake, it began to cool quickly.  We set up camp and then started to pump and prepare for our long-anticipated dinner.  One of the funniest moments of the trip was when we were pumping from a side creek that drained into the lake.  While pumping, Ryan (who was on his first backpacking trip) dropped one of his socks into the creek and did not notice.  We shouted at him and told him that he lost his sock.  The sock had dropped into a small pool about three and a half feet deep (in the middle), but in the excitement of the moment Ryan tried to scamper quickly down the wet, slick rocks in his traction-less evening shoes.  Before we could stop him, he slipped and went full body into the small pool.  We sat there completely stunned at what had just happened.  Patrick was like, “Take a picture.”  I did, but I was so perplexed at the situation that I could hardly move or look away from, the now silent, Ryan.  On one hand it was completely hilarious. But on the other hand, it was a dangerous situation because it was really, really, really cold water and the air temperature was very cool.  Fortunately Ryan was able to recover his sock (ha!) and then change into some warm, dry clothes rather quickly.

Our third day would take us from Palisade Lakes over Mather Pass to the beautiful Bench Lake area.

If you missed Day 1, here it is:

South Lake (Bishop Pass Trailhead) to LeConte Canyon- Day 1.

Alaska: Wolverine Creek (Unit 13) to Eielson Summit and Exit (Unit 13) Denali National Park- Day 7

Wolverine Creek (Unit 13) to Eielson Summit and Exit (Unit 13)

Mileage- 9.2 miles

Elevation Gain- 3750 feet

Elevation Loss- 2700 feet

Day seven backpacking in Denali National Park was one of the most unbelievable and memorable experiences in all of my backpacking experience. We spent the previous night at Wolverine Creek with the plan of summiting Mt. Eielson and then camping near the Thoroughfare River with a short exit to the Eielson Visitor Center on the morning of day eight.  As it turned out, we ended up exiting the evening of day seven… but more on that later.

We knew that day seven would be a marathon of a day… so we started off early.  As soon as we popped our heads out of our tents we could see that it was going to be the best day of the week.  Prior to this day we had not had a clear view of Mt. McKinley.  Either the clouds covered it or we were not within view, but this day would be remarkably different.

We followed Crystal Creek and headed toward Castle Rock.  Had it been overcast that day, Castle Rock would have looked ominous as we headed toward it.  Nonetheless, our plan was to hook just left of Castle Rock and pass over a saddle where we would empty the heavy contents of our packs (bear canisters, tents, sleeping bags and pads) and then summit Mt. Eielson.  Of course we would have to backtrack just a bit when coming down Eielson to pick up our gear, but it was significantly less effort doing that than climbing Eielson with full packs.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, backpacking in Denali is challenging because there are not any trails in the backcountry.  I suppose there could be some recommended routes in certain units, but the trail-less nature of Denali evokes a wild and primal instinct- You are free to roam.  And while that creates more of a challenge going from point A to point B… it is completely worth it.  Ascending Eielson evoked that sense for sure.  After dropping the heavy gear and standing face to face with Eielson, we studied the contours and textures, the obstacles, and the grades… and then we went for it.

One of the greatest and most unexpected surprises appeared to our left as we climbed with heavy breath.  The first time Mt. McKinley caught my eye was when I stopped to catch my breath.  When I caught sight of the great Denali… everything stopped.  It was glorious, even from 35-miles away.  The blue skies and the Cirrus clouds painted a backdrop that I will never forget.  We could not get to the top of Eielson quick enough.  We knew our best view would be at the very top, but the grade was becoming increasingly steep and the softball to volleyball sized rocks were becoming increasingly unstable.  With each step we had to be certain that the rocks were stable.  Our trekking poles were invaluable, except for Josh who accidentally left his poles with the heavy gear.

At the top of Eielson we separated along the ridge line and spent close to an hour alone, in solitude. Obviously we wanted some time to ourselves to simply take in and appreciate views which others could only imagine. But more than that, we spent time giving thanks to God for such profound beauty and freedom in the world and in our lives, thanks for the gracious and loving family members who support us and let us use our vacation time for wild and mind-blowing trips, and thanks for the physical ability and outdoor knowledge we have that enables us to go into the wild. When we came back together we took some pictures and then each one of us took turns standing on Eielson’s peak yelling to the top of our lungs “ALASKA!” That was the exclamation mark on one epic and memorable Alaskan adventure.

As we descended along the ridge line we could see storm clouds brewing. On our last day Alaska would not allow for an easy exit… and that certainly became our running joke for the last four hours that day. It was a rough descent down the mountain and it seemed as if we would never reach the river bed. It began to rain so we dropped the packs and rain geared up. It stopped raining so we dropped our gear and took off the rain coats because they were getting too hot. We got ever closer to the river bed and decided to stop for our last blueberry break. We dropped the packs again and devoured pounds of blueberries. Once we hit the river bed it was going to be a long haul to our final destination… and around each bend… there were more bends and more bends. We finally climbed a twenty foot hill to the west of us to get on top of the land mass we were trying to circumvent. Once on top we hit a straight line and probably cut out a mile’s worth of river bed hiking. We descended and finally approached the Thoroughfare River. It was our last crossing and we sized it up. Again Alaska was laughing. Although we all had dry boots and wished to finish with dry boots… there was no way to cross without going at least knee deep. Like three banshees we ran through the Thoroughfare like runners crossing the finish line.

We finally reached our destination for the night, which was only one mile from Eielson Visitor Center. As we dropped our packs and began to shape up the area the rain began to fall again and we just looked at each other. We were each thinking the same thing- we are only one mile from a bus out of the park, a cozy bed, and a warm meal at a restaurant! We were outta there. Sure we would have liked to brag about 8 days in the Alaskan wilderness, but 7 sounded just fine. The rainy and muddy hike up to the visitor’s center was a cruel joke and one last way Alaska would put the screws on us. This was NOT a leisure trail. It was near vertical and four inches of mud to step through on the horizontals. The weeds were head high and so we bush whacked. By the time we reached the top we were informed by a ranger that they had just spotted a grizzly in the immediate area in which we were hiking. Of course. We waited 15 minutes for a green bus to pick us up. I am sure the people we sat near did not appreciate our looks or smells.

Would I recommend someone backpack in Denali National Park for a week? Absolutely. But only if you have your head straight. While this was the most labor intensive backpacking I have ever done, it was more of a mental challenge than anything. Despite how difficult it was, it was one of the most beautiful and rewarding accomplishments in my life.

An edited, day-by-day version of my adventure in Denali National Park appeared in the fourth issue of Sidewalk – a hiking and backpacking magazine.

Alaska: Muldrow Glacier (Unit 19) to Wolverine Creek (Unit 18) Denali National Park- Day 6

Muldrow Glacier (Unit 19) to Wolverine Creek (Unit 13)

Mileage- 5.1 miles

Elevation Gain- ~500 feet

Elevation Loss- ~500 feet

On our sixth day in Denali National Park we left Unit 19, crossed the Muldrow Glacier to Green Point (for the second day in a row), and then hiked into Unit 13 to Wolverine Creek just south of Mt. Eielson.

I have to be honest and say that my two favorite days in Denali were days six and seven.  Of course I will write about day seven in the next post, but day six was something else.  We woke up to a few clouds, blue skies, and a warm, radiant sun.  We welcomed it, for sure.  The previous day we were completely soaked and spent much of the evening in our tents.  On this morning we were able to set out all of our wet gear to dry.  We knew that we only had about a five-mile hike so we were cool with getting a later start.  And, despite getting off track the previous day crossing the Muldrow Glacier… we were much more confident  crossing the glacier with a direct route to Green Point this day.

This biggest issue with crossing the glacier is when you drop down and lose your line of sight to the end destination. As we planned our crossing, we made mental notes of identifiable landmarks within the glacier that would keep us lined up. I suppose a simple compass would do the same thing, but we are guys right? And who wants to ask for directions when we can find it on our own! 🙂 This approach worked just fine. We stayed lined up as we kept our eyes fixed on our intermediary landmarks. Of course the biggest problem with crossing glaciers is the unpredictability of obstacles. Heading toward Green Point we hardly had any real obstacles except for walking around pools of water and going down steep embankments. All of the elevation we encountered on this day was due to the glacier. My guess is that we were under 500 total feet elevation but it may have been just above that. Either way it was easy elevation.

Once we got to Green Point we followed Glacier Creek north until we saw the base of Eielson to the north.  We travelled eastward and just south of Eielson, which we would be summiting the next morning.  McKinley had been elusive for our first six days either because we were out of range or because the clouds covered her.  The park claims that only 30% of all visitors to the park get a chance to see McKinley.  Our best chance would be on top of Eielson.

We followed fresh water of Wolverine Creek through a rock-bed carve out between mountains where we would be camping for the night.  Despite the fact that we wanted to be done for the day so we could pump and eat, we pressed on so that our hike to the saddle on the southeast side of Eielson would be shorter the next morning.  We would be dropping our gear on the other side of the saddle the next morning so that we could ascend Eielson without much weight on our backs.  Finding a spot to camp along Wolverine Creek was not easy because of the rocks and uneven terrain.  We pressed on until we found a spot that could handle our two tents.

We pumped, ate, and settled down for a much needed night’s rest to prepare for the 11-mile marathon hike up Mt. Eielson and then out to the Eielson Visitors Center. Our most epic day awaited us.

An edited, day-by-day version of my adventure in Denali National Park appeared in the fourth issue of Sidewalk – a hiking and backpacking magazine.

Alaska: Green Point (Unit 18) Over Muldrow Glacier (Unit 19) Denali National Park- Day 5

Green Point (Unit 18) Over Muldrow Glacier to Unit 19

Mileage- 3.9 miles

Elevation Gain- ~500 feet

Elevation Loss- ~500 feet

Crossing the non-technical Muldrow Glacier on our fifth day in Denali National Park was one of the toughest days of our seven.  We had been told at the Backcountry Office that the hike was a relatively easy hike that would take about three hours to cross.  There was a somewhat visible land bridge that connects Unit 18 to Unit 19 via the Muldrow Glacier.  When looking down on the Glacier it looks like a river of pulverized black volcanic rock.  In many respects, it does not look like your textbook glacier.  But it is glorious nonetheless.  But before crossing the glacier we needed to locate fresh water to pump.  Everything we had seen in our camping area was silty glacial melt and un-pumpable.  Fortunately we located a stream from snow melt that ran within a couple hundred yards of our camp.

We really didn’t follow good logic on our first pass of the Muldrow Glacier.  Of course we would get another chance the next days as we passed back over, but for this day we made some errors crossing.  Not that any of the errors were really bad, because they weren’t, it is just that we took a longer route than what was necessary.  I guess the upside is that we got a more scenic route, but even with as much experience as we have in the backcountry I am still surprised that we make silly mistakes.  The issue was that, despite having a pretty good game plan for crossing, once we got down in the glacier it was difficult to see our end destination.  Being that there is no such thing as a straight line in the glacier and being that there were more obstacles than you could shake a stick at… we inevitably got off track and took a less direct route to the other side.

The difficult terrain was degraded because of the predictable Alaskan rain showers.  I hate to admit it… but out of the seven days in the Denali backcountry… this day pushed me very close to my limit.  I think I missed lunch on this day and the hike was longer and harder than I expected it to be.  Add the rain and a cold day on top of it… and I was a bit cranky.  I really regret letting it get to me.  On the bright side… I ate TWO suppers once we made it to the other side!  I was one happy camper for sure.

Ok… well… we all ate TWO DINNERS that day!

The beauty of Unit 19 was that once the clouds passed we could tell that it was going to be a really special place to camp (you will see this in the Day 6 post).  This is the kind of place that really makes you feel like you are out of civilization… just you and nature.  This is the place that makes you feel wild and free among the elements.  You feel so alive.  If you are reading this post and sitting on the fence about whether you should go outside and explore… make up your mind with a “yes” and do it.  You have one life.  Live it.

On Day 6 we will be crossing the Muldrow Glacier (more directly this time) and into a canyon area just south of Mt. Eielson in Unit 13.

An edited, day-by-day version of my adventure in Denali National Park appeared in the fourth issue of Sidewalk – a hiking and backpacking magazine.

Alaska: Grassy Pass to Green Point (Unit 18) Denali National Park- Day 4

Grassy Pass to Green Point (Unit 18)

Mileage- 4.9 miles

Elevation Gain- 0 feet

Elevation Loss- ~300 feet

It was our fourth day and we had just finished our first loop that took us through Stony Creek, Bear Draw, and along the Toklat River to the Toklat Rest Area.  Our day was not finished as we would board a green passenger bus and head west passed Eielson Visitor Center to a place known as Grassy Pass.  This would be the beginning our next 4-day adventure that would take us across the Muldrow Glacier and back, up Mt. Eielson, and then back to the Eielson Visitor Center.

Hiking from Grassy Pass down to the gravel bed was rough.  While there was a “social” trail that we followed, it didn’t seem very social.  It was wildly overgrown and with every step each of our boots were completely submerged in thick mud.  That pretty much sums up each day in Denali.  When you thought that there might be something easy, Alaska always had the last laugh.  There wasn’t anything easy during our week of backpacking.  It was hard and tested each of us mentally- Could we continue to deal with and endure the rain, the cold, the wet feet, the exhausting brush, and every other obstacle thrown our way?  Of course we could.  But it would take some serious mental victories.

Walking across this gravel bar was interesting to say the least.  We spotted some caribou in the distance, as they were grazing and eating.  They hardly noticed us as we were within 60 yards, but then they began to clear out.  Further ahead we saw more caribou (the women and children) also clearing out and heading counter-clockwise and heading in the distance to our left.  As we continued to walk we noticed two male caribou to our two o’clock position probably a quarter mile away.  One of them went clockwise circling around us to our right and then behind us in the distance.  The other caribou stayed directly in front of us… and began aggressively hammering his front hooves as a warning.  There were two problems. The first is that it was rutting season and the males were extra aggressive.  The second was that we needed to go exactly where that caribou was standing.  We were like, “Come on caribou.  Can’t anything be easy here.  Just move along and leave us alone.”  We were forced to swing left a bit to create more distance, but it didn’t seem to matter as the caribou began charging us.  Fortunately the distance between us was still appropriate and it was just warning us… but we picked up a few big rocks that we were ready to chuck if it got any closer.  It finally cleared out in the brush, but it was still in the area we needed to travel.  As we crossed the Thoroughfare River we went through the brush which opened up into a corridor.  Guess who was standing 100 yards away staring at us?  Yup.  He began to charge again… but we started whopping and hollering until he finally cleared out.  We finally saw him in the distance with his bride.  Just protecting his lady.

For the remainder of the day we would follow Glacier Creek.  For pumping purposes, we had to be diligent with locating clean water sources.  While there were many creeks and rivers, they were mostly glacial melt and incredibly silty.  The silt can easily destroy water filters.  Fortunately for us with a little searching we found some clean water streams that came from snow melt on top of the mountains.  More on that with the next post.  The sun was finally beginning to break through the clouds and we found a nice grassy patch to lay out all of our wet gear for a quick dry.  I LOVE THOSE MOMENTS!

We continued to hike along Glacier Creek for a couple of miles until everything began to open up.  We set up the tents on a large gravel bar in a beautiful spot with Glacier Creek and mountains all around us.  Just a very short hike up a hill to our west, we could see the Muldrow Glacier and the route we would be taking the next day as we crossed it.

The Muldrow Glacier, while looking like a short, non-technical hike to the other side, is quite deceiving.  On Day 5 it would take us 4.5 hours, as we got off track and did not take the most direct route, and on Day 6 it took us 3 hours.  As we settled down into Unit 18 for the night we knew that traveling to Unit 19 would be a bit challenging.

An edited, day-by-day version of my adventure in Denali National Park appeared in the fourth issue of Sidewalk – a hiking and backpacking magazine.

Alaska: Toklat River (Unit 32) to Toklat River Rest Area (Unit 32) Denali National Park- Day 4

Toklat River (Unit 32) to Toklat River Rest Area

Mileage- 3.4 miles

Elevation Gain- 0

Elevation Loss- 0

We started Day 4 camped on the river bed of the Toklat River in Denali National Park.  Our goal for the day was to backpack to the Toklat River Rest Area, where we would catch a green park bus, and travel to this area west of Eielson Visitor Center called Grassy Pass.  We would then backpack to Unit 18, but more on that in the next post.

Our fourth morning started much like it ended the previous day- rainy.  It was overcast with a misting rain.  We knew that the prospects of staying dry the first half of the day were going to be slim.  Our 3.4 mile hike to the Toklat River Rest Area was riddled with an obstacle course of the braided Toklat.  It wasn’t as easy as picking a side and then walking along the dry river bed.  The Toklat braided from far side to far side.  A person was left with two choices- either do a dozen or so river crossing of various depths – or- go back into the dense brush and bushwhack for 3.4 miles.  We were none to eager to get back into the brush so we prepared for a morning of crossings.

It is easy to underestimate river crossings.  A person could easily approach a crossing with an unhealthy over-confidence and pay the price with a mistake.  If you have been a regular reader of this blog you will know that we are extremely cautious and conservative when it comes to safety.  All it takes is a split second to be careless or unfocused and it could mean serious injury or death.  When it comes to river crossings a group should work together to consider all possible routes.  Obviously going with the most shallow and slow-moving is preferred, but that is not always possible.  For us there were times when a deep, fast-moving stretch would Y and make a crossing a bit easier.  The truth is that it doesn’t take very deep water to get swept off of your feet, especially when it is fast moving.  The best approach to crossing is to face upstream, lean forward, and cross diagonally to the other side using your trekking poles for extra support.

The rest area was within sight we had one crossing that remained… and as much as we studied and tried to consider other routes… there were no other options.  This crossing was thigh high and fast-moving.  Fiesbeck got in by himself initially to see if it was possible and quickly got out.  The current was so strong that he began to be lifted off of his feet.  He said that he even felt large rocks going passed his legs.  We discussed as a group and decided that we would do a four man conga line.  We lined up, held onto the man in front of us, and went for it with Fiesbeck forging the way.  We made it with no issue whatsoever.  The only drawback is that we didn’t get a picture.

An edited, day-by-day version of my adventure in Denali National Park appeared in the fourth issue of Sidewalk – a hiking and backpacking magazine.

We arrived at the Toklat River Rest Area just before noon and waited for a westward traveling green bus to take us to our next destination.  We would be backpacking across the Muldrow Glacier and then summiting Mt. Eielson to finish our trip.