 Last light of day over Donoho lakes on the Donoho Lakes Glacier Trek
Greetings
from Trek Alaska!
The summers in McCarthy always seem to go by too quickly and this year was no exception.
There's already three inches of snow on the ground here in Eagle River but before I turn my attention to cross country skiing it's time for a look back with our traditional summer recap issue. And what a crazy summer it was too. July was one of the rainiest I've ever seen in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, but things started to settle down later in the summer. We did too many treks to mention them all here, so these are just a few of the highlights. If you just want to see some great photo then click to see slideshows of selected treks from 2007.
Pyramid Peak
We did this trek twice this summer and both were great trips.
The first one was a father/daughter team from New York - John and Claire Hardin. It's always a treat to take out family groups into this remote backcountry region. No people, no worries, I don't think we even saw any planes fly overhead. If this isn't quality family time I don't know what is.
After several days of hiking up, over and around some high ridges the layover day at the base of Pyramid was appreciated by all.
The second group was a full house with five guests and a mixed bag of folks from all over including Canada, New Zealand and New York City. We got a late start due to the weather and it always takes a while to get everyone in to our Canyon Creek starting point since we fly in one at a time in a Super Cub.
So we only hiked for a few hours along Canyon Creek before setting up camp on a gravel bar near the creek. The next day was a bit more strenuous as we made our way up the first ridge of the trip. But this was a strong group and we just motored up the slope. Jeff must have had an extra helping of oatmeal at breakfast because he smoked his way to the top.
Everyone agreed that the views from the top were well worth the effort despite the fact that it was a pretty blustery day with a bit of snow clinging to the tundra near the crest.
Camp was made in a nice protected spot along a creek on the other side. Yoav and Vanessa dug a pit and spent about an hour and a half attempting to get some very wet wood to burn. We voted them master fire builders when their prodiguous efforts finally paid off with a sustainable fire which we used to dry out some wet socks.
The view from the shoulder of Andrus was a highlight of the trek thanks to the clear blue skies. We had to be careful on the way down the other side however. The slope was covered in snow which had been really soft when the Hardins came through but now was hard and compact.
Seven Pass Route
This route just seems to sell itself and is a wonderful trek - every time I do it it's a little bit different. We did the trek three times this year.
The first group was pushing the season a bit for this route - last week in June. Needless to say there was a bit of snow waiting for the in the Iceberg Lake valley. And when guide Matt Tosi led them over the last pass of the trek they found themselves in a driving snowstorm as they pushed on through deep snow! But it was a strong group and everyone had a great time.
The other treks on this route were in July and August when snow was melted out. We've had people return for a second trek with us before, but not in the same season. Camilla was spending about a month visiting Alaska from England and did the Donoho trek. She had such a great time that she came back two weeks later and did the Seven Pass trek with us as well. She got more then she bargained for one day however. We were scouting around on the moraine next to the Bremner glacier when she was attacked by an overly zealous Ptarmigan protecting her nest. The bird was flying and flapping inches from Camilla's face and she had to use her trekking poles in self defence. A few minutes later she found herself falling headlong into a bog hidden in the bushes.
Both treks were a great time and we got to try out some new areas for camping. This route just never seems to get old.
Skolai to Wolverine
We usaully only do this route once per summer and this year was no exception. So it always feels like a treat to head out on this trek.
We had an international group this year with two women, Ioanna and Maria, from Greece and Giles who hailed from France as well as a few token Americans (Victor and Emily) from the east coast tossed in for good measure.
Weather was a little iffy on the morning of our departure so we didn't land at Skolai Pass till mid afternoon. We modified our intended route a bit to compensate and camped below Chitistone Pass our first night.
On our way to Chitistone the next day was saw some dall sheep as well as a few caribou.
The real highlight of the trek was our passage through the Hasen Creek region. There are always sheep in the area but this year was unbelievable. We must have spotted over 150 sheep over the course of a few days. We even got lucky and saw two mountain goats climb up a ridge out of the mist!
And that's just a taste...
These are just a few highlights of what was a truly great summer in Wrangell-St. Elias.
In the next issue I'll talk about next summer's lineup of scheduled group trips.
Till then.. happy trails!
Greg Fensterman
Trip Matrix
info@trekalaska.com -
www.TrekAlaska.com - 907.350.3710
Trek Alaska
PO Box 771862
Eagle River, AK 99577
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