Wrangell Runners In Rubber Ducks
August 2023
There are two roads that lead into Wrangell St. Elias one ends in Nabesna, AK and the other in McCarthy, AK. This packrafitng route, a Alaskan classic, traverses over 200 miles and eight navigable rivers between the two towns which sit only sixty-five miles apart as the crow flies. This route is ideal for maximizing paddling and minimizing bushwhacking. We spent seventeen days hiking, five days paddling, and took three layover days. While this trip can be done more quickly we opted to take our time and soak up everything Wrangell had to offer.
After a seven hour drive from Anchorage, we spent our first night at the end of a road on the Northern boundary of the park. The next morning we began our trek with a few miles of bushwhacking to the Nabesna river. After inflating our boats and stowing our gear, we set out on our first paddle. The rivers of this trip are primarily glacial-fed, fast-flowing, and braided. What these river lack in big whitewater features, they make up for in an abundance of boogie water and entrapment hazards. Water temperatures rarely get above forty in the summer. The water was an exciting mix of Class II/III paddling that felt manageable yet fun given the remote nature of this trip.
Chisana Glacier Layover
We spent the next four days traversing up and around the mountains surrounding the Chisana Glacier. While our daily trekking mileage was usually in the single digits, we worked for every step in the foot-swallowing tundra with our eighty-plus-pound packs. Before descending to the water below, we took a layover day to recharge, dry out, and marvel at the glacier. Luckily, this layover marked the beginning of a ten-day stretch with no rain. The rain proved to be one of the most challenging dynamics of this trek. Whether is was misting or raining cats and dogs, the rain seldom letup outside of those ten days. The rain nearly broke us, more than once. It is hard to imagine our morale outlasting twenty-plus days of rain. This made us all the more grateful for the weather window and the group pyramid shelter.
Going Amphibious
At the toe of the glacier, we put in and paddled down the Chisana river. After covering a dozen miles, we pulled off and trekked through a buggy swamp to the Chisana airstrip. We spent the night before for first planned resupply with Wrangell Mountain Air the next day, here is video of their landing. We ate quite well for the duration our trip, until the third ration where our metabolisms began to outpace our planned 3,500 calories per day. In hindsight, we would have added extra food to our final ration. Otherwise, we thoroughly enjoyed the dehydrated dinners we had made especially the Bonzo Curry, Tikka Masala, and Risotto. After our rendezvous, we enjoyed a cache of snacks and played a few games of Hearts to wrap up another layover day.
Trekking near Skolai Pass
We spent the next eleven days trekking towards the Nizina River. Stream crossings were a consistent hazard, and with high and unpredictable flows, proved quite dangerous due to the rain. We could not afford any serious injuries or to lose any gear. Here is a short video of a pendulum maneuver we used to cross streams too strong to wade. During this stretch, we encountered ten Grizzly bears in three days, three moms with two cubs each, as well as one male. While we had seen signs of bear activity throughout the trip, these two sightings and singular encounter were more than enough. Even with proper precautions, fear always seemed to lurk. While we realistically knew we were no longer the apex predator, it was distinctly humbling to witness a mama Grizzly stand up on her hind legs and stare us down before deciding to scamper.
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Mt. Bona Vista
After successfully traversing the treacherously loose and narrow Goat Path, we spent another two days making our way to our next resupply at Wolverine airstrip. By this point in the trip, the rain had resumed, and we struggled to stay motivated. We recharged with a final layover day before descending to the Nizina River for our final paddle. After one more day in the rain, we landed and spent the night near the old, washed-out bridge to McCarthy. The next day, we hiked the final ten miles into McCarthy and promptly went to dinner at The Potato, a hallowed establishment.
Six Blokes
Despite the ruggedness, this route proved to be truly one of a kind. The packraft proved to be the ultimate form of transportation. After a month, we felt a part of the scenery hiking across the tundra and paddling the rivers. It felt like a natural way to experience the landscape around us. Wrangell St. Elias is not for the faint of heart, but if you are willing to work for it, it will reward you.
