Alaska-Yukon Expedition: 4,700 miles and 7 months; start in 4 weeks

"My point is, I think I can probably "pack my tough" as a good friend of mine says, and make it through the occasional night when the conditions are bad AND my campsite stinks. If the conditions are good, then a bivy should be fine regardless of campsite. And if my campsite is good, a bivy should be okay again."

Well said Andrew. It is easy to forget that you are willing to put up with one or two bad nights as a matter of course, and walk through the days, expecting things to eventually let up. In which case a solid bivy, tucked behind a rock, should get the job done.

One consideration might be to have Ron add enough to the girth to let you do a little more than just lay there. Enough to wear everything, to change clothes, to pee, to eat that midnight snack, etc. might be worth a couple more ounces.

Andrew,

One surgeon points out that irrigation and a sterile dressing are the most important things one can do to care for a wound in the field:

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=318

A few bandaids and gauze pads are worth their very low weight.

I think you are correct in assuming you will be able to find shelters (camps) along your route from Kotz to Unalakleet. Once you get to Buckland, Patty can give you more information and perhaps even connect you with the people who own the camps along the way. I'd suggest a small tarp as an "arctic entry" for the bivy and a place to cook, hang out and ward off the wind. There hasn't been a lot of snow this year in Western Alaska, so a tarp may come in handy.

"haven't been to ak – but what about a Sola in eVent as a compromise that would allow you to cook outside while still sheltered?"

Evan won't make one unless the order would be for 10 or more and even then….

Roman Dial and Ryan Jordan should weigh in on the shelter issue.

> the coastal towns are 96, 91, 43, and 45 miles apart; there is at least one
> public use shelter (plus occasional fishing sheds) between each town; and I'm following
> snowmobile trails and it should be fast.
Hum … yeah, well… bivy plus some sort of small tarp maybe? I reckon the shelter the tarp could give you in bad (windy) weather might make it worth its weight. The bivy is going to get 'used' though.

Cheers

I’ve been thinking about the stove that you listed in your gear list, the MSR XGK-EX. Are you sure it’s the XGK and not the Whisperlite Internationale? The XGK is a real monster when it comes to burning, but it weighs 13.2 oz, not 11.5 as you listed. The Whisperlite Internationale (not the Whisperlite) does weigh 11.5 oz. It is also multi-fuel, being able to burn white gas, kerosene, and unleaded auto fuel.

The weight of the XGK is incorrect on the gear list. I was planning to take the Whisperlite International until I looked into it a bit more, and the XGK seems to be the clear choice for those who need a lot of firepower. I should make up for the XGK's weight penalty within a few nights.

Your list looks good.
Not UL and I am not really qualified to answer an either so grain of salt please. Personally I think I would be looking at a double wall tent for winter, something like a warmlight or a tarptent scarp with the extra poles.
Either a Synmat or downmat for winter.
Probably a -20dF winter bag with a VBL or VBL clothing to help with condensation inside the bag.

> the XGK seems to be the clear choice for those who need a lot of firepower.
Yes, the XGK has a lot of power, but I am not convinced that either you need the extra power (for one person) or that the efficiency at high power would be good enough. Running an XGK at high power might prove costly in fuel. If you must use a white gas stove I would suggest that the Whisperlite International at low to medium power would be a good choice, and quite powerful enough.

Where the XGK excels is in burning kero and diesel. It can handle both. The WI can handle kero but not diesel.

Cheers

I agree with Roger. The Whisperlite International should be fine. I've used the XGK and WI on ski trips in temperatures down to -25C and both have performed well. However the WI is quieter, has a slightly more controllable flame and is slightly more fuel efficient. Given that it's lighter weight too I see no advantages to the XGK unless you need to burn diesel.

The villages through which I'll be traveling during the winter portion of the trip use diesel generators as their primary power source, so getting diesel will be easy. Snowmobiles are their primary mode of travel in the winter, so I should also be able to easily get the fuel that is required by the two-stroke engines found in most snowmachines. I think this is just straight-up gasoline (I see snowmobilers filling up at gas stations all the time), though perhaps someone could confirm that.

I don't know about the availabilty of kerosene, and I'm not counting on finding much/any white gas.

The WI runs okay on straight gasoline – I'd use that over diesel any day. Diesel is much harder to light and quite smoky in my experience but if it might be the only available fuel then the XGK would be the best choice.

All the snowmobiles I know of in MN here run on unleaded gasoline. Although there are those gear heads that mix jet fuel in for racing…

And I'm sure all of those towns have regular old gas stations for their cars. I'd stick with gasoline… much cleaner burn and easier to start. I dont' know from experience, but I'm guessing diesel may give you issues with clogging up the burner.

Thanks for the invitation, John.

I gave up un-insulated shell coverings for sleeping maybe 20 years ago. Why? Well I like to be able to sit up and deal with my life when the weather's bad. WHen it's pouring rain, windy, or nasty snow-blowing cold, I want a shelter where I am not bundled up in little more than my sleeping bag that's getting wet from breath if not perspiration.

Back in the late 1970's throughout the 1980's I made a number of longish ski trips in Alaska that would be considered ultralight by what I see here and elsewhere on the web. These were light, fast, long and sometimes cold.

Beginning in the 1985 or so I went to pyramid-style floorless single-pole tents for ski trips, both on glaciers and in woods. Two of us skied 250 miles across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in March once and it never got above zero F in the two and a half weeks we were out. We used a Stephenson warm light and it was great.

All other trips were with a limited edition Black Diamond Megamid (extra-light fabric) and a shovel. We usually set up the mid and buried its edges with snow. We used skiis, ski poles, and stuff sacks filled with snow.

In only one trip (1981) did I do a ski trip with just a bivy sack and i was miserable and scared, especially when I woke up in a white out blowing snow. It's hard to keep track of all your stuff and to keep it dry if just using a bivy sack which is what I think the "Mountain Laurel Designs Alpine Bivy" looks like in the photos on line.

Bivy sack in wind when you need to hydrate (= get a stove going to melt water for several hours 'cause it's wicked dry powdery snow with no water content) will be impossible in a bivy sack in high wind, blowing snow and cold.

The Arctic1000 cuben-fiber mid Jason Geck and I used weighs 14 ounces and I would use that if I was doing your trip, Andy. I'd leave the bivy or sell it to someone else. I'd use it for the whole trip, all seasons, and think that if I was careful that it would hold up.

Not knowing how hard you are on gear, if you are hard on gear (I'm pretty easy on gear as our family of four lived on a single income for 20 year, so I had to make everything last), then a silnylon shelter 'mid, like the Go-lite six-sided thing.

Strict, rectangular tarps are not so good in the cold, rainy windy weather of AK and slower to set up after long days of mega miles.

You'll have enough snow to anchor with little bags filled with snow or sticks buried sideways and your skiis and poles. Shovel snow around the edges to help hold it down.

If all goes to hell, then wrap yourself in your mid and you'll be back to the "minimalist" bivy sack you plan to take now.

> Bivy sack in wind when you need to hydrate (= get a stove going to melt water for
> several hours 'cause it's wicked dry powdery snow with no water content) will be
> impossible in a bivy sack in high wind, blowing snow and cold.

+1

Cheers

it also has a tendancy to gel up when cold (most diesel trucks plug into electrical outlets to keep a small amount of heat in the engine to keep it liquid). i wouldn't count on that for fuel

Hi Andy-

Good luck on your next adventure. I combed through your gear list on your website and (humbly) offer the following suggestions:

VBL Jacket — consider an RBH Lightning Bug Jacket. I have a hooded one w/ pit zips and pockets for 6 ounces.

> SKURKA: Yeah, I know about that one. I have their original NTS jacket, which weighs in at about 14 oz without a hood. It's "too much" jacket (my opinion about most softshells in a backpacking context). But I'm really struggling to justify a $200 investment when I can get a 10-oz GoLite WP/B for free and then hose it down with McNett Thundershield (silicone spray that will seal the jacket and take the "B" out of WP/B) to basically get the same result.

Skis/Waxes — unless you're adept in the black art of ski waxing, you might do well to look at a waxless ski such as the Karhu XCD GT. Wax experts make it look effortless, but for mere mortals (myself included) achieving the perfect wax application remains mythical for most conditions. ;)

> SKURKA: The skis are already bought and paid for. I listened to Townsend and others, and reflected on my own personal experience. It's a known fact that waxable skis are faster and more versatile than waxless — when the user has the skills to do it right. Whenever I've bought gear that assumes I won't have the skills to do it right, I always regret it later because over time I always figure it out and then I need to buy new gear.

Ski Poles — consider a longer pair of BPL Stix like your trekking poles to save 4 ounces over your Asnes. Will Reitveld and I just used them for a ski tour in the San Juans. They're bomber for skiing if you get the length right.

> SKURKA: the longest length for the STIX is 135, I believe, which is not long enough for touring when you're getting good glide. Plus, they're not available for purchase right now. These are good poles — I'm happy with them.

Face Mask — take a look at OR's new "Helmetclava". With the windstopper breathing port, I think they've finally achieved perfection with this update of their Ninjaclava. (65g)

> SKURKA: I think I have figured this out, but I'll start another discussion about it soon.

Shelter — I'd take a look at MLD's Duomid for Winter instead of a bivy. Its steeper sides should shed snow better than the solomid. I agree w/ Roman's comments about bivies.

> SKURKA: I have both the DuoMid and the SoloMid, so I can use either. I am starting to lean more in the direction of a mid, as opposed to just a bivy. There are some good arguments in favor of them.

Water Bottle — Instead of a single 3L Nalgene bottle, consider several smaller bottles. For a bit of a weight penalty, you gain flexibility and redundancy. I like to carry two 0.5L bottles plus a larger one to add up to whatever capacity I need. You can make hot water bottles to warm up…whatever body part needs warming. And…drumroll please…you can put the 0.5L bottles w/ hot water in your boots when you go to bed. The hot water will help dry out the boots overnight. In the morning, re-heat the bottles while you eat breakfast and put on toasty warm boots!!! :-)

> SKURKA: That's a slick idea, really like it, especially since I have leather boots and they inevitably will get wet (e.g. from overflow) and will need to dry out. I may do something like this. However, the problem with multiple bottles in really cold temperatures is that small bottles are more prone to freezing, as opposed to just one big bottle. Will think more about this…

Skins — If you're carrying full-length skins, I'd ditch the kicker skins.

> SKURKA: I am going to carry kicker skins for the first 850 miles (flat or rolling terrain, cold) and then I'm going to trade them out for some full-length skins (AK Range, longer and steeper climbs, spring snowpack — melts during day, freezes at night). It's hard to show this in the gear list — they are both grouped under "winter."

Ski Strap — My favorite is the velcro one from Swix. Carry at least 4. You can use them to hold on your skins if they get finicky. You can also lash on a branch under your skis to make them into snowshoes if you get into un-skiable conditions. (Thanks to Mike Clelland! for this one.)

> SKURKA: Good idea, thanks.

Ski Repair — Consider bringing a Gimlet (tiny hand screw drill) to repair bindings. If your binding rips out of the ski, just drill new holes an inch away from the old ones and re-mount the binding. (Thanks to Chris Townsend for this one.)

> SKURKA: I have not figured this one out entirely yet. I do need a screwdriver that fits my binding screws (my multi-tool screwdriver doesn't fit well) and some extra screws. What's the likelihood of yanking an entire binding out of the ski? Is it so rare that it'll be better just to carry duct tape? I looked up a gimlet — had never seen one before. Worth carrying I guess if it's a reasonable concern that the binding rips out.

PFD — *IF* you want to go w/ a non-approved PFD, you need 7L of air capacity to get 16 pounds of floatation.

> SKURKA: Got it. 2 x 1L Platys + 2 x 2.4L Platys = 6.8L, or close enough.

Packraft Repair — consider a bit of Tyvek tape for repairs.

> SKURKA: Yes, I need to pick some up, thanks for the reminder.

Leukotape — After our tape disaster last Summer, I've had great success repackaging Leukotape onto FedEx mailing label backer paper. It doesn't kill the Leuko glue, and you can cut out funky-shaped "stickers" to tape whatever needs taping.

> SKURKA: I need to update that section of the gear list — it's stolen from a trip that occurred before we figured out the Luekotape trick.

GPS — Let me know how my old Geko works for you. BTW, it's a 301, not a 201. ;)

> SKURKA: Oops…

Have a great trip, my friend!

> SKURKA: Thanks for the feedback. Very helpful.

-Mike Martin

"Shelter — I'd take a look at MLD's Duomid for Winter instead of a bivy. Its steeper sides should shed snow better than the solomid."

The inherent two pole set up of the SoloMid should allow better snow loading than the DuoMid unless you add fairly long extenders to your poles with the DuoMid. The SoloMid is also lower profile, which should do better in the wind.

Mike Martin has lots of good suggestions —

One water bottle vs two? I like his idea of two little ones. That way you can also rotate them at your feet when it's cold.

Not sure what kind of sleeping pad you have settled on but that can also help as a floatation, under the jacket. It also adds warmth better than the Platypusses will and you will get cold in your packraft. So, closed cell foam pad works as frame for pack, insulation for sleep, insulation for paddling, and PFD flotation as well as splint for broken/tweaked limb. One of the best multi-use pieces of gear in AK IMHO (not so humble, though, really!).

I am with Mike on the waxing skis thing too. Honestly, I bet you do a lot of slogging on the flats without bothering to wax. That's why longer poles are better: they make double poling and skating so much better, even if your skis weigh a ton with metal edges.

Back to the stove issue….I'd agree with Roger (who's THE stove expert as far as I can tell) that Whisperlite is better. Stay away from Diesel like the plague. No doubt you'll find gas — wherever there are towns there'll be snowmachines and they do ruin on gas (very expensive — like $10/gallon in some villages). Fires are easy and fast to make in the spruce woods especially in winter when everything's super dry.

Start making fires when you reach wood and you'll get really good at it really fast and find out that after a foam sleeping pad, camp-fires are the most multi-function thing (besides your brain and body) out there.

Really enjoying this last minute stuff!

I think enough has been said about shelters and stoves. I want to move to winter headwear.

Here’s the system I have (in order to layering, inner to outer, assuming I’m wearing everything):

– Mid-weight polyester balaclava with a brushed/fleece inner
– VBL balaclava (sil-nylon, homemade)
– Hoodie on base layer shirt
– Peruvian wool hat
– Hood on VBL jacket
– Insulated hood on GoLite Parka
– Googgles or sunglasses

Man, that’s a lot of layers, now that I look at it like that. I wonder if I could get away with leaving one or two of those layers at home…

But that’s not my concern. My concern is that I don’t have anything to cover my cheeks, nose, and mouth — that area is not covered by any of the layers I’ve mentioned.

Of course, the problem with covering your nose and mouth is that you SOAK any layer you put over it, and in the temps I’ll see a soaked layer is a FROZEN layer. What to do???

One idea is to have multiple facemasks. Let one freeze up, tuck it away and start thawing/drying inside a layer, bring out the other one, repeat.

Another idea is to use some of the masks that have built-in breathing devices, like those from Talus. Anybody have experience with these? I ordered one from REI and am disappointed with it — it’s basically a conventional fleece facemask with hole-punched rubber cup sewn into it.

Finally, and the idea I like best, is a “flap” that I adhere to my goggles with velcro. A lot of the polar guys seem to do something like this. I will post some photos of Eric Larsen in the next post. It provides enough protection without suffocating you, and if it freezes up it’s no big deal because it can be made of sil-nylon and the frozen moisture can just be rubbed off. The setups I’ve seen are permenatly sewn into the bottom of the goggles, but I think it’d be better to use Velcro so you don’t always need to wear if it you’re using your goggles. And then I can install a neck lanyard in order to help keep it in in place and so it doesn’t fly away if I take it off.

Thoughts?

An example of a "flap"

And here is a picture of my Peruvian-style hat:

OK,

On the “Frozen Whiskey and the Taste of Death Expedition”, where it never got above zero for three weeks, here’s what i wore from inside out:

1. A balaclava, mid-weight polypro (today I’d use Smartwool)

2. What Peggy calls an “ear-bra” — a two-inch wide, synthetic head band. This goes around the ears and the NOSE (mine always get’s nipped, so big it is). The headband/ear-bra will get damp from breathing but you can rotate the wet spot around for drying and wear it around your neck at night in the bag to dry it out for the next day. You only need one of all these things I’m listing, BTW.

> SKURKA: This is an interesting idea, hadn’t heard of this before. This could work really well — I will play with it a bit this weekend.

3. Not sure these are that popular anymore but it’s a pile insulated hat with a short brim and ear muffs that wrap around and under the chin with velcro. If it’s really cold and/or windy, wrap it around the ears and under the chin; if it’s just cold wrap it behind the head. If it’s not so cold but windy wear it without the ear bra and balaclava

> SKURKA: See the image of the Peruvian hat I posted above. Very similar.

4. Carnivore ruff (like wolf, wolverine or polar bear) on the wind shell hood. This, of course, is really nice. It doesn’t ice up and keeps your cheeks warm when pulled up and neck warm and so body at other times. There’s a reason everyone in the north who goes outside has one. Maybe you can buy one in Kotz — sew it on before you head out. It’s worth the price. Just 4 inches all the way around will be enough. It will last the rest of your life, if you take care of it. Ask Seth Kantner if he knows anybody with some scrap wolf for you. $50 should give you what you need. You don’t need the full on super ruff, Just some belly fur will be better than nothing. WHoever sells it to you will show how to sew it on. I sewed my rough on in a shipping container out of the wind in Kaktovik the day we skied out. So glad I did.

> SKURKA: Yes, the ruff seems like a must. I found a great website, GlacierWear.com, from which I can buy ruff-specific pelt cuts. They also have a great assortment of other heardwear if I wanted to look as cool as this guy:

5. I also had a hood on a layer I wore of pile. It was Patagonia Borglite Pile (not fleece and it had a hood.

My rule of thumb is one additional layer (usually of increasing thickness) for every 20 degree drop in temp, so four layers and a ruff on your hood will be adequate to -40, assuming you wear your first layer (balaclava) at +20 F, balaclava and hat at 0, add on the ear bra below zero, pull on an insulated hood at -20, and the ruff at -40 (makes like a tunnel) — you could go to -60, just watch your cheeks.

Do not go with multiple face masks.

When it’s cold do face exercises, wrinkling your nose and making faces. When it’s windy (blowing snow) and wicked cold (i.e. below zero) cover every bit of exposed flesh, if possible, or if not make camp, or better yet stay in a village.