Pinnell Mountain Fast-Pack, Friday 8/29/08

What is fast-packing? Simply put, it is just backpacking with lighter loads than typical for multi-day outings, allowing you to cover 25 to 35 miles or more in a day. Average speeds are typically just 2 to 3 mph, unless you plan on running parts of the route. Twenty pounds or less are the ideal for the fast-packer, as this smaller amount of weight affords you more mobility, less fatigue in the shoulders, and less stress on the knees and feet. A brisk 25 to 35 mile fast-pack on a steep, rocky route will give you a good workout, comparable to running a marathon, but without as much pounding on the joints, along with some inspiring and refreshing wilderness access. For those of us who enjoy endurance athletic activities, such as long-distance running, skiing, or biking, it is a great tool for maintaining our fitness as well as getting away from the daily routine. And given the vagaries and uncertainties of Alaskan environmental conditions, it can also provide you with unexpected and significant challenges.

I decided to do the Pinnell Mountain trail, as I had fast-packed the only other nearby similar trail, Chena Dome, back in May and had a great time. Pinnell is 27.3 miles, whereas Chena Dome was 31. Located on the Steese Highway, it has two trailheads, one at milepost 86 (12 Mile Summit) and milepost 106 (Eagle Summit). This one I did alone in late August. I couldn’t bring intrepid little Mattie because I had to stash my bicycle at one end of the trail (12-Mile Summit), and bike the 20 miles back along the highway, to my car, where I started the hike, at Eagle Summit.

The Pinnell Mountain and Chena Dome trails are classic interior Alaska tundra hikes, very rocky with occasional marshy or tussocky sections in saddles and low points, but expansive views in all directions on the summits. One thing to keep in mind with both of these is wind. It is almost always windy in these exposed areas, and if even what would seem to be a minor weather disturbance to us in the lowlands near Fairbanks moves in, fog and cold windy rain or snow will occur at these higher exposed elevations. Which is why extra layers, hat, gloves, maps, and a GPS are essential for your safety. I always check the weather forecasts before I undertake these fast-packs. The best place for accurate weather information and forecasts can be found on the National Weather Service’s web-site at http://pafg.arh.noaa.gov/, or by calling the Alaska Weather Information Line, 800-472-0391 (458-3745 in Fairbanks). You can also look at satellite and radar loops on the NWS web-site to help make your decisions.

The Pinnell Mountain trail, for me at least, was easier than the Chena Dome outing, because the elevation gains are less overall (the start at Eagle Summit is at 3600 feet, and the highest point, Mt. Pinnell is 4934 ft), and the ascents and descents on the steeper slopes are all switchbacked. Thus, I was able to complete the 27.3 miles of it in nine and a half hours, under beautiful sunny skies, in a stiff 15-25 mph cool (40-45 degrees) northeast wind. I kept to a brisk hiking pace the whole route, and just took four short breaks for food/water, and energy drinks, of 5 to 15 minutes each. I did slow down and take pictures at times too. One highlight of the trail was when I descended into the “Swamp Saddle” between miles 14 and 15. There in that marshy saddle were a herd of caribou. I stopped and stayed quiet, and they actually approached me slightly. But when I said hello to them and they realized what I was, they took off running. This section of the trail, through the swamp saddle, is boardwalked, to protect the marshy tundra, and to make for easier footing. There are also some sections of boardwalk in the last mile before you reach 12 Mile Summit. These can be very slippery when wet or frosty, so caution is advised if that occurs.

The fall colors of the tundra were in full view, and this combined with the clear blue skies and craggy rocks, was stunning. Views north across the Yukon Flats and south through the seemingly endless uplands were a patchwork of brown tundra and fall color dropping down to the spruce and yellowing birch/aspen in the lower elevations.

The 20 mile return bike-ride from trails-end at 12-Mile Summit to my vehicle at Eagle Summit took just under two hours. It proved to be quite fun the first 10 miles downhill, slightly invigorating on the next five mile flat section, and highly challenging the last five uphill miles. A stiff headwind and falling temperatures in the 30s, combined with my overall fatigue from the long day of movement, made that quite memorable as I longed for Eagle Summit to come into view in the fading daylight while my feet began freezing (I had extra layers, but just didn’t want to stop). I had started the day at Eagle Summit at around 10 a.m., and it was near 10 p.m. when I returned to the sanctuary of my vehicle, heat, and warm, dry clothing. Like Chena Dome, Pinnell Mountain Trail is not very heavily used, especially well in from either trailhead. Hence, on the Friday before Labor Day, during my outing, I did not see a single person at any time. And, there are a few sections where the thin, rocky trail disappears and you just navigate to the next cairn or pylon in sight.

All in all, the day's outing went very well, no injuries, blisters, good weather, what more could I ask for? Now back to reality. While driving home at midnight, tired, but satisfied with my trip, I kept thinking about the craziness of this election season, and likely how little things will really change next year, even if the neo-fascist Republicans don't maintain their grip.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/02-0

http://http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/03-3

This is a good speech by Tom Hayden, given to activists at the Democratic Convention in Denver. While I feel his basic points are valid, he fails to go far enough. I can't vote for Obama, because neither he nor the Democratic party will acknowledge what has happened in the past 8 years as leading to the destruction of this country and its descent toward fascism, and indeed, have voted for and supported most of the worst events. The erosion of civil liberties (Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act), and the illegal, immoral, criminal invasion of Iraq. A country that was known by the administration to pose no threat to this or any other country, and which so far has cost the lives of upwards of a million innocent Iraqi civilians. All impeachable offenses, yet impeachment remains "off the table", thanks to Nancy Pelosi. http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/

So, I'm supporting Cindy Sheehan in her maverick run for Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat, and voting for Green party candidates this fall. Sure, we all know third parties in this country haven't a chance, given the corporate media's deliberate exclusion and ridicule of them, but we have to start somewhere. http://www.cindyforcongress.org/

Alaska Range Getaway, mid-August 2008

http://www.commondreams.org/

http://prorev.com/

http://counterpunch.org/

I'll just lay it out right here. The corporate media that most people in the USA are exposed to reflect the opinions of the large conglomerates that own them, and only show that which is deemed appropriate for the masses, such that no significant changes or upsets to the system result. So, I do not routinely look at CNN, Fox News, Time, Newsweek, or any of those "mainstream" media. The links above, and print magazines such as Utne Reader and The Progressive serve as my outlets for viewing the World at large. I do look at the USA edition of BBC news, as it actually has more news content than celebrity fluff, and is good for rapid-fire current events.

After hard days of keeping abreast of all that's going on, sometimes I just need to get away! And fortunately, that's very easy to do here in Alaska. In mid-August, my sweet little 18 month old lab/husky mix Mattie and I decided we needed some time away.

So we took a 3-day backpack trip in mid-August this year into the Alaska Range, southeast of Fairbanks. We just drove east to Big Delta to the Richardson Highway, south on that to the Denali Highway (about 75 miles). The Denali highway is a well-maintained gravel road that cuts due east-west south of the crest of the Alaska Range. Before the building of the Parks Highway, that connects Fairbanks to Anchorage directly, in the early 1970s, this the only way to travel from Fairbanks to Denali National Park. It is a great place to start wilderness outings, and you can even skate ski on it's entire 160 mile length in winter, as snow-machine traffic grooms it into a wide, level surface.

We parked at MacClaren Summit, the highest point on the road, at around 4100 feet. This is above tree-line, marshy tundra, full of tussocks (raised clumps of tundra, often with water between, often making for hard walking), ponds, and small lakes. Bug hell in June and July, but better in August and September.

I just strapped my 30 lb. pack on with supplies for 3 days, and we walked in to a nameless pond about six miles north of the highway, hopping on the tussocks, which made my knees a little sore. I set up camp, by then it was evening, and had a nice relaxing meal with Mattie in that peaceful setting. It was cool, about 45 degrees, and sprinkling a little.

The next day, I just kept camp where it was, but packed all the food up and took it in the pack with me while we explored. We walked about 4 miles north and climbed some ridges above Seven-mile Lake, giving us expansive views of it below. At one point, as we were on the north face of one ridge above the lake, we heard snorting, and the clacking of hooves. Caribou. Lots of them, and only about 50 feet away, directly above us. Hunting is not allowed north of the Denali Highway, so they are not so afraid of people.

We spent the day exploring, covering about fifteen miles total, winding up and down ridges. We had lunch by Basalt Lake, a small lake ringed by rocky crags. Although it was only mid-August, summer is fleeting at these higher elevations, and some fall colors are already evident. There were plenty of gnats and mosquitoes when the east winds would let up occasionally. Fortunately this day, the weather was nice, just partly cloudy and cool. We got back to our camp around 6 pm, and I noticed showers were starting to develop. By 7pm, a thundershower moved over, and it rained hard for 90 minutes. Mattie had to stay outside in the rain, she doesn't like tents. As the rain let up, I heard a snorting sound outside, and movement, and I thought, crap, a bear. I bolted out of the tent, and a large bull caribou was staring at us about 40 feet away. I don't think he liked that we were in his domain. Before I could stop her, Mattie took off barking at him! All 64 pounds of her against a 300 pound creature with large antlers. Fortunately he took off. We were lucky, as they can fight off wolves if they have to. That made me very proud of my little girl, she's sure courageous and protective.


After that, I was able to relax and cook dinner, by which time it was already 9 pm. I slept well that night, knowing that Mattie was on the job!


I packed up in the morning, and we hiked back to the car at MacClaren summit. That only took us a couple hours. One reason I went in this area, is that it is well above the rivers, where the salmon are running. The bears are all down lower by the rivers at this time, so the odds of any encounters are much lower up high. And, we never did see one. All in all, a nice, quick getaway, without having to do much in the way of elaborate preparation. I don't carry (or own) any guns, and have no bear spray, I just put trust in my higher self to keep me safe, and no problems. Just as I don't carry a water filter, I bless the water I drink from clear flowing streams as life-giving and never get sick.

WELCOME TO THE ALASKA PROGRESSIVE REVIEW!

Welcome to the Alaska Progressive Review!

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) -
pro·gres·sive
–adjective

1. favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, esp. in political matters: a progressive mayor.
2. making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.: a progressive community.
3. characterized by such progress, or by continuous improvement.
4. of or pertaining to any of the Progressive parties in politics.

lib·er·al
-adjective

1. favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.
2. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a political party advocating measures of progressive political reform.
3. of, pertaining to, based on, or advocating liberalism.
4. favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible, esp. as guaranteed by law and secured by governmental protection of civil liberties.
5. favoring or permitting freedom of action, esp. with respect to matters of personal belief or expression: a liberal policy toward dissident artists and writers.
6. of or pertaining to representational forms of government rather than aristocracies and monarchies.
7. free from prejudice or bigotry; tolerant: a liberal attitude toward foreigners.
8. open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values, etc.

Michael Richmond here. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska, and have since June, 2001. Before that, in Juneau, AK for the previous three years. And before that, in Missoula, Montana, from 1990-98. A university-oriented town that has a vibrant counter-culture, and which was a great influence upon my adult personality.

This is not just a blog for travel and adventure postings. Those are always a good thing, and you'll see plenty of that here. But I also want to inject incisive political commentary, from a liberal/green Alaskan perspective. Many people, especially recently, think of Alaskans as selfish, conservative/gun/hunting nuts with little exposure to outside ideas and perspectives. Sure, we have our share of those types, as does any state in the USA. As a whole, Alaskans are kind and friendly people, who care about their neighbors. Because we have to, in our sometimes harsh and unforgiving environment.

To get started, I'd like to introduce one my favorite writings, from an unfortunately very prophetic novel written in 1993, by an author named Starhawk. The book:

THE FIFTH SACRED THING

Declaration of the Four Sacred Things

"The earth is a living, conscious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things as sacred: air, fire, water, and earth.

Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain life, we know that nothing can live without them.

To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves become the standards by which our acts, our economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. No one has the right to appropriate them or profit from them at the expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy.

All people, all living things, are part of the earth life, and so are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in full diversity.

To honor the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment, sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom, and beauty can thrive. To honor the sacred is to make love possible.

To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our silences, and our voices. To this we dedicate our lives."

Vaya con Dios

Miguel