Caribou Country

There is a reason they call Arctic Village caribou country.

K'enaanee Kkaazoot

This Friday we were excited to host K’enaanee Kkaazoot.  In Koyukon, the Athabascan dialect from down the Yukon River, it means “skiing is fun”.  It is also the name of a local ski club dedicated to getting rural youth out skiing.  Hailing from Fairbanks, made up by volunteers from the Tanana Chiefs Corporation (TCC) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF).

All afternoon we played a variety of games, had relay races, and went for a long ski.  While sizing up the students with ski boots someone came running from across the school.  “There’s caribou on the river!”, an aide shouted.  We all rushed to the library and were able to watch at least 20 caribou slowly pick their way through the snow up river.  It was spectacular, and a treat for the out of town ski club guests.

After dressing in ski gear we headed out for fun.  First we played a version of “sharks & minnows” called “caribou and wolves”.  All the caribou lined up shoulder to shoulder.  The wolves, taunted the caribou to ski across a vast open tundra, attempting to tag, or gobble up as many caribou as possible.  Once tagged by a wolf, you become a wolf.  The game continues until all the caribou have become wolves.  I was reminded of my days swimming across Grafton pool during the dog days of summer playing sharks and minnows.

After a round of ski hockey using foam noodles, we had relay races.  Students grouped up in two teams, racing back and forth in front of the school.  Some races were without poles, some races students could only use poles.  It was a great way to practice skiing skills and have fun!

Our last event was a distance race down to the river, around teacher housing, and back to the finish line in front of school. First the girls all lined up and raced each other. Then the boys raced.

After a quick snack we headed out for a long ski. Our route was chosen following the caribou tracks from earlier in the day. Clear blue skies and warmer temperatures made for a majestic ski.

We crossed the Chandalar River and dipped into the woods on the shores of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The trail twisted and turned across open lakes, then in and out of spruce stands. Though the caribou had moved on, the signs were everywhere: foot prints in the snow, tufts of fur, and shrubs nibbled away.

As a small headwind grew we turned around and headed back to school

Gretchen living the mantra, skiing is fun!

Luckily our ski coaches could carry some of the littler skiers back

Dan blazes into the arctic wilderness

A big thanks to all the folks from K’enaanee Kkaazoot for donating ski jackets, ski equipment, and for spending time teaching us to ski. 

Finally, SPRING!

If you're coming to Arctic Village, don't forget your sunglasses.  And oh yeah, watch out for all the caribou.  Since the beginning of February the caribou have been slowly trickling through the area.  What began as a drip turned into pouring waves of caribou not just on the surrounding frozen lakes, but crossing through the village.  Just yesterday we watched from the school classroom windows as a group of 20 walked across the river, less than 200 yards from the school.

Earlier in the week we heard reports of the herd nestling about a mile from the school.  So we grabbed our skis and camera to investigate.  I have shared a few photographs on FaceBook, but I hope to have several more posted to the Lost in AK Photo site soon.

Skiing amongst them was amazing.  At times they are very self aware of our presence, scurrying away.  Other times they possess the land and don't budge an inch.  Last Sunday I decided to take Gretchen skiing up Daschen'le.  This has become one of my favorite 2+ hour workouts.  Its about 4.5 miles to tree line, just below the main ridge.  Nearly all the ski is up hill, which makes for a fun ride back down.  Check out the video:

Clear blue skies have been pulling night temperatures to around -25.  Day time highs have been approaching -5.  This is my favorite time of year in Alaska.  I wouldn't trade March and April for anything in the world.  You can keep "the great summers" which typical Alaskans enjoy the most, for me its early spring.  For now, if you want to find me, I'll be out skiing!

Summer Planning: Mount Rainier

With less than one quarter of school remaining (9 weeks) and exodus fast approaching, its time to start planning for the summer.  I'm totally stoked about phase one- climb Mount Rainier!  What began in a brief conversation with my "best man" is actually coming to fruition.  Its been way to long since Kevin Shon and I had an adventure together, thus a plan was formulated.  While I've spent the last 6 years tromping around Alaska, Kevin has been spent several seasons in Patagonia.  Beyond just temporary work with Outward Bound, Kevin has really invested himself and become passionate about this new land.  Investing chunks of time into serving others and learning how to be a better steward of the land.  So, we knew our next adventure had to be somewhat on the scale of Alaska and Patagonia.  Not that just getting together wouldn't be enough, but as a friend of mine likes to say- "go big, or go home".

This past week I mailed our permits to the National Park Service office in Washington.  They open for business April 1 to start issuing permits, but allow them postmarked by March 15.  Also along for the climb will be my wife Gretchen, our best friend Amelia Payne, and a good friend of Kev's, Dino.

For now, we have two months to train and "get in the best shape of our life"(as the guidebook suggests).  Our hope is to summit before Memorial Day weekend.  I anticipate that as a high time for visitors with excessive traffic on the mountain.  So we'll have to leave home as soon as school gets out.  Originally I really wanted to remain in the park and hike the Wonderland Trail.  But, as I've been reading several hikers blogs it sounds like large sections of the trail are still covered in snow as late as June.  So, we'll consider returning later in the summer to complete our "Rainer Double Header".

As for the rest of summer, my canvas is still blank, waiting to be filled with colors of adventure.  I'm thinking maybe some sea kayaking.  I'm hearing the Brooks Range calling.  And of course, a requisite visit to McCarthy.  The theme for the summer will be endurance.  I'd like to trek further then ever before.  Staying out longer, traveling lighter, and seeing new places.  So, stay tuned to my blog for updates, videos, and of course photographs.

 These photographs were taken in 2005.  Kevin rode along with me as I drove from Virginia to Washington, reporting for duty my first days as a Lieutenant.  Later, while working on Fort Lewis, I got a weekend pass and went hiking in Rainier National Park.  Hoping someday to return and climb this awesome mountain.

Fielding Lake Retreat

After a week of sitting at inservice training, I was ready to get back into the mountains.  Sadly my district doesn’t provide spring break to teachers.  So I did what every rational person sould do, take three personnel days and disappear.  Ever since hiking the Castner Glacier last Fall I have been continually interested in exploring the eastern side of the Alaska Range.  So we rented the Fielding Lake state park public use cabin for two nights.  The cabin and lake are about two miles from the Richardson highway, around mile 200.  If you’re heading North from Glenallen the pull off is right after Paxson and Summit Lake.

The southern side of the lake is dotted with private cabins.  In the Summer it might feel crowded, but in the Winter we had it all to ourselves.  It was obvious heavy winds rip through the valley.  The lake was crusted over with some of the hardest wind slab I have ever seen.  The western side of the lake was blown down to exposed ice.

I had a funny experience prior to leaving town on Friday.  While waiting in line at Fred Myers Grocery in Fairbanks I felt a slight tapping on my back.  I turned around and saw one of my 7th grade students.  Several of my students came into town with the native dance team for a competition.  We briefly chatted until he noticed I had three bundles of firewood in my shopping cart.  Suddenly his eyes grew big and a confused look came over his face.  “Why are you buying wood from the grocery store” he asked?  I had to explain I was going camping, and wanted to be prepared, but he wasn’t buying it.  I asked if he thought I could just walk around Fairbanks with a chainsaw cutting down trees.  He still couldn’t comprehend why anybody would buy wood here.  

Iditarod 2012

As it is quickly becoming a tradition, Gretchen and I made the pilgrimage to Anchorage for the start of the Iditarod sled dog race.  This year was extra special.  Our friends Justin and Rebecca at SnowHook Kennels asked for last minute help as “handlers”.  This meant Gretchen put on her official arm band and went behind the scenes escorting sixteen rambunctious canines to the starting line.  Despite a sled carrying three full grown people, and the help of ten people, sixteen dogs managed to drag them forward.  After a few moments its not hard to see the power these creatures have.  They are magnetically drawn towards Nome, a continuous thrust of power forward. 

Racing dogs are just so photogenic.  I lingered for a while, every few seconds snapping a photograph as they continued to model and show off for the crowds.  All images are reduced to small thumbnail size, but click on an image to view in larger slideshow format.

The center blue eyed dog reminds us a lot of our Jack-Jack, though not related by blood.

This is the infamous Whitey-Lance that ran away during Justin’s 2010 rookie year.  Despite having to drop from the race, thankfully after a couple days he was found near a checkpoint.  Now Whitey always wears his official “Where’s Whitey” waldo-striped bandana.

Gretchen provided a lot of moral support and love during the pre-race activities.  Most of the dogs were already booted, harnessed, and hooked up, so she just sat for a quick visit.

Justin and Rebecca Savidis of Willow, Alaska.  Team Showhook Kennel.

One of the things I love most about Iditarod is how everything is centered around the dogs.  They are the ultra athletes.  The blissful joy they get from running and competing is obvious in the energy they exhibit from the streets of Anchorage to the frozen Yukon River.  The mushers are merely the means for which these dogs get to compete.  I’m not trying to down play the importance of the musher as care giver or decision maker in this race.  But merely emphasizing the admiration I have for these dogs, and the attention they get.  I can think of few other sports where animals take on this esteemed status, almost overplaying that of the humans involved.

We’ll be following the Last Great Race closely online.  

White Mountain Ski

Success should not always be measured in miles skied, peaks summited, or elevation gained.  The wilds of Alaska continue to define me.  Its daunting year round landscape provides challenges to last a lifetime.  My years in Alaska have only honed my skills and sharpened my senses in the outdoors.  Yet its times like this I’m humbled by her and forced to rethink what I call a successful backcountry trip. Is success simply spending two enjoyable days skiing with a friend.  Or learning the way snow falls in new mountains.  In the most morbid sense, success is merely returning home alive.

Did we complete the 3 day, 40 mile trip I had planned?  No.  Did we reach both cabins I had reserved for us?  No.  I hate to sound cliché, but if you measured success in these terms- we failed.  One of the things I love most about Alaska is while she crushes your ego with raw elemental force; she builds you back up in her beauty.  Alaska is always true to herself.  Daunting.  Deep.  Unembellished while teeming with elegance and charisma.  I find humility in the vigilant way this landscape lives and grows in the truest sense.  Forcing those pursing her wilds to be always ready, as she is ever present. 

It started as a three-day cross-country skiing tour of the While Mountains.  We were planning to ski the Wickersham Dome to Summit Trail. Eight miles the first day to the Summit Trail Shelter.  Day two called for 12 miles out the Summit Trail intersecting with the Wickersham Creek Trail, and arriving at a cabin I reserved, the Borealis-LaFouvre Cabin.  Then, our third and final day we were to ski 20 miles along the Wickersham Creek Trail back to the Elliot Highway mile 28 parking lot.   I knew the Summit Trail was the only non-motorized trail we would travel.  I believed this trail to be groomed a couple times a season as well as highly traveled, I was wrong. 

The first two miles of the Wickersham Dome trail were spectacular.  Rolling well-traveled trails over a couple domes before arriving on the summit ridge of the Wickersham Dome.  After another mile we were breaking crust on a windy exposed ridge.  Despite the Elliot Highway still being visible, I felt committed to our pursuit of the Summit Shelter.  This is the point my research failed.  We dropped into dense spruce forests with waist deep sugary faceted snow.  Even with skis on we were post-holing strait through to the frozen tundra below.  The progress was exhausting and painstakingly slow.  I think we traveled less than three miles in about eight hours.  As the darkness enveloped us so to our goal of reaching the shelter became dimmer and dimmer.  At 10:30pm Saturday night we made the call to stop, melt snow into water, and attempt to eat our first real meal of the day.  After 13 hours trudging along we were exhausted, dehydrated, and in need of calories.  The conversation quickly turned to our chances of surviving the night bivouacked here in the woods.  I know I’m very naïve of others feelings at times, and overly confident of my own self in the outdoors.  Surely both, because I wasn’t scared for a second about having to camp here, exposed, under the Arctic midnight.  My partner had doubts.  Maybe he had a better grasp of the gravity of the situation then me.  I feel decisions such as those we had to make are shaped by experience.  Several other situations came to mind where either I, or my Dad, made similar decisions.  Trudge beyond fatigue and exhaustion to a safer location.  Or, to the best of your ability, make this site safe as possible with any means available.  Despite oncoming snow flurries and frigid temperatures, I opted to stay.  Rest, food, water, and the warmth of a sleeping bag seemed to take precedent over continuing into the unknown.  Despite being only 1.31 miles away, according to my GPS, that trek could take hours, in the dark, through unfamiliar territory.   As I tried to melt snow and begin cooking food Scott collected wood and built a fire.  The decision to build a fire was Scotts alone.  I’m glad he was there, because it was a really good decision.  I probably wouldn’t have built a fire were it not for him.  The fire became an emblem of hope.  “We can make it if we have fire.”  I soon learned Jet Boil stoves don’t work very well in sub-zero temperatures.  With a nearby camp fire, the Jet Boil began efficiently burning the containerized fuel allowing us to melt snow quicker and prepare dinner. 

Quickly clouds moved in.  Throughout the night we were dusted with fresh snow.  I awoke in my sleeping bag several times over night, slightly chilled. Enshrouded in my cocoon it was hard to get up, knowing my ski boots were probably frozen.  I cringed thinking about cramming my warm foot into a cold frozen boot.  As I lay in my bivy sack, I yelled across our snow pit, briefing Scott- “Once we get up, we need to hustle.  Right now we’re comfortable, in about 10 minutes we’re going to be freezing.  Hands numb as we pack our bags.  Toes blocks of ice as we move about in frozen boots.  Just know the faster we get packed, the sooner we’ll be on the trail, moving along, warming ourselves back up.  Don’t worry, it’s all part of winter camping.”

Dawn Sunday morning brought clear skies and fresh snow on everything.  Scott and I quickly discussed our options as we packed our bags.  Trudge another 1.3 miles to the shelter, then possibly five to six more miles down to the motorized trail, or follow our already broken trail back to the parking lot.  I felt lost giving up on my expedition so easily.  The 40 mile loop in my mind, the measure of success for this trip, had vanished.  It was time to let common sense prevail, and consider returning via the known safe route.  With little debate, we both decided to turn around.  What took 13 hours Saturday, only took 8 hours backtracking the same route Sunday.  In the densest of trees and deepest of snow the already broken trail was glorious.  Atop the exposed domes our trail from the day before had already blown away.  Leaving only hard crust that we quickly skated across.   

My feelings of defeat turned to glory as we crested the Wickersham Dome.  The midday sun shone through frozen spruce trees.  The surface of the snow glazed over with a thin wind hammered slab.  It was so hard my ski poles could not penetrate the surface.  As we skied closer to our final destination, the sun began setting.  Unlike the night before, when I had pull out my headlamp navigating the dark woods, trying to find a shelter- now I knew we would reach the truck before twilight.  I enjoyed the orange, pink, and purple glow illuminated across the frozen White Mountains.  All the clouds had lifted revealing the surrounding mountains.  Endlessly the landscape lifted and fell in all directions.  They were not jagged peaks but mountainous domes, rising above the valleys below.  Tapering off into the great beyond.  I wondered if on a clear day I could see the Yukon River from here, at least a hundred miles to the North.  Despite fatigue growing and growing, the last 3 miles were enjoyable- with sun setting, fast trails, and a fun descent off Wickersham dome.  I felt as if once again it had been a successful trip, until discovering the beers in the bed of my truck had frozen…

Chasing Caribou

After multiple reports of the Caribou herd sighted from the plane, I decided to chase them down myself.  What I found was groups of Caribou numbering 20-50 moving amongst the lakes to the South of Arctic Village.  Gretchen and I left Jack-Jack at home, for fear he would scare away the Caribou,  hoping for some good photographs.

Within 200 meters of passing the last house we spotted 4 caribou in the trail.  They quickly became aware of our presence and ran away.  For the next hour we crossed a couple smaller lakes East of the airport, then turned due South.  Our first contact with the larger herd was on Khaali lake.  From at least 3/4 mile away, we watched about 50 caribou crossing the open frozen lake.  With a bright sun shining low on the horizon behind them, only their silhouettes were visible.

Next we turned West and headed back towards the Southern end of the runway. Then found a side trail taking us even more Southerly and encountered "Caribou Cove".  A small serene lake hidden by rolling hills and surrounded with snow covered slopes.  Here we had a perfect vantage point to watch the caribou meander across the frozen space.  Bedding down and munching on vegetation around the edges.  Occasionally digging up snow looking for lichen to eat.  Scattered across the lake was the entrails of several caribou shot days before.  Attempting to sneak up on the small pack of 5 didn't go so well.  They were very alert.  Watching as I began moving closer, then darting off across the lake and into the black spruce trees.  The caribou seem more timid now then I remember.  Last year I rode in the school maintenance truck as we drove through the middle of them.  Worried they would bounce off our hood.  Today, they wanted nothing to do with human contact.  Have they been over hunted the last couple days?  Are they more self aware of the world around them near the end of winter?  Or are they less safe in smaller numbers then the 1,000+ I witnessed last year?

At this point we were beginning to think about our way home.  Fingers had become a little numb after stopping to snap photos for to long.  We discussed a route back over the village landfill, down to the Chandalar, and home via a packed snow machine trail heading up river.  It sounded great, but we would find out the packed snow machine trail didn't extend as far South as I expected.  So we ended up bushwhacking and following caribou trails for another two hours before finally intersecting the packed freeway.  Arriving back home with purple pink skies turning quickly darkness.

The total ski was 10.6 miles.  Enjoy my short film, "Chasing Caribou".

Good Ole' Fashion Fun

I wouldn't consider myself a "motorhead" kind of guy- but I enjoy a little throttle therapy every now and then.  The past warm week brought with it several inches of fresh snow.  This morning I awoke to a heavy layer of hoar frost on everything.  As soon as school got out I rushed home, warmed up the snow-go, and started playing.  

My original goal was a scouting mission looking for Caribou.  I had heard several people had seen the herd numbering over a thousand very close South of the village.  

The snow lying on the river was at least two feet deep, three in places.  Unlike south central, here it is typically dry and very cold- making what I call dandruff snow.  It is so unbonded that abruptly stopping causes my track to sink all the way to raw ice.  Once you stop, its hard to start again.  I made this mistake once, and spent 15 minutes digging out the rear end and dragging my machine to a compacted trail where it could grip.  The key, don't stop, hold the throttle and float on the snow, as if you were carving out the clouds.

All photographs are by Gretchen.

The New Guy

by Gretchen

As I was sitting in the lobby at Wright Air Service today I sat down next to a wide-eyed guy, quietly taking everything in.  It was obviously his first time here.  You could tell by the look on his face.  The regulars at "Wrights" walk in, chat with the ladies at the desk, joke with the pilots, drink bad coffee and stand outside for smoke breaks.  It is really more like a bus station than an airport terminal.  If Wright Air had a Frequent Flyer program I would have Super Elite Premium Platnum Status by now.  I always see people I know here.  Today I was busy watching someone's baby while they went out to pack boxes and check in cargo when the new guy started asking me questions. "Where are you flying?" "You mean you live all the way up there?" "What do you do there?"  I am a talker by nature and always glad to chat about the beautiful and unique place we get to live.  So I told him a bit about the area, then asked what brought him to Alaska.

He is from Chattanooga, Tennessee (where my Dad grew up!) He just graduated from UT with an engineering degree and decided to take a 45 day trip to experience Alaska before getting a job.  (Gotta love that!)  This was his first time ever flying. Not just his first time flying on small planes, but ever flying at all!  What a trip to take for someone who has never flown!  He flew from TN to Minneapolis, to Anchorage, to Fairbanks, then was heading out to Tanana to meet a musher and take an 11 day dog sled trip across the interior.  He hopes to see the Northern Lights while out dog sledding.

It reminded me how much I love to hear stories of people who venture out to see Alaska!  It is such an amazing place to explore.  I wonder if he'll be one of the ones that starts out on vacation and ends up staying.  It seems to happen up here!  Have a great trip!

Blood In The Tracks

After almost two weeks of frigid temperatures around -50F, it was a welcomed blessing to see the thermometer rise above 0F this past weekend.  I grabbed my ski's, Jack grabbed his harness, and we headed out!  

My goal with warm temps and soft snow was to ski all the way up Dachenlee.  This is the "holy" mountain with gently rising slopes South East of Arctic Village.  The days tally would be 10 miles skied with 1200ft elevation gain.  

I wasn't able to reach the final ridge of Dachenlee because of low hanging snow clouds.  So I pulled my thermos out and enjoyed a warm cup of tea at one of the Fall hunting camps.  Now just a skeleton of sticks and stones.  All around the ground was trampled, snow scattered everywhere, vegetation exposed.  The caribou had been here in small groups, bedding down, grazing, and moving on. 

On the way back to the village, about a mile away we encountered blood in the tracks, literally.  Someone had shot a caribou off one of the side trails.  The caribou had been most likely been tied to the back of a wood sled, his blood running out of him the whole way back.  Rather then follow bread crumbs home, we skied along a line of bright red. 

 

Jack was none to impressed.  I think he was hoping for a steak at the end...

A Sort of Homecoming

This school year I have been part of a state funded social studies curriculum called Map TEACH.  The program is designed to get students thinking geo-spatially through GIS, GPS, remote sensing, and place based local knowledge of the land. Twice we’ve met in Fairbanks for workshops.  This time we met in Anchorage.  Its been almost nine months since I was in my old stomping grounds.  

To my luck I arrived on the first Thursday of February, just in time for First Tap!!!  This months lineup had the Young Fangs opening up from Fairbanks, followed by laVoy from Wasilla.  I really enjoyed both bands.  They had a post-punk emo/indie sound which really filled the room with screaming guitars, groovy bass-lines, and heavy drum beats.

Twice since I’ve become a teacher I had the pleasure of staying in the Hotel Captain Cook.  Not what I expected, but hey, with enough grant money anything is possible...

These photographs were taken from the 15th floor of my hotel.  I observed the icebreaker cargo ship passing by my hotel window out in the Cook Inlet.  I loved the way Sleeping Lady Mountain was looming in the distance.

Anchorage has had record snowfall this year.  Unfortunately I had to leave my skis in Fairbanks, with little time to spare for the backcountry.  The photos of Anchorage were also taken from the elevator lobby on the 15th floor of the Cook Hotel, just before sunset.