Trip Report
5-Weeks in Alaska's Brooks Range
Saturday November 21, 2015 4:53pm
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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.
Comments
Crag Q
Trad climber
Louisville, Colorado
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Nov 21, 2015 - 06:44pm PT
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Exceptional video. There is so much joy and raw adventure. I love the way you editted it. I bet those blueberries tasted amazing.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
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Nov 21, 2015 - 07:26pm PT
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I really miss the blueberries...but... Somehow this seems unlike Alaska.... where is the bushwacking??...cmon...no bushwacking?
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Larry Nelson
Social climber
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Nov 21, 2015 - 07:38pm PT
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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)
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MH2
Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
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Nov 21, 2015 - 07:43pm PT
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I loved that. There was an initial lack-of-suffering twinge but it was remedied when the needle was put to the flame.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
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Nov 22, 2015 - 07:01pm PT
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bump
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Nov 22, 2015 - 07:04pm PT
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Wow?...stellar adventure!
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johntp
Trad climber
Punter, Little Rock
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Nov 22, 2015 - 08:13pm PT
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BBST and TFPU!
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 23, 2015 - 12:09pm PT
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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:
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hamersorethumb
Trad climber
Menlo Park, CA
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Nov 23, 2015 - 12:07pm PT
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Awesome, thanks for sharing.
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Phred
Mountain climber
Anchorage
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Nov 23, 2015 - 12:55pm PT
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Hey, Base104, did you get up any summits on any of those trips?
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, Bozeman, the ocean, or ?
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Nov 23, 2015 - 03:41pm PT
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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
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Nov 23, 2015 - 04:07pm PT
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Incredible experience, thank you for sharing the journey. Hard to comprehend how much you guys went through. wow
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Nov 23, 2015 - 04:08pm PT
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Great trip, great job on the video! I had a big grin on my face watching it. Thanks!
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Nov 24, 2015 - 09:54am PT
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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
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Ney Grant
Trad climber
Pollock Pines
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Nov 24, 2015 - 09:46am PT
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Great trip report and awesome video. Thanks.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Nov 24, 2015 - 10:15am PT
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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.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Nov 24, 2015 - 10:16am PT
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Wow! Thanks for sharing your wonderful adventure.
John
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