More Overlanders
We met some really cool guys who have been travelling around North America for the last couple of years. These guys, Olaf and Simone, have a really cool truck which was basically built by Olaf putting an East German military box on the back of an ex-services West German Chassis.
We spent a really nice evening chatty to these guys and comparing experiences. We really hope that we bump into these guys again some time.
You can check their blog (in German) at http://www.two-vagabonds.de
Ice Climbing on Exit Glacier
We’ve just had an awesome (i’m even talking like an American now !) day out with a great company called Exit Glacier Guides. It was a day of Ice Climbing.
We started out getting kitted with mountain boots, crampons, helmet and a climbing harness. We attached all of these to our packs and then jumped in there shuttle to get to the visitor centre at Exit Glacier. This is a 4 mile or so long glacier that flows off the Harding Icefield.
First of all we had to hike up about 350m or so to a meadow above the glacier and about a mile along the length, then we descended to the edge of the glacier. We changed our trail shoes for the mountain shoes, put on the crampons and climbing harness and we were ready to go.
After a quick lesson in how to walk on ice, using the toe picks of the crampons to go up steep slopes, we set off across the glacier. The first stop was a wall where we each had a go at climbing up using 2 ice axes to steady ourselves and the crampons and legs to move up the wall. This was pretty easy and the guides judged us ready to go.
We then moved down the glacier to an area with some crevasses and a mulan. First up for Sarah and I was an abseil into the crevasse and then a climb out. The bottom was deep down – about 50m and you could see water filling the bottom. The ice on the wall was fairly soft and easy to get the ice axes in. At the bottom before climbing out the view was beautiful. We both managed to climb out fairly easily although getting back over the lip presented some problems.
Then we moved over to the Mulan which is a deep hole in the ice caused with running water. There were two waterfalls flowing in about half way down. The bottom was a tight little cauldron and very cool with an ice cave off to one side with ice which was the deepest coolest blue.
This was much harder to climb out of with very dense ice – rated a 5- out of 7 on the ice climbing difficulty scale. It was a real workout to get out but both of us managed.
After these two climbs we were both knackered and glad that it was time to head back. We moved over some rough terrain on the glacier back to our entry point and then hiked back out.
It was a fantastic experience and our two guides, Trevor and Nathan, were both excellent with a real passion for ice climbing.
Portage Lake and Seward
We headed south along the Parks highway, hoping to find somewhere South of Anchorage to stay for the night. We briefly stopped in Anchorage itself to go to a supermarket to pick up some dinner and then headed futher South on the Seward highway.
There were lots of turnouts where we could have camped for the night but most of them were very close to the highway which was the busiest road we’ve seen in a while. So we carried on until we got to the turn to Portage Glacier where we found a really nice spot right down on the Glacier lake.
Now we’ve come futher south and it’s a bit later in the year its almost getting dark at night. After weeks of 24 hour light we are so looking forward to there being night again. You don’t realise that’ll you miss it until you don’t have it.
In the morning we hiked up to a small glacier not too far from our night stop and then headed down the highway to Seward. We’ve definitely hit the touristy bit of Alaska – there are so many more people here.
We are going to spend a couple of days in Seward and try our hand at Ice Climbing and go on an overnight Kayak trip – so should be a fun place.
Denali Not
After reaching the end of the Denali Highway we drove 30 miles up the road to Denali National Park. One of highlights of Alaska. We arrived in rain with low lying cloud obscuring the mountains. We checked out the forecast in the visitor centre – 7 days of rain and cloud and promptly headed South out the of the Park. We’re going to come back in a week or so when hopefully the weather will have improved. There is no point being somewhere with stunning mountain views if you can’t see them.
The Denali Highway
On leaving Fairbanks we headed South on the Richardson Highway before turning at Paxson onto the Denali Highway. This is a gravel road that travels some 130 miles over a fairly remote highland area – it is not very heavily travelled until hunting season when it is inundated with Alaskans trying to kill anything that moves.
This was definitely our day to see wildlife and we clocked up a handful of Moose and around 500 Caribou as well as a porcupine and a snowshoe hare. The weather going across the highway wasn’t the greatest with bands of rain going over us. This meant that the views of the glaciated mountains to the North were mostly concealed although we did get some tantalising glimpses of them.
About halfway across the highway we stopped for the night in a small gravel turnout by a lake. Just next to us was a ridge which when I climbed looked out over a river and a plain of tundra where there was an enormous herd of over 300 caribou (the North American Reindeer).
We did get one mountain view early in the day though.
Mechanical Woes
After 8000 miles on some pretty questionable roads we were long overdue for some maintenance. Now we could have done this ourselves but since the road to Prudhoe had given the poor Beast a real rattling around and we’re pretty much wimps we decided to get a local garage to change the oil, give a general lube and identify any particular problems.
We saw an advert for Gabe’s in Fairbanks which sold itself as a Truck and RV service centre. Exactly what we needed. So we booked in and they could fit us in the next day at 8.30 and have us done by 10.30. Ideal.
We gave them the Beast and went off on our bikes (in the rain) to look around the centre of Fairbanks. Bizarrely like a ghost town on a mid-week morning. After a couple of hours we came back to find the Beast almost ready to go.
That is until the Mechanic fires her up to back her out of the workshop and doesn’t go anywhere. He pops back out and tells us that he can’t put her in Reverse. Well reverse was fine earlier ! It turns out that when he dropped the cab back down after lifting it he left the truck in gear and the gear stick which is directly connected to the transmission by a steel rod did not go back through its hole properly and bent its mounting. Cue 3 hours of trying to fix it. Eventually they had it back working with thanks to Marty Gabriel, the owner, who stepped in just as the mechanic was about to do something potentially dangerous in his attempt to fix what he had broken.
We collected the Beast paid up and drove 200 yards down the road before swinging around and heading back – the rev counter wasn’t working. In it went again for another 30 minutes before finally we got away. So instead of getting on the road out of Fairbanks by lunchtime it was 4pm before we set off.
Now the good news is that the gears feel smoother now and the rod connecting the stick to the transmission which was loose has now been tightened up. The stick is also in a slightly different place which is easier for Sarah to reach. We have a couple of small leaks in the engine but nothing to worry about – we just need to keep an eye on the oil.
We should be set for another 6-8k miles now and won’t need to change the oil until just before we hit mexico. Also we’ve discovered that the oil and fuel filters are easy to get here as they are a standard part.
Anyway while we were back in Fairbanks we revisited the Large Animal Research Station and took the tour. This was cool and the baby musk ox were cute. The bulls we really bad tempered though and kept fighting.
Earthcruiser
While in Prudhoe Bay we saw a kiwi guy and his daughter with an Earthcruiser. Made in Australia these things can fit in a container and judging by the speed he was driving the road – they are great off-road. A bit cramped inside but shower, toilet and cooking facilities coupled with a fixed bed.
Doing The Dalton: The Road to Prudhoe Bay
For some the Dalton highway is considered the most remote, dangerous and challenging road in Alaska. For others this is the ultimate wilderness road trip deep into the Arctic north hundreds of miles from the nearest town.
The “haul road” was built in 1974 to service the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The Pipeline was built to transport the newly exploited oil from the North Slope of Alaska to the ice-free port of Valdez for distribution to lower 48 refinerys. The road was exclusive to the oil companies until 1995 when it was opened to the public all the way to Deadhorse in Prudhoe Bay.
The Dalton has recently been made famous by the Tv series Ice Road Truckers which is about the truck drivers who travel it in winter. In summer the road is a rough road which is about 25% potholed tar and 75% gravel of varying quality. Parts of the road are pretty rough and others are surprisingly good quality although the going can change mile by mile. In the summer you can make this road with a normal car – if it doesn’t rain too much – however almost everything up here is four wheel drive and I wouldn’t risk it without. You are a long way from any help so two spare tires are essential – we picked up a nail and another chunk of metal in our tire treads so the chance of getting a flat Is high.
The Dalton itself is 414 miles long although the total distance from Fairbanks is 510 miles.
Some people sprint up the Haul Road in a hard long day – we have chosen to take it slower and taken 2.5 days to drive up and another 2 days back down. There are a couple of campgrounds on the Road but the good thing is that it is fine to camp wherever you want as long as you can pull of the road (and not block access to the pipeline roads).
The Dalton kicks off with a pretty rough first twenty miles. I reckon this is to make people turn back thinking there’s another 400 miles of the same. But after that things improve for a while. It really is up and down with some awful stuff and some race track. The 20 miles after Coldfoot is brand new tar and lovely – but then you hit some heavy going after.
Soon after starting we bumped into a dutch guy named Art who was resting next to his bike after having spent a week cycling from Deadhorse. He is on his way down to Argentina so we may cross paths again. His website is www.todayyoucan.nl He looked pretty knackered already. We helped him on his way with some toilet paper and wish him the best of luck.
The first major landmark on the Dalton is crossing the Yukon River. The bridge is the only one downstream of Whitehorse and is 700m long. This is followed by travelling through an undulating landscape with mostly stunted trees growing in the Permafrost. The road mostly closely follws the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
The road climbs to an upland Plateau at around 90 miles which is punctuated with Tors and resembles Dartmoor. Shortly after this you enter the Arctic Circle and there is an obligatory picture stop.
The next major stop on the road is Coldfoot where there is a truck stop with fuel and a truckers café. At the café here there is a truckers only table and on the wall a set of tokens from truckers to each other for free meals (including ones for Lisa Kelly and Jack Jesse of Ice Road Truckers fame). The diesel here is expensive at $5.299 but no more fuel for over 200 miles till Prudhoe so you’d better top off. Ironically the fuel at Prudhoe itself is a little cheaper at $5.2 dead.
After Coldfoot the road moves into the Brooks ranges and the scenery gets more spectacular. The road climbs until reaching the peak at Atigun Pass which is 1448m and the highest point on the Alaska road system.
After Atigun the temperature drops immediately as you move onto the Arctic shelf.known as the North Slope. The worst section of the road comes on the first section of the North Slope with a mud surface peppered with stones which have been forced upwards by freezing and lead to a really rough ride. The tundra itself consists of spongy wet tundra (there’s not too much rainfall but it can’t drain away because of the permafrost) with clouds and I do mean clouds of mosquitos.
After the full 414 miles you reach Deadhorse which isn’t really a town but more an industrial camp. Each company has its own area with prefab workers accommodation however there are a couple of hotels (mainly for oil workers), a petrol station and a general store. A word of warning – if you want to stay up here it works out at almost $200 for a twin room in very average accommodation. The Prudhoe shop had some interesting hats – I am not sure if you could wear this in London without being lynched though !
The petrol station consisted of a row of labelled boxes. You go through a door to swipe your credit card and then back out to the pumps which you switch on and then pump away. Don’t forget to put down a Spill Suppression mat though – I did and got shouted at by a local worker.
For security reasons the actual oil fields are closed to the public so in order to reach the Arctic Ocean you have to take a $45 tour with the Arctic Caribou Inn. To be honest the tour isn’t very good – consisting of a 20 minute propaganda video about how wonderful the oil companies here, followed by a quick bus tour around the oil fields and culminating in a visit to the Arctic Ocean. You have to book the tour at least 24 hours in advance with your passport details in order for them to security check you.
Any new drilling and exploration activity only happens in the winter when the tundra is covered in snow and ice. This means that it is easier to move around and the tundra is not damaged by the activities. They do have these very cool machines called Rollagons that disperse their weight so well that they can roll over a person with no ill effect.
When we got to the Arctic Ocean I was determined to get wet so stripped off to a pair of shorts and ran in. The tour guide had told us earlier that full immersion had been banned because of Health and Safety Reasons. However another guy there ignored the rules and plunged in – so not to be outdone I stripped off (to my shorts) and jumped in (no pictures of this because I wasn’t hanging around and Sarah was too slow on the draw). The water wasn’t that cold (well it was cold) but the biting wind on getting out was hard to take.
The wildlife doesn’t seem bothered by all the drilling and oil field activity.
I think that they have a sense of humor up this way in naming things.
After driving the Haul Road I can honestly say it was an experience and the scenery North of Coldfoot was amazing. It is 1000 mile round trip though and can be very tiring driving at times – but you won’t regret doing it.
Now we’ve conquered the Dalton we’re heading South and we can truly say that our trip to South America has started. First things first though we have to find a car wash and clean off the Beast. Its dirty work driving the Haul Road.
World Eskimo and Indian Olympics
We may be missing the Olympics at home in London but we had the opportunity to attend the second day of the Eskimo Olympics while in Fairbanks. There were Eskimos and Indians from Alaska, Canada and even as far away as Greenland attending. The whole setup was fairly amateurish but a great deal of fun.
We managed to see three of the events .
Eskimo Stick Pull
2 competitors sit face to face with their feet touching . Both grasp a short stick between them and the winner is the one who can make the loser let go by pulling the stick towards themselves. Its all about the power in the legs and the grip.
Alaskan High Kick
In this a ball is hung from a beam. With one hand on the floor and the other hand holding the opposite toe you must kick the ball with the free foot and end up back in the start position with only one hand and one foot touching the ground.
Greased Pole Walk
Very simple. Walk as far as possible down a greased pole without falling off.
In addition we saw a Native Baby and Regalia contest at the Olympics. They were so cute but it was fairly alarming how many animals had died in the making of their costumes – seal, wolverine, arctic fox etc.
Fairbanks
The drive into Fairbanks saw us get to the end of the Alaska Highway and drive along a highway with intermittent views of the fairly impressive Alaska ranges in the distance.
Fairbanks is a pretty small city with around 30,000 people but with a full complement of services. This is also the site of our cheapest diesel so far.
We have spent a day in Fairbanks to catch our breath and provision for our trip up the Dalton Highway.
There is not an enormous amount to do in Fairbanks. We did however visit the Large Animal Research Station to see some Musk Ox and visit Pioneer Park (a fairly pointless theme park) where Sarah had a run in with a Grizzly Bear !
However the highlight of our visit to Fairbanks was the WEIO.
FromAtoB 