The very best 200 photos (culled from over 2,900 taken with 7 cameras) from our Venture Crew 1716 Alaska backpacking trip are here:

The photos are fun to see, but they lack context and “texture”. This trek was, in a word, extreme (exceeding the bounds of moderation).

Extreme weather:

• It rained every day. This is a bit of a technicality, as it did stop raining around 3:00 am on our last day in Denali. Keeping clothes and sleeping bags dry required skill and tenacity. Once something got wet, it stayed wet.
• It was chilly. Typical temperatures ranged from 55 (day) to 40 (night). Some slept in rain gear to keep warm. Because I pack “light”, over the years I’ve often quipped about having to wear “every piece of clothing in my pack” if things get really tough. For the first time, they did.
• Wind in Denali’s Polychrome pass gusted at 30-40 mph (est. via Beaufort wind scale). We dug our tent stakes into the ground, placed rocks over the stakes for added weight and built wind breaks from rocks. (For my LNT friends, all rocks were put back when we broke camp.)
• Campfires, for warmth, were out of the question. I’m pretty good at starting fires, but the wood was rain-soaked to the point where even the (secret) white-gas technique wouldn’t work.
• On the bright side, on a couple of days the rain held off for half a day, the sun came out, temps hit 70F. Life was grand! 

Extreme terrain:

• Rocky terrain was the norm in Wrangell. I’ve hiked over a thousand miles without trekking poles but consider them a necessity here. The fist-sized or better rocks, coupled with uneven ground, also created a unique sleeping challenge.
• Route finding in Denali’s Polychrome pass was a 2 ½ mile maze through waist-to-head high shrubs (most likely alder and dwarf cottonwood). At times we followed animal trails, and learned that animals never, ever go directly from point A to point B.
• One of the few trails we followed was Wrangell’s Goat Trail – made by mentally deranged goats. Sheer 300+ foot drop, loose rocks and dirt, one foot wide and slippery due to the rain. To improve balance we crouched to lower our center of gravity.
• Roads were rough too. Our van suffered two flat tires between Wrangell and Denali. First on the McCarthy road, then again on Route 4. There was a jack in the van, and a jack handle, but they were from two different units. Ed and I changed one of the tires -- he gets the credit for jury-rigging the parts to work together.
• In Denali’s Triple Lakes region the trail was severely deteriorated. In fact, it’s currently being rebuilt. Aided by the rain, about 1/3 of it traversed a muddy/slippery slope (treacherous, but not in the same league as the Goat Trail). Between the lakes it was simply underwater. Our destination, Riley Creek, was off the trail and beyond the third lake. To get there we slogged through ankle-deep muskeg (bog), looking for tussocks (high ground) to step on. 

Bears:

• A couple days before our travels took us there, Wrangell park rangers shut down the entire Donoho basin area due to a habituated black bear (one that’s become accustomed to frequenting developed areas). Along with the rain and snow, this forced us to leave Wrangell two days early.
• One morning in Denali we returned to fresh grizzly bear scat about 35 feet from our tents. Another morning in Wrangell we found our bear canisters had been molested – one now has multiple puncture wounds.
• Hiking one evening (it stayed light until about midnight) we encountered two black bears – a mama and cub eating berries. Wrangell’s “Living in Harmony with Bears” Guide advises backpackers to “be predicable”. We were. We exhibited the universal tourist response, i.e. pulled cameras from our packs and tried to get a photo.

Extremely beautiful backcountry:

• Wrangell’s misty, stark, indifferent mountains
• Polychrome’s warm hues of green, brown, orange, yellow and red
• Zillions of perky alpine flowers
• Glacier Gulch’s gurgling, beckoning river flowing underneath the snow bridges
• Donoho’s snowy peak reflecting in the water
• Waterfall carving through blue-ice at Root Glacier
• Icebergs, pushed to and fro by the wind, in Hidden Creek Lake
• Lunchtime serenity at Triple Lakes 

Last but not least, I’m extremely proud of be a part of this crew:

We were hoping for better conditions, but were prepared to handle, as the saying goes, “the hand we were dealt”.

• We were, at different times, wet, shivering, tired, sore and hungry.
• We were never lost, but we did get separated at Triple Lakes.
• We provided medical aid and helped carry an injured tourist, from another group, off the Root glacier, on a stretcher.

When conditions altered our plans, we adapted. When the choice came to quit or continue, our crew not only stayed the course, but remained upbeat. I’m aware of crews that have self-destructed in far less extreme conditions. This is one of the finest proof-points for BSA’s “youth-led crew” model. I’ve been asked if I’d do it again given the difficult conditions. With this crew, in a heartbeat.

Steve Lagreca’s wanderlust for hiking and backpacking has taken him to 90 national and state parks, in 6 countries. He shares this with others by volunteering as an Associate Advisor for BSA Venturing Crew 1716 and leading the Philmont Ranch contingent for Detroit Area Council.  Facebook LinkedIn