Your DVD arrived and I watched it last night. It was both inspirational and daunting. Thanks for the kind note on the DVD and receipt. My parents were impressed. I've got a lot of work to do with the preparation for my expedition. Organising an expedition of this magnitude from a sunny beach almost as far away as you can possibly get is not easy. I do have a few more questions for you. I expect that you have many important and fun things going on during this festive season, so no rush with your response. Now. . . . .
- Roughly how much do the following items cost (or can I rent them if they will be 100% reliable?) and where do you recommend getting them from:
GPS
Sat Phone
Bear proof containers
the canoe you used
- I'm aware that people are meant to hike with animal resistant food containers whilst in Alaska parklands. Did you have one of these with you? Is this more of a suggestion rather then being mandatory? And if so where did you get it, how much did it cost and how much did it weigh?
- You mate that flew you and your food in, is he a pilot by trade? Could I use him for my expedition? If not do you have a friend you could recommend as a pilot?
- I would understand if you wouldn't want to give the coordinates away, but if you are happy to, could you tell me the coordinates of your food caches to give me a better idea of the distances you hiked between food drops and the route you took?
Once again thanks for all of your help. You are really proving to be invaluable to my attempt at crossing the Brooks Range. I hope you have a fantastic christmas. Just in case you are a little chilly at the moment, at the time of this, the difference in temperature between where I am right now and where you are (provided you are in Fairbanks) is 120 F!!!!!! : ) take care Buck.Axel
1 comment:
Hi Axel,
I would recommend purchasing your GPS and sat phone. They would run about $100+ and $1,000+ respectively if you shop around (ebay,etc.) Plus you'll need to buy minutes for your sat phone at about $1+ per minute. Sat phones should be on the Iridium system for northern Alaska to get decent coverage.
I didn't use any bear-proof containers until I got to the "Haul Road." The backpacking cannisters I got on loan from Gates of the Arctic National Park. They also loaned me the smaller "food barrel" for my trip on the Noatak. I purchased the large "raft barrel."
GAAR (Gates of the Arctic Park and Preserve) says "All Alaska National Parks and Preserves require that food and garbage be stored by an approved means." ANWR didn't require cannisters as of 2006, but you should check on the latest. Light ones weigh from about 2 1/2 pounds on up.
My inflatable canoe was a Pro Pioneer, and I got it from Pristine Ventures. You can check with them about rentals to see if it makes sense to buy or rent.
http://www.pristineventures.com/index.htm
Marty, my pilot buddy, is a private pilot. Private pilots cannot fly others for hire. You'll need to contact a licensed air taxi(s) such as Coyote Air, Brooks Range Aviation, etc. Flying in Alaska is quite expensive, for good reason.
I had caches on the Sheenjek River, the Marsh Fork of the Canning, and the Wind River. West of the Haul Road they were at the Anaktuvuk Pass Post Office, Circle Lake at Arrigetch Peaks and at the headwaters of the Noatak. Those were easily doable distances. I don't have the exact coordinates at hand. The actual walking distance between these points is a bit of a guess anyway.
When I was planning my trip, I was surprised at a couple of things: one was that no one from ANWR or GAAR told me it was a crazy idea, and they were very vague on route-finding suggestions. One reason is there is minimal information on parts of the route I was looking at. Another is that they wanted people to explore, and the unknown is one of the best parts of the Alaskan wilderness. There were many mountain passes where, as I approached the top, I didn't know if I could make it down the opposite side or not. That was both a tense feeling and a wonderful feeling. For that reason I'm going to avoid publicizing my exact route.
One other point to those that may be reading this: needless to say there are some real risks involved in a trip like this, and when most people consider the risks the first thing that springs to mind is bears. But bears aren't nearly as dangerous, in my opinion, as poor judgment and a lack of proper experience.
In the book and movie "Into the Wild" young Christopher McCandless died a relatively short distance from the road, inside a bus, because he had a dream and a sense of adventure but poor judgment combined with insufficient experience.
Skills required to do a trip like this safely include:
Dressing properly,
Knowing how hard to push,
Gear selection,
Safe river crossing,
Campsite selection,
Setting up shelters properly,
Keeping sleeping gear dry,
Avoiding falls,
Staying properly hydrated and fed,
Good route finding (knowing how to use maps, compass, and GPS,)
Foot and general body care,
Fire starting,
Minimizing bear encounters,
Proper experience,
Good judgment,
Proper planning.
Best of luck, and Happy Holidays!
Buck
www.bucktrack.com
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