OTHER Trip Report 07/26/2010

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	a - 1
Date Posted	07/26/2010
Date Climbed	06/26/2010
Author	Steve Gio

Alaska, Denali and Seward
My first trip report is not from Colorado but farther north in Alaska. It is obvious that Alaska is truly the last frontier and I hope we can make it back again. This is more of a highlight than a report but I just had to share our experience. We flew out of Denver on June 25 2010 in probably the roughest take offs ever. Most people on the flight were sweating and it nearly brought my wife to tears. Fortunately we evened out and were soon off to sleep only to wake up to the land of the midnight sun. We arrived around 10pm, hit the car rental for our econo box and headed to Carr's Safeway in Anchorage for supplies. By the time we left the store the sun was setting. It was midnight. We drove to Walmart in Eagle River and spent the night from about 1 am to 5 am sleeping the car, surprisingly comfortable. We woke and hit Walmart for more supplies then headed north to Denali. Pretty uneventful drive as it rained most of the way. Still new places are always fun. In the park we camped at the Teklanika River CG. It is at mile 29 on the park road and the furthest you can drive a regular car into the park. A very nice and clean campground right on the braided river. We pitched our tent and set up camp, cooked, had some vino and attended the first of 3 ranger programs right in the cg. Rangers come by and give presentations on things like the original inhabitants, animals, dogsled use, and always stress bear, wolf, and moose safety in the park. The next morning we were off on the shuttle bus ride farther into the park to meet a ranger for a discovery hike. We were nervous about hiking in grizzly country but once we got off the road we were in good shape. The bears we saw were more interested in grazing it seemed. We enjoyed a nice hike up a river bar and onto the tundra, eventually topping out on an unknown peak with spectacular views of the Highway Pass area. After this we were pretty comfortable hiking on tundra and watching out for bears, which we saw 14 of during our 6 day stay in Denali. The coming days we spent riding the bus to various spots on the road and hiking on our own. We headed to Eielson visitor center and hiked up to the top of Mt. Thoroughfare. Next day we hit up Stony Dome and later that day climbed Polychrome Peak. We saw 5 bears this day but fortunately from a great distance. Our final day in the park was a hike on Cathedral Mountain. We dropped off the road just past Tattler creek, crossed the river and up the steep tundra slope to the top. Our shouts of "hey bear!" were becoming second nature by this point. Once on top we walked the jagged summit ridge until we looked down on a small family of Dall Sheep. We snapped off a bunch of pictures and headed back the way we came. I must say this was our first experience scrabbling on narrow ridges like this as we usually play it safe on actual trails. Easy to forget I guess when there are no trails. After reaching the road again we looked at the small hill across the road and said, let's climb that. Well that one was bigger than all the others as it turned out. The place is a hiking paradise. The following day was time to pack up and head south. Finally on the drive out we got a great view of Mt. McKinley. After leaving Denali NP we headed south for the Kenai Peninsula and Seward where we camped right on the coast for 3 nights. We did stop for 1 night in Girdwood for a stay in a hostel. Nice to have a shower at this point. Girdwood is a great little area in itself but unfortunately it was only a stop over for us. The next day the drive down to Seward was one of the most spectacular drives I've ever been on. Mountains jutting up right from the water all along the way. Finally we got to Seward and Miller's Landing CG. Not the best campground by any means but the surrounding area was great. If you want a fishing trip or kayaking tour this is the place to stay. We enjoyed a guided kayak trip out to Caines Head on Resurection Bay the next day. Our first time in a kayak was great and we were the only ones in the tour which made it easy to keep our own pace. We saw Bald and Golden Eagles, Harbor Seals and Sea otters. Unfortunately now I am almost sad to live in a landlocked state. Almost. The hikes we did in this area were the Harding ice field and Lost Lake trail. Both had some spectacular and very memorable views. On the drive back up to Anchorage we stopped at the Portage Lake and took the 1 hour boat ride to view the Portage Glacier. I think we were the only ones to stay atop the boat in the pouring rain and take pictures. We paid to be there so gotta make the most of it. This was a great vacation and after camping for 10 nights and feeding ourselves we decided to splurge at Gwennie's Restaurant in Anchorage. Gabi had the smoked salmon and I the halibut. Can't wait to come back. Would love to spend a whole summer here. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Alaska, Denali and Seward

My first trip report is not from Colorado but farther north in Alaska. It is obvious that Alaska is truly the last frontier and I hope we can make it back again. This is more of a highlight than a report but I just had to share our experience.

We flew out of Denver on June 25 2010 in probably the roughest take offs ever. Most people on the flight were sweating and it nearly brought my wife to tears. Fortunately we evened out and were soon off to sleep only to wake up to the land of the midnight sun. We arrived around 10pm, hit the car rental for our econo box and headed to Carr's Safeway in Anchorage for supplies. By the time we left the store the sun was setting. It was midnight. We drove to Walmart in Eagle River and spent the night from about 1 am to 5 am sleeping the car, surprisingly comfortable. We woke and hit Walmart for more supplies then headed north to Denali. Pretty uneventful drive as it rained most of the way. Still new places are always fun.

In the park we camped at the Teklanika River CG. It is at mile 29 on the park road and the furthest you can drive a regular car into the park. A very nice and clean campground right on the braided river. We pitched our tent and set up camp, cooked, had some vino and attended the first of 3 ranger programs right in the cg. Rangers come by and give presentations on things like the original inhabitants, animals, dogsled use, and always stress bear, wolf, and moose safety in the park.

The next morning we were off on the shuttle bus ride farther into the park to meet a ranger for a discovery hike. We were nervous about hiking in grizzly country but once we got off the road we were in good shape. The bears we saw were more interested in grazing it seemed. We enjoyed a nice hike up a river bar and onto the tundra, eventually topping out on an unknown peak with spectacular views of the Highway Pass area. After this we were pretty comfortable hiking on tundra and watching out for bears, which we saw 14 of during our 6 day stay in Denali.

The coming days we spent riding the bus to various spots on the road and hiking on our own. We headed to Eielson visitor center and hiked up to the top of Mt. Thoroughfare. Next day we hit up Stony Dome and later that day climbed Polychrome Peak. We saw 5 bears this day but fortunately from a great distance. Our final day in the park was a hike on Cathedral Mountain. We dropped off the road just past Tattler creek, crossed the river and up the steep tundra slope to the top. Our shouts of "hey bear!" were becoming second nature by this point. Once on top we walked the jagged summit ridge until we looked down on a small family of Dall Sheep. We snapped off a bunch of pictures and headed back the way we came. I must say this was our first experience scrabbling on narrow ridges like this as we usually play it safe on actual trails. Easy to forget I guess when there are no trails. After reaching the road again we looked at the small hill across the road and said, let's climb that. Well that one was bigger than all the others as it turned out. The place is a hiking paradise. The following day was time to pack up and head south. Finally on the drive out we got a great view of Mt. McKinley.

After leaving Denali NP we headed south for the Kenai Peninsula and Seward where we camped right on the coast for 3 nights. We did stop for 1 night in Girdwood for a stay in a hostel. Nice to have a shower at this point. Girdwood is a great little area in itself but unfortunately it was only a stop over for us. The next day the drive down to Seward was one of the most spectacular drives I've ever been on. Mountains jutting up right from the water all along the way. Finally we got to Seward and Miller's Landing CG. Not the best campground by any means but the surrounding area was great. If you want a fishing trip or kayaking tour this is the place to stay. We enjoyed a guided kayak trip out to Caines Head on Resurection Bay the next day. Our first time in a kayak was great and we were the only ones in the tour which made it easy to keep our own pace. We saw Bald and Golden Eagles, Harbor Seals and Sea otters. Unfortunately now I am almost sad to live in a landlocked state. Almost. The hikes we did in this area were the Harding ice field and Lost Lake trail. Both had some spectacular and very memorable views.

On the drive back up to Anchorage we stopped at the Portage Lake and took the 1 hour boat ride to view the Portage Glacier. I think we were the only ones to stay atop the boat in the pouring rain and take pictures. We paid to be there so gotta make the most of it. This was a great vacation and after camping for 10 nights and feeding ourselves we decided to splurge at Gwennie's Restaurant in Anchorage. Gabi had the smoked salmon and I the halibut. Can't wait to come back. Would love to spend a whole summer here.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

barbiesue53	Great photos 7/27/2010 2:11am Thanks for the report!! My husband and I are planning our Alaska trip for next August. Great to hear about some good hiking areas and some good areas to think about seeing. Your pics are wonderful. :D
J-RockandRockpile	Jealous Much? 7/27/2010 4:08am wow... I am jealous and look forward to one day see these wonderful images for myself.

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App