Part Five of the picture montage from 2002 Nabesna to McCarthy race.
Upper Goat Trail.
We finally reached the bottom of the valley. Getting ready to float the Chitistone.
Still alive and walking in McCarthy.
Showing posts with label 2002 Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2002 Race. Show all posts
Friday, August 19, 2011
2002 Pictures Part Five
We finally reached the bottom of the valley. Getting ready to float the Chitistone.
Still alive and walking in McCarthy.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
2002 Pictures Part Four
Hiking difficult moraine past dark.
Early morning after a couple hours of sleep on the ground. Removable blow-up seats from Alpacka rafts make great pillows.
The joy of navigating unstable moraine on brutalized ankles is difficult to describe.
Hiking along a glacial lake near Skolai Pass.
This picture shows the rest of the lake we need to circumvent. To get an idea of the scale of the place, notice the person standing next to the water on a small outcrop of rock. The mountain pass in the middle of the picture, just to the lower left of the snow, is the beginning of the Goat Trail. The pass is several miles away, about 2000 feet higher in elevation, and across a good sized, waist deep glacial river.
Crossing the river.
On top of the pass with the lake and river in the background.
The origins of the Chitistone River and the beginning of the Goat Trail.
Early morning after a couple hours of sleep on the ground. Removable blow-up seats from Alpacka rafts make great pillows.
The joy of navigating unstable moraine on brutalized ankles is difficult to describe.
Hiking along a glacial lake near Skolai Pass.
This picture shows the rest of the lake we need to circumvent. To get an idea of the scale of the place, notice the person standing next to the water on a small outcrop of rock. The mountain pass in the middle of the picture, just to the lower left of the snow, is the beginning of the Goat Trail. The pass is several miles away, about 2000 feet higher in elevation, and across a good sized, waist deep glacial river.
Crossing the river.
On top of the pass with the lake and river in the background.
The origins of the Chitistone River and the beginning of the Goat Trail.
Friday, April 22, 2011
2002 Pictures Part Three
Finally getting close to the Solo Mountain cabin.
Taking a quick break on the warm, summer tundra about 100 miles into the race.
Traveling over moraine with glacial ice in the background.
A brief minute of late day sunshine after crossing Flood Creek.
Taking a quick break on the warm, summer tundra about 100 miles into the race.
Traveling over moraine with glacial ice in the background.
A brief minute of late day sunshine after crossing Flood Creek.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
2002 Pictures Part Two
Continuing up into the Cooper Creek drainage with a heavy snowstorm poised to hit.
We made it to the pass in a whiteout blizzard. Wearing enough clothes for a day hike and light trail running shoes, the three feet of snow was a challenge. After a brief evaluation of our situation, we vowed that we were not going to stop moving until we were below the snow line. Given our lack of shelter and winter clothes, if we did stop, we would have been in a fairly serious situation. This picture is near the top of the pass next to a frozen lake.
We made it below the snow line but still 5 miles short of Chisana the first night. The next day we spent a little time drying our gear out on the Chisana airstrip. About half of the people in the race, including the majority of the front-runners dropped out of the race in Chisana.
More ankle busting terrain while ascending up into the Geohenda drainage.
Feeling the hurt.
We made it to the pass in a whiteout blizzard. Wearing enough clothes for a day hike and light trail running shoes, the three feet of snow was a challenge. After a brief evaluation of our situation, we vowed that we were not going to stop moving until we were below the snow line. Given our lack of shelter and winter clothes, if we did stop, we would have been in a fairly serious situation. This picture is near the top of the pass next to a frozen lake.
We made it below the snow line but still 5 miles short of Chisana the first night. The next day we spent a little time drying our gear out on the Chisana airstrip. About half of the people in the race, including the majority of the front-runners dropped out of the race in Chisana.
More ankle busting terrain while ascending up into the Geohenda drainage.
Feeling the hurt.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pictures from 2002
2002 was the year of the legendary July snowstorm. You can read the details in earlier posts. Check out some more pictures from that year that I haven't posted before.
The obligatory pre-race photo in Nabesna just a couple minutes before the race began. The temperature was in the low 40's and it was raining steadily. The first section of running water to float is just five miles down the trail from the start so several people have saved time by blowing up their packrafts in advance.
The racers taking off down the initial trail from the starting line. Everything was soaking wet after pouring rain all night and the trail was boggy. The first five miles was relatively easy going though compared to terrain later in the race.
Floating the Nabesna River. The weather hadn't improved much at all by the time we started floating. The low light made it difficult to find the Cooper Creek takeout on the opposite bank. If you look carefully, you can see someone floating in the distance in the center of the picture.
After the hypothermic float in the Nabesna River, we set a strong pace up Cooper Creek to warm up. This picture is taken a good distance up the Cooper Creek drainage. The temperature is dropping steadily, the rain is turning into sleet and we can see the snow in the background on the hills. Adrenaline is still running extremely high even several hours into the race. Typical strategy is to walk through the stream in a straight line up the drainage to save time and distance. Getting wet doesn't matter because you're already soaked anyway.
The obligatory pre-race photo in Nabesna just a couple minutes before the race began. The temperature was in the low 40's and it was raining steadily. The first section of running water to float is just five miles down the trail from the start so several people have saved time by blowing up their packrafts in advance.
The racers taking off down the initial trail from the starting line. Everything was soaking wet after pouring rain all night and the trail was boggy. The first five miles was relatively easy going though compared to terrain later in the race.
Floating the Nabesna River. The weather hadn't improved much at all by the time we started floating. The low light made it difficult to find the Cooper Creek takeout on the opposite bank. If you look carefully, you can see someone floating in the distance in the center of the picture.
After the hypothermic float in the Nabesna River, we set a strong pace up Cooper Creek to warm up. This picture is taken a good distance up the Cooper Creek drainage. The temperature is dropping steadily, the rain is turning into sleet and we can see the snow in the background on the hills. Adrenaline is still running extremely high even several hours into the race. Typical strategy is to walk through the stream in a straight line up the drainage to save time and distance. Getting wet doesn't matter because you're already soaked anyway.
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