Expeditions Alaska Backpacking Blog, hiking gear and photo tours

I’m Done With Fleece – Insulation

October 23rd, 2009 by Carl D

*Sporting a Montbell Thermawrap synthetic fill jacket in Powerline Pass, with friends*

Hey folks,

I thought I’d write a quick post about insulation for hiking.

This year, I made the switch from a pile fleece jacket to a synthetic fill jacket. The jacket that I virtually lived in all backpacking season long, (on plenty of day hikes as well, including this walk up to Powerline Pass near Anchorage with Keba and Musa) was the Montbell Thermawrap.

At under 9oz, it’s hard to beat for weight savings. It’s certainly MUCH lighter than any of my fleece jackets, and far more stuffable.

Packed into its little stuff sack, it takes up no space in the backpack at all. And it’s insanely warm for something so tiny. It definitely is warmer than either my 200 weight or 300 weight polartec fleece jackets, and is also extremely windproof.

Ready For Summer; Backpacking Season is here

March 2nd, 2009 by Carl D

Caribou herd migrate across the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.

Alaska Backpacking

I hope this finds you all well and gearing up for a great summer. This post is an add-on to our Explore Alaska Backpacking informational series. It seems like winter solstice has only just been and gone, and it’s already march. Spring’s right around the corner, and then summer will be underway! I’m enjoying the winter, but am ready for summer – warmer weather, sunshine, longer days, and flowers and green vegetation is always welcome! And, best of all, more backpacking!

Preparing for the Alaska Backpacking Season

One of the questions I receive most, especially this time of year, is how best to prepare for the coming Alaska backpacking season. The short answer is, it doesn’t matter – just do something – the fitter you are, the safer your trip is! However, I think a few specific things can help:

Make Training a Regular Habit

a) make it regular. Whatever your exercise regime, try hard to make it happen every day – not every second day, or 3 days a week

Bull and cow moose, Denali National Park

October 12th, 2008 by Carl D

Bull and cow moose in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

So, I’m back to the ‘photos from the past’ section. I’ll post a few more from my recent stay in the park, but wanted to post this, a favorite of mine, from Denali National Park a few years.

This was probably one of the greatest days I ever had photographing. I hiked my tail off all morning after this bull moose – I was just finishing breakfast on what was to the be the last day of a 2 day stay in Denali Park, and I really wanted to get something worthwhile.

The weather was pretty gnarly, but it was my last day, and I hadn’t much to show for 12 days of staying hunkered down in my little 1 person tent in wind, rain, sleet, snow and cold.

Grizzly bears on caribou carcass, Denali National Park, Alaska

October 12th, 2008 by Carl D

Grizzly bear family, sow and 2 cubs, feeding on a caribou carcass in Denali National Park, Alaska. — *An oldie but a goodie. A favorite photo of mine from a decade or so ago in Denali National Park.*

Hey Folks,

The Unexpected Bus Ride

So here’s the reason why the bus that I thought would take me to the park entrance (see this post). I got on the bus and heard the driver talking about ‘wonder if the wolves would still be there’.

Immediately perked up. The “wolves”???

Any wildlife photographer will pay attention to that word. Wolves are one of my favorite wildlife photography subjects.

I leaned forward, and eavesdropped my a** off.

The Wolf Pack Discovery

Turns out a pack of wolves had killed a caribou bull not far off the road, and the whole pack had been feeding all morning whilst I was walking around the backcountry chasing some stupid moose.

Mt Drum from the Sanford Plateau

August 6th, 2008 by Carl D

Mount Drum, Sanford Plateau, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska. — *Dawn on Mt. Drum.*

Hey Folks,

We just got through a great trip up on the Sanford Plateau, on the north side of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The hiking was great, the views sublime, and the group awesome. This image is from our campsite on the 2nd night, where we spent 2 full days enjoying the high alpine tundra and incredible views of the massive mountains nearby – Mt Sanford (over 16 000′), Mt Wrangell (over 14 000′) and Mt Drum (over 12 000′). This image is of early morning at Mt Drum.

The weather wasn’t too bad – a mix of rain, clouds, wind, and calm sunny weather as well – a welcome respite. Much better than the weather on the previous trip to Skolai Pass, where rain, sleet and even a little snow bound us up tight for much of the trip.

I’m excited to start doing more treks on the north side of the park and exploring this area further – we’ll definitely be back on the Sanford Plateau in 2009, and hopefully be able to do a few other trips in the area as well.

I’m off tomorrow for the 2 week trek from Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes, which I’m very excited about, and hopefully we’ll get some good weather. We’ve a great group of hikers again, and this promises to be loads of fun.

I need to get to bed and get some rest, because tomorrow evening, we’ll be in the backcountry. I’ll try to put a trip report together when I get back on the 20th. Stay tuned!

Cheers

Carl

Summer’s here! Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

June 9th, 2008 by Carl D

Great Horned Owl Chick, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. — *A young Great-Horned Owl perched in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park*

hey Folks,

Just a quick post before I disappear for a couple of weeks. The blog will slow down even more the next few months, as I’m too busy hiking and photographing to get much posting done, but I’ll try to update it from time to time.

Anyway, here’s a photo I took a few days ago, when I was lucky enough to find a few Great Horned Owl fledglings, just learning to fly, and not far from their nest. The light wasn’t so great, but these little guys were SO cute! I’ll probably not run into them again as they’ve gained their wings and are heading off on their own before too long. I’m about to head off for a trip for 2 weeks, then heading up to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for 2 weeks, which I can’t WAIT to do, so in the meantime, have fun, stay safe, and enjoy the mountains.

Cheers

Carl

First Aid in the Backcountry

May 7th, 2008 by Carl D

A wilderness First Responder course simulation has this rescuer stabilizing a patient

Hey Folks,

Introduction to Backcountry First Aid

Brief overview of the importance of first aid in the wilderness.

With the summer season just around the corner, a few tips on some basic First Aid might be helpful. In this simulation, you can see my friend and Wilderness First Responder, Lisa, stabilizing the patient’s (Jason) neck.

Spine Stabilization in Critical Care

Stabilizing a patients spine is super-important in critical care for all patients who have suffered major trauma, or where the mechanism of injury is unknown. In other words, when the rescuer doesn’t know what happened, and why the patient is suffering.

The best position for a patient whose may have a spine injury is flat on their back, with a rescuer holding their head in what’s called ‘anatomical position’ – basically, as straight as possible. Moving the head, or allowing the spine to flop around, can easily cause the spinal cord to be ruptured, or severed, causing permanent disabilities to the patient.

Bear Spray Effectiveness – How Effective is Bear Spray?

March 27th, 2008 by Carl D

Grizzly bear cub photo, Katmai National Park, Alaska. — *Would you spray this little guy? What about if his mom was running at you?*

Introduction

Update: With the escalating proliferance of bear tours and bear viewing as an industry, I thought I’d post a comprehensive guide to Alaska bear viewing and bear tours.

A lot of people ask about bears and bear spray and guns and what we do for safety.

We don’t carry guns on our bear trips, and nor would I be comfortable with someone on the trip carrying a firearms, unless there were some very extenuating circumstances. I do carry bear spray, and we usually take 2 or 3 cans per trip, depending on the size of the group.

Bear Spray vs Firearms – What the Research Says

A recent Canadian study showed bear spray to be quite a bit more effective than firearms might be. The study looked at data from the last 20 years, and concluded bear spray is generally a safer option than firearms. “Despite persistent doubts among hikers and campers venturing into bear country, you’re better off with an eight-ounce can of bear spray than a gun, according to an analysis of 20 years of data.

Canadian and U.S. researchers announced that they found

Bear spray stopped aggressive bear behavior in 92% of cases.
Firearms were effective about 67% of the time.

Whether that behavior was an attack or merely rummaging for food the spray worked with nearly 100% efficacy. Guns were noticeably less effective.

Winter Outdoor Gear for Alaska?

March 23rd, 2008 by Carl D

The Kennecott Glacier and moraine covered in snow one early winter morning and Chugach Mountains in Winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Common Questions About Winter Gear

I hear most frequently; what do you do in the winter?

Well, as winter just wound to a close, I thought I’d post a short note about winter outdoor gear.

Alaska Guide’s Winter Outdoor Gear

All in all, what’s the best outdoor hiking and backpacking gear I bought this winter? What piece of gear really rocked my world?

Down Booties

A $40.00 pair of Sierra Designs Down Booties! These things rock! Kept my feet warm and happy during the coldest of days – not quite 50 below zero! I was really impressed with them. Sierra Designs make some good gear, but these are the best buy of the season. Comfortable, light, durable, cheaply priced and stylish! Other candidates for good buys or just good winter gear were:

Insulated Hat

* My Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap. I don’t even know if this is still made – I’ve had mine for over 10 years, and it’s still good as new. It now officially counts as my oldest piece of 1st-tier gear.

Sleeping Bag

My North Face Firefox sleeping bag, which is no longer made, is just as old, but I don’t use it most of the time, after buying the Western Mountaineering Ultralite 18 months ago. Regarding the cap, I have the Triple Point Fabric version and they also have a Gore-Tex version. This hat is awesome, fleece-lined, and toasty! And it looks cool as well!

Cold Hands?

* A surprise contender, for me, is the REI fleece gloves I have .. they’re fingerless, but with a little extra fold-over mitten .. these are great, I can fold the mitten cover back, exposing my fingers for operating a camera, and quickly cover them back up as it gets cold. Unless it got REALLY cold, these gloves we re just fine this winter. Well-priced, and warmer than I thought they might be.

Snowshoes

* Atlas 1030 Snowshoes. Excellent shoes for getting around in the powdery snow in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, good traction cleats, lightweight rugged construction, and easy to fix buckles. Great snowshoes for just about any snowshoeing trip, though not cheap either.

If you’re looking for something to spend your tax refund on, you won’t go wrong with any of the above gear, and it’s probably all marked down for end of season sales.

Cheers

Carl

Book Lists

March 21st, 2008 by Carl D

Sunset over Skolai pass, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Anyone out there looking for some good reading material? I thought I’d make a post that lists some books I’ve really enjoyed – I’ll add to it as I go, and would appreciate any visitors adding their favorites to the list. I’ll start with some great nature books:

Thoreau (of course): My favorite is “Walking”

Jack Turner: “The Abstract Wild”

Derrick Jensen: “Listening to the Land”

Paul Shepard: “Coming Home to the Pleistocene”

Jack London: “Call of the Wild” (I know, I know, it’s fiction, but wow, what great fiction!!!!)

Wendell Berry: “Another Turn of the Crank”

Doug Peacock: “The Grizzly Years”

Aldo Leopold: “A Sand County Almanac”

Bill McKibben: “The End of Nature”

That’s enough for starters – I’ll add more as they come to me!

Cheers

Carl