|
In this Issue
First a word about trip scheduling. Now is when the summer planning season really gets going. Many people are starting to book now. If you are planning an Alaska trip for 2005 you should be nailing down your plans and reservations soon.
Alaska Trip Planning: What's the Best Month for an Alaska Trek?
It depends. The best time for your trip will depend on what part of the state you are heading for and what you will be doing on your trip.
I've had people write and ask about doing a backcountry trip as early as April. I tell them that sure, we could do a trip, but they better pack their snowshoes.
The transition from winter to spring can happen pretty rapidly in the lower forty eight, especially in areas of mostly flatter terrain. But spring and summer arrive a lot more slowly in Alaska. In April there is still a lot of snow up here. Not down in Anchorage perhaps but up in the mountains and especially the passes there is still plenty of the white stuff.
When that snow starts to melt out depends on how much snow fell during the winter but even more on how warm and sunny the springtime weather is. If it's a really warm spring then even a heavier snow fall can melt out fast. But when we get a chilly spring it seems like the snow up in the hills just takes forever to melt.
April and May are really not the time when you want to be planning a backcountry trip in Alaska. There are exceptions of course and if are actually looking for snow to do some mountaineering then this can be a good time as the snow is more consolidated and not as likely to slide.
But for backcountry trekking your best season is late June through early September. July is the prime month and the time when most people go, so be sure to make plans early. How much useful time you can get out of the beginning and end of that period will depend a lot on where you are in Alaska. Since I do most of my trekking in Wrangell-St. Elias I'll talk a bit about the historical weather patterns there.
The High Country Season
There are a lot of the high country routes and routes in the south of the park that you don't want to plan on doing till the first week in July unless it was a really light snow year. You might wonder why the south of the Park opens up later than some areas in the northern section. Shouldn't it be warmer the farther south?
The southern portion of the park is dominated by glaciers. More snow falls here because of the local geography and it stays around longer. On the other hand there are parts of the northern park such as the Beaver Creek area that get less snow and actually melt out sooner. In fact our Horsefeld Highlands is a trip that we strongly recommend if people want to do a trip in mid June. It's a great route and is snow free earlier than most.
By mid July you can pretty much go anywhere and not worry about snow. There may still be some patches and snow in the gullies but it's not a problem. In fact, plunge stepping down a gully of snow sure beats descending on loose rock and scree.
What about the fall, when do I have to start worrying about snow?
Autumn comes early in Alaska. When the rest of the country is in the dog days of summer in mid to late August, here in Alaska the fall colors are already in bloom. Sometime in mid August you start seeing a light dusting of snow around 6000 ft. It's usually melted away once the sun hits it, but it lets you know... winter's coming. It will be quite a bit longer before you start seeing anything at lower elevations but there are routes with high elevation airstrips that you just don't want to do after Labor Day. You can get snow at high elevations any month of the year.
Early September is a beautiful time to be in the mountains in Alaska but it starts getting pretty chilly at night and you would want to be careful in your choice of airstrips.
I am less familiar with conditions in the Brooks Range but by September you could already be getting serious snow up there.
Top
What about the bugs?
Okay first of all it's not true that the mosquito is the Alaska state bird. People can get a little paranoid about the bugs and start hosing down with DEET at the first sound of buzzing in their ears. Again, this varies with the region of Alaska but in the backcountry of the Wrangells I have not found them to be so bad. Down at the lower elevations is a different story of course.
The bugs are usually in full force by sometime in May but then once you get well into August they start dying back and by mid August are really not much of a concern. Some folks carry a head net in the backcountry of Alaska but I have rarely found myself wanting one.
You do want to carry some bug juice of course, but not the Costco sized jug. And as far as brand goes the only thing that matter is whether it contains DEET and how much. I hate to tell you but this is the only thing that works. I experimented with some "natural" products and they did work - just not for very long. Some people get concerned about skin exposure but tests have never shown the the stuff causes any harm, certainly not for the occasional user.
Top
Gear Review: Dining Tarps - Siltarp vs Megamid
Ultralight backpackers might scoff at the idea of carrying a tarp just for eating under. But if you are traveling in bear country, eating in your tent is not an option. So if it's cold windy or raining, mealtime can be pretty miserable without some sort of tarp. The ability to get out of the wind on a blustery day makes evenings a lot more social as everyone huddles under the tarp instead of dashing for the tents.
At Trek Alaska I have used traditional tarps as well as the Black Diamond Megamid for group shelters. Each has its advantages and drawbacks but in the end I have settled on the Integral Designs Siltarp III as our primary group shelter.
The big difference between these two shelters is obvious. The Megamid is a fully enclosed teepee shaped shelter whereas the Siltarp is... well a tarp, so it's a more open design. The resulting benefit of the Megamid is of course that you get total shelter from the elements, especially if you stake the edges flush to the ground. This might seem to make the choice a no-brainer, but there are drawbacks to the Megamid design.
Top
The teepee shape of the structure results in a less usable interior space than you might think. Yes there is a lot of floor space but the walls slope in towards the single center pole. The sloping sides means that you end up huddled pretty close together if you have more than four people inside. The confined space means you have to be careful with the stove so some one doesn't kick it over when entering or exiting the tent. You really can't move around in there and have to find a spot to sit and hunker down.
Another disadvantage of the total enclosure of this design is that you get a build up of condensation. Start with four wet hikers and then add a cook stove with a steaming pot of dinner and you're pumping out lot of moisture that has no where to go except against the inside wall of the tarp and where it will condense. So things can get a bit humid and your back is always pressed up against a wet tent wall.
Integral Designs Siltarp
A traditional tarp is of course a more open design. But I find this to be a plus not a negative. The open air tarp means that condensation is not a problem. If you get a large enough tarp then you have a lot more room to maneuver while preparing dinner. Entering and exiting the tarp is much easier since you have three to four open sides depending on your setup configuration. The Siltarp comes with a bunch of loops attached making it easy to set up the tarp in a number of ways.
The secret to having tons of room inside is to connect trekking poles together so you can get some serious headroom. Black Diamond makes some spiffy fabric pole connectors that makes joining poles fast and easy. You can buy these separately at their web site.
Here is a picture of one of our groups relaxing under the Siltarp. Lots of room for people, gear and meal preparation. The center pole is the key to a really tight pitch. I attached a piece of small webbing to the center loop on the inside. I tie this to the center pole and it's rock solid. If you don't attach the center pole it will just keep slipping out. I like to drop one side to the ground or almost to the ground and face that side into the wind. Properly pitched you get a very nice shelter from the wind and rain. Another great advantage to a tarp is that you aren't stuck "indoors" and can enjoy the view while you prepare your dinner.
So the Siltarp gets my vote for a group shelter. The 10x12 ft. tarp weights in at around 20 oz. which is a good 10 oz lighter than the silnylon version of he Megamid. The megamid is still a good product and is a great shelter for mountaineering and winter trips.
_____________________________________________
Well that's it for this edition. Drop me a line if you have any questions.
Greg Fensterman
greg@trekalaska.com - www.TrekAlaska.com
top
 |
 |
> Featured Trip: >Seven Pass Route - top
An eight day trip that will constantly surprise you with always chagning variety of terrain.
Glacier crossings, high alpine passes, lush green valleys and more. If you want a bit of a challenge then this is the one!
>read more (see other trips) |
|
 |
 |
|
