My Final Stint & Denali Backcountry with a Good Friend

Whew! The past couple weeks have truly been a whirlwind. My last assignment in the backcountry of Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve was quickly followed up by some hectic travel and then a mind-blowing trip in the Denali National Park wilderness with my college apartment-mate/teammate/best friend Kyle Ragan. I considered splitting this post into two different portions, but then thought that one longer post would work better while the experiences are still fresh in my mind...and sore body.

The four days before my final stint were spent back at Fairbanks. For me, this was my first time out of the preserve in over six weeks. As usual, I stayed at Sven's Hostel. I seemed to eat at almost every restaurant that Fairbanks has to offer as I hadn't tasted such fresh food in almost two months. So, if anyone is heading to Fairbanks and wants to know some good places to get grub let me know (Bun on the Run for your morning coffee and monstrous cinnamon roll is a must). Above, this cute puppy, named Xango (pronounced Shangoo), was around the hostel for a few days as his Canadian owner passed through.

Due to the fact that it was impossible to get our crew back to the mini-grid we were supposed to sample for our last assignment, the three of us ended up doing a modified grid. We boated 90 miles up the Yukon River from the small road-end town of Circle and worked on plots in various areas within a few miles of the river banks which we could boat to. This meant that our camp was on an island in the middle of the river. Beautiful ripples of sand were pristine with the exception of little birdy prints everywhere.

The culprit, caught in action!

One of the many rocky bluffs which define the impressive bluffs along the river.

A small orchid in one of our plots.

Very much unlike our experience at Washington Creek, our campsite was almost 100% mosquito free. This meant that in the evening we could take off our wet and heavy boots and stroll barefoot along the sand, or even go swimming in the surprisingly temperate waters of the Yukon (62 degrees!).

From the location of our first campsite Kathul Mountain rose magnificently in the background. This picture was taken our first day of work from a vegetation plot near the base of the mountain.

The trip was filled with bird encounters. Bald eagles follower our boat, golden eagles circled over our plots, peregrine falcons dove at 200mph literally 30 feet above our campsite, and much more. Here are some photos of birds I had the luck of catching with my lens. Above, a woodpecker (three-toed?) pulled insects out of dead birch trees above our worksite on late afternoon.

At the end of one day we hiked by this tundra lake. The clear, still waters reflected the surroundings perfectly. Three loons slowly swam around the middle of the lake. At night we could hear their sorrowful calls echoing throughout the valley. By far my favorite bird call, the sound a loon makes seems to shake your very soul.

Kathul Mountain rises beyond the lake.

My crew leader, Fleur, found this birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum) one afternoon and I cooked it up as an extra ingredient in my burritos that night. Quite tasty. Knife credits go to Mr. Thomas, much thanks, I carried it with me everyday in the field.

False toadflax (Geocaulon lividum) in the center, and lowbush cranberry (vaccinum vitis-idaea) boast their vibrant fruits.

Brian found this small skull hiking back to the boat one evening. I would it guess it belongs to a small bird.

After 10 hours in the heat Brian and I couldn't wait to get in the refreshing water!

A 3:00 am bathroom break provided me with the chance to snap this photo of the moon sidling over Kathul Mountain.

On the seventh day we moved our camp to another island 50 miles downstream back towards Circle where there was more good sampling areas. We had yet to see any wildlife other than the abundance of birds, but then that morning as we ate breakfast I spotted a momma black bear on the opposite bank. Two little cubs scampered after her as she anxiously tried to find a way back up the steep cut-bank. Not the best photo, but I had to run to my tent for my camera before they disappeared back into the dense spruce forest.

The second island we camped on was directly opposite the striking Takoma Bluff. Spires of rock shot up out of the water and land connected to each other with little bridges, or standing alone as tall islands of rock.

A little closer view of some of the complexity of Takoma Bluff.

The island was slightly larger than the last one, and had a multitude of different animal tracks. Here, a bear appeared to have gone for a swim back to the mainland.

Mommy and baby moose walk side-by-side to the water's edge.

A lone wolf on the prowl crosses an expanse of mud/sand.

After our assignment ended I seemed to go through some sort of time/space altering machine. Suddenly I was out of the wilderness and back in Fairbanks. Then, I was suddenly in Denali having said goodbye to my crew and saying hi my good friend Kyle Ragan. He is living in Anchorage for a year working for AmeriCorp. He drove up to Denali on Friday evening. On Saturday morning we caught a shuttle out to the park where we began a short, but epic, two night hike in the backcountry.

Kyle checks out a small herd of caribou on a ridge. Saturday was a big wildlife day for Kyle. He had his first caribou spotting, and first grizzly and golden eagle sightings. From the shuttle on the way out we watched a lone grizzly running across a mountain slope chasing a golden eagle...a pretty unique first sighting for sure.

From up high we had some pretty stunning views before descending into the valley.

Thick clouds of rain made our destination appear fairly ominous. As we were to find out, it was much more intense than we imagined at the moment.

Kyle has a "Call of the Wild" moment.

The bluffs and cliffs reminded us of photos we had seen of the coast of Ireland.

Kyle descends a particularly technical section. Good thing alders and willows root well on cliffs.

At the bottom of the first gorge was a stream that required crossing. Our first of many times getting cold feet and saturated boots.

Over the next ridge we were rewarded with a panoramic view of the west fork of the east branch of the Toklat River.  We would end up crossing it later that evening before setting up camp.

As we took a minute to catch our breath and a few photos Kyle relaxes on the soft mossy slope. He was very ecstatic about how comfy it was to lay down there. This is also where we caught our last few rays of sun before entering the seemingly impenetrable mass of rain, fog and wind trapped back in the valley.

Our campsite from the adjacent slope. We placed the tent right up against the steep incline hoping it would help buffer the high winds and rain. It still made for a chilly evening, especially after having crossed the river.

I found a little nook in a small stream bed which we used as our cooking area. Inside we could run the stove without wind interference and take shelter from some of the rain. Our first night's meal? An eclectic mix of mashed potatoes and indian food. Delicious after a hard day of hiking.

The next day our goal was to hike farther back in the one valley towards a large glacier and then traverse a pass over the ridge in order to access the adjacent park unit where our camping permit was for the next night. Adventure soon ensued. About two miles into the valley we camp upon this glacial creek cascading down the side of the ridge and we took a minute to hide from the wind before continuing.

Kyle having another wild-man moment.

A view towards the glacier...and inclement weather. It was already raining and in the upper 30's where we were and things looked to get a whole lot worse.

Despite the terrain and weather we were still having a blast.

One last look back towards the sunny slopes we had left behind.

When we finally reached the toe of the glacier we had to rethink our plan. In order to reach the pass I had scouted out on the map we would have had to hike further into the dour weather. The temperature had continued to lower the farther back we went, and the wind and rain were not showing any signs of abating. We made the decision to leave the glacier early and head up a steeper pass, choosing more difficult terrain over even worse weather. A couple hundred feet into the climb we took cover by a large rock outcropping to down some pilot bread and tuna fish before we started the real meat of the climb.

A view back towards the river where had started the climb. The aqua-blue pools were stunning, and I believe were formed where river water was trapped as the water level lowered and the silt settled out to show off the true clarity of the water.

This is the view up towards the top of the ridge from our brief stop. The picture makes this look very deceptive. The bluff in the center, surrounded by clouds, was almost 3,000ft up. Now, 3,000 ft over a half mile over scree and boulders makes for some incredibly difficult hiking...especially with a 40lb pack. By the time we reached the top it was snowing and the wind was blowing ~50 mph. Unfortunately, the other side of the ridge was a near vertical glacier. It quite literally would have been suicidal to attempt a descent. So, in spite of having reached the top, we had to turn around hike all the way back down and then an extra 8 or so miles around the end of the ridge to reach our campsite for the night.

Due to the extra time it took to hike all the way around the ridge, we stopped for dinner atop a rolling bluff with wonderful views, and away from the ugly weather inside the valley. Above, a view back towards the valley where we had come from. On the menu that night...burritos with beans, rice, spicy chiles, and cheese.

Kyle and I before chowing down.

With better weather and full stomachs we finished the last hour or so of hiking and one final river crossing to reach an area where we would be able to camp. After 12 hours of hiking we had earned the beautiful view and accompanying rainbow.

The second peak back (the one behind the clouds) was where we had hiked too that afternoon before having to turn around.

Kyle gazes pensively towards our accomplishments from the day.

A herd of caribou walked very close to our campsite. The young ones seemed pretty distressed by our presence and kept making odd guttural noises despite the parents not seeming to care.

The long day of hiking on Saturday meant for a more pleasant departure from the wilderness on Sunday morning. A hike of just a few hours along the East Branch of the Toklat River gravel bar allowed us to cover some serious ground and reach the park road by late morning. A golden eagle soared overhead as we walked. This photo is a view of the Toklat waters rushing by with our arch-enemy mountain in the left background...still enshrouded by rain clouds.

 At the park road we climbed up to the bridge over the river where we relaxed until the first shuttle came by on its way back to the park entrance.

As we waited I spotted this grizzly wander out from the brush. Not much earlier, Kyle and I had been hiking almost exactly where we spotted the bear.

Kyle enjoys the view from the bridge.

The shuttle that picked us up had only a couple people on board, so we were among the few fortunate enough to see these grizzly bear cubs and mama eating berries on a hill side. Adorable little guys, just wouldn't want to find myself between them and mom.

Fluffy little ears.

There's momma!

Also along the drive back this caribou stepped out in front of the bus. Kyle and I seen many caribou already, but I still love any chance to view them...especially when they have antlers like these!