A unique Alaskan Trip Report
Sep 19th, 2012, 02:41 PM
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A unique Alaskan Trip Report
Our family trip to northern Alaska was quite unique! We have a relative who lives in the bush in the Brooks Range, which is in the Arctic just a couple miles from the Gates of The Arctic. If you want to read about hotels and fine dining and tourist things to do, stop reading now and find other reports
If you want to hear about living in the bush in a remote area, and hiking, and observations of all of this, then I hope you enjoy
If you want to hear about living in the bush in a remote area, and hiking, and observations of all of this, then I hope you enjoy
Sep 19th, 2012, 02:42 PM
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We just came back from the most amazing trip to northern Alaska!
This is NOT your usual trip report. Some background info will help so I will start with that.
DH's uncle is one of those hardy people who lives in the bush up there. They homesteaded there some 40 some years ago and raised their DD there. The last decade or so, the uncle has spent the winters in real towns, but has spent the summers in the bush at his cabin. This cabin is in a very remote location and it takes quite a bit to get there. I will cover that in a bit. Anyway, the uncle runs a program for college kids and so each summer he invites a handful up to stay there and learn about it. Last summer he invited our DS to come help him, which he did. DS was there for 6 weeks last summer and absolutely loved it!!! The night he flew home, he was saying he wanted to go back this summer, so that is how our trip came to be.
Our uncle lives a very simple life up there. He has a satellite phone for emergencies, and a spot messenger. The spot messenger has 3 buttons, and each week he takes it out to a clearing and pushes 1 of 3 buttons (ok, need help, and 911). The first 2 go via email to his DD but the 911 goes directly to emergency services. This is how she makes sure he is ok. His cabin is 14x18, and of course no running water or electricity. There is a solar bag outside for a shower, and an open pit toilet. Everything he has there has either been hauled in via backpack, air dropped, or taken by canoe if conditions allow. There is still substantial hiking involved though, and the canoe has to be taken over ground a few times. So every last thing you take needs to be useful.
DH and DD could only spare a full week off of work and college, so DS went several weeks early and then we came later.
Getting up there involves a lot of logistics and is very expensive. Flights from Seattle to Fairbanks ran us about $800/pp r/t. Then the flights from Fairbanks to Bettles ran us $300/pp r/t. Then the float plane flights from Bettles to the lake are a flat $375 per flight (which is only about 15 minutes long) IF you have 3 people or less. Since we had 4 flying out, they had to use the otter instead of the beaver plane, so that ran $750. Yes, expensive, but this trip is something that is really hard to put a price tag on.
So the 3 of us flew up to Fairbanks and DH's cousin picked us up. DH has not seen her in over 25 years, so that was fun for him and it was nice for DD and I to meet her and her family. She took us back to their home in North Pole, which is a suburb of Fairbanks. They live on an airstrip, which is fairly common there, but for us that was pretty cool to see. Everyone just parks their planes right off the strip or in a hanger if they have one on their property. In the morning, we got a small glimpse of the town and it was cute as the big street lights were in the shape of candy canes complete with red stripes going down the canes. Even the pole at McDonalds had the candy cane stripe going on
She took us to the grocery store (just like she did when DS arrived) so that we could buy a bunch of fresh green veggies for our uncle. That is a treat for him there. We also bought 6 bottles of OR and WA wine to take to him. Oh, and he needed chainsaw oil, so we took that too.
Then off to Wright Air. This is a small regional carrier, and so everything has to be weighed. Even us. So when you check in, you get on the scale. Then they weigh all your stuff. You are allowed 40 pounds and after that you pay more. We were taking some extra steel plates to him so paid a bit more for those. On that flight I got to sit in the copilot seat which was really cool, except I am so short I could not see over the big dash, so I could only see out the side. But it was still great and the views were stunning! The Aspens and Birch trees were full of color.
We arrived into Bettles, which is about 225 miles north of Fairbanks and has a population of about 30 people. We had to wait around Bettles for most of the day as the weather up there had been bad, so they were backed up trying to get people out of the bush. So we headed over to the lodge for lunch. Very friendly people, good food, but expensive. Two burgers/fries, 1 chowder/beer bread and 3 coffees ran us $65 before tip. But everything has to be flown in here, so that is why.
While waiting around, we saw a group of caribou hunters return from their trip with their game.
Finally about 6pm we flew out. We were on the beaver since there were only 3 of us. The sun was out that day and so the scenery was beautiful!
We arrived at the lake and I immediately spotted DS in his hip waders, pistol at his side, and with a rope bringing the plane in. Our uncle and one of the dogs was there too. So we unload our bags and put on our hip waders and put out big packs on, filled with minimal gear but lots of veggies, 6 bottles of wine, and 2 1/2 gallons of chainsaw oil
Thankfully our uncle tells us right then and there that the hike in is long, but there really is a cabin and it really is warm once we arrive. I told him later that if he did not tell me that, I would have accused him of taking us for a snipe hunt, lol.
The hike from the lake to the cabin is 3 miles as the crow flies. The steel plates we brought were too much for this hike, so we left those by the lake to be retrieved later. But we had everything else with us (the oil,wine,veggies and gear) and put on our hip waders. Which, for the men all was fine. BUT these are not made in womens shoe sizes and DD and I have tiny feet. So we ended up having to buy mens size 7, which is a womans 9. We wear 6's. So we put on several layers of heavy mountaineering socks to take up the extra room, but they were still like clown shoes on us.
The guys packs were heavier, but mine came in around 25 pounds. That would normally be no big deal for a big hike.
BUT (yes, you will see this BUT a lot) the hike is not a straight 3 mile hike. First you go through tussock fields. They are tufts of grass that keep growing on top of themselves each year. You cannot step on them as they are unstable and you will fall and twist or break a leg. So you walk between them. BUT they grow close to each other and with the long blades of grass, you cannot see the ground. So you step in between them as much as possible, hoping for sure footing. A book I read during the week about this area described going through them as like running an obstacle course, and "early exhaustion awaits the person doomed to cross much tussock tundra".
The tussocks were only one part of this though. The area had had nonstop rain for a few weeks, so this are which sits in a bog was pretty well flooded. So stepping between tussocks, in the bog with very high water meant many times you got your foot stuck and others had to literally pull you out. And, with the pack on and the obstacle course, sometimes you just fell over. More than half of the hike to the cabin was through this stuff. Then finally regular ground, and even a bit dry as we got higher up. But it was so slow going through the tussocks, that by the time we got to the drier parts it was getting dark. So we pulled out headlamps and went as fast as we could. Oh, and remember, there is noone else for miles upon miles and this is bear country. Finally after 5 hours we reach the "creek". Their version of a creek is what we in the PNW call a river. Water was flowing too strong and too high to cross, so we had to take the bridge that our uncle built. It is completely dark now, and we are tired, and we have to cross one by one on this bridge that consists of 3 logs lengthwise with a handrail that is not stable, but only to help keep your balance. Oh yeah, and we are still in hip waders. The sound of the rushing "creek" below me terrified me. BUT after we all crossed, it was only about 10 or 15 minutes til we reached the cabin. YAY!!!! It really does exist!!!
So 5 hours later, mentally and physically exhausted, we made it. At that point our uncle said the conditions were the 2nd worst he has ever seen on the route. So while normally the hike takes around 2 1/2 hours, I didn't feel so bad when he talked about the horrid conditions. We had to detour through more tussocks than normal since parts were flooded out.
Our uncle had made a pot of beans earlier so we had that for dinner. He noticed out a window though that there was an aurora that night, so we all ran outside and got to see it! So cool!!!!!!
I think we finally got to bed around 1am that night.
This is NOT your usual trip report. Some background info will help so I will start with that.
DH's uncle is one of those hardy people who lives in the bush up there. They homesteaded there some 40 some years ago and raised their DD there. The last decade or so, the uncle has spent the winters in real towns, but has spent the summers in the bush at his cabin. This cabin is in a very remote location and it takes quite a bit to get there. I will cover that in a bit. Anyway, the uncle runs a program for college kids and so each summer he invites a handful up to stay there and learn about it. Last summer he invited our DS to come help him, which he did. DS was there for 6 weeks last summer and absolutely loved it!!! The night he flew home, he was saying he wanted to go back this summer, so that is how our trip came to be.
Our uncle lives a very simple life up there. He has a satellite phone for emergencies, and a spot messenger. The spot messenger has 3 buttons, and each week he takes it out to a clearing and pushes 1 of 3 buttons (ok, need help, and 911). The first 2 go via email to his DD but the 911 goes directly to emergency services. This is how she makes sure he is ok. His cabin is 14x18, and of course no running water or electricity. There is a solar bag outside for a shower, and an open pit toilet. Everything he has there has either been hauled in via backpack, air dropped, or taken by canoe if conditions allow. There is still substantial hiking involved though, and the canoe has to be taken over ground a few times. So every last thing you take needs to be useful.
DH and DD could only spare a full week off of work and college, so DS went several weeks early and then we came later.
Getting up there involves a lot of logistics and is very expensive. Flights from Seattle to Fairbanks ran us about $800/pp r/t. Then the flights from Fairbanks to Bettles ran us $300/pp r/t. Then the float plane flights from Bettles to the lake are a flat $375 per flight (which is only about 15 minutes long) IF you have 3 people or less. Since we had 4 flying out, they had to use the otter instead of the beaver plane, so that ran $750. Yes, expensive, but this trip is something that is really hard to put a price tag on.
So the 3 of us flew up to Fairbanks and DH's cousin picked us up. DH has not seen her in over 25 years, so that was fun for him and it was nice for DD and I to meet her and her family. She took us back to their home in North Pole, which is a suburb of Fairbanks. They live on an airstrip, which is fairly common there, but for us that was pretty cool to see. Everyone just parks their planes right off the strip or in a hanger if they have one on their property. In the morning, we got a small glimpse of the town and it was cute as the big street lights were in the shape of candy canes complete with red stripes going down the canes. Even the pole at McDonalds had the candy cane stripe going on
She took us to the grocery store (just like she did when DS arrived) so that we could buy a bunch of fresh green veggies for our uncle. That is a treat for him there. We also bought 6 bottles of OR and WA wine to take to him. Oh, and he needed chainsaw oil, so we took that too.
Then off to Wright Air. This is a small regional carrier, and so everything has to be weighed. Even us. So when you check in, you get on the scale. Then they weigh all your stuff. You are allowed 40 pounds and after that you pay more. We were taking some extra steel plates to him so paid a bit more for those. On that flight I got to sit in the copilot seat which was really cool, except I am so short I could not see over the big dash, so I could only see out the side. But it was still great and the views were stunning! The Aspens and Birch trees were full of color.
We arrived into Bettles, which is about 225 miles north of Fairbanks and has a population of about 30 people. We had to wait around Bettles for most of the day as the weather up there had been bad, so they were backed up trying to get people out of the bush. So we headed over to the lodge for lunch. Very friendly people, good food, but expensive. Two burgers/fries, 1 chowder/beer bread and 3 coffees ran us $65 before tip. But everything has to be flown in here, so that is why.
While waiting around, we saw a group of caribou hunters return from their trip with their game.
Finally about 6pm we flew out. We were on the beaver since there were only 3 of us. The sun was out that day and so the scenery was beautiful!
We arrived at the lake and I immediately spotted DS in his hip waders, pistol at his side, and with a rope bringing the plane in. Our uncle and one of the dogs was there too. So we unload our bags and put on our hip waders and put out big packs on, filled with minimal gear but lots of veggies, 6 bottles of wine, and 2 1/2 gallons of chainsaw oil
Thankfully our uncle tells us right then and there that the hike in is long, but there really is a cabin and it really is warm once we arrive. I told him later that if he did not tell me that, I would have accused him of taking us for a snipe hunt, lol.
The hike from the lake to the cabin is 3 miles as the crow flies. The steel plates we brought were too much for this hike, so we left those by the lake to be retrieved later. But we had everything else with us (the oil,wine,veggies and gear) and put on our hip waders. Which, for the men all was fine. BUT these are not made in womens shoe sizes and DD and I have tiny feet. So we ended up having to buy mens size 7, which is a womans 9. We wear 6's. So we put on several layers of heavy mountaineering socks to take up the extra room, but they were still like clown shoes on us.
The guys packs were heavier, but mine came in around 25 pounds. That would normally be no big deal for a big hike.
BUT (yes, you will see this BUT a lot) the hike is not a straight 3 mile hike. First you go through tussock fields. They are tufts of grass that keep growing on top of themselves each year. You cannot step on them as they are unstable and you will fall and twist or break a leg. So you walk between them. BUT they grow close to each other and with the long blades of grass, you cannot see the ground. So you step in between them as much as possible, hoping for sure footing. A book I read during the week about this area described going through them as like running an obstacle course, and "early exhaustion awaits the person doomed to cross much tussock tundra".
The tussocks were only one part of this though. The area had had nonstop rain for a few weeks, so this are which sits in a bog was pretty well flooded. So stepping between tussocks, in the bog with very high water meant many times you got your foot stuck and others had to literally pull you out. And, with the pack on and the obstacle course, sometimes you just fell over. More than half of the hike to the cabin was through this stuff. Then finally regular ground, and even a bit dry as we got higher up. But it was so slow going through the tussocks, that by the time we got to the drier parts it was getting dark. So we pulled out headlamps and went as fast as we could. Oh, and remember, there is noone else for miles upon miles and this is bear country. Finally after 5 hours we reach the "creek". Their version of a creek is what we in the PNW call a river. Water was flowing too strong and too high to cross, so we had to take the bridge that our uncle built. It is completely dark now, and we are tired, and we have to cross one by one on this bridge that consists of 3 logs lengthwise with a handrail that is not stable, but only to help keep your balance. Oh yeah, and we are still in hip waders. The sound of the rushing "creek" below me terrified me. BUT after we all crossed, it was only about 10 or 15 minutes til we reached the cabin. YAY!!!! It really does exist!!!
So 5 hours later, mentally and physically exhausted, we made it. At that point our uncle said the conditions were the 2nd worst he has ever seen on the route. So while normally the hike takes around 2 1/2 hours, I didn't feel so bad when he talked about the horrid conditions. We had to detour through more tussocks than normal since parts were flooded out.
Our uncle had made a pot of beans earlier so we had that for dinner. He noticed out a window though that there was an aurora that night, so we all ran outside and got to see it! So cool!!!!!!
I think we finally got to bed around 1am that night.
Sep 19th, 2012, 04:01 PM
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Everything is more expensive in Alaska. The veggies we bought were a huge bag of sugar snap peas, 2 bundles of asaparagus, 2 heads of iceberg lettuce, 4 bags of green beans, and 3 avacados. That all ran nearly $40. The wine was expensive too, but not as bad as I had feared. Of course the good OR pinots ran us between $30 and $43/bottle. The WA cabs were significantly cheaper.
Bettles is so remote that prices there are crazy. Gasoline was just under $9/gallon and a single bottle of beer was $7.50. Ouch! But I will say they had the friendliest people.
sunbum--Why, more hiking of course, lol!
Bettles is so remote that prices there are crazy. Gasoline was just under $9/gallon and a single bottle of beer was $7.50. Ouch! But I will say they had the friendliest people.
sunbum--Why, more hiking of course, lol!
Sep 19th, 2012, 04:27 PM
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The beer bread that we had at the lodge in Bettles was so good. Another customer asked for the recipe and the cook said sure. So we got a copy as well and I have already made it.
Also, the dog that goes with M and the uncle all the time is named Hobie. She is a mutt, but you can see quite a bit of sheltie in her. She is the best dog!!! There is another dog, Simon, that is also a mutt (no idea what) and is a bit smaller and all white. He is sweet, but dumb as a post and blind in the dark. So when we got back to the cabin, Simon was doing a wimpy growl as he could hear and smell us, but couldnt see. He would come to love us though.
The next day we all slept in, which was the norm. Eat dinner and go to bed very late, and get up late. We only ate 2 meals a day as it took a lot to do all the cooking and cleanup. So you had better eat well at those times. The kids made a lot of cookies (uncle has a sweet tooth) so those were inbetween snacks.
Anyway, the morning coffee was fun. He gets big bags of whole bean coffee from Costco. The air is so dry up there that ground would be awful. So whole beans, and then an old fashioned hand grinder. He did have paper filters and a cone, so it was like a makeshift coffee pot. But it takes a while to heat up the water on the wood stove, so noone gets coffee right away when they wake up.
This morning DS made everyone eggs (which have to be brought in on the canoe and then carefully carried on the parts they are on land, so we use these sparingly), potatos and bacon. With the coffee this all hit the spot after the hike last night.
The sun was out today, so perfect for more hiking. In this area, you don't go anywhere, even to the pit toilet, without a gun and a dog. So the uncle had the rifle with him for this hike. It was another 5 hour hike, but in regular hiking boots so much better.
The tundra is spongy, so a very different feeling to hike on. Going down is nice because your knees are cushioned and it is like snowshoeing almost.
The only problem with hikes in this area is that there are no trails. A few areas near the cabin have trails, but only from him using the same route for years. But since it is just him for the most part, these are not well worn paths. Once you get away from the cabin, there are no trails unless you come upon a game trail, which we did a few times.
This day we wandered off towards a "creek" and crossed in a shallow area. Then up a rock face before getting to this expansive area. Lots of blueberry bushes, although most berries were gone. We enjoyed what was left. Also found cranberries and ate those. Our uncle notices every little thing and has a masters in biology, so pointed out all sorts of stuff to us. With no trails though, it meant total bushwhacking through the alder and willow thickets, which you have to be careful to not let the thin twigs snap you in the face. Once up on the highest part we went to, it just seemed like the area went on for forever. We came across caribou anters, moose antlers, fresh bear scat, and moose scat which is everywhere.
So like I said, this was another 5 hour hike, but very enjoyable
When we got back to the cabin, DS made his famous cookies. When he was there last summer, he tweaked several recipes to come up with his own and the uncle swears they are the best cookies ever, and I have to agree. I try to make them and they are nowhere near as good. Anyway, so DS made a variation of his cookies today that had coconut, oatmeal, and dried fruit in them. A few of us made tea to go with. The tea he has there is out of Fairbanks called Sipping Stream and was very good.
While the cookies were still being made, our uncle pulled out a 1# Hershey bar to share.
The water that is used for everything comes right from the creek. With no other humans around (closest neighbor is 18 miles away, which is his DD and her family's cabin) the water is safe to drink. We take 5 gallon buckets down to the creek and fill them, haul them back to the cabin and they stay there for easy access when the wood drum inside the cabin needs to be refilled. To wash hands, there is a porcelein wash bowl and pitcher.
The water from the creek was so good! We would take our water bottles down there before a hike and just dunk them to fill them. I miss that water already.
After the cookies were done the guys went fishing. Grayling is what is in the creeks in this area, but most were already gone for the winter. DS did manage to catch one though.
For dinner tonight we had leftover beans with some rice and biscuits, and a great bottle of Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir from here in Oregon. I think we ate dinner around 11 or 12 again, then straight to bed.
Also, the dog that goes with M and the uncle all the time is named Hobie. She is a mutt, but you can see quite a bit of sheltie in her. She is the best dog!!! There is another dog, Simon, that is also a mutt (no idea what) and is a bit smaller and all white. He is sweet, but dumb as a post and blind in the dark. So when we got back to the cabin, Simon was doing a wimpy growl as he could hear and smell us, but couldnt see. He would come to love us though.
The next day we all slept in, which was the norm. Eat dinner and go to bed very late, and get up late. We only ate 2 meals a day as it took a lot to do all the cooking and cleanup. So you had better eat well at those times. The kids made a lot of cookies (uncle has a sweet tooth) so those were inbetween snacks.
Anyway, the morning coffee was fun. He gets big bags of whole bean coffee from Costco. The air is so dry up there that ground would be awful. So whole beans, and then an old fashioned hand grinder. He did have paper filters and a cone, so it was like a makeshift coffee pot. But it takes a while to heat up the water on the wood stove, so noone gets coffee right away when they wake up.
This morning DS made everyone eggs (which have to be brought in on the canoe and then carefully carried on the parts they are on land, so we use these sparingly), potatos and bacon. With the coffee this all hit the spot after the hike last night.
The sun was out today, so perfect for more hiking. In this area, you don't go anywhere, even to the pit toilet, without a gun and a dog. So the uncle had the rifle with him for this hike. It was another 5 hour hike, but in regular hiking boots so much better.
The tundra is spongy, so a very different feeling to hike on. Going down is nice because your knees are cushioned and it is like snowshoeing almost.
The only problem with hikes in this area is that there are no trails. A few areas near the cabin have trails, but only from him using the same route for years. But since it is just him for the most part, these are not well worn paths. Once you get away from the cabin, there are no trails unless you come upon a game trail, which we did a few times.
This day we wandered off towards a "creek" and crossed in a shallow area. Then up a rock face before getting to this expansive area. Lots of blueberry bushes, although most berries were gone. We enjoyed what was left. Also found cranberries and ate those. Our uncle notices every little thing and has a masters in biology, so pointed out all sorts of stuff to us. With no trails though, it meant total bushwhacking through the alder and willow thickets, which you have to be careful to not let the thin twigs snap you in the face. Once up on the highest part we went to, it just seemed like the area went on for forever. We came across caribou anters, moose antlers, fresh bear scat, and moose scat which is everywhere.
So like I said, this was another 5 hour hike, but very enjoyable
When we got back to the cabin, DS made his famous cookies. When he was there last summer, he tweaked several recipes to come up with his own and the uncle swears they are the best cookies ever, and I have to agree. I try to make them and they are nowhere near as good. Anyway, so DS made a variation of his cookies today that had coconut, oatmeal, and dried fruit in them. A few of us made tea to go with. The tea he has there is out of Fairbanks called Sipping Stream and was very good.
While the cookies were still being made, our uncle pulled out a 1# Hershey bar to share.
The water that is used for everything comes right from the creek. With no other humans around (closest neighbor is 18 miles away, which is his DD and her family's cabin) the water is safe to drink. We take 5 gallon buckets down to the creek and fill them, haul them back to the cabin and they stay there for easy access when the wood drum inside the cabin needs to be refilled. To wash hands, there is a porcelein wash bowl and pitcher.
The water from the creek was so good! We would take our water bottles down there before a hike and just dunk them to fill them. I miss that water already.
After the cookies were done the guys went fishing. Grayling is what is in the creeks in this area, but most were already gone for the winter. DS did manage to catch one though.
For dinner tonight we had leftover beans with some rice and biscuits, and a great bottle of Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir from here in Oregon. I think we ate dinner around 11 or 12 again, then straight to bed.
Sep 19th, 2012, 04:44 PM
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The next morning was the same routine for coffee. We all took turns grinding the beans each day. Our uncle has a sourdough starter he keeps, so he made sourdough pancakes which were huge! He also makes his own maple syrup. We drank lots of Tang too, which I have not had since I was a kid. Did you know it is good hot too? LOL!
Todays hike was just the 4 of us and Hobie. Yesterday Hobie and Simon both went and they have a ball out there.
Anyway, today was beautiful again and our uncle had stuff to do around the cabin so the 4 of us headed up the nearby mountain. DS had the .45 on him, and we had Hobie. We had to cross that bridge over the creek, but it is MUCH easier to do in regular hiking boots instead of waders. And in daylight. Then we bushwhacked through the willow and alder thickets til we got to the canoe. We had to take that across another "creek", where we started the hike. This one went basically straight up. The tundra makes it hard going up, I think. It is like that feeling of one step up, 2 steps back. So more bushwhacking, saw an enormous owl, a few more blueberries and we finally get up to a rock formation. Nice views and so we sit and have a snack of a Snickers bar that our uncle sent each of us with. Hobie is eating our trail mix for a snack, and pilot biscuits with peanut butter. Then we are on more normal hard ground up to the summit. WOW!!! It was like someone picked us up and put us at the very top of the world and were looking down, 360 degrees, at mountains. Pictures did not do it justice at all! The hike was only about 1.25 miles but around 2500 ft elevation gain. Going down was much more pleasant, lol!
When we got back, the cribbage board came out and DH and the kids played that anytime they could. Also when we got back, our uncle was making cinnamon rolls for the morning. He makes a lot of bread up there, and taught DS how to make it with his recipe as well.
He made enough to make pizza dough too, so that was dinner. We made a huge salad with stuff we brought as well as some stuff that DS brought with him. The cousin sent in a huge thing of motzarella, and he had a big thing of salami, and some onion, so the pizza was pretty darn good. DD made up some balsamic dressing since he is well stocked with spices.
The kids went fishing and DH and I took a bit of a nap while our uncle was making the pizza sauce. He has a well used copy of The Joy of Cooking which is like a bible there.
With the salad and pizza, we had one of the WA cabs. I think this was Sagelands, which I had not heard of before, but it was good and our uncle loved it.
Todays hike was just the 4 of us and Hobie. Yesterday Hobie and Simon both went and they have a ball out there.
Anyway, today was beautiful again and our uncle had stuff to do around the cabin so the 4 of us headed up the nearby mountain. DS had the .45 on him, and we had Hobie. We had to cross that bridge over the creek, but it is MUCH easier to do in regular hiking boots instead of waders. And in daylight. Then we bushwhacked through the willow and alder thickets til we got to the canoe. We had to take that across another "creek", where we started the hike. This one went basically straight up. The tundra makes it hard going up, I think. It is like that feeling of one step up, 2 steps back. So more bushwhacking, saw an enormous owl, a few more blueberries and we finally get up to a rock formation. Nice views and so we sit and have a snack of a Snickers bar that our uncle sent each of us with. Hobie is eating our trail mix for a snack, and pilot biscuits with peanut butter. Then we are on more normal hard ground up to the summit. WOW!!! It was like someone picked us up and put us at the very top of the world and were looking down, 360 degrees, at mountains. Pictures did not do it justice at all! The hike was only about 1.25 miles but around 2500 ft elevation gain. Going down was much more pleasant, lol!
When we got back, the cribbage board came out and DH and the kids played that anytime they could. Also when we got back, our uncle was making cinnamon rolls for the morning. He makes a lot of bread up there, and taught DS how to make it with his recipe as well.
He made enough to make pizza dough too, so that was dinner. We made a huge salad with stuff we brought as well as some stuff that DS brought with him. The cousin sent in a huge thing of motzarella, and he had a big thing of salami, and some onion, so the pizza was pretty darn good. DD made up some balsamic dressing since he is well stocked with spices.
The kids went fishing and DH and I took a bit of a nap while our uncle was making the pizza sauce. He has a well used copy of The Joy of Cooking which is like a bible there.
With the salad and pizza, we had one of the WA cabs. I think this was Sagelands, which I had not heard of before, but it was good and our uncle loved it.
Sep 19th, 2012, 06:53 PM
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mms .. I had the dates all wrong on when you left and when you got back, I am so glad a little birdie mentioned this report !
I was so happy to read that you got to sleep in , in the mornings.
Eating so late and sleeping late, sounds like Buenos Aires lol.
When do we see the photos ?
Glad you had fun, glad it was worth all the work and expense .. a wonderful family vacation that you all will remember forever.
I was so happy to read that you got to sleep in , in the mornings.
Eating so late and sleeping late, sounds like Buenos Aires lol.
When do we see the photos ?
Glad you had fun, glad it was worth all the work and expense .. a wonderful family vacation that you all will remember forever.
Sep 20th, 2012, 02:24 PM
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The next morning we had those cinnamon rolls and oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal is a staple there since it is so filling. Add some chopped up dried fruit and you add even more nutrition.
Today and the next couple of days were pretty relaxing. My knees at this point were hurting. It woke me up during the night and let me know that I was to take a break on the hikes. Most people here know that I have had 2 major knee surgeries in the last 2 years, so while my knees are repaired, there is still so much damage already done so I definitely feel it at times. So a couple days of just hanging low was perfect.
The guys went fishing and while it was freezing cold, they managed to catch 1 lone grayling again.
DD decided to try her hand at making cookies. She is good, but DS still has her beat
She and I tackled some dishes. That is a big chore. There is always a huge pot of water on the stove so that we have warm water if needed. So the hand washing is set up in stations. One tub for really dirty stuff, another for not as dirty, then the rinse tub and the drying rack. It takes a while, but we figured doing this as much as possible and doing as much cooking as possible would make our uncle happy to have some help.
I started a book by John M Kaufmann (a Mountaineers book) titled "Alaskas Brook Range. The Ultimate Mountains". It was very good!!!! I highly recommend it as it give such an indepth account of early exploration of this area, and how the Gates of The Arctic came to be. One thing this book mentions is that the early explorers used caribou antlers baited with goose to catch 3 1/2 foot long trout! WOW!!!!!
Dinner this night was grayling jambalaya. I had my doubts, but it was pretty tasty.
DH loves to play cribbage, so during any downtime he would start a game with one of the kids.
A few things about meals here. We only ate 2 meals a day. Breakfast close to noon and dinner close to midnight. They were hearty meals. But with all the cooking and dishes, 3 would have been too much. I realize how much I got used to that. Since we have been home, I have been forgetting to eat during the day at all. It is just one of those little things that you notice you do differently.
The pit toilet was interesting. He built it out of logs of course, so there were 2 half walls so as to provide a bit of privacy. It had a roof, but otherwise was open. No full walls and no door. A rusty tin can covered the tp so the squirrels wouldnt get to it. There were 2 wood slats in a V shape for the seat. BUT a grizzly had gnawed on both of those, so you had to be careful of splinters
There is a cache near the cabin as well. This thing was amazing! The 4 posts were 16 feet high, and then a log cabin built on top. He used steel to wrap around each post for a few feet to keep the squirrels from getting up there. The ladder is not attached, but rather leans out, held by a rope, to keep the bears from getting up. So whenever you needed to go up and get something, you had to lean the ladder up and climb up 16 feet. We left that to DS and our uncle The cache has all sorts of supplies though. Food as well as things like glass hurricanes for the kerosene lamps, etc.
There was a shower, but we never took one. DS did since he was there for much longer though. It consisted of a solar bag which you would heat water on the stove and then fill the bag. It hangs above a platform and has a small hose to let the water out. That's it. No walls, nothing for privacy. DS said you just say you are taking a shower and noone looks. I could deal with that, but our highs were about 40 degrees and the thought of taking a shower out there left me chilled, lol. So we just all smelled instead I did try to rinse my hair out a bit in the "creek" a couple times. Let's just say that hair clips and hats were my friend.
The laundry situation there is quite involved as well. There is a washboard and big tub. Last summer DS learned to do his laundry this way, and it does take all day.
Our uncle has had dog sled teams in the past, so he has one area near the cabin that is a shelter that houses a couple of those sleds and cross country skis as well as snowshoes. This fall he is planning on snowshoeing out an airstrip in a clearing so that his DD and her family can fly their plane in there. I love to snowshoe, but that sounds like a lot of work!
He has also built another smaller cabin nearby. It is maybe 10 by 10, and he uses that for when people come to visit. It is far enough from the main cabin that you can't see it, but DH and I would pass it on morning walks.
We all tried fishing, but as the uncle thought, all the grayling had left.
As I mentioned earlier, our uncle makes a lot of bread and taught DS how to do it. I have made bread a lot when I was young, but it's been years, and the Kitchen Aid mixer did the work. So DS showed me how again and we made some braids and loaves. I felt like a pioneer woman
Kids made cookies on most days and those were often lunch, lol.
Our uncle did some target practice to get ready for his moose hunt. It was amazing how good of a shot he is! He will get at least one moose for the winter. When he lived there with his wife and DD they would usually have 2-3 each winter to feed them as they didn't have fish or chicken or anything else for a change of pace.
I was the first one back in the cabin after the target practice. It was the funniest thing when I opened the door. The little white dog, Simon, was cowering under the curtain that hangs under the kitchen counter. He had never heard a gunshot before since he just came to Alaska this summer. The poor thing was shaking for quite a while, but with a couple treats he was happy.
One morning our uncles DD and her family flew over and circled around quite a bit. There are no noises here, so when you hear a plane, you run outside. It is almost always either a supply drop of his DD. So he grabs the radio and runs out to the clearing, where you can see them circling and you can talk to them via the radios. They said they were doing some scouting for their moose hunt and saw grizzly, bull moose and sheep from the plane.
Today and the next couple of days were pretty relaxing. My knees at this point were hurting. It woke me up during the night and let me know that I was to take a break on the hikes. Most people here know that I have had 2 major knee surgeries in the last 2 years, so while my knees are repaired, there is still so much damage already done so I definitely feel it at times. So a couple days of just hanging low was perfect.
The guys went fishing and while it was freezing cold, they managed to catch 1 lone grayling again.
DD decided to try her hand at making cookies. She is good, but DS still has her beat
She and I tackled some dishes. That is a big chore. There is always a huge pot of water on the stove so that we have warm water if needed. So the hand washing is set up in stations. One tub for really dirty stuff, another for not as dirty, then the rinse tub and the drying rack. It takes a while, but we figured doing this as much as possible and doing as much cooking as possible would make our uncle happy to have some help.
I started a book by John M Kaufmann (a Mountaineers book) titled "Alaskas Brook Range. The Ultimate Mountains". It was very good!!!! I highly recommend it as it give such an indepth account of early exploration of this area, and how the Gates of The Arctic came to be. One thing this book mentions is that the early explorers used caribou antlers baited with goose to catch 3 1/2 foot long trout! WOW!!!!!
Dinner this night was grayling jambalaya. I had my doubts, but it was pretty tasty.
DH loves to play cribbage, so during any downtime he would start a game with one of the kids.
A few things about meals here. We only ate 2 meals a day. Breakfast close to noon and dinner close to midnight. They were hearty meals. But with all the cooking and dishes, 3 would have been too much. I realize how much I got used to that. Since we have been home, I have been forgetting to eat during the day at all. It is just one of those little things that you notice you do differently.
The pit toilet was interesting. He built it out of logs of course, so there were 2 half walls so as to provide a bit of privacy. It had a roof, but otherwise was open. No full walls and no door. A rusty tin can covered the tp so the squirrels wouldnt get to it. There were 2 wood slats in a V shape for the seat. BUT a grizzly had gnawed on both of those, so you had to be careful of splinters
There is a cache near the cabin as well. This thing was amazing! The 4 posts were 16 feet high, and then a log cabin built on top. He used steel to wrap around each post for a few feet to keep the squirrels from getting up there. The ladder is not attached, but rather leans out, held by a rope, to keep the bears from getting up. So whenever you needed to go up and get something, you had to lean the ladder up and climb up 16 feet. We left that to DS and our uncle
The cache has all sorts of supplies though. Food as well as things like glass hurricanes for the kerosene lamps, etc. There was a shower, but we never took one. DS did since he was there for much longer though. It consisted of a solar bag which you would heat water on the stove and then fill the bag. It hangs above a platform and has a small hose to let the water out. That's it. No walls, nothing for privacy. DS said you just say you are taking a shower and noone looks. I could deal with that, but our highs were about 40 degrees and the thought of taking a shower out there left me chilled, lol. So we just all smelled instead
I did try to rinse my hair out a bit in the "creek" a couple times. Let's just say that hair clips and hats were my friend.The laundry situation there is quite involved as well. There is a washboard and big tub. Last summer DS learned to do his laundry this way, and it does take all day.
Our uncle has had dog sled teams in the past, so he has one area near the cabin that is a shelter that houses a couple of those sleds and cross country skis as well as snowshoes. This fall he is planning on snowshoeing out an airstrip in a clearing so that his DD and her family can fly their plane in there. I love to snowshoe, but that sounds like a lot of work!
He has also built another smaller cabin nearby. It is maybe 10 by 10, and he uses that for when people come to visit. It is far enough from the main cabin that you can't see it, but DH and I would pass it on morning walks.
We all tried fishing, but as the uncle thought, all the grayling had left.
As I mentioned earlier, our uncle makes a lot of bread and taught DS how to do it. I have made bread a lot when I was young, but it's been years, and the Kitchen Aid mixer did the work. So DS showed me how again and we made some braids and loaves. I felt like a pioneer woman
Kids made cookies on most days and those were often lunch, lol.
Our uncle did some target practice to get ready for his moose hunt. It was amazing how good of a shot he is! He will get at least one moose for the winter. When he lived there with his wife and DD they would usually have 2-3 each winter to feed them as they didn't have fish or chicken or anything else for a change of pace.
I was the first one back in the cabin after the target practice. It was the funniest thing when I opened the door. The little white dog, Simon, was cowering under the curtain that hangs under the kitchen counter. He had never heard a gunshot before since he just came to Alaska this summer. The poor thing was shaking for quite a while, but with a couple treats he was happy.
One morning our uncles DD and her family flew over and circled around quite a bit. There are no noises here, so when you hear a plane, you run outside. It is almost always either a supply drop of his DD. So he grabs the radio and runs out to the clearing, where you can see them circling and you can talk to them via the radios. They said they were doing some scouting for their moose hunt and saw grizzly, bull moose and sheep from the plane.
Sep 20th, 2012, 02:40 PM
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A few days later, DH and the kids wanted to go hiking again. I stayed back since I knew this one was harder than the others, and involved a traverse on a ridge. I was content to keep reading
They were gone 6 hours, and had the pistol and Hobie with them. They had a great time and saw a bull moose pretty close!
The next day DH and I did a short walk before breakfast. We went up to a rock face and just stood there and enjoyed the absolute quiet.
After breakfast, we all did a hike down to the "creek". This involved hip waders the entire way. So we hiked up to that same rock face, then scrambled down the hill to cross what is a real creek (meaning small, lol) and then up to another rock face before gradually heading down towards the "creek".
The "creek" we were hiking along/in was at least 30 feet across in most places, and often times a good 2+ feet deep, with a pretty good current going. The banks were not consistent, so we were hiking in the "creek" most of the time. When there was a bank, we would use that, but even those often times had the alder/willow thickets that we had to bushwhack through. Everyone was along for this outing, including both dogs. Our uncle had the rifle with him. Hobie did fine crossing the "creek", but Simon was less than stellar at it, so DS would have to carry him across. Crossing the "creek" took a lot of concentration since you didn't want to get knocked over by the current. I am very short, only 5'1", so it was hardest for me. Also, I was in those clown boot hip waders But it was so pretty out there! Poor Simon was cold and shivering from sitting in the water with us. We fed him pilot biscuits and peanut butter to warm him up. He didn't have the sense to get out of the water so we had to make him move. On the way back the water was higher than my hip waders, so I got a boot full of cold water.
On the hike back to the cabin, the dogs would run up ahead or veer off. Hobie always came back, but Simon was still learning. At one point we realized we hadn't seen him in a while and kept calling him. No luck. So we went back to the cabin hoping he had gone there. Nope. So our uncle and Hobie had to go back. Hobie is so smart that our uncle said "find simon" and Hobie took off. Found him! That dog was dumb enough he didn't even know he was lost.
We were all cold and hungry when we got back. So kids made more cookies and then made spaghetti for dinner. You do get creative with food out here, so it was chicken spaghetti. Which meant adding a can of chicken to some sauce, but as also added some pieces of salami, and the kids doctored it up with spices. Pretty good!
They were gone 6 hours, and had the pistol and Hobie with them. They had a great time and saw a bull moose pretty close!
The next day DH and I did a short walk before breakfast. We went up to a rock face and just stood there and enjoyed the absolute quiet.
After breakfast, we all did a hike down to the "creek". This involved hip waders the entire way. So we hiked up to that same rock face, then scrambled down the hill to cross what is a real creek (meaning small, lol) and then up to another rock face before gradually heading down towards the "creek".
The "creek" we were hiking along/in was at least 30 feet across in most places, and often times a good 2+ feet deep, with a pretty good current going. The banks were not consistent, so we were hiking in the "creek" most of the time. When there was a bank, we would use that, but even those often times had the alder/willow thickets that we had to bushwhack through. Everyone was along for this outing, including both dogs. Our uncle had the rifle with him. Hobie did fine crossing the "creek", but Simon was less than stellar at it, so DS would have to carry him across. Crossing the "creek" took a lot of concentration since you didn't want to get knocked over by the current. I am very short, only 5'1", so it was hardest for me. Also, I was in those clown boot hip waders
But it was so pretty out there! Poor Simon was cold and shivering from sitting in the water with us. We fed him pilot biscuits and peanut butter to warm him up. He didn't have the sense to get out of the water so we had to make him move. On the way back the water was higher than my hip waders, so I got a boot full of cold water.On the hike back to the cabin, the dogs would run up ahead or veer off. Hobie always came back, but Simon was still learning. At one point we realized we hadn't seen him in a while and kept calling him. No luck. So we went back to the cabin hoping he had gone there. Nope. So our uncle and Hobie had to go back. Hobie is so smart that our uncle said "find simon" and Hobie took off. Found him! That dog was dumb enough he didn't even know he was lost.
We were all cold and hungry when we got back. So kids made more cookies and then made spaghetti for dinner. You do get creative with food out here, so it was chicken spaghetti. Which meant adding a can of chicken to some sauce, but as also added some pieces of salami, and the kids doctored it up with spices. Pretty good!
Sep 20th, 2012, 03:05 PM
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Today is our last day here and started very early. The alarm went off at 3am. The plan was a bit different than our hike in. We wanted to be back at the lake around 9 for the float plane. The weather had cleared this week, so things dried up quite a bit. Our uncle was going to bring some supplies back, so wanted to take the canoe. So, the kids and I and Hobie (and the pistol) started hiking out at 5am. My hip waders were hung upside down all night, but the inside soles were still wet. So I got to hike in wet hip waders
DH was really nice and took my big pack with them in the canoe, so I only had my day pack on for the hike out. That was soooo nice!!!
So hiking out at 5 am meant it was still dark out, and I am in wet hip waders, and we had to cross that bridge again. It was dark for quite a while, but started to get light just as we got down to the bog and tussock areas. This area had dried out so much!!!! Made it much more bearable, plus without my big pack! I did get stuck once. I was stuck in muck up to mid thigh and could not budge. DD was trying to avoid the same situation, so couldn't help. But DS figured out a way to take the long walking stick and wedge it under my heel to create an air pocket to release me leg. OMG, I was pulling so hard on my leg to release it that it really hurt, but thankfully I didn't feel it til we stopped later.
Anyway, going through the bog and tussocks at dawn was so beautiful, and all the surrounding mountains had a fresh dusting of snow from the night. We reached the lake in exactly 3 hours, so much better than the 5 hours going in!
DD and I stayed at the lake with Hobie and fed her granola bars while DS headed to where the canoe pulls up. He tied his bandana to a branch and took other branches and made an arrow so they would know we had arrived at the lake.
Roughly 45 minutes later they arrived. I was SO happy to get my hiking boots on and dry socks!!!
The float plane arrived shortly and poor Hobie was crying. She LOVES to ride in the planes and wanted to go, lol. The pilot fed her some jerky.
We all loaded up into the plane and headed back to Bettles. It was a bit foggy, so not as scenic, but it is a short 15 minute ride so not a big deal.
Arrived back in Bettles and it was wierd to see people again. We warmed up with some coffee and charged our cell phones. Also bought shot glasses and t-shirts and a hat with the Arctic Circl Club theme on them There is no reception here for our cells, so we would have to wait til Fairbanks.
On that flight back to Fairbanks, we all kept falling asleep. We realized how beat we were. My ears really bothered me on this plane (both directions) for some reason. I usually take Ear Planes with me, but forgot on this trip. So the ear pain is what kept waking me.
Once in Fairbanks, DH and the kids immediately were on their iphones texting, lol. I called the hotel shuttle and they came and got us.
We stayed at Pike's Waterfront Lodge, which is near the main airport. Very nice hotel, beautiful lobby with all sorts of animals that were done by a taxidermist. Our room was nice, but we didn't have much floor space for 4 of us. Granted, we had lots of gear with us, but it was a tight fit.
We all were SO grateful for the shower!!! I washed my hair 3 times, lol!
There is a very good restaurant next door called Pike's Landing. We walked over there for dinner, but walked in to the bar area. I almost walked back out as I hate smoke, but thankfully the waitress told us how to get to the nonsmoking dining room.
When we arrived there, I was afraid we would stand out. We were clean, but did not have nice clothes with us. DD and I were in yoga/running pants and the guys were in jeans. So at least they looked better than we did. But everyone was super casual there so we were fine. Our meal was so good! We all had salads, and I liked that the dressing was on the side. A couple of us had the halibut fish n chips which were excellent! We had beer and wine, but poor DS was envious. We let him have beer at home with us, but he is not 21 so of course got nada at the restaurant, lol.
We all crashed pretty early that night. I did not sleep well at all since my knee was screaming at me.
Back to the airport in the morning and flew back to Seattle. Uneventful, which is always good.
One thing that worked so well for this trip were these bags that I bought at REI. They hold your big pack and any gear. They are lightweight but very sturdy and fold down very small into themselves. They have a zipper and D-ring, so you can lock them. They are quite big. Both DH and DS's pack sizes are 85 and the bags each held those packs fully packed, as well as the hip waders and had room to spare. These bags run $29 at REI (their own brand) and were money well spent! We had to check our bags, which we never do as when we travel with suitcases we go very light. But the size of our packs were too big for carryon, so we wanted something that would protect our packs and be easy to haul. These were just the ticket!
DH was really nice and took my big pack with them in the canoe, so I only had my day pack on for the hike out. That was soooo nice!!!
So hiking out at 5 am meant it was still dark out, and I am in wet hip waders, and we had to cross that bridge again. It was dark for quite a while, but started to get light just as we got down to the bog and tussock areas. This area had dried out so much!!!! Made it much more bearable, plus without my big pack! I did get stuck once. I was stuck in muck up to mid thigh and could not budge. DD was trying to avoid the same situation, so couldn't help. But DS figured out a way to take the long walking stick and wedge it under my heel to create an air pocket to release me leg. OMG, I was pulling so hard on my leg to release it that it really hurt, but thankfully I didn't feel it til we stopped later.
Anyway, going through the bog and tussocks at dawn was so beautiful, and all the surrounding mountains had a fresh dusting of snow from the night. We reached the lake in exactly 3 hours, so much better than the 5 hours going in!
DD and I stayed at the lake with Hobie and fed her granola bars while DS headed to where the canoe pulls up. He tied his bandana to a branch and took other branches and made an arrow so they would know we had arrived at the lake.
Roughly 45 minutes later they arrived. I was SO happy to get my hiking boots on and dry socks!!!
The float plane arrived shortly and poor Hobie was crying. She LOVES to ride in the planes and wanted to go, lol. The pilot fed her some jerky.
We all loaded up into the plane and headed back to Bettles. It was a bit foggy, so not as scenic, but it is a short 15 minute ride so not a big deal.
Arrived back in Bettles and it was wierd to see people again. We warmed up with some coffee and charged our cell phones. Also bought shot glasses and t-shirts and a hat with the Arctic Circl Club theme on them
There is no reception here for our cells, so we would have to wait til Fairbanks.On that flight back to Fairbanks, we all kept falling asleep. We realized how beat we were. My ears really bothered me on this plane (both directions) for some reason. I usually take Ear Planes with me, but forgot on this trip. So the ear pain is what kept waking me.
Once in Fairbanks, DH and the kids immediately were on their iphones texting, lol. I called the hotel shuttle and they came and got us.
We stayed at Pike's Waterfront Lodge, which is near the main airport. Very nice hotel, beautiful lobby with all sorts of animals that were done by a taxidermist. Our room was nice, but we didn't have much floor space for 4 of us. Granted, we had lots of gear with us, but it was a tight fit.
We all were SO grateful for the shower!!! I washed my hair 3 times, lol!
There is a very good restaurant next door called Pike's Landing. We walked over there for dinner, but walked in to the bar area. I almost walked back out as I hate smoke, but thankfully the waitress told us how to get to the nonsmoking dining room.
When we arrived there, I was afraid we would stand out. We were clean, but did not have nice clothes with us. DD and I were in yoga/running pants and the guys were in jeans. So at least they looked better than we did. But everyone was super casual there so we were fine. Our meal was so good! We all had salads, and I liked that the dressing was on the side. A couple of us had the halibut fish n chips which were excellent! We had beer and wine, but poor DS was envious. We let him have beer at home with us, but he is not 21 so of course got nada at the restaurant, lol.
We all crashed pretty early that night. I did not sleep well at all since my knee was screaming at me.
Back to the airport in the morning and flew back to Seattle. Uneventful, which is always good.
One thing that worked so well for this trip were these bags that I bought at REI. They hold your big pack and any gear. They are lightweight but very sturdy and fold down very small into themselves. They have a zipper and D-ring, so you can lock them. They are quite big. Both DH and DS's pack sizes are 85 and the bags each held those packs fully packed, as well as the hip waders and had room to spare. These bags run $29 at REI (their own brand) and were money well spent! We had to check our bags, which we never do as when we travel with suitcases we go very light. But the size of our packs were too big for carryon, so we wanted something that would protect our packs and be easy to haul. These were just the ticket!
Sep 20th, 2012, 03:35 PM
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This is fantastic! What an amazing experience to be really out in the "bush" in Alaska. We knew people who did that, even helped them load their supply planes, but never got out there ourselves.
I chuckled when I saw the first mention of tussocks---gotta love those things---but then they turned into a real problem, so not so funny. I'm glad you made it to the cabin safely.
Six bottles of wine and 2.5 gallons of chainsaw oil? Something is wrong with that ratio!!!
I chuckled when I saw the first mention of tussocks---gotta love those things---but then they turned into a real problem, so not so funny. I'm glad you made it to the cabin safely.
Six bottles of wine and 2.5 gallons of chainsaw oil? Something is wrong with that ratio!!!
