Wednesday 8 April 2015
yukon paddle
For the last several weeks, the floor of my cabin has been cluttered with gear: waterproof totes and bags, buckets, cooking pots and rubber boots, tent stakes, sleeping bags, wool clothes, bug nets. Yesterday I finished making a pair of canoe paddles, cut the handle off my $3 frying pan, and bagged up 145 pounds of food.In less than a week, Ill be leaving Fairbanks on a five-week paddling adventure down the Tanana and Yukon rivers. If all goes well, well make it 900 miles to the Bering Sea before fall storms kick up in mid-August. Im paddling with a friend from college, a freelance photographer now, and the goal is to do some stories about the trip and how the horrible returns of king salmon are impacting Yukon River villages.
In planning, Ive felt a bit like an amateur. What do we do about bears? How long should our painters be? Which is not to say Ive never been on a wilderness trip. In 2002, I spent 30 days paddling solo down the Hudson River, and last fall I kayaked the Noatak -- one of the most remote rivers in all of Alaska. But most of the Hudson is settled, and on the Noatak, I relied on experienced companions.
So Ive been preparing -- gathering gear, reading, talking with people, paddling. Last week I did a test run of sorts, floating the first 50 miles from Fairbanks to Nenana with my friend Ian. The last time we did it, two years ago, I was newer to Alaska: "Theres signs of life, like little marks on trees for fish camps, Im guessing, and a sign for Skinny Dicks, but mostly the river is wild," I wrote. "Ian likened it to a highway -- its fairly well traveled, and you cant really get lost -- but I mostly saw it like a big, remote river."
Well, this time was different -- I saw the highway. The current is strong, but manageable, the river braided, but easy to follow. The river feels more like a path through wilderness than wilderness itself. There will be sections of river more than 100 miles between villages, but it all seems doable now with some good gear, paddling skills, and common sense. I think Im getting that Alaska perspective.
I cant imagine blogging much during the trip, but certainly upon return!
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