Overland Hadley
on a journey
Congratulations on shoving off on another journey. Have a safe and memorable trip. Look forward to photos on the other side.
Allochris's ultimate buildup thread!!!
- Thread starter allochris
- Start date
Hey Chris!
Was thinking about you two just the other day and wondered about PMing you to make sure you were all right! Have an outstanding time. Not much snow in BC anyway huh? Looking forward to the pictures. Oh, and love the starting mileage!
You can't have an 'expedition' in a vehicle with that many k's on the clock can you!?!
Checking in from Valdez! AK coast just got hit by a storm but tomorrow weather is looking fine for touring at Thompson Pass.
5-6 days touring at the Ningunsaw Pass was amazing. Still with amazing winter snow quality.
Truck is doing great! But mostly thanks to the Discoverer Studded tires!
Wow I love how mtns just keep getting bigger & bigger!!! :smiley_drive:
5-6 days touring at the Ningunsaw Pass was amazing. Still with amazing winter snow quality.
Truck is doing great! But mostly thanks to the Discoverer Studded tires!
Wow I love how mtns just keep getting bigger & bigger!!! :smiley_drive:
checking in from Anchorage on our return journey. We had a couple amazing days ski touring at Thompson Pass skiing steeps & winter pow & made great friends! Then we hopped over to Seldovia for some skiing & ocean time for Easter. We just did a fast lap today in Turnagin Pass & spring is here! (Still tons of winter snow up high though!)
We originally planned to go down to the lower half of BC to ski, but when we started hearing and reading about buckets of rain falling at high elevations in much of BC, an idea started brewing between us. Chris spoke, "Do you want to go to Alaska, Cat?" A day and a half of packing later, we hit the road, on our way for a grand adventure to the Great North.
Here's our story!
Day 1-7 Smithers to Whitehorse:
We skied a glorious five days in Ningunsaw Pass, just north of Bell 2. We are so lucky to have our own Roger's Pass just in our backyard, with no crowd to share with. We made friends- a friendly group of five from Terrace staying in a portable wood-stove warmed wall tent tucked away in the forest by the creek. On days two and three a fierce storm hit which left us with fresh winter snow and cross-loaded slopes to watch out for. We played safe in the trees skiing north-facing slide paths in unconsolidated storm snow. On the fifth day, after watching the Terrace highway crew heli-bomb the slopes above us, we had our first summit of the season (and Cat's first sunburn) on a beautiful blue-bird day.
A day later we arrived in Whitehorse. After a good shower & a soak in the pool, the Alaska Highway took us further north.
Here's our story!
Day 1-7 Smithers to Whitehorse:
We skied a glorious five days in Ningunsaw Pass, just north of Bell 2. We are so lucky to have our own Roger's Pass just in our backyard, with no crowd to share with. We made friends- a friendly group of five from Terrace staying in a portable wood-stove warmed wall tent tucked away in the forest by the creek. On days two and three a fierce storm hit which left us with fresh winter snow and cross-loaded slopes to watch out for. We played safe in the trees skiing north-facing slide paths in unconsolidated storm snow. On the fifth day, after watching the Terrace highway crew heli-bomb the slopes above us, we had our first summit of the season (and Cat's first sunburn) on a beautiful blue-bird day.
A day later we arrived in Whitehorse. After a good shower & a soak in the pool, the Alaska Highway took us further north.
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Day 7-12 Whitehorse to Valdez to Anchorage:
"Do you have any oranges or apples or any of that stuff?" the US customs officer asked us, and that was how we arrived in Alaska! Chris' first observation was that the road was so well paved that we could finally drive faster than 36mph without having to worry about endo-ing over the bumpy roads.
The drive to Valdez takes you over the spectacular Thompson Pass then through a narrow gorge just wide enough for two cars to pass through. Suddenly you pop out on the other side and into Valdez, tucked away at the end of Valdez Sound and surrounded almost 360 degrees by towering snow-covered mountains protruding from the ocean.
Every day that we skied Thompson Pass was epic. We arrived at the tail end of a storm that brought 64 inches of snow in three days. The snow was like nothing we had ever experienced before- dry, creamy, cornstarch like consistency- and we enjoyed how fast we could float over it. On our first day we had to manage periods of white-out, but on our second day we had great visibility (and more sunburn for Cat) which allowed us to get up high onto an alpine ridge and ski a nice steep Alaskan line. Although the majority of the ski/snowboard culture in Valdez and Thompson Pass is machine-assisted (sled or heli), we were happy to make friends with some fellow ski-tourers from Australia and Whitefish, Montana. We squeezed in a half day of skiing on our third day, which included a spectacular ski-out through a frozen cascade waterfall canyon, and then we hit the road again.
The six hour drive to Anchorage was spectacular! Scenic views of the endless mountains and glaciers of the north-facing Chugach mountains.
"Do you have any oranges or apples or any of that stuff?" the US customs officer asked us, and that was how we arrived in Alaska! Chris' first observation was that the road was so well paved that we could finally drive faster than 36mph without having to worry about endo-ing over the bumpy roads.
The drive to Valdez takes you over the spectacular Thompson Pass then through a narrow gorge just wide enough for two cars to pass through. Suddenly you pop out on the other side and into Valdez, tucked away at the end of Valdez Sound and surrounded almost 360 degrees by towering snow-covered mountains protruding from the ocean.
Every day that we skied Thompson Pass was epic. We arrived at the tail end of a storm that brought 64 inches of snow in three days. The snow was like nothing we had ever experienced before- dry, creamy, cornstarch like consistency- and we enjoyed how fast we could float over it. On our first day we had to manage periods of white-out, but on our second day we had great visibility (and more sunburn for Cat) which allowed us to get up high onto an alpine ridge and ski a nice steep Alaskan line. Although the majority of the ski/snowboard culture in Valdez and Thompson Pass is machine-assisted (sled or heli), we were happy to make friends with some fellow ski-tourers from Australia and Whitefish, Montana. We squeezed in a half day of skiing on our third day, which included a spectacular ski-out through a frozen cascade waterfall canyon, and then we hit the road again.
The six hour drive to Anchorage was spectacular! Scenic views of the endless mountains and glaciers of the north-facing Chugach mountains.
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Overland Hadley
on a journey
x2!
Day 12-18 Anchorage to Seldovia:
Our home sweet home on the road takes us to many amazing places, and Seldovia is no exception. We went to Seldovia to visit our friend Jeff, but our contact with him was sporadic since we weren't traveling with a cell phone. The magic of Seldovia began when we found Jeff taking the same ferry as us from Homer back to Seldovia. The voyage from Homer to Seldovia is not unlike the ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. The white mountains loom out of the water, and some of the small islands are dotted with homes. We had fun experiencing the vehicle loading system of the ferry which puts four vehicles on a ramp, rotates them 120 degrees, and lowers them into the belly of the boat. We arrived in Seldovia in the late afternoon and found a small wooden fishing village decorated with buoys and other beach combing finds. As we drove away from town, along the coast, then up into the mountains, we were greatful to have Jeff to guide us to his home. We arrived at his tiny cabin perched at the bottom of some slopes and took off for an evening pre-dinner ski right in his backyard to stretch out our legs. There are many tiny homes in Seldovia. Jeff's cabin is a beautiful 8x16Ft home with an added entry way for cooking and extra storage. The cabin was built to fit on a trailer, and he milled all of the wood himself. The space is cozy and comfortable, and the wood stove provides ample heat.
Over dinner we learned that we had good timing arriving on a festive weekend: the weekend of the annual Mo'fo, a small local Homer and Seldovia ski-touring party that has a history of over 30 years. The Mo'foers hiked up all sorts of
stuff (including a chainsaw, three kegs of beer, camping gear, and one group even had a wood stove!) to the treeline 1000' above Seldovia. Every year they crown a new Mo'fo ("king"") and Fa'fo ("queen") who will host the next year's party. The selection of the Mo'fo and Fa'fo are decided by some competitions like slalom skiing, beer chugging, jumping off a booter, and a whiskey scramble. We felt so honoured to join in on this event, and everyone was very welcoming and happy to have "team BC" at their party.
The next day we branched off from our usual ski-touring routine. Jeff's friend Nancy picked us up in her boat, and boated out to an island where we were invited by their friends for a seafood feast and a sauna. It was breathtaking to see the surrounding mountains and snow-covered active volcanoes from the water, and we enjoyed a dip in the Alaskan Pacific Ocean between sauna rounds. Good company, sweating, a full belly, and ocean air are so repleneshing for the body and the soul.
Cat spent the next day walking and sunbathing next to the ocean, while Chris and Jeff went up high in search of powder. Cat enjoyed the tranquility of the afternoon. The cries of two ravens calling to each other echoed in the bay, and a sea otter dove for mussels and clapped them together while floating on his back.
Chris and Jeff skinned up from the tidal flats to the summit of a mountain and skied back down to the water. Spectacular! The views from up high of the mountains and volcanoes stretching over and beyond the Cook Inlet were stunning.
Our home sweet home on the road takes us to many amazing places, and Seldovia is no exception. We went to Seldovia to visit our friend Jeff, but our contact with him was sporadic since we weren't traveling with a cell phone. The magic of Seldovia began when we found Jeff taking the same ferry as us from Homer back to Seldovia. The voyage from Homer to Seldovia is not unlike the ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. The white mountains loom out of the water, and some of the small islands are dotted with homes. We had fun experiencing the vehicle loading system of the ferry which puts four vehicles on a ramp, rotates them 120 degrees, and lowers them into the belly of the boat. We arrived in Seldovia in the late afternoon and found a small wooden fishing village decorated with buoys and other beach combing finds. As we drove away from town, along the coast, then up into the mountains, we were greatful to have Jeff to guide us to his home. We arrived at his tiny cabin perched at the bottom of some slopes and took off for an evening pre-dinner ski right in his backyard to stretch out our legs. There are many tiny homes in Seldovia. Jeff's cabin is a beautiful 8x16Ft home with an added entry way for cooking and extra storage. The cabin was built to fit on a trailer, and he milled all of the wood himself. The space is cozy and comfortable, and the wood stove provides ample heat.
Over dinner we learned that we had good timing arriving on a festive weekend: the weekend of the annual Mo'fo, a small local Homer and Seldovia ski-touring party that has a history of over 30 years. The Mo'foers hiked up all sorts of
stuff (including a chainsaw, three kegs of beer, camping gear, and one group even had a wood stove!) to the treeline 1000' above Seldovia. Every year they crown a new Mo'fo ("king"") and Fa'fo ("queen") who will host the next year's party. The selection of the Mo'fo and Fa'fo are decided by some competitions like slalom skiing, beer chugging, jumping off a booter, and a whiskey scramble. We felt so honoured to join in on this event, and everyone was very welcoming and happy to have "team BC" at their party.
The next day we branched off from our usual ski-touring routine. Jeff's friend Nancy picked us up in her boat, and boated out to an island where we were invited by their friends for a seafood feast and a sauna. It was breathtaking to see the surrounding mountains and snow-covered active volcanoes from the water, and we enjoyed a dip in the Alaskan Pacific Ocean between sauna rounds. Good company, sweating, a full belly, and ocean air are so repleneshing for the body and the soul.
Cat spent the next day walking and sunbathing next to the ocean, while Chris and Jeff went up high in search of powder. Cat enjoyed the tranquility of the afternoon. The cries of two ravens calling to each other echoed in the bay, and a sea otter dove for mussels and clapped them together while floating on his back.
Chris and Jeff skinned up from the tidal flats to the summit of a mountain and skied back down to the water. Spectacular! The views from up high of the mountains and volcanoes stretching over and beyond the Cook Inlet were stunning.
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Day 18-21 Seldovia to Anchorage to Smithers
Seldovia was the turning point of our great adventure. The return home began with our last-minute arrival at the ferry as they were putting the loading ramp away. We were each secretly a little excited by the prospect of spending an extra five days in Seldovia while waiting for the next ferry. Unfortunately, the ferry people graciously let us on. We enjoyed the sunset during the ride back to Homer, and we drove with fellow Mo'foer Anthony back to his house-sit in Soldotna where we sank into a deep sleep in the first real bed of the trip.
We interrupted our drive back to Anchorage with a three hour ski-tour at Turnagin Pass. The day was hot, and we chose not to summit due to a sunbaked wind loaded slope hanging above our skin-track despite the close peak beckoning to us. "Ski for tomorrow," Chris said, and we laughed during the ski down when a snow ball took off flying in the air and turned into a startled ptarmigan.
As our journey began, so it ends. Our first stop in Anchorage was to an autoparts store to stock up "cheap" parts (compared to Canada anyway). Chris came out with arms full of boxes and amazingly managed to replace the pitman arm in 30 minutes right in the store parking lot, with a borrowed 32mm socket at 9:30pm. After a good sleep in the camper next to a dog park, we loaded up on gear at REI, where the tax-free low prices were too difficult to resist. And then we hit the road for our four-day drive back to Smithers. Gladfully, we stopped by Ningunsaw Pass again on our way south for a fun short afternoon ski, where we've found spring skiing condition along w/ massive glide cracks opening up on mid-slopes to navigate around.
This trip to Alaska was quite a tease and we are both wondering why we don't just go live there!
Pics:
http://s92.photobucket.com/user/all...dventure 2013/Chris and Cats Alaska Adventure
Movie:
http://vimeo.com/63797585
Password:
Alaska
Seldovia was the turning point of our great adventure. The return home began with our last-minute arrival at the ferry as they were putting the loading ramp away. We were each secretly a little excited by the prospect of spending an extra five days in Seldovia while waiting for the next ferry. Unfortunately, the ferry people graciously let us on. We enjoyed the sunset during the ride back to Homer, and we drove with fellow Mo'foer Anthony back to his house-sit in Soldotna where we sank into a deep sleep in the first real bed of the trip.
We interrupted our drive back to Anchorage with a three hour ski-tour at Turnagin Pass. The day was hot, and we chose not to summit due to a sunbaked wind loaded slope hanging above our skin-track despite the close peak beckoning to us. "Ski for tomorrow," Chris said, and we laughed during the ski down when a snow ball took off flying in the air and turned into a startled ptarmigan.
As our journey began, so it ends. Our first stop in Anchorage was to an autoparts store to stock up "cheap" parts (compared to Canada anyway). Chris came out with arms full of boxes and amazingly managed to replace the pitman arm in 30 minutes right in the store parking lot, with a borrowed 32mm socket at 9:30pm. After a good sleep in the camper next to a dog park, we loaded up on gear at REI, where the tax-free low prices were too difficult to resist. And then we hit the road for our four-day drive back to Smithers. Gladfully, we stopped by Ningunsaw Pass again on our way south for a fun short afternoon ski, where we've found spring skiing condition along w/ massive glide cracks opening up on mid-slopes to navigate around.
This trip to Alaska was quite a tease and we are both wondering why we don't just go live there!
Pics:
http://s92.photobucket.com/user/all...dventure 2013/Chris and Cats Alaska Adventure
Movie:
http://vimeo.com/63797585
Password:
Alaska
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