Backpacking in Denali National Park, Alaska, Day1-3

Denali National Park in Alaska! 

This was our 2021 summer trip destination. We had been always dreaming of going to Alaska, and finally we went. Since the COVID pandemic started, the rental car shortage has been the problem in the U.S. The rental car cost is crazy high everywhere and we were thinking about having road trip with our own car. Meanwhile we found that there is a bus from Anchorage, where an airport resides in Alaska, to Denali National Park. Also, in Denali National Park, anyway most of the part it is not allowed to drive a personal vehicle: you have to ride a park bus. So it makes sense to do a trip without a car! The destination was decided in that way. 

Denali National Park is a popular destination for a lot of people, but majority of them take bus tours and they don't get off the bus. The park ranger said, "Most people's wilderness experience is through a bus window."

For us, wilderness is backpacking. To backpack in Denali National Park, you need a permit. The park is divided into 87 sections (each is called from Unit1 to Unit87). For example, if you want to backpack in the unit8, you specifically need a permit for unit8 on the specific day. Usual year, permits are issued at park on a walk-in basis, however, due to COVID, permits are issued in advance via online. (if you dayhike, you don't need a permit. Permits are for staying overnight in the units.)

Park's only one dirt road is 92 mile-long. This run in the middle of park from east to west. So, you jump into the park bus, take off at a unit of your permit, and start hiking. 

We had all permits for 2 weeks of our stay, and were ready to go.  

Our flight ticket from Boston to Alaska was on 8/27/2021.

Then, this happened on 8/24/2021.

This is the Denali website's announcement. 

Landslide Activity Closes Section of the Denali Park Road

Alert 1 , Severity ,closure ,,Landslide Activity Closes Section of the Denali Park RoaDue to a fast-moving landslide near Polychrome Overlook, part of the Park Road is closed for remainder of 2021. Wonder Lake Campground is also closed. Hiking and biking on the road are prohibited beyond Mile 43

From July 21 to August 25. the road sunk 6.5 meters (21 feet)! You can see the video of landslide and more detail on their website here.

All of our permits were the units where we needed to go beyond Mile43. Bummer. 2 days before our departure, we had to get permits before Mile43. We got an email from the permit office. We requested alternative units we were interested, but they didn't give us ideal units. We called the office and they gave not perfect, but better choice of permits. It was a little upsetting to figure out routes/map in such a short term, but we got ready and went off to Alaska. On the phone the ranger said they got 42 emails asking to change units for backpacking permits.

From Boston to Anchorage was two flights. Boston to Minneapolis, then to Anchorage. The 2nd flight was delayed, so we arrived in Anchorage around 1 a.m. We took Uber (luckily it was available from airport to hostel we booked in Alaska. Nowadays no ways to get Uber in Boston). After a long flight it was nice to lay down on a bed.

On the next day, we walked to REI to get a bear spray bottle and fuel canisters, because these items are not allowed to carry on into flights. Kindly the hostel (Ingra House Hotel) owner let us keep our luggage during we had chores. Then we had a cup of coffee at nearby cafe. Then we had a lunch: salmon and halibut. It was tasty! This was the only restaurant we went in Alaska. 

On the way to REI from Ingra hotel was very Alaska-ish. We had to walk on the sidewalk of big road. One point we heard "beeep!" and saw that direction. Somebody honked a horn. Well, this activity is so common in Boston, but here the reason is different in Alaska. The reason in Alaska was the freedom dog was crossing the road. The dog came to us and we pet him. He followed us for half a mile. Then again, the dog abruptly entered the car lanes. Cars had to slow down and beeped. One driver rolled down the window and asked Mr.N (not me) if the dog is his. Mr.N answered, "It not ours, somebody else's just followed us" then the driver left. Good, he asked Mr.N, not me.  

After we got fuel and we fueled with fish, we walked 2 miles to the bus stop to go to Denali National Park. It would be 6-hour bus trip to the park. Until this trip I didn't know how far the Denali is from Anchorage. The bus is about $100/person. It is not bad actually, considering all the cost for rental cars. The bus driver was knowledgeable and explain stuff. It was nice. On the way the bus stopped at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge: some people take off to stay the lodge and other people could use restroom. There is a back terrace at the lodge and we saw a great view of Denali. It was really lucky. It is not common to see a clear image of Denali.The lodge staying cost is from $200-$300. Our camping cost? $0.

Denali

Denali and other mountains

The first picture is focused on Denali, and the 2nd picture is Denali and surrounding mountains. From left, Mount Foraker, Mount Hunter, Mount Denali, Moose tooth (two white bumps), then broken tooth. 

I hope someday I climb Denali. 

The bus stops at many hotels near the Denali National Park. We were the only one who camped at a Riley Creek Campground. So our plan was to take off at Denali Bluff hotel, which is the nearest hotel from the campground and walk 2 miles to the campground. Because the driver seemed very nice, we asked if it was possible to drop off near the campground. He said no problem. It was super nice no need to walk with giant backpacks and duffel bags. We gave tip for hem for the special stop. When we took off, somebody ran to the driver and asked how to arrange pick up there. He had the same problem at an earlier bus. He and his friend took off at a visitor center with giant luggage, but luckily somebody gave him a ride to the campground. He said as a return, he helped carrying our bags to the camp registration building. It was very nice of him. Great thing to pass along kindness. 

It was a cold night at Riley Creek campground. It was below freezing point, however, I had two sleeping pads, and down booties, down jacket, base layers, fleece jacket, gloves, and down pants, so I slept warm. 

Next morning, we packed up by 8 a.m., and walked to the Backcountry Information Center. From 9 a.m., there is an orientation. Attending an orientation is mandatory to pick up a permit. Rangers checked our bear proof containers (Bearvault and Ursack) and consult with our potential route for backpacking. The ranger was very knowledgeable and had a lot of suggestions. Very helpful! 

Then finally we went to a bus stop to go to our first unit. Unit29. The bus was 10 a.m. At Denali, there are two kinds of buses are running. Both are green, park's official bus. It is an old school bus. One is camper bus, and other is non-camper bus. Camper buses are for backpackers/campers only and rear section of the bus is for luggage shelves. The driver at the bus was Paul, who drives this green bus for 29 years! Green buses stop not only designated bus stops but anywhere at the road if hikers want to be picked up and drop hikers off anywhere if hikers want. Green buses stop for a while if there is wildlife to observe. On the way we saw three moose passing the road! Two females were running and one male moose chasing them. It happened to be a mating season for moose. Wow! Lucky. 

Then after a 1.5 hour ride we took off a bus at Igloo campground. Our unit, unit29 is Igloo mountain unit. There are several established campgrounds along the dirt road. One of them is Igloo campground. Only difference between backpacking and camping those campground is having restroom (not flushed) and bear boxes. Igloo campground has only 7 sites, so without backpacking with luxury camping items, you have some sort of solitude. For us it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay $17 only for restroom/bear box, so we chose doing only backpacking (permits are free). We sorted out food for each backpacking (we planned to do 4 different backpackings in the different units). So we packed food for the first backpacking and left the rest in the bear box at Igloo campground, then finally hit the trail! 

To be continued...

Kings Canyon Backpacking Day3 no.2

<Japanese version is after English: 日本語は英語の後にあります>

In the afternoon, he didn't refuse my offer to carry his backpack. It was scary to see how quickly the symptoms went bad. We wanted to climb the Cirque Pass and go down to 8,000 feet, but it seemed that it was not possible for Mr.N to walk more. Around 5 p.m., I pitched a tent and I advised Mr.N to lay down, because he was suffering to breath. He was coughing and spitting white foamy stuff from his lungs continuously. Nobody was camping nearby and I had no idea what to do. I went to see the lake in the evening. It was so beautiful. The beauty made me want to sigh, however, I became calm because I knew that being upset or sad wouldn't solve anything.

I was listening to his cough all night. I thought, "This is quite bad. I wish I could take over the suffering. If AMS hit a person randomly, I wish it was me not him....and his family will hate me." although I am realistic and not the kind that believes non-scientific things like taking over suffer.

Then the morning came. When he sat down on the ground, the coughing mostly stopped, but his eyes were not focused on anything. I made a cup of coffee. I felt better because he was able to have it.

At some point, I didn't see anybody but I think that I heard human's voice in the very distance. I went to the outlet of lake.

午後になると、MrNにMrNのバックパックを持つことを提案するとすんなりと受け入れた。午前中は自分で持てると言っていたが午後にはここまで弱ってしまったのだ。。。少しでも低地に行くためには一つ山を越えなければならない。なのでこの日に山を越えて高度を下げたかったのだがそれはどう考えても無理なのは明らかだった。

午後５時。テントを立ててMrNに横になるように勧めた。息をするのも大変になってしまった。咳がコンスタントに出て白い泡のようなものを５分に一度くらい吐き出している。肺に水が入ってそれを咳で吐き出しているのだった。周りには誰もいない。どうすればいいのか。。。。このままMrNは死んでしまうのか。そんなことが頭をよぎった。しかしここでパニックになっても何の意味もない。とにかく冷静を保つように努めた。

夜。一晩中MrNの咳と泡を吐き出すのを聞いていた。相当ひどい。この症状、私が変わってあげられたらいいのに。MrNの家族の顔が思い浮かんできた。といっても体が入れ替わるとかそんなことは現実には起こらない。

何とか朝がやってきた。MrNも横になっていたが起き上がりテントの外に出て座った。コーヒーは飲めるとのこと。コーヒーはMrNの大好物だ。これは少しいいニュースだ。今後どうするかを考えていると、遠くに人間の声がするような気がしたので、ハイカーが来るかどうか湖の方へ行って周りを少し歩いてみることにした。

続く。。。

Kings Canyon Backpacking Day3 no.1

In the early morning on the third day, Mr.N was doing a funny noise (bubbling sound?) when he breathed while lying down. The noise scared me. However, when he got up, the noise was gone. Retrospectively, this was the first sign we should have taken more seriously. If it had been a high altitude sickness, he should not have had appetite but he ate breakfast as usual. I thought that it might be a cold, because once I had a cold that drove coughing only when I was lying down. He said that he was okay, but I should have insisted to go back to the track. Besides this, the lake was very pretty under the morning sun. It reminded me of a piece of Bruckner. I did laundry in the lake. The water was super cold, but comfortable. The air was crisp and cool.

After breakfast, we decided to proceed the trip. First we walked on the "inconspicuous saddles". The lake we camped became smaller and smaller as we ascended, meaning the view was magnificent. I offered to carry a tent, which we shared, however, Mr.N refused. We walked slowly.

Then, a little before noon, he asked me to carry the tent. I was happy to carry it and some other his stuff, but this gave me some anxiety because he had never asked me that kind of things, even when his backpack was much heavier than mine. I reached the Potluck Pass (~11,000 feet) first and left my backpack at the top and came down to him and tried to carry his backpack, but he refused. I had never seen him struggling or slower than me on a trail. I was hoping that we could finish the next pass and reach to the LeConte Canyon at 8,000 feet so that his symptoms would be better. 

３日目。

朝目が覚めて、MrNの息の音がおかしいことに気づいた。横たわって寝ている時に息をすると妙な音がする。ストローで水の中に泡を立てているような音だ。うーむ。風邪か？

しかし起き上がるとその音は消えた。

後で思い返すと、これが最初のサインだったのだ。この時にこのサインをもっと真剣に考慮すべきだった。

もしもこれが高度障害だったらば食欲もないはずだが、MrNはきちんと朝食も食べたので、我々はちょっとした風邪かということでとりあえず少し歩き始めることにした。後で思い返すとこの時が引き返すチャンスだったのだ。

そして少しずつオフトレイルの山を登り始める。キャンプしていた湖がどんどん小さくなって行く。綺麗な景色なのだが、MrNの容態が心配だった。共用のテントを持とうかと提案したがMrNは大丈夫だと言った。しかしその後昼過ぎになってMrNからテントを持ってもらえないかと言って来た。もちろん持ったが、これはまずいかもと思い始めた。

そしてなんとかポットラックパス、３５００メートルに到着。ここから早く下って２５００メートルまで降りたいなと考えていた。そしたらMrNの症状が良くなると思ったからだ。 

続く。。。

Exercise After COVID

The pandemic. 

COVID changed people's exercise routine. A lot of people exercise less since the pandemic began. 

Many reasons can be listed for that. 

First, people started working home. People used to commute by walk/bike no longer do. Even people who commuted by car, they still lost opportunities to walk from parking lot to their desks.

Second, gyms got closed. Many cities ordered gyms to close. People who would work out with treadmills, heavy barbells or any machines no longer access to them. People can't swim without access to pool. A lot of people stopped gym memberships. Not only gym closure made people lose physical access to exercise equipment, but also lose motivation of exercise. Most gyms provided classes and social opportunities. Those occasions motivate people to exercise. Social exercise clubs, such as running clubs stopped their activities.

Third, due to social distancing, people started doing chores online as much as possible. This prevents people from walking. 

In my case, most affected point is #2. The gym. Mid-March 2020, city of Boston prohibited gyms to stay open. So I left my gym. At the gym, I used to swim twice a week, attended barbell classes once or twice a week, and used a rowing machine once a week. Every visit I needed access to something I don't have at home. After the closure? For a couple of weeks, I couldn't do much exercise. It was not fun. 

My solution was to get a barbell set and subscribe exercise program streaming. At the gym I used to take a class called BODYPUMP. This is a class invented by a New Zealand based company Les Mills. Now, I have access to all the classes Les Mills provides. They have 15+ different kinds of workout. One of them is BODYPUMP. The gym I would go only offered BODYPUMP, but now I do CXWORX, in addition to BODYPUMP. CXWORX is a program focused on core. Since core is the most important part (core part, literally) for any kinds of exercise, it is really good I discovered it. I love Les Mills programs. Besides that, I also do GLIT cardio and BODYCOMBAT, these are cardio workouts. At the gym I used their barbells, now I have them at home. Now I don't need to go back to a gym even after pandemic. I know that some people say they don't feel fun or motivated working out at home alone, but these Les Mills programs are quite different. They have elite Les Mills- certified instructors: they are really really good forms and great teaching skills even via videos. They keep encouraging people via screen: I feel like I am in the live class. Also Les Mills offers many different version of workouts. For example, BODYPUMP new version is released every 3 months. Now the newest is BODYPUMP116. On the stream, I can choose from BODYPUMP86 to BODYPUMP117. The same thing for other 15+ programs. Yes, there are SO many workouts I can do. 

Although I am really satisfied my move to Lesmills Ondemand streaming, I admit that I miss live classes and swimming at the gym. It is nice to see other people are suffering in the class. That grow camaraderie among participants, because most of the participants in the class are regulars. Also, in live classes, BODYPUMP instructors can mix up menu of the training. In the streaming, if I chose BODYPUMP115, I need to do from track1 to track10 all from BODYPUMP115. Instructors have special App and they can make their own class: for example, warm up track from BODYPUMP111, squat track from BODYPUMP98, chest track from BODYPUMP115. Each BODYPUMP class consists of 10 tracks: warm up, squat, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulder, ab, cool down.

Now the gym is partly re-opened, but no classes. Most gyms limit a number of people at one time.

Someday normal gym structure comes back.....some day.

Kings Canyon Backpacking Day2

<Japanese version is after English: 日本語は英語の後にあります＞

While we were backpacking, we saw many day hikers. Most of them had fishing poles. It seemed that the area was popular for fishing. It reminded me of tenpula of sand borer my friend fished in the ocean back in my graduate school days.

I had a little hard time breathing because I live at sea level and the trailhead was at 10,000 feet high. Then it was uphill from the beginning. I decided to walk slow although I knew Mr.N had to wait for me. The plan for the first day was only 4 miles, so we arrived at the campsite around 5 p.m. or so. The Bishop lakes were beautiful under the high mountains. To prepare for the next day, we went to bed early.

On the second day we climbed the Bishop Pass. It was steep and I was out of breath. Luckily we were still on trail. Then we descended to a point where we left the trail. The first pass we climb off trail, it didn't look so bad. Actually I thought that it would not be hard at all. However, once I started ascending, it was very tough. Also Mr.N was faster than me and he went ahead in the invisible distance. In retrospect, I think that he might hike too fast. He was waiting for me at the top and finally I caught up with him there. The view was magnificent but we had to start descending. We accidentally took a harder route (as always). Off trail is always hard, but harder for n00bs like me because I don't have a good sense to find an easier route. We had planned to climb more on the day but we decided to camp near the lake. The lake was attractively blue and clear. Watching sunset and rising star was very nice. 

 １日目。

バックパッキング中、たくさんのデイハイカーに会った。デイハイカーの多くは釣竿を持っていて釣りをしに来ているようだった。川や湖で釣った魚、美味しいんだよなーと思いつつハイク。

大学院の頃の同期の友人が毎年釣りに行って大量のキスをラボに持って来て天ぷらパーティーをしたのを思い出した。キスの天ぷら美味しいよなぁなどと思いつつ釣りしている人のところを通り過ぎる。

とはいえやや息が辛い。海抜０メートル在住で突然３０００メートルのところをハイキングしだすと普通のトレイルでも息があがる。しかも初めからわりと急な上りだ。最初の日のプランは４マイルだけだし、息をあげてまで速く歩く必要もないのでゆっくり歩くことにした。（MrNはバックパッキングということでワクワクしているのがズンズン先を歩いて行った）。

最初の日のキャンプはビショップ湖で。湖の向こうにはビショップパスがひかえている。山＋湖は常に美しい景色を織りなす。夕暮れの湖で夕飯を食べ、次の日に備えて早めに寝袋へもぐりこんだ。

 ２日目。

ビショップパスへ登る。わー。きつい。かなり急な登りだ。息がきれる。やはりまだ２日では高地順応ができていない。ただしまだトレイルを歩いている。まだオフトレイルではないのでその点では楽だ。そしてパスの頂上へ！その後は下り。数キロ降ったところからトレイルをそれていよいよオフトレイルへと入って行く。遠くから見た感じでは行くところはそれほど難しいそうには見えないが。。。行ってみるとやはりきつい。岩によじ登ったり、全身の運動になるため疲れも出てくる。MrNは相変わらずズンズン進んで行く。。。。思い返せばMrNはスピードを出しすぎていたのだと思う。。

２日目の予定はもう一つのパスを超える予定だったが、最初のパスについたところですでに夕方だったのでそこの綺麗な湖のそばでキャンプすることにした。湖は真っ青な色で神秘的な美しさだった。その後太陽が沈んで行くと徐々に湖の色も変わっていく。それも綺麗だ。そしてその後は数え切れない星。シエラはどこをとっても美しい。やみつきになる！

Kings Canyon Backpacking Day1

Japanese version is after English. 日本語は英語の後にあります。

On 2016 August 5th, Mr.N and I headed for backpacking in the Kings Canyon National Park. The plan was a 9-day trip, mostly off-trail. I had never packed food for 9 days (I carried food for only 7 days at one time even on JMT trip and resupplied), so my backpack was heavy (~35 pounds). Unexpectedly this trip ended up one of the craziest and nerve wracking one. From today I will post a story/day approximately every other day at least 10 stories. Stay tuned!

We left the Bay Area around 5 a.m. Saturday. First we stopped by the ranger station in the town of Bishop. The ranger who gave us wilderness permits was nice, but a little weird. The permits were printed out upstairs. To pick them up, he ran the stairs very fast. I thought, "Hmm...a little weird." Anyway, we arrived at the trailhead soon. Then we sorted out stuff. I went to the restroom before hitting the trail. The restroom was just cleaned by a ranger and the door was open with a stone. When I got out of the restroom, I needed to put the stone under the door to keep it open. It didn't work well. The ranger saw me struggling and said, "Don't worry about it." He smiled at me. He was very nice. At this point, I didn't know that this ranger would be so important after the hike and that I would even ride with him.

２０１６年の８月にMrNと筆者でキングスキャニオン国立公園にバックパッキングへ行った。9日間ほぼ全てオフトレイルのプラン。

予想に反して、このバックパッキングは今まで一番クレイジーで危険、かつ恐ろしいバックパッキングとなったのだった。

本日からその恐怖のストーリーを投稿していく。

初日。

カリフォルニアのベイエリアを朝５時に出発。そしてまずはトレイルヘッド近くのレンジャーステーション（ビショップという小さな町にある）に寄った。ステーションのレンジャーからウイルダネスパーミット（バックパックするのには許可証、パーミットが必要）をもらい、バックパッキングの準備完了。

トレイルヘッドの駐車場で荷物を選別し出発の準備。筆者はトレイルを歩き始める前にトイレに行っておこうと思ってトレイルヘッドにあるトイレへと行った。ちょうどレンジャーが来ていてトイレを清掃した直後で、ドアが開いており、ドアが開いたままになるように石がドアのところにストッパーとして置いてあった。石を動かしてドアを閉めてトイレへ。そしてトイレから出た後また石を元の場所に戻そうとしたが石が動かず苦戦していると、レンジャーが来て”気にしないでいいよ”と言ってくれた。笑顔のレンジャーでとてもいい人だ。

後にこのレンジャーが重要な人物になるとは想像だにしていなかったのだった。。。

 

 

Backpacking in Baxter State Park in Maine

 In the middle of June we went backpacking in Baxter State Park in Maine. We had been backpacking there, but this time we tried a different trail. We headed for a lean-to at North Katahdin lake. 

From Boston, it takes about 5.5 hours to get to the Baxter State Park. We arrived around noon. The boo point is that non-Maine resident have to pay $15 for the entry. AND you need to pay for campsites (car or backcountry). Maine residents are free of charge to enter the park, AND lower fee for camping. I feel that this is too much difference of fee. Since we plan to go to Baxter three times at least this summer, we bought 2021 pass for $40. 3 time visits would be $45 without a pass. 

We drove to the trailhead. Only one car was parked there. The number plate was customized one saying "HIKER" The owner must be an avid hiker. The trail was easy, mostly flat, but ah, so many mosquitoes. I had to put 100% DEET juice everywhere. The mosquitoes even bit me through pants and T-shirt. So I had to put DEET on my cloths. For your information, my hiking pants, REI brands, are bug-proof. Bugs are supposed to be unable to bite through them. In my case, they can. I don't have any holes on my pants. It is not a one time thing, many incidents happened to me. Bugs can bite through bug-proof clothes. I stopped trusting those bug-protective claims a long time ago.

After 2 mile of hiking, we reached the first lake. This lake was really beautiful. Katahdin mountains are visible right behind the lake. We sat on the shore and had snack. Luckily there were nice breezes at the shore and that made mosquitoes blow away.  There is a lean-to by the lake, and a canoe available there. This would be really nice to spend a night. I thought that this is a good one for beginners as an introductory backpack.

Pretty Lake

Our booked lean-to was a couple of miles ahead, so we continued hiking. After a while, we reached the destination. The hiking itself was easy and pleasant except for mosquitoes. I hiked with wearing bug net on my head.

lean-to

OK for people who are thinking, "What is a lean-to?", a lean-to picture is here. It is nice log cabin. This particular lean-to is only for reservation use, so it is private: some lean-to in the Whites are first-come, first-served and need to share with people, which I don't like it, because of snores. My one-time experience staying at a hut in Intaly during Tour du Mont Blanc, it was not pleasant due to snore all night, farts all night, and stink all night.

As you can see a fire pit is provided here. It is allowed to have a campfire by foraging. Yay! My favorite activity. Again, this lean-to also provides a canoe as well as a paddles and life jackets. The lean-to is by North Katahdin lake, which is a very big lake. After we settled down, we headed for canoeing. It is really nice that the park provides canoe. Then we don't need to bring canoe for 6 miles which is impossible!

North Katahdin Lake

North Katahdin lake is also beautiful. I wish that the Katahdin peaks were visible from the lean-to. The peaks are visible only when you canoe out for a while. The picture in the left was taken while we were canoeing. 

When we reached the other side of the lake, we saw deer. His feet were in the water. We notice it was a male, because there were very small antlers. The antlers seems just came. It was cute. He seemed to come to the lake to avoid mosquitoes. He swished tail alot and jumped a lot to run away from mosquitoes, but it was difficult. There were SO MANY MOSQUITOES!!! Poor deer. We observed the deer for about 15 minutes. I had never seen the deer jumping around so much. This is a rare experience for sure.

deer

After the evening canoeing we started camp fire. Fun!!! The smoke made mosquitoes go away. Then we ate curry and rice for dinner. Japanese curry is the best supper for camping. 

I like Maine's view: not too may trees and mixture of lakes, mountains and meadows. We will come back!