************************************************* * Alaska Travel Plans for June 28 - July 8 Trip * ************************************************* This letter contains all the detailed travel info for trip to be taken by: Reggie Lynch Bill Guthrie Alfy Riddle ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Emergency backup plan - ============================================= Flight Schedule for Reggie: Fri Jun 28 depart RDU 1:30pm United 6278 arrive Wash/Dulles 2:35pm depart Wash/Dulles 3:00pm United 55 stop San Fran 5:28pm depart San Fran 6:50pm (join Bill & Alfy) arrive Anchorage 10:32pm Sun Jul 7 depart Anchorage 2:30pm United 1593 arrive San Fran 7:50pm depart San Fran 10:00pm United 50 Mon Jul 8 arrive Wash/Dulles 5:40am depart Wash/Dulles 7:00am United 6598 arrive RDU 8:10am ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Flight Schedule for Bill and Alfy: Fri Jun 28 depart San Fran 6:50pm United 55 arrive Anchorage 10:32pm Sun Jul 7 depart Anchorage 3:29pm Alaska 100 arrive San Fran 8:59pm ====================================================================== Car Rental is at Affordable Car Rental 4707 Spenard Road Tel. 907-243-3370 Upon arrival, call Affordable and they will send a car to pick us up. Must pickup car by 11:30pm Fri Jun 28 (early pickup better than late). It is a 4-door Nissan Sentra. Rate is 38.95 per day, unlimited miles. RESERVATION NUMBER: 763 Reggie's credit card used to hold the reservation. ====================================================================== Hotel for Fri June 28 Tudor Motel 4423 Lake Otis Parkway Anchorage, AK Tel: 907-561-2234 Rate: 95.- plus tax = total $102.60 Reggie's credit card used to hold the room. Direction to drive to hotel: turn right out of the car rental parking lot on Spenard. Turn right on Minnesota - change to left lane. Turn left on Tudor Road The Hotel is right after the intersection of Lake Otis and Tudor, next to a Chevron Gas station on the right hand side. Hotel checkout time is 11:00am. ====================================================================== We will need non-resident fishing licenses. Can pickup a 7 day license in Anchorage. ====================================================================== SilverTip Lodge & Air Service 907-338-4073 answering service 907-564-5342 SilverTip Lodge in Nabesna PO BOX 141646, Anchorage, AK 99514 Email for Dave Lucey is luceydj@akm0044.anc.xwh.bp.com Following are options offerred by Dave Lucey of SilverTip Aviation. We picked option 1, but can upgrade to option 2 if desired. Reggie mailed $100 check to hold the reservation. Arrive SilverTip Lodge Sat afternoon June 29. Will be flown one-at-a-time by SuperCub float plane to our drop-off point at Grizzly Lake (good fishing, so fisherman get dropped first!). Dave will pick us up Saturday July 6 at Mud Lake. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Option 1: Destination: Grizzly Lake to Mud Lake hike: Cost: $265 each Dave first did this trip about 8 years ago. Mud lake is at the head of a low lying valley that is formed by run off from the Copper Glacier which flows off the North side of Mt. Wrangell. 14,300' (actively steaming volcano). This valley is also flanked by the South East side of Mt Sanford 16,265'. This is a uniquely situated location and offers tremendous views of the surrounding area and wildlife. If landed at Grizzly lake you would spend anywhere from 2-4 days making your way from Grizzly to Mud lake. There are limitless options for hiking and exploring on the way to Mud. Once at Mud there are other trips which I have done that will easily fill your remaining time. This is a beautiful area as you are above the brush and tree line and is easily negotiated tundra hiking. Great photo opportunities of Mountains and wildlife. * Will you be bringing a Map and Compass?. The compass is not worth bringing if your not familiar with orienteering, but you should definetly have a map of the area. Try getting the "Section Map" for Nabesna. 1:250,000 and then from there you can see about getting the more detailed "Quadrangle" (1:63600) which would include Grizzly - Mud and is 1" to the mile. The Section Map would be handy if you do plan on moving locations (Mesa Lk) as it gives you a feel for the area. The more detailed Quadrangle you can use during the hike. Also the first day out of Grizzly you can note a few places to go. i.e. SW toward the Jacksina Glacier and Mt Jarvis. This would be a great place to go for a day or 2 be fore heading up to the pass toward Mud. Mud I don't think is marked on the Map but is at the foot of the Copper Glacier. Once you get the map and have studied it we can talk about the route. I can fax to you a penned in route so you know ahead of time. Since you will be leaving as soon as you get to the lodge we won't have much time to go over the route itself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Option 2: Destination: Mud Lake to Grizzly Lake hike: Then move to Mesa Lake area Cost: $335 each Mud Lk - Grizzly Lk described above. The Mesa lake area is at a higher elevation. You are also above Tree line and brush here. As the name describes there several Mesa formations in the area. I also guided a climb of nearby Mt. Gordon about 5 years back which is a 9020' snow and ice peak which we started from Mesa Lk. You can travel in just about any direction from this lake, which also holds true for Grizzly lake as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Depending on what you would like to do either option would be a great trip. I have spent quite a bit of time in both of these locations (and others) but think these 2 for your price range is just what you are looking for. I would recommend that the Grizzly - Mud trip for the entire time would be the best bet. If your goal oriented you can certainly make it from Grizzly to Mud in 3 days. I know there is much more to do in the area in terms of exploring side valleys and gaining elevation on high ridges though (not exposed climbing). The problem with moving is for some reason if the weather is bad and you can't be flown out you are waiting for a plane when you could be somewhere else. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I do quite a bit of technical mountaineering and long hiking (100+ miles / trip) and know alot about the AK backcountry. If you want to find out more about terrain , water availability, clothing etc we can talk about that. Also one of the other things we do offer is a place to stay and food either before or after the trip. Costs for rooms are generally $20-25 including dinner. Showers are available as well. This would negate the need for you to stay in Glennallen, which believe me would not be very desireable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You can drive directly to Silvertip. It is about a 2hr drive from Glennallen. The roads from Glennallen are in good shap with the last 20 miles being a "good" gravel road. Nothing like the "washboard" Chitina - McCarthy road....which really is rough!. This no more than a 6 hour drive from Anchorage. Chitina is about a 5hr drive from Anc. Silvertip is located on Nabesna Road at Mile 25.5. Out of Glennallen you take the Richardson Highway Left towards Paxson. After 16 miles you take a right towards Tok. After about 50 Miles you come to Nabesna Road. Turn right on the road for 25.5 miles. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I have only ever seen other people in these areas during hunting season. You are a month away from that and if you saw anyone at all I would be suprised. Truly a wilderness trip, no cell phones work from out there. You are in the AK backcountry and there are no hiking trails....anwhere in the state for that matter once your out of the city / towns. You will find the occasional game trail, but you are above tree line and so you will either be on dry creek bed walking or open tundra walking. No bushwacking though. You can fish in Grizzly lake, you will need a non resident fishing license. You can pickup a 7 day license in Anchorage before you drive up. We can also drop you off at a fishing lake for a day or two, or just by our lodge there are fishing lakes within walking or driving distance...10 mins. Mud lake speaks for itself. Its a chocolate brown lake from the glacial silt and not much for fishing, although it is a sight to see. Grizzly lake has Grayling and Burbot (fresh water cod family). Mesa has no fish. Near Mud are some streams that support Dolly Varden. Bears.....well you will be in the AK backcountry and bears are out there. After 10 years of hard core hiking I can say I have seen plenty of bears. I have never been charged and in almost all cases they have either taken off at the sight / smell of me or they keep right on doing what they were doing before I got there. I never carry a gun and my best defense is awareness and letting them know I am present when I am in a brushy area. ====================================================================== Note that we cancelled Wrangell Aviation, which will cost us a %10 cancellation fee charged to Bill's credit card. Since trip was $395 per person, that will cost us about $40 each. Cancellation fee can be applied to any future trip we use them for. ====================================================================== Carribou Hotel Sat night July 6 in GlenAllen. Alfy made reservation on his credit card. Room is $126 for 3 people with roll-away beds and a hot tub? ====================================================================== Other phone numbers: REI in Anchorage 907-272-4565 Map Place in Anchorage 907-277-7335 Geological Survey in Anchorage 907-786-7011 Hello Alaska Tours (Evelyn) 907-333-2073, fax 338-1454 Going Places Travel (John Gillis x233) Boston 617-720-3660, fax 523-7579 Wrangell Mountain Air 800-478-1160 or 907-554-4411, fax 554-4400 BackCountry Connection (McCarthy Road bus trip) 907-822-5292