Glacier Hiking for Backpacking in Alaska

November 6th, 2025 by Carl D
Backpacking on a glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Guide Training in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Hey Folks,

We run backpacking trips. Lots of them. We spend a lot of time on ice. A LOT of time. Over the years, collectively, the guides at Expeditions Alaska have clocked hundreds of miles walking, camping, relaxing, and exploring, on ice.

It’s such a big part of what we do, glacier travel is an integral part of our Guide Training Camp. I thought we might share some of the notes we reference for guides during that camp.

Traction

  1. Kahtoola Microspikes are great
    • “When do I put them on?” As soon as ice is the norm (not moraine/rock).
    • A lot of folks have trouble putting them on. Don’t skimp or rush it. Take your time. Make sure they’re on securely.
Continue reading…

Rafting on the Canning River, ANWR, Alaska

October 14th, 2025 by Carl D
Rafting Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Rafting Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s a photo of us rafting down the Upper Marsh Fork of the Canning River – essentially the headwaters of the Canning in the Brooks Range, close to the continental divide.

The river here has eroded its way through the layers of bedrock to form this really neat little mini-canyon. I hopped out of the boat to take some photos of the run. Actually, we ran it several times, and I shot each time, some horizontals, a few verticals, some wider, some tighter, trying to get different compositions of essentially the same scene. I like this one the most, I think the vertical frame gives heightens the sense of action of the rafting, and accentuates the canyon walls and the mountains – it’s not as spacious as some of the horizontal compositions, but it feels closer to what the experience was for me.

For me, any photograph should strive to do that – present the experience of the photographer. I emphasize that in our Photo Tours.

Continue reading…

Grizzly bear cub twins

December 31st, 2024 by Carl D
2 grizzly bear cubs, twins, cubs of the year, Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Alaska Brown Bear Photo Tours

Hey Folks,

Even though they might only be little, grizzly bear cubs are pretty bold – bold enough to climb on a stick and poke their tongue out at my camera.

They know full well, of course, that their mother outweighs me by several hundred pounds, is a coupla yards quicker than my aged legs can carry me 😁, is quite a bit stronger, has bigger, pointier teeth, sharper, longer claws, and is a LOT more willing to get in a tussle than I am.

Hence, they’re pretty bold.

Continue reading…

Designating Wilderness: your choice

December 27th, 2024 by Carl D
Coastal plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska (aerial photo).
Coastal plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska (aerial photo).

Hey Folks,

(An older piece of writing I thought might be useful to re-promote nowadays).

One night I attended  public comment hearing for the preliminary stages of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In short, a comment period allows the public to offer information and thoughts on some of the issues they feel might need to be addressed, and oftentimes their thoughts as to how those issues should be addressed. The CCP is a document that “outlines and guides long-term management” of the Refuge.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are the land management agency responsible for managing the Refuge. It’s worth browsing the FWS ANWR webpage for some useful ideas on how this works.

One of the critical topics up for discussion is the designation of  “wilderness” in the Refuge. Currently, nearly half (41%) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 19.3 million acres is designated wilderness. The remaining 10 million acres are not currently designated “wilderness”. The FWS proposed to study these areas and determine whether or not they qualify as wilderness; the ‘Wilderness Review‘ section of the CCP. A recommendation would then be made to Congress to designate these areas wilderness. Such a designation would render the Refuge off-limits to oil and gas extraction.

Continue reading…

Bear Claws; black, polar and grizzly bear claws

December 17th, 2024 by Carl D
Comparison of Grizzly bear, black bear and polar bear claws
Comparison of Bear claws – black bear claws (Ursus americanus), polar bear claw (Ursus maritimus), grizzly bear claw (Ursus arctos) and Kodiak bear claws. Please click on the image for a larger version of this photo. And be sure to view our Wildlife Photo Tours here.

I thought I’d post this old shot, as it might be of interest to some folks. A photo showing the different size and shapes of claws from various species of American bears. From left to right, the claws are: black bear, polar bear, grizzly bear, coastal brown bear or Kodiak bear. The polar bear is the only true carnivore out of those species, but it’s claws are but a fraction of the size of those belonging to the great grizzly, and in particular, the coastal brown bear.

Bear claws, and particularly the grizzly claws, were long revered as a symbol of power, both physical and spiritual, to many Native American Indian cultures; wearing the bear claw was often only an earned respect. Anyone’s who’s seen such fearsome weaponry up close can attest as to why.

The relationship of the polar bear and the grizzly bear is interesting. Polar bears are believed to have split off from the grizzly bear lineage approximately 150 000 years ago in a time of global climate cooling – arctic living skills became an advantage. So the polar bears stayed in the north, and the grizzlies enjoyed the warmer climes further south. Rarely did the 2 run into each other.

Continue reading…

Weather in Alaska

November 12th, 2024 by Carl D

Hey Folks,

One of the most common questions we get, every trip, every year, every month, is “What to pack?”

We provide all guests with a ton of info on packing. People often look for a shortcut and then want to “hope for the best”. “Will I be OK with … “ is usually really a question of “I don’t want to bring xyzzy”.

And, of course, you MIGHT be ok without all that gear. You might just nail the weather and enjoy shorts and t-shirt weather the entire time.

But you might not.

Continue reading…

Meditation on American Guiding: Frontier Era to Now

February 19th, 2024 by Carl D
Heart of the Park Backpacking trip, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

It’s sad that opening up the book on the history of guiding opens up the book on the history of colonization. It definitely does.

That being said, there were early frontier guides that were closer to native life, and some that wanted to destroy it.

Kit Carson (1809-1868) was in the camp of the former.

In the frontier era, many guides roamed the wilderness, yet none garnered as much admiration as Kit Carson. He never made it to Alaska, but he made it everywhere else. Renowned for his pivotal role in the USA absorbing California and New Mexico, in his later career Carson led the defense against Confederate attempts to seize the nascent American West. To delve deeper into these captivating stories of how our country relied on this man to create a bi-coastal nation, I recommend losing yourself in Hampton Side’s Blood and Thunder. Carson forged close bonds with numerous tribes, fully immersing himself in their languages and lifestyles. 

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Our Newest Backpacking Trip

January 17th, 2024 by Carl D
The Wrangell Ramble, out newest backpacking trip. Join us this summer.
The Wrangell Ramble, out newest backpacking trip. Join us this summer.

Hey Folks,

As most of you folks know, we try to add something new to our little list of Alaska backpacking trips each year. This year, we have one we’re super stoked to announce.

I mean, SUPER STOKED.

Welcome to The Wrangell Ramble!

Ten Years in the Making. This little jaunt combines a few trips we’ve run over the years (and still do) with an Exploratory backpacking trip we crushed in 2022, and did not crush in 2021.

The Wrangell Ramble traverses a short section of the northern and north eastern Wrangell Mountain Range. And it holds something for everyone.

  1. Mountain Views? Maybe the best.
  2. High alpine tundra walking? Higher ASL as any trip we run.
  3. Solitude? Nobody goes here.
  4. Wilderness experience? One of the best.
Continue reading…

Denali, Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

January 16th, 2024 by Carl D
View of Denali, from a backpacking trip in Denali National Park and Preserve.

Hey Folks,

A few years ago I spent a glorious week in Denali National Park and Preserve, camped out in the backcountry at one of my favorite spots to hang – a high ridge to the north of Denali, or Mt. McKinley as it was once officially known (see this post for a discussion concerning the name of the mountain).

After too many years and way too many footsteps across the tundra, I finally happened to be in the right place at the right time. Previous trips had me wet, cold, hungry, and wondering where this infamous mountain actually was (hidden, veiled behind the infernal clouds).

This one was gloriously different.

Continue reading…

Must Have Gear & Other Gems

January 8th, 2024 by Carl D
Playing flute, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Fun times making music in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

Hey Folks

A quick little starter blog for 2024. Enjoy.

Must have gear

I can’t think of a single trip we run in Alaska that I wouldn’t pack a beanie for. Not one.

Favorite trip we do?

Whichever one is sunny. 

My Least Favorite weather element?

Wind. And it’s not close.

I, mean, NOT EVEN CLOSE to close.

Most commonly overlooked piece of gear for a trip?

Lip balm.

What’s the appeal of Alaska?

For me, it’s the wildness. Theres simply no place quite like it N America when it comes to raw, untrammeled landscape. That has always felt like home to me.

Snow in the Wrangell Mountains. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Cheers

Carl

Expeditions Alaska
Visit the wild