Backpacking the 7 Pass Route Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
A favorite topic of mine.
The Impossible Question
Where Do I Want to Backpack Most?
It’s impossible to say. In some ways, I’d simply suggest (and often do) “wherever you happen to have good weather”.
And I’ve done more than a small share of backpacking in Alaska. I’ve backpacked in the arctic, walked the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and I’ve backpacked in temperate rain forests of SE Alaska. I’ve also traversed many, many points in between.
I enjoy them all. Really. I can’t think of any place I don’t enjoy backpacking the wilderness in Alaska. I’ve had some trips that were harder than others, I’ve had some trips with less than favorable weather, I’ve had some trips that I’d love to have another jaunt at and do a “take two”. But I’ve certainly found positive experiences on all of them.
My Top Alaska Backpacking Destinations
Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Backpacking Chitistone Pass, the Goat Trail, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Seriously, backpacking in Alaska is just a unique experience every time. I’ve backpacked the Goat Trail many times, and it’s different every time. The Southern Traverse is a gem, and our newer backpacking route, The Wrangell Ramble, is a really cool hike.
A bull moose and fall colors, Denali National Park.
Pick a subject, and work it. A shotgun approach to a trip of trying to shoot lots of different subjects is more likely to just yield a bunch of mediocre images.
Spend time with your subject. The best wildlife images typically will take time. Give yourself that opportunity to really make something special happen.
It’s nice to come home with lots of different images of lots of different things, but it’s really nice to come home with really strong images. In my experience that works better when we focus on a subject and work it. Work it some more. And continue to narrow that idea down.
Less really is more.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS – LESS IS MORE
Camera gear isn’t always your friend
Polar Bear Portrait
We all know this saying, but most of us rarely apply it.
When it comes to camera gear, most of us have WAY too much. I know I do. But I’m trying to shoot with less gear and more consideration to what I want the image to be.
Often I’ll bring one lens on an outing and shoot with that. Or not shoot and simply observe.
I’ll have my gear in the bag at camp, or back at the hotel, for sure. But when I saddle up and walk out looking to shoot? I want to spend less energy (mental and physical) worrying about gear choices and more focus on putting an image together. The fewer things I have to concern myself with the freer my mind is to be creative.
I so often see people on various Alaska photo tours spending so much of their mental energy on what gear to bring, how to pack it, what goes with what, etc, etc it is staggering. And not surprising when their photography doesn’t reflect their aspiration.
Rhane layered up in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Layering Myth in Alaska Backpacking
I think one of the most commonly misunderstood phrases/ideas in the backcountry is “layering” (along with “if your feet are cold, put a hat on your head”). I’m not about to tell you NOT to layer, but I do want to shed a little light on what all this means.
The Most Common Layering Mistake
The single most common ‘mistake’ (I use that term very loosely; it’s far too subjective to be seriously called a mistake) I see people make on their Alaska Backpacking Trip is bringing a whole bunch of thin to medium layer in the hope of staying warm. Baselayers, polypro layers, lightweight fleece, etc are all great pieces of gear, but you don’t need to swamp your pack down with them. You need, at most, 2.
What to Actually Wear While Hiking
You can see my standard recommended gear guide for Alaska backpacking trips here. Rarely, if ever, do I need to hike with more than one layer on my torso:
Warm weather: Single polypro t-shirt
Standard conditions: Long-sleeved nylon button-down shirt (tight-weave for bug protection – You know the generic ‘safari-style’ shirt you find in any outdoor store; dawky looking, button-down, collar. and rolled up sleeves.)
Rain: Add thin waterproof-breathable shell over shirt
I guess it’s safe to say at this point of my life that I’ve been doing this a long time. For better or worse. 😗
Not just photographing wildlife and studying wildlife photography, but taking folks like yourself out into the field and shooting together. I’ve been guiding wildlife photo tours for nearly two decades now. And I figured it might be a good opportunity to share some tips for budding photographers. Tips based largely on what I see people do, or not do, on our tours.
So I’m starting a little section on the website about photography tips that you’re welcome to subscribe to. Every so often I’ll include a short piece on how you might make yourself a better wildlife photographer.
Obviously short brief pieces and tips aren’t designed to turn you into a pro (if such a thing as “Pro wildlife photographer” actually exists any more; a separate conversation worth having at some point).
Supper under a tarp, Denali National Park backpacking trip, Alaska.
This is a post you might be able to use regardless what you’re wondering about (we’re all wondering about something, right?).
One of the things I see most common when I cruise around the web at different forums, blogs, websites, check my email, etc, etc is requests for information about gear. Whether it be camera gear, ski gear, backpacking gear, rafting gear, paddling gear, biking gear, mountaineering gear, whatever. FWIW, we have a wealth of info on the subject of backpacking gear and arctic camping gear here.
So, oh so many people post requests for information about gear choices without offering much, if any, idea on their intended use.
Backpacking Gear Questions
Example; “I’m looking for a good pair of hiking boots. What should I get?” . This kind of request is, in most forums, useless. Similarly is the “How big a backpack should I buy?” question. Before offering any kind of recommendation at all, I’d need to know more information.
A lot more information. What kind of hiking? On trail/off trail? Winter where? Alaska, or Florida? Hiking, as in dayhiking, or backpacking trips? You wanna go backpacking in Denali National Park? Or Gates of the Arctic? And on and on.
Without even discussing the nuance of individual fit. style, taste, etc (particularly important with boots), it’s about impossible to really offer any useful information to the request.
Black bear stares through the forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.
Hey Folks,
We live in a world defined by our own constructs. The rules we learn and abide are our own, the maps we follow are our own, the stories we learn are own. The way we see the world is through the eyes of our culture. At times, it provides a miraculous view; I can’t imagine my life without the music of Stevie Wonder to keep me company, or the writings of Thoreau, or the photography of Frans Lanting. Those are the parameters of our civilized lives, and they serve us usefully much of the time.
But what of those parameters not laid out for us by other people? What if I want to see the forest through the eyes of the bear?
The easiest way to experience a bit of what the wild was like is to go into a great forest at night alone. Sit quietly for awhile. Something very old will return. – Jack Turner
Challenge yourself to experience the world beyond the models we’ve constructed for it to fit inside.
Backpacking off-trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Hey Folks
Off-trail backpacking
It doesn’t mean what you might think it means.
What do we mean, here in Alaska, when we say “off-trail’?
Well, what we mean is “no trail”. It’s not the same thing as backpacking through the mountains for a few days on a nice trail, hitting the open alpine terrain where the trail disperses and you flit over the green alpine grasses the von Trapps.
When we talk about “off-trail backpacking” travel we mean when the terrain is challenging, you have no trail. We mean when the terrain is easy, there is no trail. We mean when the terrain gets really, really hard and downright nasty, we have no trail.
There is no generic answer to this most-frequently asked question for Alaska backpacking trips. Obviously your fitness, your pack weight, your group, etc, all heavily impact the distance you’ll cover each day. More than that, the terrain itself will determine how far and how fast you travel.
Not just the gradient and uphill/downhill stuff. Those things clearly are important. However, here in Alaska, hiking in places Denali National Park, or Gates of the Arctic or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park or even the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the most common determinant, and most profound one, is the terrain itself.
It’s The Terrain, Folks
The footing. What are you walking over? What are you walking THROUGH? Heavy, dense alder will slow you down way, way way more than you imagine. Add thickets of Devil’s Club inside that and you’ll be moving very slowly. You might make 3/4mile an hour. Maybe. Even on flat terrain.
Rachel T backpacking Gates of the Arctic, summer 2021.
Hey Folks
Why This Question Is So Difficult to Answer
One of the questions we invariably get for Alaska backpacking trips is “what size backpack do I need?“. Just as with every other item in my backpacking gear list, this is one of those both critical questions to ask and also an impossible question to answer without a lot more context.
