Alaska: Kesugi Ridge
I went to Alaska in 2014 to attend a conference about earthquakes and stayed on to walk Kesugi Ridge. Alaska is huge, and it’s wild. Its native name means “Great Country”. The name conjured up thoughts of Jack London’s “Call of the Wild”, gold prospectors and bears, the ice road to Prudhoe Bay and of Denali, the highest mountain in North America. It’s separate from the rest of the United States and only 55 miles from Russia. It’s the largest U.S. state, and a quarter is within the Arctic Circle. The ecosystem is largely tundra and home to bears, wolves, musk oxen, caribou, wild salmon, and bald eagles.
Kesugi Ridge
I had my sights set on Kesugi Ridge, a 3-4-day hike near Denali. I would need to camp, so I got organised and replaced my old camping kit with new lightweight gear. I would be leaving the conference at lunchtime and would have a 2-3 hour drive north from Anchorage to the start at Little Coal Creek. I got advice from people in Anchorage and at the Ranger Station in Talkeetna on the way north. They all warned me about the bears – grizzly and black bear. So I planned to climb out of the woods and get up onto the ridge that evening. In July, this is the land of the midnight sun, so there would be no problem with the light.
The trail
Once on the ridge, the path crosses rolling grassland with tumbling streams, occasional tarns, and magnificent views west across the central valley and the braided Susitna River towards Denali and the Alaska Range. There is a tricky section midway around Skinny Lake where one makes progress by balancing on tree roots and branches, but otherwise the walking is easy.
Portage Pass and Crow Creek
On my last day in Alaska, before catching my plane, is managed to do two other popular hikes – Portage Pass and Crow Creek. They were both used by early explorers and prospectors. Portage Pass avoided having to go around the Kenai Peninsula to get from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, and Crow Pass was on the famous Iditarod Trail.
Published 16 Dec 2024, 54 pages, ISBN 9781912460069
