Coal Wood Glitter: The Third Time's A Charm

I had an idea, I planned, I tried, and now I finished.

90 miles through the Alaska Range, this time with Ed Plumb & Ann Farris.
Day 1: Suntrana to Cody Creek via Healy Creek (27 mi) & 10 hrs of sleep
Day 2: Cody Creek to Edgar Creek  via the Wood River (25 mi) & 8 hrs of sleep
Day 3: Edgar Creek to McKinley Village, aka 'Glitter Gulch' (10 mi hiking & 28 mi packrafting).
          First vehicle I thumbed it to picked us up.

The Route:
About 95% of this route offers some sort of trail or path, whether it be ATV or game trails.
One 4500 ft pass and one 5400 ft pass. Lots of creek/river bed walking & thick brush (mostly alder & birch) in drainages up to 4000 feet.
The Yanert is swift glacial current, running at least 6 mph, with a top floating speed of 11 mph. It's mostly a class I-II float, with some hard & tight eddy lines that require precise paddling and a few class III bends and holes, almost all of which are avoidable.
I unintentionally danced with the Devil and ended up running two big wave trains, without a spray deck or PFD, that each led into a class III hole, but managed to stay dry & upright. Sorry Mom, but I guess I learned something from all those Roman Dial packrafting videos.

Trip Insight:
- It's a great route: walk past the old coal mines and up Healy Creek for 20-some miles, up & over Cody Pass & down Cody Creek to the Wood River, up it to Big Grizzly Creek & the pass to Edgar Creek, then follow Edgar Creek to the Yanert, float out the Yanert to Revine Creek (5 hrs) and hike back to the Parks Highway at McKinley Village. It's very straight-forward and easy to follow.
- As you can see in the video, we used the GPS a lot, but that's only because we forgot the maps in the truck. I also had a mental image burnt into my brain after two years of planning. We found that it's perfect for someone looking to 'go bigger' with their backcountry adventures, but still have some sort of path to follow and information about the route, with not too big of terrain and modest safety hazards.
- I typically don't eat that much during the day, but like a big meal at night. It replaces what I burned during the day and helps me sleep at night. But, if it's cold, windy, & wet, I need a lot more calories during the day.
- Ultralight is great, but if it's nasty weather, it may be best to either have extra time to wait it out or bring the extra food it will take (calorically) to keep on truckin'. Extra time might be nice to catch up on sleep or rest sore muscles/feet from all the mileage you probably were doing because you are going ultralight.
- I took my pack off three times each day and never sat down the first two days, until we made camp. We averaged between 2.5 & 3 mph hiking, depending on the brush intensity. Continuing to hike and not taking more than a few minute breaks was actually nicer than stopping and resting, as it kept my body in motion.
- I dipped a liter bottle in small creeks for water, without filtering, and found that every creek tastes different, depending on the rock and minerals deposited into the water. It kept me in touch with the environment in a way I've never experienced before.

The Gear:
19 lbs including boat & paddle, not including worn & consumables
Six Moon Designs Comet backpack (& 2 webbing straps to tie to packraft)
Marmot Hydrogen sleeping bag & torso size blue foam
Patagonia wool 2 zip-t & wool socks (for sleeping, in silnylon bag)
GoLite Shangri-La 3 & 6 Y-stakes (to sleep 3 people)
Ti pot, Cat stove, pot grabber, spoon, windscreen, & matches (to cook inside shelter)
Bear spray, knife, & firestarter
Rab eVent jacket & OR PacLite pants
Montbell Thermawrap Vest & Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody
Alpacka Yukon Yak (also to sleep on)
AquaBound Manta Ray paddle (also shelter support)

Gear Insight:
- Denatured alchohol is great, but up at 4500 feet on Big Grizzly Creek was the first time I've ever had problems with the cat stove. Even nestled behind some rocks, it took almost 10 lights before it stayed burning and boiled water. Every time I set the pot on the stove, it would go out. Sensitive to the wind?
- Having the liter bottle cinched to my backpack shoulder strap with an orange ski strap was fantastic. I stayed more hydrated than I ever have in my life, as the water was right there to drink and monitor how much I had or needed for the next stretch. If I was hiking along a creek, I'd dump it out and carry an empty bottle, as I could dip whenever I was thirsty.
- The Rab Latok Alpine Jacket with eVent fabric doubled as a wind & rain jacket. It was so breathable, I only took it off for one mile! While hiking into the driving rain, however, it did wet out, but conditions were pretty gnarly and I'm not disappointed, especially when I compare its performance to all the other waterproof/breathable fabrics I've used.
- We had to stop hiking the second night (in the driving rain) not because we were tired or it was late or too nasty of weather, but because my gloves were saturated and after three hours, my hands finally got too cold. Couple that with the conditions and time and it was a mighty fine opportunity to pitch the shelter and hit the hay. Take home message: bring shell gloves/mitts or a way to keep hands dry (& warm).
- The GoLite Shangri-La 3 slept all three of us with just enough space to sprawl out, except for the driving rain night, when we had to hunker in a little to keep away from the wet nylon. Plenty strong and storm-worthy.
- We slept on our packrafts, which created a huge dry area, allowing us to lay out gear and clothes next to our bags and keep it all dry. The 2011 boats are even bigger than previous models, with the long tail, and work really nicely.
- 100% humidity, being showered by dripping condensation all night, and a very wet insulated jacket couldn't wet-out my Marmot Hydrogen 30 degree down bag. While it was unsettling to see the clumpy balls of down when I got into the bag, it was completely dry by morning, while being warm all night.
- As nice as the 2011 Alpackas are to sleep on, they're equally bad to sit in. The boat has an overall narrower design, which smashed my hips to the point of pain during and after the float. Both feet were crammed in the bow, one in front of the other as there wasn't enough room to wedge them side by side. The narrow dimensions also make the boat slightly tippier side to side, compared to the previous model. However, the tail is amazing. As Roman pointed out, it completely prevents bandersnatching. If you have an old boat, send it in to Sheri and have a tail installed.
- I'm a hiker and I like to go light, so carrying 7-10 lbs of floating gear is not cool unless there's enough floating to make it worth while or the route just isn't possible without it. But, if I am going to carry a boat, etc, I'm taking the biggest boat I can, as they are so much more stable and float through skinny water better, plus being idyllically spacious. Sure, it weighs a little more, but so not as much as the whole floating gear compared to my basepack weight.
- Last trip, I carried my trekking poles the entire time. This time, I left them at home. Never once did I miss them, because in my hand, instead, was my DSLR. With my hands free, I took 1200 photos in three days and even had the camera put away for 4 hours during the driving rain and 6 hours the next day while packrafting. The DSLR allows me to get shots that are straight-up impossible to get with a point and shoot, plus the quality is far superior. And since it's in my hand all day long, it doesn't weigh down my pack.

As I learned last year when J.R. & I attempted this trip, I may be out of school, but the education continues.

Thoughts from the Crest of the Alaska Range

On this last trip into the Alaska Range, I didn't bring a hat. A visor to shade the sun, but no hat. Not a light one, not a warm one. Instead, I used the hoods on my lightweight wool longsleeve baselayer hoody, wind jacket, insulated puff jacket, and rain jacket to keep my head warm and dry. It is super convenient because a hat needs to be either worn or stowed, while a hood is flipped on or off and is always there. Never once did I wish I had brought any sort of hat.

While I brought two trekking poles, I found myself carrying them the majority of the time and only using both for brief periods (uphill) or a specific instance, like stream crossing. In fact, they aggravated me more than anything, having to carry them for miles to have them ready if I wished, instead of stowing them in my pack. If I'm just going to pack them away, why not just leave them at home? When I did use the poles, I found one pole to be more than sufficient and actually preferable to two poles. The only time two were actually useful is when I was hiking very steep uphills and using the poles to catapult across streams. Maybe I'll just become a better hiker and guess what? My feet were already wet, so why bother trying to keep them dry? One pole. Decision made.

In heavy rains, a solid rain jacket is well worth its weight for comfort and dryness, although a super light shell that is truly waterproof and breathable can serve double duty as a shell and wind jacket, plus bug protection.

No matter what, bring two pair of wool socks. My one pair stayed wet for three days straight and neoprene river socks are not comfortable to sleep in.

Instead of bringing camp footwear, bring bread bags to slip over sleep socks to keep them dry when running out to pee in already wet shoes.

One shared sleeping bag is plenty large enough for a couple to share. I'd like to make a lightweight synthetic quilt for summer use. If sharing, use a bag rated to the temperatures you'll experience, as there is some inefficiency in sharing a bag versus zipping up and cinching down to blow hole size.

I cut the foam back support out of my GoLite Pinnacle, since I already use my light sleeping pad as back support. Turns out, it was a great idea. Weight saved and still just as comfortable.

Here's a thought... I've tried to cut nearly every single ounce off my hiking gear that is practical and still comfortable. Then, I throw in TEN POUNDS of packrafting gear. Hmmm... Maybe more thought regarding floating or crossing rivers for the route is necessary.

The denatured alcohol stove I made from a Fancy Feast cat food can boils two cups of water in five minutes or less and weighs almost nothing at 0.3 oz. Super simple and nothing to break. Thank you, Andrew Skurka!

A pair of super light long underwear bottoms is nice for sleeping and wearing if it's cold during the day and while packrafting on rainy days.

The long sleeves with thumb holes on my wool hoody worked well in keeping my hands warm in cool, damp, & windy weather, since I didn't bring gloves, either.

Loksaks are great for anything needing to stay dry, including TP, and are the lightest, reliable option.

Sharing is a great way to save weight and after having a group member lose a $100 knife and realizing I never even pulled mine out of my hipbelt pocket, it makes sense to share things between group members - like one knife.

The GoLite Hex 3 floorless shelter is great - in winds, rain, some bugs, etc. It's a little difficult to set up the hexagonal shape perfectly, but it offers a lot of interior space for spreading out gear and hanging out with the entire group in nasty weather. I've also yet to have any problems with mosquitoes in the floorless shelter, as they tend to stay up in the peak, where all the heat (and carbon dioxide concentration?) is. It can even be carefully set up with two paddles (shown above), allowing utilization of the entire area inside the shelter.

I use short Outdoor Research Flex-Tex gaiters to keep debris out of my sneakers. I see them as a necessity.

Beefy, durable trekking pants that can take abuse are so nice for bushwhacking and hiking in rocks, plus they tend to be wind resistant, coupling well with a wind jacket or double-duty light shell.

Spoons kick spork ass anyday. Period. Those teeth just don't clean up pots very well.

One large, main dry bag is all that's necessary for keeping gear dry, instead of messing with multiple bags and playing Tetris to fit them in to your backpack.

Using a superlight bivy helps keep your sleeping bag dry and allows a person to use a slightly lighter bag for the current temperatures and helps protect the sleeping bag from dirt, water, and physical abuse.

Last, but not least, nothing is better than a Nutty Bar covered in creamy peanut butter and Nutella. Not a Snickers, Whatchamacallit, or a Sindawg. Nothing.

Real fuel for backcountry adventures

Check out this recipe!
I would suggest not eating this unless you are truly working your body hard.
Time for me to head to the grocery store.

Thai Peanut 900

As I learned from my friend, Travis, mixing one packet of ramen noodles, one block of condensed curry powder, and one hefty spoonful of crunchy peanut butter is outstanding as a backcountry meal.
As I learned from Arctic 1000 research, a 900 calorie meal, weighing in at 5.75 onces, equates to a whopping 156 calories per ounce, far above the goal of 130-140 cal/oz one should strive for when planning a menu for ultralight endeavors. (The idea is to carry as many calories in as little weight, as possible.)
As I learned from multiple trips, this meal can keep you fueled for a long, hard day of backcountry travel or cold temperatures. Plus, it's super easy to prepare, as boiling water can be added to the ramen noodles in a pot with no lid and they'll still rehydrate in under five minutes. Add the PB when it's done 'cooking,' and dig in.

I usually skip the condensed curry powder (and 100 calories, = 152 cal/oz), mostly to keep things simple.
Slow metabolism or activity level? Go easy on the PB or consider another meal.

Kanuti Hot Springs

Went to Kanuti Hot Springs with Ed Plumb and friends...

Calories per ounce running high

Beautiful skiing weather, although, more snow on the ground would be nice.

I'd suggest scaled skis to avoid the need of wax, skins, and F'ing with the skis like this, which caught every stick for 24 miles.

We found the way!

John looking very classic

The 'trail'

Kanuti Hot Springs

Cleaning off the boots to click into the bindings

Ed & Caribou Mountain