Hike in the Clearwater Mountains in the Alaska Range (Day 4 of 4)

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

By Troutnut on July 9th, 2013

I think this was the best day of the hike. I woke up and poked my head outside the tent and saw a bull, cow, and calf caribou wandering around within 200 yards. Better still, it wasn't raining!

After climbing just a few hundred feet into the last pass of the trip, we had a relatively easy mostly-downhill hike for the rest of the trip. Sun and blue sky made the scenery even better, especially as we passed by a series of emerald alpine lakes.

Photos by Troutnut from Clearwater Mountains in Alaska

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Beginning of Alpine Creek

Sci	May 20th, 2022, 12:50 pm
NE Nebraska Posts: 1	Hello Jason, Awesome adventure and nice site. Say, I was wondering; it looks like you went up the Windy Creek and around the east side by the South Fork of the Pass Creek and then came back south over a couple of mountain passes and down the Alpine Creek. I have been wanting to go up the Valdez Creek road (runs parallel to Clearwater Creek and about 5 miles north), get dropped off at the Roosevelt Lake and hike over to the Clearwater Creek, put my packraft in and float out to the Denali Highway. My question is; I am no white water rafter and 69 years old (in decent shape) and wondering how doable this is? Thank you, Dan Kirby Battle Creek, Ne

Lastchance	July 17th, 2013, 12:39 pm
Portage, PA Posts: 437	Holy cow? What beautiful photos and great scenery. Thanks

Troutnut	July 17th, 2013, 5:37 am
Administrator Bellevue, WA Posts: 2729	The insects weren't bad on this trip, actually. :) That was one of the benefits of being up at high altitude on rainy days with highs mostly in the forties. Even at the start of and end of the trip (low altitude, fair weather) the mosquitoes were nothing compared to what we've had near Fairbanks for most of June and early July.
	Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

Jmd123	July 16th, 2013, 11:59 pm
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2564	WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW........... I guess there is some compensation for putting up with seemingly endless winters...this stuff is mind-blowing, Jason...the colors alone...and of course I love the flora shots & scientific names (a nod back at ya there, Spence!). Won't be anywhere near as spectacular but I'll have to share some floral photos of my latest work (Karner Blue Butterfly habitat surveys for the Manistee National Forest). BTW Jason, I'm sure your insects are horrible, but today I saw the front of my work vehicle swarmed by at least 100 deer flies, I'm not kidding...I'm considering a full beekeeping suit and a smoker to keep them at bay when I can no longer avoid those survey areas where they threaten to drain one entirely of blood... Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...

Oldredbarn	July 14th, 2013, 11:34 am
Novi, MI Posts: 2603	Wow! That's all I can say Jason. Just wonderful...and you even added some flora for Jonathon and a bird for Spence. ;) Thanks for sharing! Beautiful! Spence
	"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood

Hike in the Clearwater Mountains in the Alaska Range (Day 4 of 4)

Photos by Troutnut from Clearwater Mountains in Alaska

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