Moose Herding in AlaskaHiking the Old Iditarod TrailBy Terri Botkins
“Let’s go hiking in Alaska next spring – it’ll be great!” When my husband uttered these words, I quickly searched my memory banks for a definition of “great”, and it did not include avalanches, hungry bears, or swarms of mosquitoes. I glanced at my daughter and saw that we had a meeting of the minds on this. “It sounds like the manly thing to do,” I quipped, “but we’re women, so we’ll pass.” Diplomatically, I allowed that there might be elements of greatness in such a trip – great scenery, great wildlife viewing and great hiking. Undaunted by our refusal, Larry prepared to attack Crow’s Pass – the Old Iditarod supply trail, on his own.
That’s why it’s important to follow the “rules” for bear safety, and Chugach State Park has a great website for information on this and all the other trouble you can get into while out in the wilds of Alaska. In the event that you do have an unpleasant showdown with a wild animal, carrying firearms for personal protection is allowed in the park, and Larry recommends his Desert Eagle .50 for a good alternative to a heavier rifle. It’s best to avoid critter confrontations, if possible – most of the time, if you have to kill an animal in an Alaskan state park, you have to drag the carcass out to register it with the authorities. Try explaining that to the other animals that are interested in your “trophy”!
“Bear, wolf, and lots of moose tracks in some of the sandy parts of the gravel bars. Moose pellets are everywhere – The piles of them look like the miniature chocolate Easter egg candies…” There’s an image you can savor… Part of the trail was so rough that Larry found it easier to walk in the riverbed – you just need to listen up for the flash floods, and excuse yourself when you run into Mr. bear, wolf, or moose.
“Twin Falls camp 2230… The trail along the base of the mountain to the northeast was a tough one…” Master of understatement. What Larry calls “a tough one” would probably involve pulling yourself up a sheer cliff by small saplings and bushes… I doubt that even the beauty of the many waterfalls and the soothing susurrus of the rushing water would have taken the edge off that challenge. I guess you could comfort yourself with the realization that you’re getting a much better workout here than at the local gym – just don’t get hurt!
And let’s talk about putting up your tent. You lugged this item all those miles in your pack, along with freeze-dried food, water purifying equipment, cooking utensils, durable clothing, first aid supplies, navigation tools, sleeping bag – all stuffed into or strapped onto a backpack. Then you get to unpack it all and set it up before you can rest your weary bones. Did you say you were hungry? I guess you’d better filter your water, cook, eat, clean up and then suspend your food and trash from two trees – to keep the hungry bears from trying to snack on you while you sleep. Are we having fun yet? The next morning “dawns”, and Larry’s back on the trail. “I’m not certain that it was ever fully dark last night. The sounds of the falls and the stream…were great for sleeping… While I was eating (breakfast) a bald eagle flew…right by the camp. Excellent!” Finally – mention of an event that I would have liked to experience. Alaska is a great place for “in your face” wildlife encounters, if you don’t mind the danger. The journal ends here, but not the story.
This led to a subtle dance between Larry and the moose, and a new twist to the phrase, “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” The moose would occasionally stop and look back at my husband, but it was almost as if the creature realized that Larry had no option but to follow. When they finally approached a fork in the path, the moose turned around and stared at the human, as if to say, “That had better be the end of that game, buddy!” Larry took the hint and turned away down the trail, back toward what is considered civilization in this wild state.
ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH?PLEASE check out the Chugach State Park website at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/chugach/ before you go - especially the section on safety. Another good general website for Alaska travel is http://www.alaskatravel.com Larry hates to spend money on fancy hotels, but when I go to Anchorage, I like to stay at the Captain Cook – http://www.captaincook.com I never imagined you could find lodgings like this in wild, wonderful Alaska Pictures property of Larry Botkins |
|
TM
It was a tiny marble composition book – like the kind you used in high school, only much smaller. I found it tucked into the backpack my husband used on his hiking trip to Alaska, along with old newspapers, socks, dehydrated food packets, receipts, dog-eared maps and other paraphernalia from his excursion. I opened it to the first page, enjoying the guilty pleasure of reading someone else’s diary – excuse me, journal – men don’t write in “diaries”.
MAY 12, 2002 “…at the Eagle River Nature Center at 9:45. When they opened at 10, paid parking…and hit the trail.” All that Army training still shows up in the terse wording and the precise block printing Larry uses in this missive. I can tell he’s itching to be out on the trail. But fifteen minutes of waiting is nothing compared to the months of preparation that went into this trip – scouting out the route, breaking in the right pair of boots, researching the right equipment and making all the travel arrangements for this solitary trip into the Alaskan wilderness.
I glanced at the notebook again. “…at about 1440, heard rocks falling on the side of Polar Bear Peak, about half-way up.” At first, Larry thought this was caused by naughty Dall sheep romping about on the sheer rock faces. Later he realized that there were bears, fresh out of hibernation and desperately hungry, chasing the sheep around in hopes of a good meal. Fortunately, most bears don’t really consider humans to be a food source – except for those that have had a reason to associate humans with food. 
Back to the journal. “The sound of the rocks falling was amazing; like the gods breaking their dishes.” Imagine what it would have sounded like if it was an avalanche! Spring is prime “avalanche season” in Alaska, as the snow is melting and sliding downhill. Some areas in the state are posted as prime areas for such dangers – road signs advise you to drive faster if you hear or see an avalanche starting! And did I mention the flash floods in the spring when the sun starts to beat down on all that snow and ice? That makes the river and stream crossings on this trail extremely tricky at this time of year.
I deduced that my husband finally took a break from the next entry. “I’m drinking the river water now. It’s not too bad… the iodine in the tablets has stained the water bottle…” Visions of Giardia float through my head as I read this passage. I can’t picture myself drinking brown, iodine-flavored water as I tote my 40-lb pack up steep, overgrown trails and continually re-apply 100% DEET bug spray to combat the swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitoes… Those of us who opted to stay home and miss out on this experience just nervously eyed the phone and practiced what we would say to the man at the Missing Person’s Bureau.
“The sun set at about 2215. It’s 2250 now and there’s still enough light to see well, even inside the tent. There are about a million mosquitoes on the outer surfaces of the tent fly.” When I took my own “domestic” trip to Alaska, the “endless day” was one of my favorite things, I must admit. So many more hours of daylight for shopping, sightseeing, partying, shopping… I found it hard to fall asleep on my visit, but I suspect my husband had no trouble dropping off after his hike. If the sound of the falls didn’t lull him to sleep, maybe the drone of those pesky bugs as they patiently waited for him to take a step out of his tent did the trick. 
After gathering up all his belongings and stuffing them back in his pack, my husband started back down the trail. Avalance warnings kept him from traveling the entire 52-mile round trip, which would have included views of Raven and Eagle glaciers. On the way back, he surprised a moose that was lying near the path – or should I say they surprised each other? Larry thought it was a bear at first, and was mighty glad to find that it was “just” a moose – although taller than my husband by a couple of feet, at least it was less likely to consider him as a little snack. The moose scooted off and took the lead, so Larry had no choice but to follow, as there’s not much room on the trail (and not much trail, at any rate). 
Considering all the hardships, did he love it? Yes! Would he do it again? Anytime – the sooner the better. Will I go with him next time? Not likely – I’m still using the excuse of “not having the right equipment…” Until they manufacture a portable Ritz Carlton, I’m safe!