Monahan Creek, Iceberg to Bremner

August 9th, 2010 by Carl D
A hiker takes in the view in the Chugach Mountains, Iceberg Lake to Bremner Mines or Seven Pass route, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Charlie Sprayregen takes in the view in the Chugach Mountains, Iceberg Lake to Bremner Mines or Seven Pass route, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the photo.

Hey Folks,

Here’s a photo from our trip last week to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Charlie was gracious enough to pose for me here on this little ledge, one gorgeous morning on the Iceberg Lake to Bremner Mines trip.

We were so lucky on this trip to get some nice weather; it’s not been a fantastic summer, weather-wise, so far, yet we had more sunny days than not on our hike. Charlie and his family, from Chicago, had somewhat of a mad rush to get here, flying directly from Chicago to Anchorage to McCarthy to Iceberg Lake; including a short, mad dash thru the streets of Anchorage to replenish gear when, upon arrival in Anchorage, they learned Charlie’s backpack hadn’t made the flight, and was still in Chicago. The bedlam settled when we arrived, after many hours of travel (for Charlie and family) at Iceberg Lake, on a gorgeous sunny evening.

This photo was taken on our 2nd to last day, before we made the final long haul up a steep, gnarly ridge. But what a day to make that climb! The sun was out, full throttle, and the views around us were amazing. Even Mt Regal, many miles distant to our north, in the Wrangell mountains, was clear and visible.

This was another great hike from Iceberg Lake to Bremner Mines. The Sprayregen family were a real treat to hike with, and we had a lot of fun. Charlie and his sister Molly performed a cool little rap song they composed on the trip, then Chelsea performed her expression of the hike through interpretative dance, narrated by Molly. All caught on video, of course, for posterity!

The campsites were classic, some high alpine pass campsites that are simply second to none. The trek goes through an amazing array of terrains; we cross 2 glaciers, a few small streams (including some icy cold glacial water), plenty of moraine, talus and high alpine tundra. We even get a small taste of Alaska bushwhacking, through alder, willow and Dwarf Birch to boot. We saw 2 bears (a grizzly and a black bear) along the way! We ate well, slept well, and laughed a lot. Great memories for all.

Thanks to Charlie, Molly, Chelsea and Jamie for a really great walk.

Cheers

Carl

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