Alaska/BC 2007

[Nonprophet]

Finally going to make this trip---I can't wait! Plan on leaving end of May and spending 4-8 weeks up there.

I've been reading the forums and gleaning as much info as possible from others who have made the trip. I live in Oregon, and plan on driving from here up to Anchorage and then explore the Kenai Penninsula area. Might go to Denali--we'll see. No real interest in going all the way to Deadhorse. I've fished Alaska for 8 summers and I spent on month on Vancouver island a few years back, so I'm not a total newbie to the area, but this is my first time driving up to Alaska.

Among other things, I'm trying to put together some cost estimates. I've seen figures of $3,000 or so in fuel--that seems pretty high to me, but I'd like to get some more specifics.

RT Seattle to Anchorage is about 3,000 miles. I've got a '99 Tacoma 4x4 ext cab, I average 300-350 miles per tank. At $3.10 a gallon, that's 10 tanks of gas @ $55 a tank=$550. Adding some extra miles for scenic sidetrips and adding some extra $ for remote fuel prices, it seems like $800 in fuel one way is a reasonable estimate--could anyone who has made the trip recently chime in on this?

I've got a Wildernest Camper on my Taco, and plan on camping 95% of the time. I tend to prefer non-touristy areas and more of a back-roads approach.

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated, and if anyone else is planning on going May/June and you'd like to convoy--let me know!


Thanks!

:PROFSheriffHL:

NP

[allochris]

hum, so tempting, i would do it as long as i find some job here & there once i'm up there by yukon, and then pop into AK & go for kenai penisula to explore some ski touring opportunities. i'm in mtl right now, planning to arrive in whistler, bc on may 2nd wk. my gas cash will be low for sure once i arrive on the west coast. more to that, i'm also going to do this 2wks glacier-traverse a couple hrs east of Bella Colla. hum, what's your timeline of where about?

...thinking about it, i wouldn't mind going fishing to earn some gas $!

[paulj]

One recent camping trips 2-3 weeks long, we end up spending a night in a motel about 10 days into the trip, gettting a shower and doing laundry. On a 3mth Alaska trip some years ago, we ended up camping (in a Wildernest) about 2/3 of the time. We stayed in motels in Edmonton, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Calgary, plus several nights on the ferries in the Alaska panhandle. Also we spent a week in a bush village. I also tend to use motels more when pushing to get in a lot of miles, since it is easier to drive late, and start early that way.

paulj

[Tom_D]

We are setting off from eastern Washington on a similar trip in mid June. We will drive to Alaska first and stop to see friends in Anchorage then back over to the Yukon and up the Dempster to Inuvik. Then back over to Alaska and maybe up the Dalton to Prudhoe Bay. Then back home -- We figure 6 weeks or so. We will be driving our FUSO FG Camper.

Tom Davies

[Scott Brady]

The fuel costs seem pretty close, especially given the summer fuel prices. We had over $3,000 for the Arctic Trip.

[OutbacKamper]

......At $3.10 a gallon......
NP

Hello NP;
In BC we are at about $1.10 to $1.20 per litre for gas now (prices have increased recently). That is about $4 US per gallon, and is probably higher once you get up north. I am considering Alaska in 2008, so any tips from your trip would be welcome. Any chance you will be passing thru Kelowna?

Good luck with planning the trip.

Cheers
Mark

[allochris]

In BC we are at about $1.10 to $1.20 per litre for gas now

WHY!!! NO! NO! NO! Is diesel in BC cheaper than gas now? It is at 1.06 gas/1.03diesel now in Montreal.

Now it's seriously getting to the point where i'm debating if i should just drive out with my jetta diesel with a tent versus driving a 14L/100km camper. :eek:

I will have about 12-4000km to do this summer, so that's about $1700-$2000 on the truck versus $750-850 on the jetta.

Burning an extra $1000 in the air seems wrong to me...

[Flounder]

I've done several trips from the lower of the lower 48 to various points Alaskan. I've done it in all seasons. Much of BC is an ocean of trees with the only excitement being the occassional frost heave. There are some spectacular areas along the Cassiar HWY and as you get further north. Obviously, the Mt. Robson, Jasper, Banff area is a stunner.

As you get further north you come to neat places like the hot springs outside of Watson Lake, BC. There are some really nice spots just south of Whitehorse like Haines, AK and Skaway, AK. Skagway is great if you want to kick back some brews with a wild, and young crowd.

As you venture in towards Tok and Anchorage, the landscape again gets massive. If memory serves, the beer fest in Haines is in May. That's worth a visit. Haines is awesome. A former hometown of mine.

If you have more specific questions, shoot'em my way

cnvivefrance@hotmail.com

Christophe "flounder"

[Schattenjager]

Be sure to have plenty of mosquito and bear repellant. Deet for the bugs, 12ga 3" Black Magic mags for the latter.
:eatchicke

[lowenbrau]

Be sure to have plenty of mosquito and bear repellant. Deet for the bugs, 12ga 3" Black Magic mags for the latter.
:eatchicke


Both times I crossed the Yukon / AK the guard asked me if I had a gun. I said "no" and he said "you should have" Everyplace I look online tells me its pretty much impossible to take a gun from Canada to the US unless I have a hunting licence and the gun shops in the US stop talking to you when they find out you are from Canada. I guess I'll have to stick to the bearspray and hope it works on angry cow moose which worry me more than bears.

[Grouseman]

Both times I crossed the Yukon / AK the guard asked me if I had a gun. I said "no" and he said "you should have" Everyplace I look online tells me its pretty much impossible to take a gun from Canada to the US unless I have a hunting licence and the gun shops in the US stop talking to you when they find out you are from Canada. I guess I'll have to stick to the bearspray and hope it works on angry cow moose which worry me more than bears.

L,

If having a gun could save your life. Bring one along. Buy a cheap hunting license as needed to ensure your having a gun. Typically you can buy a license via the net for almost anywhere now.

SS

[Flounder]

You'll be much safer with a good head on your shoulders than you will be with a gun. Guns are bad news. On the off chance you get lucky enough to draw your gun in time to shoot a bear, you'll really only make it reeeally mad. Bear spray works. I know first hand. You have to realize a bear's snoot is 100x more accute than even a dog's sniffer. When you unleash a 30' spray of pepper spray on a bear it does one of two things. I've seen sprayed bears hit the deck in a stunned daze or they shoot through the trees like they've been hit by lighting. Either way, they immediately lose interest in the sprayer. Many of the really gnarly bear attacks have been the result of a bear getting shot by some Billy the Kid type itching to shoot something.

One of our neighbors in AK had a bear that really was getting too close, too often to his house. He got the okay to shoot it. I watched from the window of his house when the first shot was fired. The bear went nutso. If you were in the woods, that bear would have knocked your block off. IF you happen to be in the woods when a brown bear attacks, most likely you'll never know it was there untill it comes crashing through the trees like a freight train. Good luck pulling your pistola. Or, if you get in a situation where a bear is charging or bluff charging, you might shoot him on a bluff charge and quickly ramp things up to a full on "I'm going to eat your head" charge. I've been "bluffed" before and it's scary as all hell. I could easily see why guys shoot their gun and the first sign of a charge. Not smart. That happened in the early 90s. A fisherman was confronted by a young brown bear. The fisherman freaked out, shot the bear with his rather large .44 and the bear took him to town. How he lived? Who knows. Luck. I've seen hundreds of fishermen in the same scenario just walk away carefully and without a scratch.

There's always a host of gun experts that are quick to start talking about this gun and that round of ammo to use on a bear. Even the experts will tell you, the simplest solution is a smart head and a $40 can of bear spray. REAL BEAR SPRAY!! Not the Hault stuff mail men use on dogs. Lots of jokes are made of bear spray and bells, but there is some cred to those methods. I've stumbled onto bears napping in the sunshine...yikes. Having a whistle to toot or a loud voice might save your hyde. When in bear country, you want those suckers to know where YOU are.

I've guided dozens and dozens of clients through some of the thickest bear country in SE Alaska. Being smart is the best defense. Guns....not necessary at all. Most likely just a bad scenario waiting to happen.

[Grouseman]

Flounder,

"I've guided dozens and dozens of clients through some of the thickest bear country in SE Alaska. Being smart is the best defense. Guns....not necessary at all. Most likely just a bad scenario waiting to happen.[/QUOTE]

I'm sure you know alot more about bear attacks than most here including myself. I was only in Alaska for a couple of weeks in 2005. Most people I spoke to in Alaska that went fishing,hiking etc in remote places took spray and large caliber pistols/rifles. I spoke to several game wardens and they told me that they would carry large caliber rifles into "bear country".
In Alaska you hear about bear attacks real often, at least we did while there.

We actually had a great bear experience on the Kenai. We were fishing and Momma and her cubs came into fish and play. Great experience for everybody.

Grouseman

[Flounder]

Grouseman,
I've long been fascinated with this topic. I carried bear spray because frankly, I relate well to Barney Fife and his one bullet. I'm not a fan of guns anyway. However, the first time I sprayed a bear I was floored with how effective that stuff was. Hard to imagine a gun being a better option.

While living in Haines, AK I used to pal around with a guy who was a former AK Trooper. His job for years was serving as the state's lead investigator for all sorts of animal related encounters, many of which were fatalities. He was an avid hunter, gun collector and sure knew first hand what a bear could do to a fella. He was one of the key investigators at the Watson Lake attacks many years ago. He gave the most compelling arguments on guns and bears. He said toting a serious bear canon wasn't a bad idea. However, the chances of successfully pulling off a defensive shot was slim at best. "it would be the shot of your life...litterally." He said, most defensive bear kills are not really defensive kills but really precautionary kills. Meaning the shooter probably killed or wounded a bear that would have otherwise lumbered off into the woods peacefully. He summed it up best by saying, "if you're truly being attacked, shoot yourself if you have time - not that you would have the time."

The times I've sprayed bears the spray was hands down the best option. Once a bear was just far too curious and wouldn't leave our camp area. He finally got close enough to spray and, bam! He was gone. Another time our mountain bike group rounded a corner and surprized a bear. We tried to back away, but not knowing if the bear was going to turn or charge, we sprayed and, BAM! The bear was gone. Another time the bear ran across a very deep river in a matter of seconds as a means of showing us he meant business. We sprayed him and he stopped dead in his tracks. Each of those scenarios could have been disasterous had we shot and wounded a bear with a gun.

Our local bear/gun expert summed it up best by saying, "most ofen shooting a bear is tantemount to slapping Mike Tyson with an open fist."

I respect those who tote a pistola for bears. I've never met a guy who's shot a bear. Oddly enough, I know dozens of people who have sprayed bears and lived to tell the tale. That's enough proof for me.

[Grouseman]

Flounder,

You make some very good points. Is there a place on the internet where I can buy the good bear spray? We're going camping out west and might have a need for it. I'm one of those guys that like guns. But I was raised with them, taught to respect them, and what they can do. I'm a bird hunter and travel quite a bit to hunt Upland Game. It is my favorite hobby and I actually LOVE it. The guns, the dogs, the outdoors, and the hunt, not necessiarily in that order.

Grouseman

[Flounder]

The spray you want to find is called Counter Assault. She's a big can. Nasty, nasty, nasty stuff. Even when you successfully spray it, you invariably get a good dose yourself and it sucks. Imagine what it's like for the bear.

You can find it through REI or other outdoor gear suppliers in the US and Canada.

Funny bear spray story: The police in Skagway, AK are the butt of many jokes. During the spring the bears come out and eat dandy lions on the side of the road for hours. Citizens and police alike often see bears on the road side and spray them. It tells the bear not to hang out on the roadside where they can get run over and it gives humans a chance to try their skills at spraying bears. Usually keeps bears and less smart tourists from crossing paths, too. Sort of a win, win.

One day one of the Skagway cops rolled up next to a bear in his Police Blazer, grabbed his bear spray and aimed out the passenger window at the bear. Just as he started to spray he realized....."probably should have rolled down the window." He gassed himself in his closed car with a massive, gushing stream of pepper spray. Keep in mind this spray comes in a can the size of a small fire extinquisher!

I would have loved to see that bear's face. That cop was BUMMIN' for days.

[Schattenjager]

Gosh – this is a hot topic and one that needs to be responded to responsibly. There was a couple attacked yesterday. Both the man and the woman were scalped – the woman may not live. May not want to if she does… Her brother was interviewed on the radio this AM and he said that an internet site had “informed” them that guns are useless – pepper spay will work. (Now how is that possible? – Guess these know nothings have never heard of a bear having adrenal glands) That is the advice the couple followed and it got them chewed up. Once the bear was kill by the Police the Game Warden made a point of commenting on the fact the bear had a face full of pepper spray. Larry Kaniut of Bear Tales fame goes to my church and we shoot together often. He tells a story of a guide and hunter that encountered a 900 pound costal brown. The guide shot three times with a 45-70 (big bullet) and hit the bear twice. With the lungs blown out, sever bleeding, and a broken shoulder, the bear killed both men. So… if you love animals and don’t want them to get hurt – just donate to the Timothy Treadwell fund and keep your sorry advise to yourself. You can get people killed. I have been here for three years and very active in the woods – I have had three bear charges, as many Moose and was once in the middle of a wolf pack. You darn well better be in good with the Lord AND have a 12 ga shotgun. If you can’t tell, ignorance makes me angry – especially when it serves someone’s ideals at the expense of truth.

Three type of lies: Lies – Dam Lies – and Statistics.

Here is my bear spray: I built the 12ga Mossberg just for bear protection - Tactical sling, EoTech Holographic sighting system, Knox Recoil absorbing stock, smithed action, and slugs from Africa for Cape Buffalo protection.

[Grouseman]

Sch,

Amen Brother. I'll have my 12 ga. Silver Pigeon loaded with slugs when going into bear country.

Grouseman

[Alaska Mike]

...sorry. That makes me giggle.

If you have some sort of combat arms training, I would say that a large caliber weapon wouldn't be a bad idea. That's real combat arms training, not rifle range, "I used to shoot squirrels when I was a kid" training.

If not, potent bear spray and bells work very well in preventing attacks and deflecting all but the most determined bruins- like those that you pissed off when you wounded them with your ineffective shooting.

Simple rules-
1.) If a bear wants the fish, give them the fish.
2.) If you're walking through brush where you can't see a decent distance in most directions, make some noise.
3.) Don't get between (or near) momma and the cubs.
4.) Don't store food in your tent or anywhere near you. Bear-proof canisters are nice.

Most real attacks up here are caused by the human, not the bear. They suprise the bear, make them feel threatened, coat themselves with all sorts of cooking smells (yum), or generally do something very, very stupid. The minority of attacks are caused by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even bears have bad hair days, although considering they're rather furry the consequences are a bit more severe.

Treadwell was an idiot, and he got what he asked for (literally). We get all kinds of looneys that come up here looking to find themselves, and the lucky ones don't die and move away after a few years. Others like Treadwell and Christopher Mccandless (Google them if you're interested in how natural selection works) become part of the flora and fauna.

You can have an incident with a brown in Anchorage- especially when the berries on the hillside are ripe or the salmon are running. I've met smaller browns on the bike trails and around Campbell Creek, right next to one of the major arteries in the city. The biggest one I ever got up close and personal with was within 50 yards of a busy highway, and my bike seemed like scant protection. Don't tell my wife- she wouldn't let me ride anymore. At any rate, I'm still more or less intact and I don't pack (at least in town).

Use some common sense, be aware of your environment, and take a few extra precautions when traveling in bear country, and you probably won't end up as bear kibble.

[Ridgewalker]

I once had a bear guide from AK tell me he normally carried a .375 H&H at arms while hunting and after the client shot and the bear disappeared into the brush, he unslung his Rem 870 in 12 ga. He said it was loaded with bird shot for the first round to blind the bear and mess up its smeller, then the next six shots were slugs.:gunt:
On my trip I never had any "close encounters" with browns other than in Hider where they walk through the RV park. We also had a black with cubs cross our path near the Copper River. Our dog was leashed.
We always wore bear bells...Alaskans call them bear dinner bells :chowtime: and always kept the dog on a leash. Dogs have a bad habit of making bears mad, then run to the owner for protection with the bear in hot pursuit.:oops:
Just a little more to think about.

[BlueHZT60]

I'll be short and sweet.

5-12 hours days to get to Anchorage. Gas prices will be much higher than you think. Bear Spray & Guns will be surrendered at the border (BC). The third night of camping in rain with mosquitos may lean you toward a motel in Whitehorse. Go out of your way to visit Atlin BC, Tok is great fun on 4th of July. Gravel Pits make great camp sites. Don't worry about the bears - just be bear smart, like a good chunck of this thread suggests. Bob