arctic – Page 8 – besthike.com

September 5, 2007

Torngat Mountains National Park, Labrador, Canada

One of the classiest and best travel photo sites is BluePeak edited by Rogier Gruys.

He is one of the few who have travelled to remote Torngat.

Even better, Rogier created a superb landing page for the Park where the rest of us now have a chance to see that weird, fantastical landscape.

… The Inuit refer to the far northern tip of Labrador as Torngait, the place of the spirits. It is thought that it is the home of Torngarsuak, the Inuit Great Spirit. To outsiders it is known for its deep fiords, the highest mountains east of the rockies, some of the world’s oldest rocks, the only tundra-dwelling population of black bears, and polar bears. Lots of polar bears. …

Access

The park, 9,700 sq.km, is probably one of the most difficult parks in Canada to reach. Even the parks in Nunavut are easier to get to. It’s not only the remoteness, but especially the weather and fericious winds that make getting here an adventure in itself.

If the weather is good, then the park is about 1 hours’ flying or up to two days by fishing boat north of Nain, Labrador’s northernmost community. There are no scheduled flights or boats to the park, and once you arrive, there are no facilities.

Safety is a real concern, as polar bears roam throughout the park. Since only Inuit are allowed to carry arms, visitors should always be accompanied by an Inuit guide. A good idea in any case, as the area is also infamous for its quickly changing weather and strong “ghost” winds that can appear out of nowhere.

Visiting the park

Due to the difficult logistics and its reputation for bad weather, there are currently very few if any organized treks into the park. Nature Trek has led expeditions into the park, but in the future they may only plan occasional treks, due to the extreme logistical challenges involved with organizing them. …

more photos – Torngat Mountains National Park – Rogier Gruys

September 3, 2007

hike Kangerlussuaq – Sisimiut, Greenland

Lucas Girardet recommends Kangerlussuaq – Sisimiut, 180km (112mi), as one of the best hikes in the world.

This route is the classic hike in Greenland for the hardened wanderer and others who like challenges.

The route goes through landscapes which vary a lot. From the dry inland at Kangerlussuaq to the rolling ground with the high hills by the coast. Considering the length of the hike, approx. 7 – 10 days, it is a hard hike which should not be challenged unless you have made preparations from home.

Sisimiut Tourist Information, Greenland – Hiking Tours

Kangerlussuaq is the settlement with the biggest and best airport in Greenland. It’s the usual gateway for those flying into Greenland. From there, you could fly one way to Sisimiut, and hike back.

Sisimiut is a port town known for mountains towering up from the sea, fjords and glaciers.

The hike sounds awesome though not inexpensive. Of course the hiking season is quite short, as well.

filipholata from the Czech Republic posted some photos of Greenland on flickr:

larger original

August 23, 2007August 15, 2019

hike trip report – Tombstone Range, Yukon

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I first heard of the Tombstone Mountains in 1999 from contributor Kelly Mock. It remained in my mind a magical, mythical hiking destination until this summer.

There are a number of ways to hike Tombstone. The best is to chopper in, hike out. At $20 / minute of flight time, we each paid over $200 for the flight.

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Bad weather prevented us from landing where trip leader Dave Hayley intended, a high Cirque.

That turned out to be fortunate as the off-trail bushwhacking was much more difficult and slow than we expected. We quickly grew to hate Arctic Willow and Alder. In fact, we were forced to wild camp our second night well short of our intended destination, Talus Lake.

Tombstone

This was a bit of a hiking honeymoon for Dana and Bill who had been married just a few weeks earlier.

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To get back on schedule, we bypassed Talus and continued to the Divide Lake campground

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Dave Hayley was shocked to see new tent pads and toilets. In 5 previous trips to Tombstone he had never seen even a single other hiker.

The secret is out. It became a Territorial Park in 2004. Tombstone is now on the radar of northern hikers.

The crux of our hike was this Pass.

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Bill carried an ice axe for our group as we expected the Pass to require some step cutting. But for some reason — there was very little snow on the Pass this August.

Hayley found the loose scree at the top of the Pass to be more dangerous and difficult than his past snow ascents.

Grizzly Lake campground is just as lovely as Talus and Divide.

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After 5 days, 4 nights, our happy band of survivors walked out to Dempster Highway in about 6 hours. This is the closest access to the road for those who do not come in by helicopter.

Thanks to organizer Dave Hayley. This is his favourite place in the world. And one of mine too.

View over 125 photos from this trip on flickr.

Tombstone Park – Yukon government

August 19, 2007

hiking Alaska takes SKILL

Any idiot can hike in California.

But hiking the far North takes smarts. Route finding skills. Bush whacking skills. Survival skills.

GPS is essential, we feel.

Don’t count on calling in rescue with a satellite phone. They are far from 100% reliable.

If you plan to trek Alaska in future, start your research with Eric Molvar’s book. Published in 1996, it covers river crossings, snowfield travel, and glacier travel and wildlife very well.

Alaska on Foot: Wilderness Techniques for the Far North (Hiking & Climbing)

If we’d only studied this book in advance we’d have never crossed this snow bridge over a raging Alaskan creek above Whittier. Turns out it’s dangerous!

August 11, 2007

heli-hiking Tombstone mountain, Yukon

Site editor Rick McCharles gone hiking. Back on-line August 13th.

August 9, 2007

hike Wrangel – St. Elias National Park, Alaska?

First MAPS:

In a huge and wild park such as Wrangell-St. Elias, you can never have too many maps

National Geographic – Trails Illustrated has produced a 1:375,000 (1 inch = 6 miles) scale map of Wrangell-St. Elias that is a great tool for initial trip planning.

It is waterproof, tear resistant, and covers the entire park, including detailed inserts of the Nabesna Road and McCarthy/Kennecott areas. This map is available at all park ranger stations, or online through the Alaska Natural History Association for $9.95

We highly recommend that backcountry hikers also purchase the highly detailed USGS 1:63,360 (1 inch = 1 mile) topographic maps, also known as 15-minute quadrangle maps of the particular route they plan to travel. Note: this part of Alaska is not covered by USGS 7.5-minute maps.

maps – National Parks Service

Next, GUIDEBOOK:

The best I can find is Hiking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
by former mountain guide Danny W. Kost (2000)

Amazon

This Park is very intimidating.

Get all the information you can before you travel to hike here.

We will simply dayhike from the road access.

August 8, 2007

bigger than Switzerland, with much higher mountains

Flying in to Anchorage, Alaska from Juneau I was already worried.

How can anyone possibly hike Wrangell-St. Elias?

It looks the realm of mountaineers, not mere hikers like myself.

Because there are very few maintained trails within the park, travel through dense brush, along steep scree slopes, and across fast and cold glacial streams and rivers should be expected.

For most routes, map and compass reading skills are essential. Weather in these mountain ranges can vary to extremes in relatively short time periods. It is best to expect (and prepare for) almost any possibility with a variety of layerable clothing (polypropylene, wool or pile), raingear, and extra food. Summer snow storms may occur at elevations of 4,500 feet and above.

Trip Planning

A successful hiking trip requires adequate planning. You should be prepared for everything and should not count on aid or rescue from others. Here, you will be on your own. Caution and good judgment are key ingredients for a pleasant expedition. For many hikers, hiring the services of a local guide will make the trip safer and more enjoyable. In general, the areas above tree line (~3,000′) afford the easiest hiking and best views. These areas are often accessed by chartering a flight to one of the many possible “bush” landing strips. Note that there are many more places to land than are shown on maps. Air taxis will often land on gravel bars or on the tundra.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve – Hiking & Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest National Park in the USA. Indeed, if you combine it with the adjacent Parks and reserves it’s the largest protected land mass in the world.

But how does one hike it if you have only a small vehicle, not a helicopter or light plane? (Perhaps I can find some gold nuggets to pay for this trip.)

This will take some reconnaissance.

Wish us luck.

July 21, 2007

start in Seattle and walk NORTH

Married couple Erin McKittrick (Molecular Biologist turned jewelry artist) and Bretwood (Hig) Higman are incredible adventurers.

Where to begin …

Currently they are on a 9 month trip from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska by human power:

Journey on the Wild Coast will be an unprecedented four-thousand-mile expedition along the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean, through some of the most rugged terrain in the world. No road or trail follows this steep and fragmented coastline.

We’ll be traveling through forests, between islands, around glaciers, and across the tundra – by foot, packraft, and skis. No one has done this before.

Journey on the Wild Coast

more detailed itinerary

I’ve subscribed to their trip blog. It’s an expeditions to explore environmental issues.

I’ve you’ve any doubt Sig and Erin have the ability to finish it, check their previous Alaska Treks. Wow!

Blockade Glacier – 2005

June 30, 2007

hike Quttinirpaaq (Ellesmere Island) in Canada

Rogier at the classy Bluepeak blog parsed the results of an Explore magazine article ranking Canadian National Parks in 5 categories: adventure, scenery, wildlife, natural science, and history.

Rogier concluded these were the top 5 Parks, overall:

1. Gwaii Haanas, BC (Queen Charlotte Islands)
2. Quttinirpaaq (Ellismere Island)
3. Yoho, BC
4. Banff, Alberta
5. Gros Morne, Newfoundland

Bluepeak: Travel, tourism and photography Â» Best National parks in Canada

I’ve never been to Gwaii Haanas or Quttinirpaaq. Or Canada’s newest, Torngat Mountains National Park in Newfoundland.

For C$10,000 you can sign on for a 2-week Quttinirpaaq trip on Ellesmere Island.

ELLESMERE – AD ASTRA ICE CAP TREK — Quttinirpaaq National Park is the worldâ€™s most northerly park.

Situated on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, it is less than 500 miles from the North Pole. It is an arctic oasis. Stunning mountains and glaciers, muskox, arctic wolf and fox and many bird species make this a naturalistâ€™s delight. The area is so remote that the only visitors to hike here in 2005 and 2006 were members of Black Feather’s annual Ellesmere Trek. This is literally the end of the earth.

For 2007 our route will be a circumnavigation of the rugged mountains of the Ad Astra Ice Cap from Tanquary Fjord via the Macdonald and Airforce River valleys. We will access some of the most spectacular parts of Ellesmere!

This trip is for the avid hiker who likes physical challenge in the most remote wilderness and enjoys sharing the adventure with like-minded people. Just getting our group with their food and gear to the start of the hike is a difficult and expensive undertaking â€¦ but you will be one of a small handful of people to ever walk in these distant arctic mountains.

June 17, 2007

Canada’s newest National Park – Torngat Mountains

My mind’s turning increasingly “north” as weather improves here in Canada.

We have such a short hiking season, every day is precious.

Rogier of Bluepeak.net alerted me to Torngat in Labrador, Quebec.

Canadian Geographic of May/June 2007 …

The article includes an online in-depth backgrounder. This is definitely a must-visit park, if one can manage the polar bears, who seem to be as thick as rabbits in the park.

I see Labrador as one of Canadaâ€™s hottest new destinations – Iâ€™ll have to find a way to get there.

Bluepeak: Travel, tourism and photography Â» Torngat Mountains National Park

That article describes a kayak tour.

But there is unusual, challenging climbing and hiking, as well. A number of outfitters can arrange a trip there.

The Torngat Mountains are entirely above the Arctic tree-line so there’s nothing to obstruct your views. (Or block the cold wind.)

Rainbow above Cirque Mountain – Hazen Russell, Iapetus Ocean Expeditions (1982)