Trip Report
5-Weeks in Alaska's Brooks Range

by maxneale
Saturday November 21, 2015 4:53pm
Over the summer I was fortunate to spend five weeks on a hiking and packrafting traverse of the Brooks Range. 524 miles without roads or trails. Through some of the wildest country on the planet. Here's the trip report and a short video.

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Route in red
Route in red
Credit: maxneale
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top left corner top right corner
Credit: maxneale
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  Trip Report Views: 2,981
maxneale 		About the Author

Comments
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
  Nov 21, 2015 - 05:16pm PT
Awesome- What an adventure!
Crag Q

Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
  Nov 21, 2015 - 06:44pm PT
Exceptional video. There is so much joy and raw adventure. I love the way you editted it. I bet those blueberries tasted amazing.
climbski2

Mountain climber
The Ocean
  Nov 21, 2015 - 07:26pm PT
I really miss the blueberries...but... Somehow this seems unlike Alaska.... where is the bushwacking??...cmon...no bushwacking?
Larry Nelson

Social climber
  Nov 21, 2015 - 07:38pm PT
What a great adventure. Many friends have trekked there, but I still haven't done it.
Excellent pictures and stories. The video was great.
You have to go back to the Arrigetch, eh?

The Helmericks are a very interesting family and famous in the far North.
(Several generations now living in the Arctic, home schooled, I believe at least 2 were Rhodes Scholars over the years)
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
  Nov 21, 2015 - 07:43pm PT
I loved that. There was an initial lack-of-suffering twinge but it was remedied when the needle was put to the flame.
climbski2

Mountain climber
The Ocean
  Nov 22, 2015 - 07:01pm PT
bump
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Nov 22, 2015 - 07:04pm PT
Wow?...stellar adventure!
johntp

Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
  Nov 22, 2015 - 08:13pm PT
BBST and TFPU!
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
  Nov 23, 2015 - 12:09pm PT
Cool! We need to talk. I've spent part or most of 4 summers in the Brooks Range. I never floated the Kobuk, but I've done the Noatak to the north. The Noatak is like a river from heaven.

We flew low over the sand dunes on the way to our put-in point on the Noatak. That was the only summer that I had a partner. The rest was alone.

The other three summers were spent in the Arctic Refuge. I walked from Arctic Village to Kaktovik, nabbed a resupply box that I pre-mailed up there, and after having a new pair of boots flown in from REI, left to take a different route over the Canning and Marsh Fork and back to Arctic Village. It took 10 weeks.

Other summers were spent floating rivers solo or trekking across the coastal plain to various places in the northern drainages of the Brooks Range, visiting remote valleys. The place is magic (if you disregard mosquitoes).

I love the pictures. I began my long loop hike on june 2nd, just after breakup and melting. My feet were soaked for over a month, and I got a case of trench foot. I carried all of my food and gear, so I had a huge pack, and I'm sure you know all about navigating through fields of wet tundra and cottongrass tussocks. As well as alder thickets, which rip your legs to shreds. I had a needle and thread, and often spent evenings repairing rips to my clothes or gear.

Good on ya. Time spent in the Brooks will not be deducted from your life. PM me with your email address and we can share our experiences.

I almost floated the Colville once with Jon Waterman. It never happened due to time and work conflicts. The Noatak and the Kobuk are prettier rivers, though. The Noatak is completely north of treeline except the very end, when you get close to Kotz.

When I hiked back south in July and August, it was drier and much warmer. I took a pair of scissors to a set of capilene and made a t-shirt and shorts. The quality was a joke:
hamersorethumb

Trad climber
Menlo Park, CA
  Nov 23, 2015 - 12:07pm PT
Awesome, thanks for sharing.
Phred

Mountain climber
Anchorage
  Nov 23, 2015 - 12:55pm PT
Hey, Base104, did you get up any summits on any of those trips?
SC seagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
  Nov 23, 2015 - 03:41pm PT
I don't even know where to begin to process all that you did.
What an incredible trip report and so many smiles in spite of an arduous journey.
The narrative and pictures and vids were awesome.

Susan
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
  Nov 23, 2015 - 04:07pm PT
Incredible experience, thank you for sharing the journey. Hard to comprehend how much you guys went through. wow
Fossil climber

Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
  Nov 23, 2015 - 04:08pm PT
Great trip, great job on the video! I had a big grin on my face watching it. Thanks!
Stevee B

Trad climber
Oakland, CA
  Nov 23, 2015 - 06:01pm PT
Sick TR Max. Are you familar with the Lepton's traverse? I think this was in 1995 or 1996.
http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199716900/North-America-United-States-Alaska-Alaska-Range-Traverse
Cool audio here.
http://dirtbagdiaries.com/big-deal/
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
  Nov 24, 2015 - 09:54am PT


Very few Trip write ups rise to full value! like yours !

That is an awesome share!

Thank you for turning us all on to you & your adventures
Ney Grant

Trad climber
Pollock Pines
  Nov 24, 2015 - 09:46am PT
Great trip report and awesome video. Thanks.
BASE104

Social climber
An Oil Field
  Nov 24, 2015 - 10:15am PT
No, no summits, although I did see the highest peaks in the Brooks Range. They look like snow slogs involving glacier travel. Being alone, and with limited food, I was concentrating on making it to the next village (either Kaktovik or Arctic Village) before my food ran out.

I did run out of most of my food a few days before reaching Kaktovik on the first leg. When I got there I ate several pounds of whale blubber at one sitting, greatly amusing the local natives.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Nov 24, 2015 - 10:16am PT
Wow! Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure.

John
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