Day 3: More Passes and the Hayes Glacier

Walking up the small creek was fast and easy, we should have taken the small right fork, but the left side was so nice we overlooked its importance. We topped out on a pass a little disoriented, but just walked back to the right side, and were back on route. More sponge land, I was really beginning to hate this stuff, wet feet, high energy output, slow travel, and horrendous mosquitoes. There was a herd of caribou, lots of tracks, but no trails through the wet open mountains, my theory was that any game trail would just become a creek.

Photo by: Lynn Peterson

 

The mosquitoes had been bad this whole trip, but when we reached the bushy covered lateral moraine of the Hayes glacier they came out in full force. It was to the point where literally hundreds were around me, the noise, and yuck factor are indescribable. Ryan almost lost it, at one point I had to tell him he was going in the wrong direction. The urge to flee is so strong, but there is nowhere to go.

The East Hayes "creek" was flowing fast and high, there was no way we were going to cross it, instead we crossed the glacier right where it quite literally bubbled up from the edge of the ice. I've never seen anything like it.

 

It was pretty straight forward getting across and we lost some of the mosquitoes along the way. Once on the other side we debated whether to go around the twin hills, or over. I was ready to do anything to stay out of sponge land, but got out voted. There are lots of ways to get to the same place sometimes, Ryan and I don't always agree on the best route, so we ended up taking turns getting to decide. Lynn wasn't as opinionated as me and Ryan.

Lynn Above the Hayes Glacier

 

Lots of Big Beautiful Mountains

 

The bugs, slow travel and high energy output wore on us and by the time we got to Hayes creek on the other side we were all spent. All of us wanted a reprieve from the bugs, so we buried the flaps of the mega-mid in the sand, we lost some real estate, but all slept more peacefully.

Camp

 

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Day 2: Down a Pass, Across a Valley, and Crossing the Trident Glacier

We all woke up feeling re-freshed, plus we were only about 1/4 mile to the pass which is a nice way to start a day. From there it was mellow spongy walking across broad sloping valleys.

 

 

We debated where to cross the Trident glacier as we paralleled it for miles. It looked cleaner and smoother up high, but the lateral morraine looked unappealing to travel on down to the next valley....When we were directly across from the valley we wanted to go into, we crossed the Trident.

 

 

There is no such thing as walking a straight line on a glacier, some unexpected obstacle always pops up. The crossing was relatively straight forward despite the zig-zags, just time consuming.

 

We finally made it across the glacier and crossed into another valley, with a low flowing creek and an amazingly flat spot perfect for our mega mid. Unsure of what we would find above us we all were content to stop right there.

 

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Day 1: Delta River to No Name Pass

I have wanted to do the Donnelly to McKinley village trip for a couple years. My good friend Lynn was able to get a little time to come up from DC, and Ryan managed to convince his work to let him off for 10 days. It sounded like a perfect combination of hiking and floating amidst big mountain scenery. My Dad is always looking for an excuse to go on a road trip and was easily on board to drop off us in Donnelly.

 

The Hayes Range

 

We blew up our boats and crossed the Delta River right across from McGinnis creek, it was a super easy crossing although the Delta was moving fast.

 

A little ways up McGinnis creek we headed right and got on a tractor trail that took us up above tree line, its always nice to avoid a bushwhack! The mountain views were spectacular.

 

We crossed a broad open valley of sponge land then started heading up a small drainage. Walking across wet, bouncy land with a fully loaded pack takes some energy, its frustrating to work hard and go slow! We stopped shy of our pass by a small creek, set up the mega mid and were at home.

 

I tracked the route on my GPS and then downloaded it to Google Earth.

 

Slide Show of Ryan, Lynn and My Pics



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Football Field to Williwaw

I took at quick trip out of Glen Alps up and over the football field, down to the Williwaw Lakes valley and then back to Glen Alps, a super fun and fast lolly pop style loop.

Looking back toward Ptarmigan Peak

 

I feel a little fat and a little old, never has running or hiking uphill felt so slow and difficult. I hate how that feeling never changes now matter how fit I am, guess it keeps me motivated.

The Football Field

 

Me by Black Lake

 

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Glacier Creek with the Girls

Caitlin, Krista and I all had the morning free and decided to go float Glacier creek in Girdwood. It was running higher than when Ryan and I were there last week.

 

 

 

 

Glacier Creek

Ryan and I headed down to Glacier creek in Girdwood for some quick and easy packrafting. A beautiful 1 mile trail took us to the hand tram.

 

I love how right off the bat its go time on this fast little creek. I think this is my favorite type of float, low volume and splashy.

 

Ryan's boat got swamped and he couldn't avoid hitting the corner which dumped him out of his boat. He got out in an eddy and I caught his boat and pulled into an eddy on the opposite side of the river. Sometimes I debate bringing a throw rope because its not something you can use in the boat, but it can be effective in getting someone else stuck on the opposite shore without their boat a more secure way back across the river.

 

With that excitement behind us we cruised down the rest of the river, such a pretty place to spend a few hours.

 

Wolverine Peak

Ughh the first trot up Wolverine peak this year! It was brutal, usually I've put in more uphill mileage at Arctic valley before this point, but not this year!

 

 

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Falls Creek Trail

My good friend Kristen came to town, its been at least a couple years since I have seen her. We went for a mellow walk up Falls Creek trail. There was a a ton of snow still in the valley.

 

 

Three little people on the left against the snow on the mountains.

 

I think this is the hardest I've ever seen this little creek flow, it was cranking.

 

Near Point

Raina and I went for a hike up Near Point. It was the first time that I found the trail that hit the ridge, much nicer than walking up the boggy section in the middle.

 

Still some snow hanging out in the higher peaks.

 

The Lower Eagle River

Ryan, Raina and I floated the lower Eagle River from the Hiland Bridge onto base. The water was running low, but it was still fun.

Ryan at the Put In

 

 

Ryan went over something sharp on the left side of camp ground rapids and tore a 6 inch perfect slit in the floor of his boat. It quickly became apparent that the boat was flooding too fast, luckily Raina brought a repair kit.

Raina and Ryan

 

 

A super fun float and I look forward to doing it at higher water.