Those who have been aware of my ramblings in various online forums for the past couple of years have no doubt heard me bragging about how great the off road opportunities are up here in Alaska. I can remember however when a certain geriatric wanderer, who submits articles to one of the print magazines, passed through the area. He bemoaned the lack of access away from the paved roads up here. Those of us who know better just sat back and kept our mouths shut. Even if his conservatively shod, one ton Ford pickup, with camper and trailer could have handled any of the real trails up here, we certainly didn't want to share these beautiful spots with him, and every sofa bound wannabe who is impressed by the (lack of) off road travel shown in those articles.

Off roading in these parts is quite different that that found in most of the lower 48. While we don't have the extreme distances to travel that are found in the deserts of Australia (most of Alaska is and always will be inaccessible by wheeled vehicles), there is no comparison to the confined areas left in most of the US. My Saturday afternoon playground is a valley that is about 100 square miles in area, and completely without roads or development. (And if you move up into the high country surrounding it, you have literally thousands of square miles on all but one side, which is nothing but undisturbed wilderness). Even in this close in and easily accessible location, you can find, black and brown bear, moose, mountain sheep, beaver, fox, lynx, eagles, and even wolves. You can stand on bedrock as it is exposed to daylight for the first time on 40,000 years. You can walk on blue glacial ice as is slowly melts in the summer sun. When I want to get a little further away from it all, my most frequent area to explore provides for thousands of square miles of VEHICLE accessible back country. There are trails that can provide just about any kind of wheeling that you are looking for.

But coming back for a moment to the differences between Alaska and the '48, the most important fact is that you have to be prepared to deal with whatever comes up. When you sink your rig in a river that was just a little deeper than you expected, you will not find too many tow trucks that will (or more importantly CAN) travel seventy miles up the trail (and I use the term trail very loosely) to reach you. If you tear up a tire, don't expect anyone to happen along to loan you their spare if you've got three or four rivers and as many highlands between you and the trailhead. The hazards on the trails here are generally no worse than anywhere else. In fact most of the trails we run are fairly easy for most of their distance (although when you are traveling for several days, you find plenty of tough spots even on "easy" trails). It is only the repercussions of any difficulties on the trails that can cause problems. As I've spent my time wandering these more isolated and less traveled byways, I've come to a few conclusions about safe and smart back country outings which can easily apply to any extended trip away from the pavement and mini-malls. For that matter some of it would apply for anyone contemplating the daydream trips through South America, the Orient, or any other less developed part of the world. I won't claim that this is the end all in off road advice, but there are a lot of things I have seen people do wrong, and a lot of problems I have seen them have from doing so (and I've made my share of mistake as well). Maybe some of these ramblings will help someone avoid a bit of that.

Probably the most important rule is to never, never NEVER travel alone. I have broken this rule myself on occasion, and I have also regretted it on occasion. But this is about what is smart and safe, not what you might get away with. As wonderful as it is to be completely alone in the wilderness, you have to be prepared for even the smallest problem to potentially become a disaster when you are by yourself. Some things need more than two hands to deal with (it's tough to toss yourself a rope from the shore while your are washing downstream in the current for example). It just isn't smart to travel the real back country in an off road rig by yourself.

Closely tied to this rule, and arguably indivorcable from it, is to travel with a companion vehicle. What is nothing more than a momentary delay in a mudhole, needing only a gentle tug from your buddy's rig, can be an insurmountable stuck truck when you're by yourself. A normal response to this is a statement along the lines of "I've got a 500,000# winch with half a mile of cable, 14 highlift jacks, 17 lockers, 21 shovels, a bunch of anchors, and everything you can buy to get myself out! I don't need no stinkin' help to get unstuck!". Well, I've got all that too. And take my word for it, there are still situations where you need another rig to get free. And a lot more situations, where you might get yourself out, but it would take a day or two of hard work, as opposed to that quick tug from your buddy. Worse comes to worse, an extra rig can get you over the fifty miles back to the trailhead when your own vehicle winds up hopelessly mired, or disabled. With trail distances of over seventy five miles not at all uncommon for some of our explorations before we turn around and start to loop back, a breakdown can mean a long walk otherwise.

I'm not talking about seventy five miles back to town. I'm talking about seventy five miles back up the muddy track through the wilds and crossing rivers, before you even get to the trailhead. And then you're simply at a turn out on a remote stretch of battered two lane. It can easily be another fifty miles to the nearest phone, and over a hundred to a parts store (much less a well stocked one). Medical assistence will probably be further.

Personally I feel that the ideal group size for any outing which takes you further than about 20 miles up the trail is three or better yet four vehicles, and one or two people in each. This gives the most flexibility in terms of splitting into smaller groups, leaving a rig behind if need be, or extraction efforts. It also allows your to "push the limit" a bit more in efforts to get a vehicle past or through an obstacle. With three more rigs for any recovery or extraction, the risks are much lower. And once you get a rig on the other side of the obstacle, it will be much easier to get the remaining ones there too. If someone has to go for help or parts, you do not wind up with any rigs or people waiting or traveling alone when you have four vehicles in the group. Beyond this however, more is not better. More rigs and more people means more rest stops, more stucks, and much longer getting through difficult obstacles (a bog which requires a half hour to get a rig through, will take over two hours to get four through, and possibly all day to get a much larger group to the other side. Plus the impact to the trail or non-trail route (this is normally legal, and often perfectly responsible around here) is tremendously increases as the group size rises.

Before you take your rig down the trail, be sure it is ready for the trail, maintenance wise. I have been guilty of this failure myself a couple of times (shoestring budgets are the pits), and it is at the very least embarrassing. It can have much worse results than that. Attempting to ford a deep wide waterway with a rig that isn't properly prepared for water can be a miserable experience. A rig that chronically overheats, fouls plugs, or has other constant problems is no fun to be around on an extended trip. And it is tough to enjoy the trip when you aren't sure if your ride will get you back to the trailhead. It's a little different when you're just playing around at the local strip mine site. Out in the big country you don't want to have to deal with towing a broken rig down the trail, or running back to the nearest parts store (often a undertaking of several days by the time you make the round trip, and a heck of a lot longer if you've ignored the suggestion of always traveling in a group). Sometimes it can happen to even the best prepared vehicle, but don't ask for trouble by taking a basket case down the trail with you.

Before you take off with your friends, make sure your rig is up to the task in terms of capabilities. This is usually a fairly minor consideration, as even as stock rig will handle a lot of impressive seeming trails if you drive it right. But there are times when a less capable rig can be a real handicap to a groups progress. Being restricted to shallow fords because of a single vehicle's shortcomings can limit the entire group. Having to put a strap on an open diffed, stock tired rig to pull it through two miles of slippery mud covered watermelon sized rocks is a real pain. You get the idea I'm sure. To really be able to head off exploring new trails, you want to have a thoroughly capable rig.

If your rig is a light duty street poseur with licorice sticks for drive shafts, stamped sheetmetal control arms in the independent front suspension, unibody construction, and all the other signs of a Mall Terrain Vehicle... Leave it at the pavement's edge and ride along with someone else. While this will never be an issue with a Cruiser (keeping my fingers crossed for the 100 series...), a lot of mass produced 4x4 vehicles are simply not up to the beating that days on the trail can dish out. There will be times when you have to bash your way over a stream bank to get out of the water. There will be times you have to nose over a steep step and drag the undercarriage to get down, or highcenter on rocks planing to winch your way over. There will be times when you have to make a full throttle launch against a snatch strap to free another rig. The constant pounding of a long rugged trail can take it's toll on a rig that wasn't really designed for off pavement use. You don't really want to be doing this with a rig that "might" take the strain. Not when it's a two day ride back to the trailhead. Heavy duty is the only way to go in the long run.

Lockers and large tires are a tremendous advantage in this country. And M/T type tires, or swamper-boggers are the only way to go for real off road performance in Alaska. Any other tread type will be at a distinct disadvantage. While you can get an open diffed rig, with conservative tires into some fantastic places, there really is no argument that it can follow the locked rigs with the big aggressive meats when the going really gets tough. This is not to say that the less modified rigs shouldn't be taken out on the trails, just that the "big boys" are going to go further, and have an easier time of it.

Tire chains are probably one of the (or even THE) most effective items you can bring along to keep from getting stuck in the first place. The amount that they increase traction in mud and soft surfaces has to be experienced to be believed. We often put them on at the trailhead, and don't remove them until we return. Sometimes this entails over 200 miles of travel. At the slow trails speeds which you will be moving at, this does not equate to serious wear on the chains, even when they are run for long stretches over dry stone and dirt/gravel. They increase the traction in the dirt and gravel too. Given a choice between running lockers, and running tire chains, I would probably chose tire chains. Within reason, I will chose smaller tires with chains over larger ones without.

And if you combine all three (lockers, large aggressive tires, AND chains), it'll be the next best thing to a tracked rig.

Take plenty of tools, repair supplies, and spare parts. Split some of this up between the different rigs (you don't need to carry a spare carb and distributor in every rig), but don't split the load so much that any given rig will be ill equipped to handle routine repairs on it's own. You will have to accept some duplication. When I mention spare carbs and distributors, I'm not joking. If you are lucky enough to have similar rigs (all Cruiser's for example) then some parts will be interchangeable between them. It makes sense to carry a selection of small and easy to carry items such as radiator caps, hoses, belts, Ujoints, brake lines, lug nuts and studs, and if you have a spare on the bench, even complete distributors and the like. A spare axle or two between the different rigs is not a bad idea either. You would be amazed at the items you might wind up needing. You have to use some common sense about this, and prioritize things based on the most likely to suffer failure or damage, the most necessary to continue down the trail (headlights during the summer in Alaska are low on the list for example), and the effort required to bring them along. Take a similar approach with the tools that you bring. A valve spring compressor is not likely to be a high need item. A 14mm socket is.

Keep an open mind and don't get locked into a rut when you contemplate items such as silicon sealant, hose clamps, baling wire, chains and the sorts of items which may not have a specific dedicated use, but are often exactly what is needed to finish a repair or a field fix. I've had to come out of the field with axles chained into place a couple of times over the years, when leaf spring center pins failed (once due to an aluminum alignment shim that cracked and gave way, and once due to some tremendous stress during a winch recovery). I always carry spare pins now. I once saw a much abused Toyota pickup truck which had snapped the frame completely in two halfway up a steep, rough, and long hill climb. These guys were traveling with no other vehicle. When we happened on them the driver had walked out, (only 20 miles) and borrowed an ATV, large battery powered drill, some bolts and repair straps to attempt a fix. He got it together enough to get it back to the trailhead within a couple of days. Heck of a way to spend your "hunting trip".

Along with the spare parts, don't forget a complete oil and filter change if water is part of the game, and plenty of spare fluids for the other components and systems as well. Carry plenty of fuel too, and keep track of how much you're using. It seems you can never take enough fuel.

Make sure that you take extra clothing. Even if you are content to wear what's on your back for days, you need to have some spare clothing in case you get soaked, covered in grease/oil during repairs, or it simply gets colder than you expected. Along those line bring clothing that is appropriate for the worse case scenario. In Alaska you always want to have rain gear with you. The weather can change quickly, and when you head out, there will not be any local observation sites to bass local forecasts on. The rain in Alaska tends toward all day drizzle, rather than the afternoon showers that you see in much of the 48. But this is not a constant either. Even if you don't see any rain, the rain gear makes for great windbreakers when it turns cool and blustery. It will very often turn much colder than you think it will. If you have to walk out, or spend the night without a sleeping back you may want a coat/jacket even in summer. On one memorable occasion, I had to strip down and don a set of arctic weight Carharts, and spend the night curled up in a plastic tarp after all my clothes, gear and sleeping bag got water logged in a creek crossing gone bad. I got some strange looks at the roadhouse near the trailhead the next day as I gassed the rig up in the coveralls and bare foot in 35 degree temps. No way was I putting the cold and wet boots back on. Extra boots are always a good thing too. But stow your clothes, sleeping bags, and other such gear so that it stays dry even if the inside of the rig does not... Waterproof containers up on the roof rack are ideal for your clothes and sleeping bags. I would have been a lot happier if I had followed that practice on that trip. At the very least pack it in water resistant bags while it's in the rig, and pack the most water sensitive gear as high as possible. I always bring at least a set of waders along, and I have even gotten to where I take a drysuit with me on any outing which has the potential for any significant water crossings. In winter I always have a set of snowshoes and/or a set of cross country skis in the rig, or on the roof rack, and even in the summer time keep a warm hat and some lightweight glove on board too.

In most areas where you will get far from the road in Alaska it is perfectly safe to drink from any clear running stream that you come across. Not so for slow moving "flat water" rivers, or ponds/swamps. If you aren't sure about the availability of water suitable for drinking, bring plenty along. Bring along plenty of food which will travel easily, and last without special care. In addition to about twice as much food as I expect to need, I always keep some emergency rations in the rig. usually in the form of Military "MRE"s, or canned and dried foods which I can forget about until the time I may need them. Don't get in the habit of using these as normal supplements to your food supply, or as snacks. If you do, you can pretty much count on the fact that when you really need them, they will not be there.

In Alaska, a firearm is considered normal outing gear. Ideally there will be a small caliber weapon, and a larger one along on a trip. A .22 won't be much help for bear protection, and a .375 H&H Magnum won't leave much rabbit for the pot. Hopefully (and most likely) you will never NEED either of them for survival or emergency use in the field. But there are a lot of items that statistically you can leave behind. As soon as you do, that is exactly the item that you will need the most. (Been there, done that, didn't have fun.) Personally I always have a couple of firearms with me in the field. I have had bear, moose, caribou, and even wolf wander around, and into camp on different occasions. While these have always been enjoyable and entertaining incidents, rather than threatening, coming in close proximity to an Alasakan Brown Bear without a firearm is never a calming experience. And sometimes a spruce hen or ptarmigan, or even rabbit is a nice addition to the night's dinner.

Note: these suggstions apply only, and specifically to Alaksa backcountry travel. ALWAYS consider the regulations of the legal jurisdictions in which you will be traveling. And DON'T make plans to travel outside of the US with firearms without carefully investigating the applicable laws.

There are plenty of books, magazines and internet sources to debate the merits of various firearms, proper use of them, or even the existence of them at all. I won't waste time with anymore of this subject here.

For any trip away from town, a comprehensive first aid kit is a requirement. The complexity of the kit, and it's completeness is dependent to a large degree on your ability to use it. One of my friends is a paramedic, and in his hands a complete emergency room stockpile could be useful. But for most of us, there is little sense in carrying sutures and scalpels. Spend some time considering the most likely injuries (cuts, burns, broken bones, foreign objects in eyes, exposure, or?), your abilities to use any medical supplies, and the ability (and time required) to reach qualified aid. Then put together a kit that is a little more complete than you expect to need. Again, there are better sources than I for expert advice on this specific concern.

Check back in June for Part II !