We started out our backpacking/ packraft trip at Carlo Creek pizza place. Check out the map. The hike was supposed to be a 15 miles by the red line Ed drew on the topo map above, and a 16 mile paddle on the Nenana River. You never know what the terrain will be without a trail, or how many times you have to cross creeks and rivers, cliffs and drop-offs. The hike was more like 22 miles, and terrain over the pass was snowy and steep...it was awesome and I was really tired after this one - 3 months, 1 week and 1 day after my kidney transplant.
Ann at the start, overjoyed to be out again.
Ed, John and Ben getting some calories in. Eat and hike - that is the way on these trips. The hike up Carlo Creek was amazing, great skiing back there.
Farther up Carlo Creek there was aufeis
, but it was perfect hiking up the valley instead of bush whacking.
Above the brush and starting the ascent to the pass still up in the clouds at this point.
Ben and this sweet waterfall. We only had to cross the creek once or twice, always hiking with wet shoes.
Group shot near an alpine lake. Dea, John, Ann, Ed and Ben and Fernie.
Almost there!
A view of our tracks, and the caribou tracks we followed. The caribou knew exactly where to go to avoid the rotten snow.
The ascent was not too bad, but we did not know what lie on the other side. The descent turned out to be steeper than expected and Fernie had be carried down a rock or two. She didn't seem to mind too much.
Ann and John loving the rocky descent and Fernie's cute little head poking around to see what was next.
Ed on the descent way out in front on a ridge.
I skip a few miles of photos, trying hard to keep up with these guys, so no pics and finally the Nenana River!
This steep descent really drops off and the bushwhacking was crazy, but only 1 mile. After this it was really deep and we could not see each other at all, we did lots of doowhooping to keep the bears away. We did see Dall sheep and caribou...bear signs, but no bears. Once we get to the river we pull the packrafts out of our packs and begin to blow them up by capturing the wind in a parachute bag adapter and squeezing it in. It actually does not take that long, I have no pics past this point....so I turn to
Ed for part two. Maybe in a few days. All in all it was an amazing trip!
Kristen is training for the Humpy's Marathon in Anchorage. So we all did some of her 20 mile training run with her. I suggested the Moose Mountain mountain bike ride that I have done in the past and the route was great. I only did the out and back, but everyone else did the loop. This is my first outing with my new waterproof camera, finally. I just ruined another one packrafting.
Kristen, Ed, Ted and Ben starting off the trail run.
The crowd goes wild. OK, to be fair they just ran 20 miles :-)
