This was a long awaited trip, a culmination of 10 years of adventurous off-route travel via foot and packraft. It did not disappoint. Splendid & Otherworldly!
After half a day of climbing up on boulders, following the river drainage, we arrived to Bocks lake, emerald color, under a sunny and windy sky. A preview of the route to follow to the pass in the back.
Moving up to the pass staying more to the center to avoid rock falls. Leaving the Alpine grass for rock on top on top of an old and easy moraine.
Duke Pass one of the two major foot obstacles before joining the Donjek Valley. A sketchy downhill start before easing up.
Our first taste of glacial winds coming down from the approaching ice-fields with also a magnificent view on the Duke river.
Back to some grass and easy terrain before softer grounds, blueberries & small alder trees.
The Duke River was an amazing packrafting session with mostly class 1.5 before some more beefy sections before Atlas Creek. Climbing the pass was an adventure in itself with some tricky route finding, class 4+ scrambles, dark clouds and high winds. But what a view on the top and the other side is easy to get down to the glacial side of park in the Donjek Valley.
Expectation Pass: one key point of the trip with a fist stunning view on the Donjek Glacier under a sky getting prettier.
After the rather low effort down climb to the Big Horn river, its crossing, follows a 20 km (13 miles) route along the river. The start follows the drainage and is easy, before some stepper and legit bushwhacking. First closer view on the Kluane Glacier.
At the foot of the Kluane Glacier. The highlight of the trip under a re-appearing sun. After a marvelous stop, refilling water, ensued one of the most magical packrafting section, rivaling with the White River of Bob Marshall Wilderness.
After portaging just before the Donjek joins back the main river, some class 2.5+ rapids in very fast moving silty water, getting easier the more the valley widens. Still some hazards with the wind, strong junctions and a water/current not easy to read.
Back at the Donjek Glacier, and start of a long portage to avoid some class 4/5 rapids. The views on both spectrum of the valley are astonishing. It used to be possible to packraft along the glacier, but the water was narrow, fast moving. Maybe it was our season or the glacier receded.
The Donjek river was dry so we continued walking. Some rain was forecasted but stayed in back of the valley at the Kluane Glacier. The traverse was a good challenge with canyons and steep climbs, boulder jumping but also a delight for the eyes.
As the day passed, the wind continued to pick-up as well as the sky getting darker and darker or sunnier depending on which way you looked. After exiting the Donjek Glacier we selected to keep walking as the river was still gnarly and the conditions borderline nuclear with strong sand storms.
After a grizzly sighting, we shortly made it to Hodge Creek and postpone the packrafting to the next day as the forecast was favorable and walking getting pretty strenuous. We could dry up and take time to enjoy the stunning surroundings.
Ensure a sweet float for 70 km (44 miles) back to the Alaskan highway. A more gentle navigation on this section that eventually gets very wide, but still requiring non stop attention due to the strong current near the banks, shallow braids, hidden rocks and trees.
A stop at Arch Creek for soaking up some sun, and celebrating a major milestone of the trip, with a walk-able exit option under a day if things went bad. One last view on this side of the valley.
This was not there the day before, about 20 meters (65 feet) from the tent!
We were welcomed by crisp blue sky on the last morning, the glacial winds were gone too. A perfect way to soak in and and reflect on the trip experience during the little remaining distance.
This is it! The bridge on the Alaskan Highway, after about 180 km (112 miles) of route.
