The next morning Abe, Jaffa and I woke up packed up our tents and had a quick breakfast. Jaffa, headed for the road to hitchhike up to Fairbanks since she had to be back in class the next day. Abe and I headed for the Clear Creek trailhead in Denali State Park. Our objective was to hike the 27.4 mile Kesugi Ridge trail in 2 days. We packed light so we could move fast, bringing just enough food to get by on, and minimal clothes. Luckily the weather was perfect, only a few clouds in the sky and temps in the mid 60s.
We started at Coal Creek Trailhead and were heading for the Byers Lake Campground Trail Head. We were hoping to finish in 2 full days. We started out quickly out of the gates and soon passed a couple of day hiking guided groups. Initially we were in the woods but after less than an hour of hiking, and a lot of sweating we were up above the tree line. The views and weather were magnificent. The trail was well marked with rock cairns in the places that is was not a well worn path in the dirt. We stopped for a couple quick stops and then for a cooked lunch at around 4PM. Around that time we started passing groups that had already been out on the trail for 1 night. We kept on going and passed the cutoff for the Ermine trailhead shortly after lunch. We continued on, and dropped back down into the trees, and the vegetation was so heavy that we thought we were in the jungle. The bugs were pretty persistent too, but just more motivation to keep moving. After a couple hours we climbed back out and up to the ridgeline again. Shortly after that we stopped at long lake to refill on water, and then found a suitable campsite nearby. We had hiked for about 10 hrs and covered 18 miles during that time, not bad for a first day. We picked a spot that had views of Denali, and opted to keep the rainfly off the tent since the views were great and the weather was clear.
The next morning we woke up to another clear day and warm weather. We packed camp and got back on the trail. Within just a few hours we were at the Byers Lake Cutoff trail. This trail steeply descended back to the Byers lake campground. Once we arrived there, we had to hitch hike back to my car about 25 miles away by highway. Initially we tried to hitch together and had no luck. Abe decided to head back to the campground while I got a ride and then picked up the car. Immediately after he started walking back, the first car I stuck my thumb out for stopped or me. The best part is I was picked up by Bruce Nelson, a retired firefighter from Fairbanks told me he had finished a trip from the Canadian border, to the bearing straight, using only a packraft (small personal raft that fits in a backpack) and backpacking. His book: Alone Across Alaska It’s just amazing it seems everyone in Alaska has done one or more epic trips, and are always keeping active.
After picking up Abe, we headed to Talkeetna. I had heard good things about this town and wanted to check it out for myself. Although it’s a bit touristy since it’s a stop on the parks railway, and also the setting off point for most Mt. McKinely expeditions, it still has a good atmosphere. We ate dinner at the Roadhouse, and then hit the Denali Brewing Company for a flight of beers. We enjoyed them in the beer garden with a few locals, Troy and his wife were artists building a studio on the main street in town. Kate and Heather were a couple other friends of theirs and told us about some the rafting trips they had just finished in the area. After beers, we said goodbye and headed back to Anchorage.
Please check out these photos, by far one of the most scenic places I visited in Alaska.
FTF Day 134-135
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