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| Base Camping On The East End Of Lake Kontrashibuna In Lake Clark National Park, Alaska |
The morning of the fourth day, after resting the previous day, we set out for our destination. Gladiator basin is a unique jewel nestled in the center of Lake Clark National Park. It comprises a mountain box canyon with with a stunning glacial fed the stream that flows directly down the middle. Flowing right over the edge of the basin almost 2000 vertical feet, the stream collides into Lake Konstrashibuna.
The hike just to the edge of the basin is not for the faint at heart! A mere game trail carved out by thousands of years of animal use is our path. Ascending the 2000ft game trail is grueling at times and stunningly beautiful at others. The route parallels the many breathtaking waterfalls that guide the river to its destination below. Up and over high mountain steps, through thick alders outcroppings and over ancient rock slides this narrow trail is the only way in or out of this magnificent canyon.
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| Crossing the 40 degree Gladiator Creek |
After a quick pep talk and a redistribution of weight in our packs, we headed out. Crossing the Gladiator creek, below the canyon, was our first challenge. Chris and Renee rolled up their pants and toughed it out. The stream was swift and barely 40 degrees. I threw on my Cloudveil waders and ferried the girls across on my back. One slip and it would have been a cold bath but we all made it. Finding the game trail that leads into the canyon was a must and we followed the stream up veering east to find the trail head. After finding the trail and ascending the first 300 feet we stopped for a breather. I sized up the group and their ability and everyone seemed okay to continue. We all ate a granola bar before saddling our packs and headed up. With inclines up to 45 degrees we sometimes held on to any root or rock we could find. Working together we help each other over fallen trees, under deadfalls, and through alder thickets. Always crying out "hey bear", we didn't want to run into any animals on this tight, closed in trail. Most attacks by bears or moose happen when hikers surprise the animals at close proximity. Singing, as the girls did often, or yelling "hey bear" every so often is a small price to pay for safety. In the 11 years of my guiding experience I have yet to encounter an animal on the trail when using this tactic. These bears are not blood thirsty killers. On the contrary, they mostly eat plants and want nothing to do with humans.
At each break we found ourselves munching on watermelon berries and high bush cranberries. The alpine flora in late june is very lush and green. This makes the views amazing but the hiking challenging. At one particular break we could hear a deep roar not far from where we rested. Sneaking through the bushes towards the mighty sound we were all rewarded with an amazing view of the river falling some 400 feet below. We all wondered just how many people had ever seen this falls before us. It was so remote and so beautiful!!! If this were in the lower forty eight it would be a landmark with a road paved to it. Not here....it was still wild and untouched!!!
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| Hiking up to Gladiator Basin in Lake Clark National Park |
We pushed through the challenging mountain trail all the way to the top. When we finally broke through above tree line we were exhausted and ready for camp. Peaking back down the mountain where we had come, a sense of pride filled us all. Although we where close to our destination we still had another 1/2 mile to reach our camp site. The girls, Rayne and Autumn, both carrying 20lbs packs were at their limits.
"Mighty mouse", Autumn's trail name, told me she had had enough. I told her to take one step at a time and follow my lead. This trip is difficult for even the toughest person not to mention an 11 and 13 year old. I was amazed and encouraged by their persevering spirits. I have had grown men cry on less intense trips.
As we pushed on to our camp site I was growing concerned about the dark, ominous clouds that had swept in from the west. "Chris", I exclaimed, "we have to find a camp spot NOW or this storm is going to get us". Chris agreed and we all picked up the pace in hopes of beating the storm.
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| Yummy! Blueberry Cheesecake |
We finally made it to our camp site and quickly set up our North Face tents and boiled water for our Mountain house meals. After some hot food and fresh water we all began feeling better. The thunderstorm came over us a few minutes later and we all ran to our tents for shelter. The weather went from calm blue skies to 50mph winds and lighting within a few minutes. It blew and roared for 15minutes and just as quickly as it cam it was gone. We climbed out of our tents and finished the night eating blueberry cheesecake and hot tea. It was a great day to say the least!
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| Hiking in Gladiator Basin, Alaska |
The following morning we awoke to thick fog and slight drizzle. I whipped up breakfast and coffee, broke down the tents and we headed down. We had planned to explore the basin for two days but the weather was settling in and hiking in it was not desirable We made it to the original camp site 7 hours later.
Feeling pretty good as we rolled into our base camp on the lake, we loaded up all of our gear and set out for the first leg of our return. We paddled until 12:30am before stopping for the night. We all slept very well as tired muscles make for great sleep. The next day we paddled 14 miles back to the headwaters above Tanalian falls. Over the campfire we reminisced over the past week. From the challenges, to the victories, to the laughs and the stresses the memories brought back a great feeling of accomplishment for us all.
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| Click For Larger View |
A special thanks to the Smith family and their willingness to step out of the box for their Alaska vacation. I hope it meant as much to you as it did us! See you next year!
Here is a map of our location. Lake Clark National Park comprises over 4 million acres of pristine untouched beauty far from any road or city.
By:
Peter Goodwin
At each break we found ourselves munching on watermelon berries and high bush cranberries. The alpine flora in late june is very lush and green. This makes the views amazing but the hiking challenging. At one particular break we could hear a deep roar not far from where we rested. Sneaking through the bushes towards the mighty sound we were all rewarded with an amazing view of the river falling some 400 feet below. We all wondered just how many people had ever seen this falls before us. It was so remote and so beautiful!!! If this were in the lower forty eight it would be a landmark with a road paved to it. Not here....it was still wild and untouched!!! 
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