On Friday, Mike and I ponied up for the weekend of August 15th, 2008, packed our gear, and headed north into the Talkeetna Mountains for three days and two nights of backpacking around Upper and Lower Reed lakes.
This trip was the first remote, wilderness experience for much of the new backpacking gear I've acquired this summer, including the quintessential expedition shelter you see pictured, a 3-person, Hilleberg Nallo 3 GT tent (with groundcloth).
Also on my list of new and existing gear:
- Garmin Oregon 300 GPS
- Osprey Exposure 50 pack
- Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 pad
- REI Kilo Plus 0 sleeping bag (discontinued)
- SnowPeak Trek 700 Titanium cup
- SnowPeak Titanium Spork
- SnowPeak Giga Stove
- MSR 4L Dromlite bag
- MSR Dromlite Hydration Kit
- MSR Miniworks EX water filter
- Various dehydrated meals by Mountain House
- Mountain Hardwear Typhoon Pant
- Mountain Hardwear Beryllium Jacket
- Nikon ProStaff 10x25 binoculars
- Sea To Summit eVent Compression Dry Sack - 8 x 18
Four days of dehydrated food, all of my gear, clothes, and accessories packed with a half-gallon of water weigh 45lbs--roughly 32% of my naked weight. That was a damn heavy pack. Nevertheless, the trip was absolutely amazing.
We started our hike several miles up Archangel Road near Hatcher Pass. A small parking lot greeted us at the Reed Lakes Trail Head. We parked, geared up, and began a three hour walk to Lower Reed Lake.
The trail in August is free of snow, but this year the trail was very wet. Continuous rain kept the mud muddy and the green greeny. Boulders were slick, and the rivers were swift. We encountered very few people on the up hike. The only wild animals were ground rodents, water rodents, sky rodents, and the like. No bear, moose, or wolves sprung us on the narrowly passable trails that make the first half-mile along the river valley.
Finding a flat place to camp was an interesting first experience for me. I practiced pitching tent at home, but the floor of our house was ironically very accommodating. The trail was less accommodating. Mike and I plotted potential camps on the GPS as we continued to gain elevation. Since the hike started well above firewood line, we were poised and ready for a rather boring camp next to the water.
We found such a camp at Lower Reed Lake on the grassy beach next to a rather paltry beaver lodge. The grass was squishy but dry; we did not have to worry about waking in a puddle. Friday night closed with an excellent assortment of Mountain House dehydrated cuisine.
Saturday morning, it rained. And rained. And rained. It didn't start raining until after breakfast and until after Mike and I hiked to the waterfalls between Upper and Lower Reed lakes. Mike filtered water while I snapped photos. The rain started once we returned to camp, and we opted for a mid morning nap.
Several hours later--haha--we woke to find a boyscout troop pitching tents down trail from us. They chose the pseudo-flat area, riddled with moguls, that Mike and I quickly discounted the night before. Poor kids.
The rain stopped by 3pm. Mike and I geared down for a day hike and hit the trail for Upper Reed Lake. Everyone and his brother turned out for the beautiful day Saturday was becoming. Fortunately, most people turned around at the lower lake.
The walk to Upper Reed was rather uneventful--small boulders, mud, and slippery grass. The lake itself is gorgeous--emerald colored, flat calm, and encircled by towering peaks. Our walk wasn't quite over; rather, we weren't ready for our walk to end. The only place to go was up!
Off trail, Mike and I headed for the summit that overlook Upper and Lower Reed lakes. Archangel Valley was visible, and with binoculars we were able to spot the parking lot some 5 miles in the distance.
Wind hit us hard and the fog rolled in near the top. I pulled out the Snow Peak camp stove, cup, and Mountain House granola for a warming snack. With grand views of thunderstorms pounding the Matanuska Valley, Mike and I ate a very nice lunch.
Downhill treks always present unique challenges, especially when down is a different route from up. We opted for the straight-down-the-steep-and-rocky-avalanche-chute route. As we battled shale, large and small boulders, wind, and rain, the 1400ft decent made for excellent photos! Be sure to check them out in my album. At one point, we even faux skied a large standing basin of last year's snow.
On the way back to camp around the south edge of Lower Reed Lake, we passed the troop of boy scouts and told them of our hike. In retrospect, the hike certainly seemed more fun than sitting around camp watching a dozen youths run about.
Saturday night rolled in with the rain we saw at the top of our hike. We dined on Mountain House, played with Mike's powerful green laser, and called it a night.
We both awoke in the middle of the night to a very eerie feeling. When I exited the tent, I was surprised when I couldn't see more than 5 meters before me. The fog was nearly too dense to see the water's edge. Out came the laser!
Sunday morning came and passed--as we slept. The boy scout troop was packed and gone by the time we wrestled ourselves from bed. The rain stopped, but the fog remained. I really wasn't looking forward to packing a wet tent, but the sun never came.
With Monday and the start of my work week only a comfortable night's sleep in my water bed away, we packed camp and hiked back to the truck. The return hike from Lower Reed Lake lasted 2 hours--a 1.5 hour improvement from the up hike.
Over all, my gear performed remarkably well, and I was very satisfied with the hike. I hope to explore more of Archangel Valley and to take additional photos next summer. Be sure to look at the photos from this trip in my photo album.
