Chilkoot or Bust!
July 24, 2011 8:03 PM Subscribe
I am going to hike the Chilkoot Pass trail in Southeast Alaska at the end of August. Any recommendations, suggestions?
Response by poster: TheBones you are probably right, I should be more specific. I've lived in AK off and on for the last 10 years. I know this place pretty well, but I have not done a major hike like this in a long time (at an easy pace, four days). I guess I want to know what others have experienced, maybe the special things that you would not find in the general guides. Did you see something, do something, find something that I would not know to look for? That kind of thing.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 8:26 PM on July 24, 2011
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 8:26 PM on July 24, 2011
If you are doing this over 4 days, it shouldn't be too difficult for a reasonably fit person and it seems to be pretty well set up and populated. In the absence of any clues, I would suggest that you look after your feet. Make sure you are wearing shoes/boots that are strong, comfortable and well broken-in. Keep your feet dry to avoid blisters. If you notice any 'hot-spots' on your feet while walking, stop immediately and deal with them, because that is a sign that a blister is about to form there.
Although, on reflection, it seems like you are looking for information on the specific trail rather than general info, but I've already typed this, so here it is ;-)
posted by dg at 9:20 PM on July 24, 2011
Although, on reflection, it seems like you are looking for information on the specific trail rather than general info, but I've already typed this, so here it is ;-)
posted by dg at 9:20 PM on July 24, 2011
Are you camping? Are you going with a guided tour- this is not a good question, please focus so we can help you more.
What information are you looking for? Do you need recommendations on boots? Packs? Have you camped before?
posted by TheBones at 9:36 PM on July 24, 2011
What information are you looking for? Do you need recommendations on boots? Packs? Have you camped before?
posted by TheBones at 9:36 PM on July 24, 2011
Response by poster: TheBones, have you hiked the Chilkoot, if not, please don't bother with this question.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 10:07 AM on July 25, 2011
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 10:07 AM on July 25, 2011
Staying dry will be hard. Make sure you have very good rain gear as you will probably be wearing it most of the time, jacket AND pants. I would suggest a sleeping bag with artificial down as the real stuff has a tendency to get damp and stay that way. dg is right. Your feet will get wet and cold, keeping them healthy will be a challenge. Lot of socks to change into and make sure they are warm when damp. Learn some good knots and try to find a lightweight tarp to string up as extra shelter. And I know that this goes against current camping norms but REALLY it makes sense. Put your ground cloth inside your tent with a little bit of overlap climbing the walls. You will be sleeping on what amounts to a little raft of dryness. and when packing stuff that has to stay dry: a stuff sack for compression, then that goes into a waterproof sack that you treat delicately, then that goes into a sack that can take a bit of abrasion on the outside.
I know I am a bit rabid about staying dry but, living in Southeast Alaska, I can assure you that it really is a rainforest and, at the end of August, it will be raining most days. Damp + cool SE weather = hypothermia.
posted by Foam Pants at 12:35 PM on July 25, 2011
I know I am a bit rabid about staying dry but, living in Southeast Alaska, I can assure you that it really is a rainforest and, at the end of August, it will be raining most days. Damp + cool SE weather = hypothermia.
posted by Foam Pants at 12:35 PM on July 25, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by TheBones at 8:15 PM on July 24, 2011