Alaska! Man: 0, Wild: 1

I was always aware of the possibility that my multiple day trip alone in the Alaska wilderness might end prematurely with me saying "ENOUGH!" and heading back.

There are, of course, worse ways it could have ended. I could have sprained my ankle (almost happened at least once), fallen off a mountain (almost happened a few times), got struck by lightning (don't know how close I came to that, but I did get caught in a thunderstorm), died of hypothermia (could have happened if I weren't closer to my car when the storm hit), drowned in a river, been trampled by moose or caribou, or eaten by bears or wolves (while possible, I did not come close to the latter three to my knowledge.)

The story begins on the Dalton Highway. Also known as the Haul Road, this route begins about 50 miles north of Fairbanks and stretches over 400 miles to the very top of Alaska, ending at the Prudhoe Bay oil fields in the Arctic Ocean. It is largely unpaved, and there are few service stops along the way. It is also windy and hilly, and features narrow, uneven, muddy patches alongside sheer cliffs without guardrails, to which you must come as close as possible if an oncoming truck approaches.

The highway is primarily used by trucks, and was featured on a season of Ice Road Truckers, which I must now go back and watch!

Despite its industrial use, the Haul Road does have several touristy spots. There are many marked scenic pullouts and other such landmarks, such as Finger Mountain:

The Arctic Circle:

Grayling Lake (there's a moose swimming in it!):

Sukakpak Mountain:

and Atigun Pass. I wish I had better pictures of this, but most of Atigun was two handed, white knuckle driving:

(When I first read about Atigun Pass a few years ago, the paranoid right-winger in me thought it said "Anti-gun Pass." There's definitely no Anti-gun pass in Alaska.)

My trek into the Arctic Wilderness began in north side of the Brooks Range, a few miles north of Atigun. My plan, brilliantly conceived through studying topo maps and reading up on Alaska hiking forums, was to hike up to the Continental Divide and then down to Oolah Pass in the Gates of the Arctic National Park. If I were making good time and were feeling ambitious, I could continue west to the Itkillik River valley to a dot conveniently marked on my topo map as "Cabin." I wonder what is there?

TO BE CONTINUED... (but I will be in Denali tomorrow and probably won't have wi-fi for several more days.)