PHOTOS AND DESCRIPTION: Courtesy Ben McPherson
|
|
|
The Tatshenshini and Alsek River system is part of one of the largest protected wilderness areas left on earth. These protected lands occupy millions of acres in southeastern Alaska and northern Canada that extends from the Copper River in Alaska through the southwest Yukon Territory and northwestern British Columbia and into the Alaskan coastal regions around Glacier Bay. The protected lands include the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Kluane National Park (both designated as a UNESCO world heritage site), Tongass National Forest, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, as well as the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park. The region contains some of the highest coastal mountains in the world with peaks exceeding 14,500 feet. The Tatshenshini River flows through the region for 160 miles from its headwaters in Canada’s Yukon Territory to the Pacific Ocean at Dry Bay at Glacier Bay National Park. The River is known for its spectacular scenery and wildlife and many consider it to be one of the world’s premier raft trips. I had rafted these rivers in the 90’s with Margie and have always wanted to return, so I signed up for the Sierra Club’s July 2009.
I left Tampa on June 30, 2009, traveled north and landed in Juneau on July 1, where I caught the Alaska Marine ferry to Haines Alaska. Haines is a small town with about 2,400 year-round residents, located near the mouth of the Chilkat River on the Chilkat Inlet. Haines is a great little town to visit and is famous for it’s large American eagle population. I spent two days hiking around Haines and then met other Sierra Club participants on July 3 for our 9-day river rafting trip.
Our group consisted of 12 participants and 3 oarsmen, all loaded on 3 rafts with a lot of gear and supplies. We drove north on the Haines Highway into British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, where we put into the Tatshenshini River at Dalton Post, about 110 miles north of Haines. Over the following days we floated down the river-- hiking to overlooks, and camping at night on river bars and banks. The upper Tatshenshini River is filled with whitewater rapids and canyons. As the days passed the river widens and the mountains are higher with more snow and glaciers. Each afternoon we stopped and collected firewood along the river for evening fires at the camp sites.
The wildlife of the region includes grizzle and black bears, wolverines, wolves, dall sheep, mountain goats, moose, seals (near the coast), and a variety of smaller mammals and birds. We saw a couple of bears and moose (and many tracks along the river bars) and many eagles. The grizzle bears often come down to the river this time of year to feed on the migrating salmon that struggle upstream. One has to always be concerned about bears because they are dangerous and often unpredictable.
Farther downstream we reached a location where the Alsek River joins the Tatshenshini River. This is a spectacular area with snow-capped mountains and glacier surrounding us for 360 degrees. The river flow more than doubled and the river widened as we entered the Alsek River. Near the river junction with the Alsek, we spent much of a day hiking up to and on Walker Glacier. The next day we continued downstream into Alsek Lake which is surrounded by glaciers and filled with ice bergs. The ice bergs can be a problem for rafting if they block the entrance or exit of the lake, but we found the lake open. We camped at an island in the lake and the next day continued downstream to Dry Bay only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean.
The next day we had the opportunity to walk to the mouth of the river, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Later in the afternoon, we flew on several small bush planes to Yakatut, a small fishing village on the Pacific to the north of the River mouth. From Yakatut we were able to fly south to Juneau and then on to our final destinations.