Once again it was time to head to the last frontier. No we aren’t going to Comic-Con dressed as trekkies. Instead we trekked up to Alaska. While up in the great north our adventurous group decided to check out some of the activities and test some gear. First we tried to hike up one of the Anchorage trails but ended up getting rained out. However at least we had some Raineer to pass the time and our Golite Tumalo Pertex® 2.5-Layer Storm Jacket and Pants to keep us dry.
Apparently we caught the tail end of the record rainy day streak going on at the time. I think it ended at 30 days in a row. The last 14 occurred while we were there. It was a perfect chance to see if the Golite Tumalo Pertex® 2.5-Layer Storm Jacket and matching pants could hold up against the elements. When we first got the jacket and pants it was readily apparent how light and compact they were. They are a very thing layer but they performed brilliantly. 14 days of straight rain and I was dry the whole time. While hiking up the mountain the jacket and pants were very breathable and shed my built up moisture without problem. I would highly recommend these pieces of clothing to anyone whose is looking to shed ozs and not sacrafice gear quality.
Another activity was driving up to Talkeetna to see if we could get a view of Denali. Since the town is still a little ways away we checked the webcam to see if it was visible. The mountain was partially visible so we gave it a shot. By the time we got there not all of it could be seen but we could see how massive the mountain really is compared to the rest of the landscape. I have to say its pretty impressive.
Next up was a trip up 20 Mile River with the boys from AKBack.com. They run an adventure guiding service out of Girdwood. They have all kinds of stuff you can do from gold panning, canyoneering, jet boat trips, and river rafting class IV and V. Needless to say they have it all to fit your adventure limit. This trip we decided to take a Jet Boat trip to do some lake kayaking, wildlife viewing and see a glacier. We had a great time and cruising through ice bergs on the way to see the glacier was the best part. The trip up was quite exciting and you could tell these guys knew the river well. A couple of tight spots had us nervous but the boat cruised through without any problems.
This ended our stay in Anchorage but we weren’t done with the state yet. Next up was flying into the Talvista Lodge on the Talachulitna River. However we didn’t leave without a nice send off from a mother moose and her two calves. They were sitting in the front yard of the house we rented. Thankfully they were quite used to hanging out with people and they didn’t really mind us.
Next we caught a float plane and flew into the lodge. They have a really nice set up of three sister lodges all right in the same area (Talstar, Talvista, and the Talview). Each one is a little different than the others but all nice in their own way. We stayed at the Vista. We had great food and guides.
The fishing was pretty sweet as well. I know it wasn’t the best day the guides have seen as far as numbers go, but we caught our limit everyday and had good stories to share with the other guests. Since it was early August, we were fishing for Silver (Coho) Salmon. Not as big as King Salmon but they are more willing to take a fly and put up a good fight. Just in case the silvers aren’t biting, one can fish for pink salmon. They migrate in amazing numbers. They were everywhere while we were there. They too are willing to take the fly and put up a decent fight. During our week there people caught chum, sockeye, silver and pink salmon. The week prior there was even a couple of kings that were caught. There are also big rainbows, grayling, and dolly varden in the river as well in case you’d like to switch it up a bit. We caught several rainbows in the 6-8 lbs range. They were fat on salmon eggs and put up great fights. Needless to say we had a great time and were well taken care of by the lodge. So if you’re looking for an Alaskan fishing vacation, you should check these lodges out. They aren’t too expensive and the fishing and scenery are fantastic. We even had a mother bear and cub come right up to the deck sliding glass door one day and pose for photos.
So if our orders were a little slow going out the last two weeks we apologize but if you get the chance to head north you should.
Everyone has their secrect spot, fly or something go to for excellent fishing. I was lucky enough to be invited along to try out a new secret spot. I had heard of many big fish caught in this new beat. In the past I had been a little disappointed in the results with the hype I’d received for this same friend. However this time it paid off. A nice little section of river in the Salt Lake area away from the Provo and Weber. I left behind the throngs of fishing with little or no etiquette and found a new gem. The results speak for themselves.
We took the Campman crew down to Zion’s this last week and did a couple of classic hikes. A little planning ahead got us a backcountry permit to do the Subway. For a warmup we decided to take on Angel’s Landing. A couple of us had done it before and thought it was no big deal. You need to be careful but its completely safe. However about a month ago a hiker fell off the cliff and died. It’s happened 5 times in the past as well. Everytime it happens some people call for it to be closed or regulated. There is quite a bit of exposure in a couple of places and if you’re terrified of heights it can be a daunting task to complete the last half mile of ridge walking to get to the top. The question is are hikers properly warned? Do the signs and printed warnings enough to deter those you don’t belong on the hike?
Thousands of people hike this famous trail every year without any problems. A number of them stop a Scout’s Lookout instead of going to the top. It would be a tragedy to shut it down or even require a permit system. It is truly a unique trail. I hope it doesn’t go the way of the Lady Mountain Trail that was deemed to dangerous and maintenance was discontinued.
Once last side note. I thought I would give President Obama a bit of gratitude for opening all the national parks last weekend. I had forgotten about it and it was a pleasant surprise when I got there.
Back in April we took a little time off from the busy schedule to check out some new waters to fish in Southern Chile. We ended up on a two week 2500 km road trip that covered the gamut of Chilean Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. We were in search of monster trout that are rumored to be inhabiting the streams of the region. With the help of a friend who had been interning at the Patagonia Expedition Race we mapped out our plan of attack.
First we flew into Punta Arenas, rented a truck, and picked up supplies for the next 5 days. The next morning it was off to Torres del Paine. Probably one of the most awe inspiring alpine vistas in the world. Big Peaks, lots of water, and glaciers dotting the landscape make it an impressive place to scope out. The place has all kinds of spectacular trekking and climbing available, but we were there to catch some fish. The King Salmon were still running and were easy to spot in the crystal clear water. Unfortunately the rivers were quite big and tough to wade. We had some interest as a couple chased our flies but the only one we reeled in was a half dead salmon that was snagged. The closest I got to one was just to take a picture. I was going to invoke the spirit of the grizzly bear and try and catch it with my bare hands but it swam off before I had a chance.
Next it was off to Isla Riesco and the lessor know Rio Grande. We had a tip on how good it’s supposed to be and since it was pretty out of the way on the map we’d figure we’d have it pretty much to ourselves. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Although its quite scenic and you fish the river at the mouth where it runs into the ocean and up, we found out its a really popular spot for the Chileans to camp and fish. Their generators, floodlights and all night parties kinda put a damper on the remoteness for us so we jetted out after one day instead of the 3 we planned on.
Next up was Rio Condor on Tierra del Fuego. However we had to restock our supplies first. So it was back to Punta Arenas for the night. A nice dinner, some Austral Calafate Beers (one of my new favorite beers), and a good nights rest and we were ready to attack the long day of travel ahead of us. First we had to catch the ferry across the Straight of Magellan to the Grand Island of Tierra del Fuego.
Then it was 7 or so hours on dirt road highways. However the last 4 hours were spent driving the last 30-40 km on one of the worst roads I’ve ever been on. It was a little stressful driving due to the fact we weren’t sure if the truck was going to make it. We did however and we pulled up to the cabin we were going to be staying at only to find someone was already there. The people staying there were the owners father and some workers who were building more cabins for the so called development. We all got along and they were very hospitable to us. They cooked up meals and drove us to the river. We ended up giving one of them our Jetboil PCS stove since he couldn’t stop talking about how cool it was and how much he wished he had one. I digress so now its back to the fishing exploits. The river was more the size of a slow moving spring creek. The last mile or two was the only sections we saw that had really nice water to hold fish. The Rio Condor has about six or so good stretches in this section. The first person in our group to fish these holes pulled out big trout. With the biggest probably being over ten pounds. All in all a good little stretch of water.
Finally it was off to the Rio Azupardo on Lago Fagnano. Lago Fagnano is a huge lake at the very southern end of Tierra del Fuego. You really can’t go much further south than this. It sits in a beautiful valley with view of the Coriderra Darwin or Darwin Mountain range. These are huge peaks and are quite impressive. The fishing here was about the same as everywhere else we went. Big expectations but came up short on delivering the mass amounts of monster fish. The water was big and made the river difficult to wade. This was compounded by the fact the we got storms that turned the water off color. The bright spot of this section of the trip was the mass amounts of Calafate berries, which are delicious, and the zodiac ride back to the cabin. The Chilean driver looked like an old gold prospector holding on to dear life on an out of control stagecoach while he was navigating 3-4 ft swells on the lake.
This marked the end of the fishing expedition. It was then back to Punta Arenas for one more night of fun and then off to Santiago for the next couple of days to sight see. Santiago is a beautiful city. Very similar to Salt Lake City except that it has 5 times the people and the Mountains are twice as big.
We would just like to thank Nemo Equipment for the loaner Moki tent. Just a quick review from our trip. We pretty much saw all the seasons while we were down there. We saw snow, rain, wind and sun. The Moki tent is the most bombproof tent I’ve ever been in. We had 30 mph winds and the tent hardly moved. We did get a little condensation on the walls on the tent when it got really rainy but this is par for the course for a single wall tent. Its very roomy and has tons of cool features. Its not the most compact and light of tents but when you are heading to a place where you are going to need a solid shelter like we did in Patagonia this tent is second to none. Highly recommended for trips into areas with bad weather potential. As advertised it is a great backcountry base camp tent. The vestibule keep all our gear out of the elements while still being outside the tent.
Recently we here at Campman went down to Chile for some hard core gear testing (pics and reviews to come). While we were gone we missed perhaps the best storm session of the year. Snowbird reported 12ft of snow in 12 days and we missed it all. Thus making or trip a little bittersweet. Regardless, the snow is still falling and we are taking advantage of the latest storm. Two feet overnight and almost a foot the next day has made for some great conditions. While its not uncommon for this to happen, it’s still a nice surprise every spring.
The resorts are starting to close however there is still almost 150 inch bases at some of the resorts. So get out and get some great spring skiing in. Soon enough it’ll all be gone which will make you’ll be happy for awhile and then the longing for next year will set in.
A couple of weeks ago there was a challenge thrown down to the best adventure race teams. A race at the southern tip of the world. It took place in the southern wilds of Chile. Dubbed the Wenger Patagonia Expedition, it paired some of the worlds top racers against some of the harshest conditions that area has to offer. Nine teams started the race and only three could manage to finish it.
A full breakdown of the event can be found here at the Gearjunkie.com. Sounds like torture to most but for some its what they live for.
The Campman crew is heading down there this weekend to visit. However the only racing we’ll be doing is who can get to the prime fishing hole first. We’ll post pictures and updates after we get back.
In search of powder we here at Campman spare no cost and are know to expend great effort. However sometimes it require either, especially when you live in the state of Utah. Sometimes its nice to chase fresh snow in new places. For this trip we went to Alyeska, AK to try out some snowmobile skiing. All the fun of the down without the tiresome hike to the top.
Who needs helicopters when you have a couple of sleds that have more horsepower than our cars. Needless to say the day was amazing. We cruised around Turnagain Pass on a beautiful bluebird day. Each lap took about 10 minutes and we had as many laps as we wanted.
Its amazing the ability these machines have to climb up hills. Its also amazing how much skill it takes to really handle them well. Being a complete noob, I rolled the sled a couple of times due to my lack of commitment to press the throttle all the way in order to climb to the top of the hill. By the end of the day I had an easier time.
While it gives a sense of accomplishment to hike to the top, sometimes its just nice to not have to worry about it. I guess that’s why we buy passes to the ski resort. However if you are a powder whore like us you should give snowmobile skiing a shot.
Its a bold statement but quite possibly true. Campman and some friends headed up to Park City to try out the Freestyle Water Ramps to work on some tricks for the up coming season. We went with the Utah Freeski Society. A local ski group with roots at the University of Utah. So we got a sweet hook up for a nice discount.
Anyways once you get there you get dialed in with all the gear you need. You can bring your own but they don’t suggest using your own skis. I guess you can break them pretty easy when hitting the water. You start by jumping on a minitramp into the pool. The pool water is freezing cold even with the wetsuit they give you. Then you show you can ski down a ramp. Finally you get into the good stuff and they let you take the trip down the mini jump.
Once you show you can handle that they have you show that you can start sideways on the small jump in preparation for the larger jump. If you can ski none of these processes are difficult. After you dial that in you are ready for the big time. If you aren’t ready quick yet to step up your game you can stay on the smaller jump as long as you want.
Coaches were on hand to dish out hints for how to pull different tricks. From 360’s to flips they could help you figure out what you need to do to pull them off. I myself was working on backflips for the day. After a few headers on the small jump I pulled it off and decided to join the big boys.
I’d say the big jump is about 10+ above the water and you’re about 15-20 ft high above the pool when starting for the lower staring point. So you’re getting way air than you’re used to unless you are a park rat or hitting big backcountry kickers. You have plenty of air to do just about anything you want to do.
The whole experience has me pumped for the on coming winter. I can’t wait to get a nice backcountry powder day and try out my new arsenal of tricks.
A recent trip to San Diego was taken to experience a unique fly fishing experience. I heard about it on Askaboutflyfishing.com. The site has all kinds of interviews with fisherman all over the world. One episode is about catching Mako sharks on the fly. It sounded cool and then I saw the video clips. I was sold at that point and booked the trip.
We booked through Bowman Blue Water. However one of the captains we were guided with also be booked through his website Capt Dave Trimble. Both provide an excellent experience and thorough knowledge in locating and catching mako sharks.
You spend most of the day floating around waiting for the sharks to show up. Once they do they are totally fearless. Presentation is not an issue. The sharks attack just about anything including chum buckets, motors, as well as the flies.
I hooked one shark six times. Finally it decided it was sick of it and left.
Once hooked the Makos are capable of some serious acrobatics. The can swim up to 60 mph and jump 20 ft in the air. Needless to say its a good time once the hook is set.
During our 3 day trip we saw 11 sharks, hooked 10, and landed 4. Some of the sharks we saw were blue sharks which aren’t as crazy once hooked but fun none the less. If you’re into trying new types of fishing give it a try. Its worth it.
It’s true. A group of us managed to remove ourselves from the back of our computers and head down to the warm sunny skies of Southern Utah to push ourselves to the limits. It started off early as the transition area opened at 5:30 or so. We arrived around 6:30am to drop of our bike and other gear. Looking around at all the competition it looked pretty stiff. Some of the bikes I saw were pretty sweet compared to what I brought along. They could have been straight out of the Tour De France. 1600 people had signed up for the race, however I know of quite a few that didn’t show up.
Needless to say the weather wasn’t as ideal as I would have hoped. The wind was blowing. I heard reports that is was 40+ mph. The night before it was windy as well but at least it looked as though you were swimming with the wind. At race time it looked to have done a complete 180 and the swim was directly into the wind. Being a fairly weak swimmer I had a few butterflies while looking at the water. I just hoped that all the training was going to pay off.
Race time approached and the longer triathletes were up first. They had a mile swim ahead of them. My group was the sprint class and only had to swim half a mile. The gun sounded and the men took off swimming. Next up was the women in the longer distance. Fifteen minutes after the men the women were off. Now it was my turn. With my wet suit on I strolled into the 60 degree water. A bit chilly on the extremities. At first we were delayed 5 minutes. Then it was 15 minutes. Next thing we knew it was 30 minutes later and we were still chillin’ in the water waiting to start. In the meantime boats were coming back to shore carrying swimmers who had decided enough was enough. The number surprised me and made me a little more anxious about the swim. Finally something was mumbled on the loudspeaker and everyone wandered back up onto shore. The swim had been canceled. All that swim training for nothing. Needless to say there were quite a few people who were upset including the author. Oh well thats the way it goes.
At this point the it has turned into a duathlon. Bike and run for those who couldn’t hack the longer distance. Basically the officials took everyone and started them at the swims finish, shot the starter gun, and the race began. What a mess in the transition area. Making it worse was it being my first triathlon, not knowing what to do in the first place and having everyone else around you frantically trying to get out on the biking portion of the race. It was an interesting start.
Once out on the course things got better. However everyone told me triathlon courses were flat and fast. A lot of people had areo bars and time trial bikes. I’m sure they worked great since we were heading straight into a head wind. However there is a big hill not far into the race. It’s long, pretty steep, and has cattle guards. I kind of regretted not having a triple crank for my bike. I heard that some of the grade were over 7%. Once on top of the hill it was flat and didn’t take long to get to the turnaround point. Then came the fun part. Going back down the hill. With my newly attached bike computer I saw my speed hit 55 mph. It was the highlight of the race. Going that fast on a bike is a little unnerving which definitely gets the adrenaline flowing. Especially when I saw the approaching cattle guard. Some guy right behind me cased on it pretty bad I heard. I passed the ambulance on the way back to the transition area. An update I heard today is that he is ok and vowed to battle the hill again.
With the biking behind me it was on to the run portion. I heard other people grumble how they hate the running portion on this race since it is all on a trail. I quickly realized why running on this trail is something to gripe about. Sections of it had several inches of sand. Combined with tired legs from the bike, it made for a tough time. At points I thought I wasn’t going to be able to run the whole thing. However the last mile was pretty packed down and wasn’t so bad. The last section of the run ended with a sprint to the end where I was unable to catch the couple of guys in front of me and then someone handing me a metal as I struggled past over the finish line.
Feeling spent but accomplished I pulled my last little remaining energy to cheer on the rest of the Campman team. It was all over by 10 am. The rest of the day was spent cruising around the golf course in Mesquite having a few celebratory cold ones. However since the swim was canceled I can’t say I’ve completed a triathlon, so the training continues with the Salem Spring Tri being on June 7. Hopefully we’ll have better weather then.
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