Objective: 1-2 mile Paddle, ~20 mile Hike, 20-21 mile Paddle. Put in some good weekend miles.
Trip Length: 2 days
Trip Type: Class I-II pack-rafting. Exploratory backpacking. Ended up being about 41 miles total.
Group Size: 3
Dates: September 14-15, 2019
The Tale:
After a mellow weekend in Anchorage last weekend, I was excited for a bigger trip this weekend. Unfortunately, on Monday night, I had a very large unexpected bowel obstruction. I ended up taking the day off from work on Tuesday and was able to get things to clear by going NPO for a bit, irrigating, and slowly taking in fluids. I was nervous that the obstruction had ruined my chances of going out into the wilderness over the weekend, but by Thursday, I was able to eat a few more solid foods. I was feeling more encouraged.
Kevin had contacted me about a week before the trip, but I wasn’t fully committed until Thursday. I scrambled around Thursday night gathering gear from friends and friends of friends. I don’t own a pack raft, so I wouldn’t have been able to even go on the trip if it weren’t for some generous individuals in the community lending out their gear. By Friday after work, I was packing things up and making sure that everything fit in my pack (~45lbs total).
Kevin, Adrian, and I hit the road around 6am on Saturday and drove up to Caribou Creek. After a quick mile or so float down Caribou Creek and ferrying across the Matanuska River, we landed on the shore and started re-packing for the big hike ahead of us.
We started with some minor game trail bushwhacking down to Matanuska Glacier, climbed through a unique canyon at the edge of the glacier, and voyaged along some lovely game trails at the edge of the glacier. We heard that the trickiest part of the trip would be finding our way into the valley that led to our intended pass. We discussed a few options and decided to head uphill. After another minor bushwhack we found ourselves at the top of a cliffy ridge looking down into our valley. We spotted a bear, and Adrian was able to scare it away by dropping rocks down the cliff face. A good while later, after debating about the best route down, we headed up the ridge and then down a game trail into the alders. We finally found ourselves walking upstream into the valley. Our pace slowed as hunger and fatigue slowly came over us. We finally found a place to camp up on a small bench. After a quick dinner, we settled in for the night, anticipating our 6:45 am wake-up time.
In order to save weight, Kevin and I had decided before the trip that we would share a tent, so that he would carry the tent and I would carry the cook-set. Since I have to empty my ostomy a few times a night, I warned him ahead of time that I would be getting up throughout the night, so if he thought that would bother him, I could bring my own tent. He replied that he has a crinkly sleeping pad, so if I was okay with that, then we could share a tent. I guess the mutual decision was made, and we both brought ear plugs to drown out the nighttime noises.
The next morning we made breakfast, packed up camp, and headed on up the valley. After a couple of bonus elevation gains, we finally found the grassy ramp that led to our pass with three sheep waiting at the top. Up and over the pass, down the creek, up the next hill, and the South Fork of the Matanuska and Powell Glacier were in sight. We dropped into the brush following a game trail and found ourselves in the thick of a bear trail.
PC: Adrian Barniak 
I was feeling pretty good about our mellow bushwhacking experience up until this point when all of a sudden I heard a hissing sound, like air leaking out of a tire. I turned around to figure out what was happening when a peppery waft of bear spray started to overtake my nostrils. I dropped my hiking poles, started yelling for Kevin who was behind me to get away, and took off running down the trail. I unclipped and dropped my pack as Kevin ran by me and made it a bit of a ways down the trail to where I could breath again. Apparently during our bushwhack, the safety had come off my bear spray and then when I was snagged again, it was triggered. Luckily, it had only sprayed a little, so only my nose and my mouth felt the burn. We decided it would be best to deploy the whole can and pack it out so that it wouldn’t accidentally spray again. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the spray, so Kevin stepped off to the side and emptied the can. We were able to find a small creek in the jumble of branches to fill up water and attempt to wash my hands and my face. After that, my spirits were low for a bit as we headed deeper into the thick brush. Finally, Kevin made the executive decision to veer left and we worked our way up and out. The clearing made my spirits rise. It also made it more apparent that the whole valley was full of smoke from nearby wildfires. From there, we navigated our way along some Caribou trails through willows, tall grasses, a sparse forest, until finally, we hit the river.
We packed up our gear, inflated our boats, and began paddling. Some splashy class II paddling started off the river portion of the trip and it mellowed out for a nice float out. The paddling took less time than anticipated and we soon found ourselves back at the confluence of Caribou Creek and the Matanuska. After a brisk hike back up the creek we were at the car and on our way back home to Anchorage.
Lessons Learned:
1.This trip was the perfect end of summer event for me. Before the trip, I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and that I would hold Adrian and Kevin back. Despite not being able to eat a lot of fueling foods leading into the trip, I was able to keep pace the entire time. I felt strong, and I know my routine workouts and taking care of myself this past year really contributed to my ability to lug a 45 lb pack around the unknown backcountry of Alaska.
2. I used to pride myself in eating fairly healthy, but I’ve found that my body struggles with many foods while out on long strenuous trips. For this trip, I found that the “movie theater” diet (Kevin kept referring to my foods as movie theater foods) really worked for me and kept me energized. Over the summer, I’ve found that simple sugars are easier for my body to process while on the move, so my diet consisted of candy, chocolate, honey stinger gels, gluten free bagels, Good to Go dehydrated pasta, powdered coconut milk/powdered strawberries, rice krispie treats, and chocolate cookies. After all the junk food this weekend, I’m going to make sure to eat healthy this next week. I see a lot of smoothies and green juices in my future.
3. I’m always nervous to share a tent with someone who hasn’t experienced my ostomy leaking. But I’ve slowly accepted that leaks happen and that my friends will understand. This summer has been full of sharing many tents with many people and I’m glad that I’m leaving that fear in the past (some fun stories about that to come).
4. Securing bear spray is an important step before diving into thick brush. I now feel like quite the expert at getting bear spray out of my gear/clothes.
4. Every day is the best day ever. Adrian, Kevin, and I discussed this topic extensively while hiking up toward the pass. We feel so lucky to live in a wild place that has taught us so much and provides endless opportunities to explore. More importantly, I feel lucky to know so many wonderful optimistic people with whom I can share these tough, but rewarding adventures.
