So. That was an interesting trip, and here's my AAR.
woke up early in eagle river, and started driving around 0600L. I got up to mile marker 304, just north of the mountain around 2300L. since it was stupid late, and I was tired from the drive, I racked out in the back seat of my truck.
Set off the next morning after smoking and joking with two other guys from Eagle river, who were up there on a bow hunt. They had been there for a week, roving the road from Milepost 300 all the way to deadhorse, and they saw on average 3 caribou a day, and had yet to get a successful stalk. So me, being the optimist, decided that the road was probably scaring the critters, and that the five mile limit would be good to hook.
So I set off with all of my gear in my sled, and start chugging through the tundra. I ran into the first river, and this is where I realized my first mistake of the trip. My boots did just fine keeping the water out while I was walking (pants were soaked to the knee from dew), and as you can see, this river wasn't too bad, but nevertheless, my ONE PAIR OF BOOTS did get wet. Very bad. I'm stupid, I know. But My wool socks saved the day.
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I'll tell you what, that mosquito net was a lifesaver. if you don't have one, get one. Here's a shot of my gear. That big goofy sled turned out to be a good thing, more on that later. So I get about two miles in, and realize just how stupid it is to drag a sled this heavy with gear. This is lesson #2: HEAVY THINGS SUCK ON TUNDRA.
As a result, I set up camp, and decided to keep my basecamp there, and just hike out to the five mile limit every day with a daypack, medical supplies, and signaling gear.
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This turned out pretty nice, and was a good lesson learned. I was moving at about a 1 mile/hr pace through the tundra up the ridge, and I tell you what, those ski poles I took along were absolutely wonderful. so glad I had walking poles with me. they made fording the rivers a helluva lot easier.
Get out to the five mile limit just past the crest of the ridgeline, and did a lot of glassing.
As the trip went on, I kept trying to do different things to dry out my boots, but to no avail. I put my wet socks in my tent, and did all of my old army tricks to get them to dry. Nothing was working. The only things I saw out on the tundra the whole time I was there, were ground squirrels, and ADFG helicopters checking for kill sites. Checked valleys, glassed a ton, and not a single critter.
After a while, I decided that it was time to head back to the truck and re-cock. And this is where that big goofy sled came in handy. it had rained in the atigun pass, and the river was, as Johnny Cash would say, Knee deep and rising.
And Thank god, that sled floats!!!!!
I got back to the truck, and none of the bowhunter guys had had any luck whatsoever. Over the course of our conversations, I found out that nearly everybody they met was having the same bum luck. So we figured that the long and warm summer had kept them in their summer grounds for longer than usual.
I laughed a bit at my luck, and let the truck heater warm me up as I drove down to Gilbraith Lake to do a recon.
For those that don't know: Gilbraith Lake is 2 miles west of the haul road, just south of the Toolik Lake research station
Campground was pretty nice, rainy and miserable, but pretty nice overall. most all of the guys I met there used it as a staging area for bowhunting, and since I had no topos of the area, I was hesitant to go in without at least a little map recon first. So there I was, looking at the river, already soaked like a ship rat.
Overall, I'm glad I didn't push the issue further, because I might have gotten a few miles in and gone hypothermic. Instead, I get to consider the whole affair a big lesson in how to properly operate in a tundra environment.
And so here's my Positives and negatives.
Things I will sustain and use again:
That Big goofy floating sled
trekking poles
Navigational preparation
I knew my limits, and remained safety-minded
WOOL socks. they keep your feet warm even when wet.
PHYSICAL FITNESS. --if I had not spent my whole summer hiking in the chugach, I would have been in a terrible position.
Medical Gear- I had enough to take care of myself in nearly every trauma situation(perhaps too much weight though)
My stove.- Pocket Rockets are awesome
Things I shall improve/change:
Dragging my camp. That's officially stupid.--Pack Light, Pack fast, camp at the truck.
Soaked boots--Bring more boots.
soaked like a ship rat--Better waterproof gear.
worrying whether I could get back in an emergency--BRING MY PERSONAL RESCUE COMMS. especially since 45.308 has already told me several times before how important they are.
dealing with a missing herd--Get good intel on herd location before departing.
My food was right for autumn moose hunting, but not for the arctic-- Pack high fat, high calorie, high protein food like hersheys bars, sticks of butter, cheese, Mountain home food
going alone on the tundra sucks--BRING A BATTLE BUDDY
With these lessons learned, here is how I would approach the hunt next time:
Get about four or five of my guys together, and drive up in a few trucks
Set camp on the road on one of the turnoffs
carry light, fast packs, and drag one or two empty sleds.
move to the five mile limit, cache the sleds, and hunt. head back in the evening, and do it all again the next morning.
Bring several DC-adapted Boot driers, and have waders that came to the mid-thigh
Every time I make coffee, throw half a stick of butter in the cup.
And bring our bows, for those days that we feel like just walking the road.
I Hope you guys got a good laugh at my expense, I know I did. And I hope that the other young pups can learn from my lessons.
Thanks for all your help in planning, guys. I'm heading up to GMU 16 to get me some freezer food.
