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907.350.3710 |
January, 2010 |
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Fall colors come alive in late August on the Iceberg Lake Trek.
Greetings from Trek Alaska!
The holiday season may be over but it seems we've just moved into the vacation planning season with a vengacne. The last week has been incredibly busy with lots of emails, phone calls and booked trips. It's definitly not too early to begin making critical reservations for this summer. The tourist season in Alaska is brief and July through August is prime time so if you're planning a trip for that period... time to start nailing down the details.
Trek Alaska on Facebook!
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Trek Alaska on Facebook |
We have been getting a great responce to our new Facebook page. After just a few weeks we now have around 250 fans and growing every day.
I have added photos and video recently with more on the way. You can also post your own Alaska photos and videoe to the page. So give us a visit and sign up to be a fan.
Skolai to Wolverine: A Trip Report from Last Season
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A little map instruction along the way |
I had a wonderful time on a trek from Skolai Pass to Wolverine Mountain in late July. It was a great crew headed up by Rob Shurmer who had three of his former students in tow - Harry, James and Andrew.
We dropped into Skolai Pass for the start of our trek on a sunny day and headed east towards the Russell glacier. We had to do a bit of scouting around to find a good campsite but came up with a nice one overlooking the glacier. A short hike after setting up camp took got us up close and personal with this impressive glacier.
Next day it was up to Chitistone Pass by way of the back door past some dramatic hanging glaciers. We had to do a bit of jumping, leaping and rock hopping to avoid some stream crossings but I seem to recall that we were able to keep our boots dry.
The guys in the group were big Lord of the Rings fans and as we hiked through a section of grassy knobs we dubbed it the Barrow Downs. The fog drifting in and out of the hummocks really added to the effect. However we completed the passage without running into any barrow wights.
The highlight of that day was the traverse across the infamous scree slopes. The slopes can be a bit intimidating at times. But we managed to stay on the high route and avoid the more hazardous lower path. Our reward was topping out on the ridge where we were treated to a parting of the fog to reveal some truly stunning views of the Chitistone river far below.
Here's a link to a short video from the ridge top posted on our Facebook page. As you can hear the wind was whipping around pretty hard.
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Green grassy slopes - Hasen Creek |
That day turned out to be a long one as we pushed on farther than usual and found an amazing place to camp at the head of Hasen Creek. We saw lots of Dahl sheep there too. Down the creek, up and over a saddle on another ridge, down the other side, over the morraine… and then to a small pool created by rockslide that blocked a stream’s exit. Some of the guys were ready for a break and stripped down and jumped in to cool off.
One of my favorite camps was at Grotto Creek where we had some really sweet late afternoon light – great for taking some photos of Wolverine Mountain. And the final camp near the airstrip is always a great end to the trip. The views are amazing as you stand at the top of rocky cliffs… right next to the dragon eggs. All in all it was a wonderful adventure with delightful companions.
There was never a dull moment with this group, especially if you were a card player and have a good knowledge of history for trivia games.
Picking Your Perfect Trek
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Trek Comparison Matrix
Easier to
Moderate |
Moderate to Strenuous |
Strenuous |
Extremely Challenging |
Steamboat Hills |
Seven Pass Pyramid Peak |
Wrangell/Skyscraper |
For more on any of these trips click on the links to see the detail page or give us a call. 907.350.3710
Summer seems far away with Christmas only weeks away. But our most popular trips fill up early so start thinking about reservations now. What better gift to give yourself than an Alaskan wilderness adventure.
Well that's it for now. See you next month... and next year.
Till then.. happy trails!
info@trekalaska.com -
www.TrekAlaska.com - 907.350.3710
Trek Alaska
PO Box 771862
Eagle River, AK 99577
