Luc Mehl’s excellent trip reports (and more)

[Philip Tschersich]

Once or twice a year I pop over to Things to Luc at to see what Luc has been up to, and it never disappoints. I believe he works in GIS and trained as a geologist, so his Alaska wilderness trip reports are always well researched and well executed. His expository writing style hits the right spot with insights and details without being verbose. When things get hard he never indulges in self pity, and when things are going well it is conveyed with measured joy and appreciation. And he pulls off some awesome and creative trips. He makes videos of many of these trips in an aesthetic that I can relate to. I do most of my wanderings in the Kodiak Archipelago and it is cool to see the possibilities in other parts of Alaska.

I recommend his 3 featured trips from 2020. Read the trip report first and then scroll back to the top and watch the video, not the other way around.

Far East Alaska Range

Arctic Refuge Road to Road

2020 Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic

His trip planning tools and other info are worth a browse as well.

[Arapiles .]

The Nordic ice skating is impressive – nothing like that in Australia …..

[W I S N E R !]

Agreed, some of my favorite outdoor travel content on the web. He was also kind enough to teach me how to use GAIA!

[Philip Tschersich]

I just noticed a new item on Luc’s site, namely he appears to be publishing a packrafting handbook in time for next summer. It seems to be a soup-to-nuts manual with a hefty dose of swiftwater safety and rescue. The announcement page states the inspiration for the book:

Packrafting might change your life. It changed mine, twice.

I bought a packraft for better access to Alaska’s wilderness. Suddenly, all of the blue lines on my maps became trails. Part of wilderness travel is learning how to get through the hard parts. I gained confidence in my abilities and learned that the hard parts are finite: it always gets better. I carried this mantra and newfound confidence into the other parts of my life.

The second life-changing event was when my friend Rob Kehrer drowned while packrafting. Rob’s death forced me to reevaluate risk assessment, for myself and the packrafting community. I enrolled in a swiftwater rescue course and then got certified to teach it. The Packraft Handbook is everything I wish Rob and I had when we started learning to packraft.

I get the feeling a lot of folks are interested in getting into packrafting these days (just check out Alpacka’s build lead times), so it could be a welcome resource. The Packraft Handbook

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