979 July 8, 2023 Chen In The Rain

The temperatures were so mild last night that we were able to leave the windows open.  We had to pull the curtains though because it was so bright outside.  It was quiet and we got a good night of sleep.

This morning it was densely cloudy.  The mountains were socked in and there was a fine drizzle. 

We started out at 8am.  We traveled the short distance to Wiseman and took the side road in to see the town; population 9.

The Koyukuk River.

The post office was in a tiny log cabin.  There were lots of cute little cottages and homesteads. 

We saw these sled dogs.

Back on the highway, the pipeline was buried beneath the river and came up on the other bank.

We had a stretch of improved road but that didn’t last very long.

We ate our breakfast at Sukakpak Mountain.

We passed the Dietrich River at MM207, halfway on the Dalton Highway!

The rain was steady and relentless.  The scenery was shrouded in fog and spectral beauty.  The mountains were shadowed and the trees stood like sentries, hemming us in.  The rivers were churning, the road snaking its way through the gloom.

The road was alternately decent and then poor.  Tim noticed that the south going side had consistently been better than the north going portion which seems rougher.  His theory is that the truckers travel north full of supplies and equipment and then return to the south with empty trailers.  That makes sense.

Then, at 2,500 feet, we were above the treeline and the last of the spruce trees.

At Chandalar Shelf, the road was muddy and slippery and it took us up a steep slope.

At Antigun Pass we saw more cloudy mountains. 

All along, we have seen the pipeline disappearing and reappearing; buried underground and then emerging again.  Here at the pass the pipeline was encased in concrete cribbage and insulated.  It was then entrenched in the earth to protect it from rockslides and avalanches.  The “construction in this area was extremely complex, difficult, and dangerous.”

You could say that the pipeline, the pumping stations, the camps, and the equipment mar the environment and they do.  However, if there was not a pipeline, there would be no need for this road.  This is the only way that most travelers can see these 60 million acres of public land.  We might also not have gas for our cars.  They say that 1,000,000 barrels of oil are produced here each day.  The pipeline is the reason for the road.  It is a huge tradeoff.

We were fervently hoping that the weather would improve once we went over Antigun Pass but it was so foggy that we couldn’t see very far in front of us; much less the top of the world panoramic views.

We came upon a guy on a bike.  It was 41 degrees.  We stopped to see if there was anything we could do for him.  He was short on food supplies.  We offered him a protein shake, a banana, and gave him part of a jar of peanut butter.  The man was obviously cold and wet and shivering and hungry.  He was determined to move on in order to stay warmer and we watched him bike up the hill.

We passed him and as we went, we felt bad that we were not able to do more to help him.  Our Jeep was loaded with our gear and supplies.  There was no way to fit him and his stuff in too.  We were going to investigate Galbraith Lake as a potential campsite for tonight.  As I was reading the Milepost, I saw that there was an emergency cabin on the road to the lake.  Tim and I went to check it out.  Though we could not get in, there was a covered front porch that we believed would make an excellent shelter.  We went back to tell the man of our discovery.  It took some convincing but he told us that he would meet us there. 

Chen is 31 years old and he is from China.  He has been traveling the world on his bike for the past 8 years.  He is a tough cyclist and was physically prepared for this journey.  He was not prepared for this onslaught of awful weather.  He met us at the cabin and by the time he had arrived I had warmed some tomato bisque and had made grilled cheese sandwiches.  When he saw the shelter and the lunch, he was so happy!  He had seconds of everything.  He shared stories of his travels.  He took our pictures.  We left him there, all of us feeling better!

We did look at Galbraith Campground but it was 46 degrees and raw and raining and the mosquitoes were outrageous.  It was still early afternoon and we decided to move on; still hoping to drive into sunshine or at least some better camping weather.  

We passed the Toolik Field Station where scientists study the climate and environment here in the Arctic.

We tried several primitive campsites by the Sagavanirktok or the Sag River.  The first several places were swampy and mosquito ridden.  We finally found a good spot.

It was still raining but it was 50 degrees here.  We got set up and organized and I climbed into the tent.  I worked on the blog this evening, sitting up in our nest, covered in layers and blankets. 

We are skipping a real dinner; we had a large lunch with Chen. 

The forecast is for some sunshine at 2am…I hope that it is correct!