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Alaska Trip Part 3 - Canoe trip on the North Fork of the Koyukuk River in Gates of the Arctic National Park

Day 14 - Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Today we are starting the most adventurous part of our trip. At Kenai Fjords we still had a cabin and at Katmai and Denali we were close to facilities and other people. In Gates of the Arctic we will be on our own. But with the satellite phone we at least have a line back to civilization. Gates of the Arctic National Park is also north of the arctic circle where the sun never sets in the summer. But in all of Alaska it never gets really dark in the summer. We brought a flashlight but never used it on this trip.

From Fairbanks we fly on a scheduled plane to Bettles. From the plane we see the Yukon and the Alaska pipeline. The road next to it is the only road going north of the arctic circle. But Bettles can only be reached by plane. From the ranger station at Bettles we check out two bearproof food containers. These are small iron drums which are also good seats. The Koyukuk River flows right by Bettles and we will be back here a week from now.

After two hours in Bettles we take off with our pilot in a small plane. Soon we get into clouds and rain and miss out on some of the beautiful scenery.

It takes us about half an hour to fly the 65 miles to Gates of the Arctic. These were named in 1929 by an explorer who went up the North Fork of the Koyukuk and came to two mountains (Frigid Crags and Boreal Mountain) between which the river passes. The last third of the flight is over the North Fork of the Koyukuk so we see the area we will be passing through the next two days. The landing on a gravel bar is smoother than we expected. The pilot takes our picture and then he takes off again. We are wondering how we will manage paddling a hundred miles through the wilderness.

After a while it stops raining and we start enjoying the scenery. We take our time eating lunch and getting our inflatable canoe ready. We are only going to paddle for about an hour. From our campsite we have a good view of the Gates. At our first campsite I still put up the electric fence but later I don't bother.

When we are in our sleeping bags we have bit of a scare when something big bangs against the tent. It turns out that the wind blew our canoe against the tent. From now on we always fill it with rocks or tie it up in the evening so we won't loose it to the wind.


Day 15 - Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Paddling is easy. The river is wide and there is a good current. So even if we don't paddle we make good progress. We keep a good distance to the banks because many trees have their roots washed away and are hanging over the river. Once on our trip we even see a tree fall into the river.

In the beginning the weather is nice but after less than an hour of paddling it starts raining. We put on our rain gear just before we reach Cladonia Rapids which are the biggest on our trip. The ranger told us that on her trip they lined the boats through them. We do the same because we don't want to take any chances.

When it gets sunny again we take a long break for dinner and to dry our stuff. Afterwards we paddle for another hour and set up camp. Today we were on the river for a total of three and half hours and we covered a distance of 17,5 miles. I can even figure out where our camp is on the map without my GPS. We are right below the confluence with the Tinayguk River


Day 16 - Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Today we spend 4 hours on the river and cover about 20 miles. We could have done the trip in less time but we enjoy being out in the wilderness. On our whole trip we do not see any animals. But we see quite a few tracks.

To avoid attracting bears to our tent we always have our kitchen area at some distance from our tent. For our main meals on this trip we have rice with ready made Indian sauces and vegetables. Sometimes we say that we have a floating Indian restaurant.

Today we have a bit more rain than yesterday. In the early afternoon it is really pouring down for a while but then the sun comes out again.


Day 17 - Monday, July 5th, 2010

Today we have a nice morning but less than an hour after we take off it starts raining and we do not see the sun again. Before Squaw rapids we see some tents and boats on the side of the river. This is the only group of boaters we run into on our whole trip. Squaw Rapids are just a couple of larger waves but no obstacles. We pass through them without scouting.

After paddling through the rain for two hours we call it a day at 2 PM and put up our tent. My rainsuit has been leaking in two places and I am a bit wet. Annik also brought a rain poncho she is wearing over the rainsuit and she is fine. We are lucky to have a break in the rain so we can prepare and eat a meal. Because we cannot eat in the tent and do not have a tent or tarp for our kitchen area we would have had to eat out in the rain otherwise.


Day 18 - Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Today we are really lucky that Annik's bladder forces her to get up early. It is still raining and the river has risen quite a bit. Our food containers and cooker are already in the water and it is approaching our tent. At this point we would have quit the trip if that had been possible. But we calm down and decide to use the satellite phone to call our pilot. He tells us that the sun is shining in Bettles. We ask him if there is any place he could pick us up if necessary. He suggests gravel bars at the confluence with the Middle Fork that don't get flooded usually.

By the time we pack up our tent the water is already underneath it. We get started at about 8 AM. The river is really swift and we have to watch out for floating trees and branches. Because of the strong current going ashore is also a bit tricky. It is raining the whole time and this is the only day where we take no pictures on the river. In three hours we go 25 miles - this is the fastest we have moved so far. At that point we start looking for a camp site because I am wet and cold and start shivering. It is difficult to find a camping spot because most gravel bars are flooded and above the flood plane the ground is covered with brush.

Just when we are unloading our boat the group that we saw yesterday passes by. We later hear that they continued all the way to Bettles on that day. After we set up the tent I crawl into my sleeping bag to warm up. About two hours later the river is starting to claim the gravel bar where we set up the tent. We move it to a spot between the bushes. Here we are safe from the river but right in the middle of mosquito territory.


Day 19 - Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Today on our last day in the park the rain is finally over. When we get to the confluence with the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk the river gets really wide. Any thoughts of calling our pilot for a pickup have vanished. It would not have been possible anyways because we do not see any gravel bars. Some miles outside of the park we find a gravel bar where we take a rest break in the sun. We have left the park but there are still no signs of civilization.

Our last night we spend on an island a few miles from Bettles. This is our only night north of the arctic circle where the sun is not hidden by clouds or mountains. So I stay up late to capture the movement of the sun. For several hours it moves almost parallel to the horizon. At 1 AM the sun disappears behind some mountains on the horizon and I finally go to sleep.


Day 20 - Thursday, July 8th, 2010

After about an hour of paddling and floating we see the first buildings on the river and we have arrived in Bettles. The water level has gone down a lot and we have to drag our boat through the mud to a dirt road near the side of the river where our stuff can be picked up. We can take our time to clean the boat, take a shower and pack up. In the afternoon our flight is leaving for Fairbanks.

From Fairbanks we drive to Chena Hot Springs where we spend our last two days in Alaka soaking in the hot springs. On the road to Chena we see a moose cow with a calf grazing by the side of the road. The next day we also see a young bull moose near the hot springs.