Hello again!
Beyond fulfilled. Beyond exhausted. This is my journal, almost verbatim.
Day 1
Took a bus an hour to Eagle River. Then hitchhiked 40+ Miles to the Eklutna Lake Trailhead. An Absolute doll named Ardie picked me up. Such a joy to meet such a wonderful woman. Not to mention, she saved me hours of walking to the trailhead, if I ever got there at all. Thanks Ardie!! You are getting a birthday card whether you like it or not!
6:00pm - Reach the trailhead
7:28pm - Cross Bold Creek- Mile 5. Every river/water crossing now has me proceeding like molasses
8:28pm - Mile 8! Cruising! Make way down to river to fill up on water
8:45pm - Starts to rain. Stop to make camp. OK with this as I have made serious progress on Day 1 even though I started much later than planned. Make successful one match fire! Boil Chicken and Rice. Hits the spot
9 Miles under my belt! Not bad on a very short day.
SLEEP
Day 2
I crawl out my 0*F rated sleeping bag. I cringe as it MIGHT be 40* outside my sleeping bag, although I don't think so. I start my morning by making fire to sterilize my knife. I am dealing with about 6 blisters that need tending to. Boil water for breakfast. Freeze dried bacon and eggs + 2 packs of Nature Valley bars for breakfast. I see the sun coming up over the mountains! Incredible. As my cameras were destroyed, earlier this week, you are just going to have to take my word for it. Break down camp
10:41am - Get back on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail
11:31pm - veer off main trail to take East Fork Trail up to Mount Bashful. 13 miles roundtrip. Fill up on water
12:47pm - Reach Tulchna Falls waterfall. Breathtaking.
2pm - Reach the end of East Fork Trail. My map shows a glacier field up over the mountains. I can't pick up trail. Probably for the best. Don't have the skills nor supplies to make this happen. Make the sound decision to turn around as my original plan entailed.
2:53 - Raining again and much colder. Stop to fill up on water
4:06 - make my way to East Fork Trailhead/Eklutna Lake Trail. This is a great sign as I now know exactly where I am. Always a good thing.
4:30pm - group of 3 mountainbikers come by. First two say nothing in response to my saying hello. 3rd says " Hey man! Be careful at mile 9 we saw Black Bears right on the trail" This leaves me thinking that the first two bikers were NOT voted friendliest in high school superlatives nor will they be receiving Good Samaritan awards as they said nothing to me. No "hello." No "hey man we just saw a bear!" Nothing. Who doesn't notify a fellow hiker that there are bears around the corner???
4:44pm - I make it back to previous night's camp. Only 6 hours of hiking but a grueling 6 hours of backcountry tough terrain trekking. No bear sighting.
Make fire tonight with steel wool and a 9V battery. Drier lint used as initial fuel source. This has me recalling my childhood. Mom would say " You boys are going to burn the house down if you don't start cleaning out that lint trap in the drier!" Mom, you were right! We would have.
Sustain fire for 5 hours with no wood larger than a ruler. I needed a reading light and some warmth. Not a forest fire. I read 150 pages of the 3rd Hunger Games book. Katniss Everdeen is a badass!
13 Miles on Day 2! No question I'll sleep well tonight.
Day 3
10:30: Finish taking down camp and hit the trail!
Noon: Stop down at the river to reload on water and eat!
1:04pm: Mile 30 and I am hurting big time. I yell at myself for being soft and keep moving. The more I stop, the harder it is to continue. No more stopping!
2pm - I reach the Eklutna Lake Trailhead! Mile 32! Finished! One small problem... I am standing alone at the trailhead with no ride out of the State Park! Frown. Highway is 10 miles away. I start walking again. No other choice.
3pm - I am now 35 miles in, when out of nowhere a couple from Texas pulls over and gives me a ride to the highway! Yes! Saved me probably 3+ hours of walking. Maybe more as my legs are destroyed at this point.
3:05pm - Do you believe in miracles?? Augustine, a priest, pulls over to the side of the highway while in his priest outfit! He is on his way to Anchorage to give Mass!! He took me the next 40 miles right to the door of my hostel! Beyond incredible! Fr. Augustine is such a nice guy! Probably a few years older than me. We talk about all sorts of interesting things. Great conversation.
4pm - Unknown to Fr. Augustine, I show up to Mass and grab a seat to the Fr. Augustine Show! I cannot recall going to mass in the last 5 years. Aside from an occasional holiday I suppose. However, I am excited to see my new friend in action!
4:10 - I truly don't know what language mass is being given in. Fr. is facing away from the pews almost the entire time, and I am slightly deaf. And slightly blind while I am at it. I am thinking MAYBE he is giving mass in English, PERHAPS Spanish, and MIGHT be LATIN. I swear to you, I really don't know.
4:15pm - Fr Augustine welcomes his "visitor"! I can only assume it is me he is talking about. I can also only assume that he saw I had at least one eye closed, and possibly two when he made this announcement to his parishoners! I think I am going to hell!
4:55pm - I receive communion. Also, it hits me that the Mass may in fact be in Russian. I am dead serious. I think it might have been.
5:10pm - Mass is over. I thank Fr. Augustine again for both the ride and Mass! He says "Mark, you should check out the picture of Pope John Paul II by the tabernacle before you go!" I don't know what or where that is that he speaks of, so I give Fr. one last firm handshake,smile, nod, and go out the back door and walk home to my hostel.
Mark/Chops
PS.. I AM GOING TO HELL!
PPS. For 35 miles, I was looking at the pictures that famous artist guy used to paint on his easil on TV in the 80s, I think, but brought to life! I don't know his name, but you know who I am talking about. Maybe you don't. Alaska is blowing my mind. Rivers and lakes and glaciers and mountains etc etc. Remarkable. I will try and get a new camera before the next adventure. Until then, use your imagination and check out some pics I found online. This is where I was and to be completely honest, the only difference between these and what I would have taken, is there is no me in them wearing youth medium tshirts.
The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days
Beyond fulfilled. Beyond exhausted. This is my journal, almost verbatim.
Day 1
Took a bus an hour to Eagle River. Then hitchhiked 40+ Miles to the Eklutna Lake Trailhead. An Absolute doll named Ardie picked me up. Such a joy to meet such a wonderful woman. Not to mention, she saved me hours of walking to the trailhead, if I ever got there at all. Thanks Ardie!! You are getting a birthday card whether you like it or not!
6:00pm - Reach the trailhead
7:28pm - Cross Bold Creek- Mile 5. Every river/water crossing now has me proceeding like molasses
8:28pm - Mile 8! Cruising! Make way down to river to fill up on water
8:45pm - Starts to rain. Stop to make camp. OK with this as I have made serious progress on Day 1 even though I started much later than planned. Make successful one match fire! Boil Chicken and Rice. Hits the spot
9 Miles under my belt! Not bad on a very short day.
SLEEP
Day 2
I crawl out my 0*F rated sleeping bag. I cringe as it MIGHT be 40* outside my sleeping bag, although I don't think so. I start my morning by making fire to sterilize my knife. I am dealing with about 6 blisters that need tending to. Boil water for breakfast. Freeze dried bacon and eggs + 2 packs of Nature Valley bars for breakfast. I see the sun coming up over the mountains! Incredible. As my cameras were destroyed, earlier this week, you are just going to have to take my word for it. Break down camp
10:41am - Get back on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail
11:31pm - veer off main trail to take East Fork Trail up to Mount Bashful. 13 miles roundtrip. Fill up on water
12:47pm - Reach Tulchna Falls waterfall. Breathtaking.
2pm - Reach the end of East Fork Trail. My map shows a glacier field up over the mountains. I can't pick up trail. Probably for the best. Don't have the skills nor supplies to make this happen. Make the sound decision to turn around as my original plan entailed.
2:53 - Raining again and much colder. Stop to fill up on water
4:06 - make my way to East Fork Trailhead/Eklutna Lake Trail. This is a great sign as I now know exactly where I am. Always a good thing.
4:30pm - group of 3 mountainbikers come by. First two say nothing in response to my saying hello. 3rd says " Hey man! Be careful at mile 9 we saw Black Bears right on the trail" This leaves me thinking that the first two bikers were NOT voted friendliest in high school superlatives nor will they be receiving Good Samaritan awards as they said nothing to me. No "hello." No "hey man we just saw a bear!" Nothing. Who doesn't notify a fellow hiker that there are bears around the corner???
4:44pm - I make it back to previous night's camp. Only 6 hours of hiking but a grueling 6 hours of backcountry tough terrain trekking. No bear sighting.
Make fire tonight with steel wool and a 9V battery. Drier lint used as initial fuel source. This has me recalling my childhood. Mom would say " You boys are going to burn the house down if you don't start cleaning out that lint trap in the drier!" Mom, you were right! We would have.
Sustain fire for 5 hours with no wood larger than a ruler. I needed a reading light and some warmth. Not a forest fire. I read 150 pages of the 3rd Hunger Games book. Katniss Everdeen is a badass!
13 Miles on Day 2! No question I'll sleep well tonight.
Day 3
10:30: Finish taking down camp and hit the trail!
Noon: Stop down at the river to reload on water and eat!
1:04pm: Mile 30 and I am hurting big time. I yell at myself for being soft and keep moving. The more I stop, the harder it is to continue. No more stopping!
2pm - I reach the Eklutna Lake Trailhead! Mile 32! Finished! One small problem... I am standing alone at the trailhead with no ride out of the State Park! Frown. Highway is 10 miles away. I start walking again. No other choice.
3pm - I am now 35 miles in, when out of nowhere a couple from Texas pulls over and gives me a ride to the highway! Yes! Saved me probably 3+ hours of walking. Maybe more as my legs are destroyed at this point.
3:05pm - Do you believe in miracles?? Augustine, a priest, pulls over to the side of the highway while in his priest outfit! He is on his way to Anchorage to give Mass!! He took me the next 40 miles right to the door of my hostel! Beyond incredible! Fr. Augustine is such a nice guy! Probably a few years older than me. We talk about all sorts of interesting things. Great conversation.
4pm - Unknown to Fr. Augustine, I show up to Mass and grab a seat to the Fr. Augustine Show! I cannot recall going to mass in the last 5 years. Aside from an occasional holiday I suppose. However, I am excited to see my new friend in action!
4:10 - I truly don't know what language mass is being given in. Fr. is facing away from the pews almost the entire time, and I am slightly deaf. And slightly blind while I am at it. I am thinking MAYBE he is giving mass in English, PERHAPS Spanish, and MIGHT be LATIN. I swear to you, I really don't know.
4:15pm - Fr Augustine welcomes his "visitor"! I can only assume it is me he is talking about. I can also only assume that he saw I had at least one eye closed, and possibly two when he made this announcement to his parishoners! I think I am going to hell!
4:55pm - I receive communion. Also, it hits me that the Mass may in fact be in Russian. I am dead serious. I think it might have been.
5:10pm - Mass is over. I thank Fr. Augustine again for both the ride and Mass! He says "Mark, you should check out the picture of Pope John Paul II by the tabernacle before you go!" I don't know what or where that is that he speaks of, so I give Fr. one last firm handshake,smile, nod, and go out the back door and walk home to my hostel.
Mark/Chops
PS.. I AM GOING TO HELL!
PPS. For 35 miles, I was looking at the pictures that famous artist guy used to paint on his easil on TV in the 80s, I think, but brought to life! I don't know his name, but you know who I am talking about. Maybe you don't. Alaska is blowing my mind. Rivers and lakes and glaciers and mountains etc etc. Remarkable. I will try and get a new camera before the next adventure. Until then, use your imagination and check out some pics I found online. This is where I was and to be completely honest, the only difference between these and what I would have taken, is there is no me in them wearing youth medium tshirts.
The Future Is No Place To Place Your Better Days
1 comment:
So, you're a real life adventurer! Fantastic. I'm glad your documenting your journey and sharing with the world.
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