Arctic Ocean Expedition: March-April, 2007

undefinednomad

New member
flywgn said:
-Nomad, I assume you're suggesting the stop at Liard Hot Sprgs as just a generic suggestion and not connected with your comment on the 1000-mile day from Whitehorse to P. George.

It's my understanding that Scott and Chris will be going north on the ALCAN Hwy--ergo passing Liard that direction--but coming back via the Cassiar route on that long day, so they won't pass the hot springs.

Nevertheless, your suggestion is a great one and Diana and I can also attest to the therapeutic attributes of the Lliard HS at Historic Milepost 496 (modern MP 477.7). It's one of the few spots open year-round.

Allen R

My mistake, I just assumed that the Whitehorse to Prince George day was going to be via the Alcan. I have never driven the Cassiar route primarily because I would have to back track to get to Liard. :)

Stopping at Liard would definitely be a generic suggestion for anyone driving the Alcan route. Thanks for posting the Mile post, I forgot to add that because I always just think of it as being about 800 miles from Tok Alaska which is where all my trips across the Alcan start or finish... I have made 23 trips across it now, 22 driving and 1 hitchhiking... I have only failed to stop at Liard once that I can recall.
 

flywgn

Explorer
undefinednomad said:
... I have made 23 trips across it now, 22 driving and 1 hitchhiking... .

Yowzers! That puts you into the 'pro' division for the ALCAN.

expeditionwest said:
...I really don't remember when my fascination with remote places started...

Could it have been the posting to Mountain Home? :)

Allen R
 

undefinednomad

New member
flywgn said:
Yowzers! That puts you into the 'pro' division for the ALCAN.

Allen R

I didnt know there was a pro division... I just though I was nuts along with the rest of my family... :) Albuquerque NM to Tok AK in 68 hrs with two drivers in the winter, 80 hrs alone in the summer. We would have made it in 64 hrs, but we stopped to watch LOTR The Two Towers in Utah on the way up. I also made a bad bet on a gas station being open inside the AK boarder and had to back track to Beaver Creek to get gas... Thankfully we made it back to Beaver Creek (I think I put in just under 0.1 gallons less than the take was supposed to hold, but my math may have been a little fuzzy by that time in the trip...)
 
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I am looking forward to seeing your food list. What stove are you bringing, how do you see yourselves cooking and keeping hot food in yourselves? ::REOutIceFishing:
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
erin said:
I'm sure the food list will be easy

beef, chocolate, and coffee :sombrero:

LOL, too funny. Actually, we haven't even made a final decision on the food yet. We know that we definitely don't want to take a bunch of crap and eat road food continuously. We plan to stock up on some quality nourishment. We'll post up when we get the food shopping done.

undefinednomad, thanks for the tip! I am always on the lookout for new springs to soak in or at least visit (if they are too hot or small to get in), so I will definitely check into that.
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
articulate said:
I'm pretty impressed with that calendar and your organization of time. And your willingness to share it.

That photo of Chris is sure to make the girls flock.

:jump: I tried to make sure that ring was prominently visible in the photo :p

I'm sure we'll be tweaking that calendar often, but at least we are still on track for the next few days at least...
 

paulj

Expedition Leader
You will be passing through enough towns that you can restock your food. In small town Canada, the fresh meat selection is skimpy and expensive, but decent deli meats are abundant, ranging from bulk franks to good quality German style smoked hams (Freybe brand).

On several occasions on my Alaska trip a couple of decades ago, I bought whole frozen chickens, let them thaw in the cooler, and made chicken cacciatore type meals in the pressure cooker.

Obviously the further north you go the prices will be higher, especially for fresh produce. But bakery selections tend to be good. Some roadhouses specialize in mega-cinnamon rolls and sourdough pancakes. Most tourist facilities will still be closed, but locals and truckers still need to shop and eat.

paulj
 

blupaddler

Conspirator
Lookin' good...:Wow1: both you guys.


If you plan on driving straight home from Aroyo Grande to Prescit. I might have to make the drive up north for a short visit. (But it is our spring break...things will be busy)
:suning:
 

toyrunner95

Explorer
please tell me when u plan on being in seattle, im hoping its close to spring break, so i can get to see the truck in person. get some pics.
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
I just posted a new blog entry.

Paul, thanks a bunch for your help. I hope we get to meet up. A huge thanks to MountainPete too.

toyrunner, our current sched. is posted on the route page, but is subject to change. We'll keep it updated.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
BajaTaco said:
I just posted a new blog entry.

Paul, thanks a bunch for your help. I hope we get to meet up. A huge thanks to MountainPete too.

toyrunner, our current sched. is posted on the route page, but is subject to change. We'll keep it updated.
Hey, Chris, nice find on the bag. The best cold weather bag I've ever used was a Marmot CWM that I got second hand. I never found a night where I could wear anything more than skivvies and I spend some cold nights in a tent in the mountains. But alas it was lost in a theft (along with my Koflach boots and some misc climbing gear). But to replace it is about $600 new! So a -20F bag for 1/10 that is outstanding.

I'm not familiar with the internals of an Eezi-Awn, but I've learned a few tricks to staying warm in the 'Nest. With the air circulating around under the bed, you will be cold, even in an arctic bag. I find that putting a layer of heat reflecting insulation between the fiberglass top (or bottom when open) and the mattress gives you 10 or 20 degrees of additional warmth. I use a sheet of stuff I found at Home Depot, looks like that air bubble shipping stuff that's been sandwiched with silver space blanket material. On top of that goes the mattress (I use a 3" thick closed cell foam mattress in the 'Nest) and then the bag. I then wrap a closed cell blue sleeping pad stuff (Pack-Light I think it's called, like $5 or $10 at REI) around the edges of the mattress where it touches the tent material (particularly at the head and foot ends). Does that all make sense?

With this I find that with a regular 0F bag I'm good down to an honest 0F or maybe -5F. The problem is really that bag ratings assume you'll be on the ground and only losing heat to the top. But up, off the ground you've got to be careful to keep the heat from being sucked out from under you, too.
 

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