2006 Arctic 1000 Lists

In preparation for an upcoming 400 mile Brooks Range traverse with Andrew Skurka and Michael Brown I pulled up the old Arctic 1000 lists. Maybe you and I will both find them informative.....

Gear

Food

and Birds seen

Classic Gear List (Top Secret)

Resting Gear 1.7 lb

Soto “Micro-regulator Stove” 3 oz

[Fuel in can 6 oz] w/Forrest

Ti cook pot w/lid ¾ quart 3 oz

Sleep Gear: 1 lb 5 oz

Wool socks, light weight 2 oz

Wool bottoms, Patagonia "Wool 2" 6 oz

Hooded insulated jacket, Backpacking Light "Arctic 1000" 11 oz

Dry bag, P.O.E. 5 L 4 oz

Sat phone w/battery 0.6 lb

Travel kit: 8.6 lb

[not including ** items or Forrest’s group load]

Vintage, Cascade Designs Seal pack 21 oz

Vintage 2003 modified Alpacka inflation bag/stuff sack 2 oz

Custom two-person boat 84 oz

[Paddle blades 7 oz] w/Forrest

[Sawyer Paddle 28 oz] w/Forrest

Patagonia pullover shell (vintage 2006) 7 oz

Shell pants, Montane Pertex 4 oz

Smartwool "Hoody" 10 oz

needle, lighter, 2 batteries, memory card, thumb light 2 oz

compass 1 oz

camera Pentax Optio W60 w/gorillapod 6oz

Plastic TOPO 1:250k map from REI 1 oz

**Polyester pants, light colored, Patagonia 7 oz

**Wool short sleeve top, Patagonia "Wool 2" 4 oz

**Wool socks, light weight 3 oz

**Saloman “Speedcross 2” shoes 23 oz

**Trekking poles 8 oz

10.9 lb pound pack wearing short sleeve shirt, polyester pants w/capilene briefs with sticks in hand

Food w/packaging 6.9 lb

Almond butter in a cut-off Platypus 1 lb 5 oz

Mini cliff bars x 6 (6 oz)

Salty stuff in plastic bag: 2 lb 2 oz

Turkey jerky x 2 (3 oz total)

Beef jerky x 2 (3 oz total)

Teriyaki Beef jerky x 2 (3 oz total)

Doritos Cool Ranch (1 oz) X 5

Doritos Nacho Cheese (1 oz) X 5

Lays Classic Potato Chips (1 oz) X 5

Lays Barbeque Potato Chips (1 oz) X 4

Lays Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips (1 oz) X 2

1 Pringle mini can 1 oz

Sweet stuff: 3 lbs

500 g Cadbury Roast Almond (100 g bar) X 5

400 g Cadbury Milk Chocolate (100 g bar) X 4

300 g Cadbury Dark Chocolate (100 g bar) X 3

Hershey’s Nuggets 12 oz

Copenhagen snuff 1 oz

Total weight without ** items

18.5 lbs

Harvest

Long-hairs in baggy pants and red-necks in camo swirled in the eddies of Fred Meyer aisles, the Kenai’s fish harvest in full swing.

“This feels so Alaskan to me,” commented Jazz, her mom nodding. “Just the buzz in the store and the eclectic blend of people gearing up for the outdoors.”

We were in Soldotna, picking up Jazz after her camping trip with a couple Homer friends. She’d suggested we come fishing, since we’d be down there to get her anyway.

So there we were, part of the swirl, getting our tags for the Kenai River’s dip-net fishery. That’s what kids are for: inspiration to do the right thing for the family

It’d taken years to recover from the last skunking I’d gotten here, when an emergency opening had sent fleets of commercial boats into the inlet to scoop fish with industrial sets before the runs would reach our own wee nets groping blindly from a sandy river bank.

But I’d also been “that guy”, the one next to you standing chest deep in gray water, hoping to feel the bump of fish muscle in your net. The guy who catches fish after fish, who drags them to shore and while he subdues them for his cooler, you take his place in the river line of nets and he takes yours only to catch one in your old place, while you catch nothin’.

The guy next to you, who after standing in the icy water through a tide turn, you finally ask in desperation, “Heh, can I try your net?” and he takes yours and catches another fish with it while you pull in nothing but a fish head.

Yea, I‘ve been that guy, but yesterday, alas, I wasn’t.

Still we caught 5 reds in about 2 hours water time and 2 hours prep and break-down time. Enough to send me down again. Soon, I hope, as the peak has passed.

Happy River Packing

Ran Ship today with Brad M. Forgot my drysuit and swam the "Sticky Little Kitten" hole.... Later gave advice to three hot-shot yakkers headin' in to do Ship, too....times are changing when we packrafters give advice to hardshellers....

Brad and I are planning to do the Happy with Thai and Gordy Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Our flight-in has an 800 pound limit. Here's my sub-200:

Me, naked
165.1 pounds

Food (might dump to 4 pounds or less)
6.0 pounds

Camping stuff
5.5 pounds
Shelter, Go Lite Hex-3, w/ 6 Ti stakes 28 oz
Gallon cookpot w/stuffsack, TP, lighter, spoon, water bottle, toothbrush, floss, needle, lighter, firestarter 17 oz
Sleeping bag for 2, synthetic, Backpacking Light "Arctic 1000" 24 oz
Wool socks, medium weight 4 oz
Wool bottoms, Patagonia "Wool 2" 6 oz
Bug headnet 2 oz
Camera, Pentax, “Optio W60” with Gorillapod 7 oz

Paddling Clothes (all going)
4.6 pounds
Hooded insulated jacket, synthetic, Backpacking Light "Arctic 1000" 11 oz
Insulated pants synthetic, Backpacking Light "Arctic 1000" 8 oz
Polyester pants, light colored, Patagonia 7 oz
Wool bottoms, Patagonia "Wool 2" 6 oz
Wool short sleeve top, Patagonia "Wool 2" 4 oz

Smartwool "Hoody" 10 oz
Insulated hat 2 oz
Wool socks, medium weight 4 oz
Patagonia boxers 2 oz
Innov8 Mudroc 180 trail running shoes 20 oz

Pack
2.25 pounds
Vintage, Cascade Designs Seal pack 21 oz
Liner Wx-Tex Dry Bag (65 L) 10 oz
Sleeping stuff Wx-Tex dry bag (15 L) 5 oz

Rafting kit (all going):
14.5 pounds
Red “Yak” w/bow line, Fun Rail, ’08 deck, dial-style closure 99 oz
Werner “Shuna”, 215cm, 4 piece carbon fiber paddle 32 oz
MTI Livery PFD rigged w/knife, whistle, and retrieval line 16 oz
Old whitewater helmet 13 oz
Vintage ’96 Kokatat Gore-tex Dry-suit w/goretex socks 59 oz
Throw rope w/fanny belt 17 oz
Three (4 ft x 1, 5 ft x 2) lash straps 2 oz