Overview of Trek and Trail info....

For many Cruiser owners who are members of the TLCA or the LCML, Alaska and our off road jaunts up here have seemingly struck a chord. So when we hosted our first Alaska Cruiser Trek in 2001, even though we had a few first time stumbles, it finished up with high reviews. In 2002 we worked a few of the bugs out, and we are now preparing to host the Alaska Cruiser Trek 2003.

The Alaska Cruiser Trek is not quite like any other organized event you may have attended in the Lower 48. It is a small event, and it issmall by choice. It is a long event, also by choice. It is not an
extremely technically challenging event, but it is far from an easy one.

The Alaska Cruiser Trek 2003 will stretch from the 4th of July to the 13th of July. Actual trail time will be from the morning of the 5th to midday on the 12th. We expect to travel 200 miles or more from the time we start up the first river bed until we exit the last muddy trail. We will spend our time in remote locations with no outside supportwhatsoever. We will travel and explore as a group and occasionally in smaller parties. Vehicular travel will be a very large part, but not the entireity of this event, with time planned for hiking, photography, maybe some fishing and/or other such activities, and a bit of sitting around the campfire simply enjoying being there with friends.

As you read through the various sections of this website you should find plenty of specific information, but here we'll just provide a general overview:

The ACT2003 will start a few miles outside of Tok Alaska, near the Canadian Border. From there we will spend our time moving deeper into the backcountry, until of course it is time to return to the road. Dependng on a variety of factors we may return to the same trailhead, or we may find ourselves hitting pavement with over a hundred and fifty miles of pavement between us and the starting point of our jaunt.

We will hit the trail on the morning of the 5th. If you have a tow rig and trailer or a motor home, this will be the last time you see them 'til the Trek is over. Once we leave the road, we will be moving further and further from anything and everything. At this point everyone will be committed. Leaving the group to head out on your own to return to the road will not be a feasible or safe option. It is important to stress that we will not have access to any outside assistance or support. Anything that we might need, from food and clothes to repair gear and supplies must be carried with the group. We will not be following mapped trails and there will be no campgrounds or even designated camping locations other than what the terrain and our own desires designate. There will be no showers, signposts, celphone coverage or any other reminders of the outside world, except for a couple of remote mine sites that we will pass. We will by choice and by neccesity be self sufficient throughout our outing. There will be no support rigs to carry supplies.

We will be following rivers, hunting trails and the occasional remnant of old mining roads through the mountains. We will at times be covering miles of gravel bottom land with constant and repeated water crossings of up to, and potentially over, three and a half feet of flowing current. At other times we will be meandering above the brushline in alpine mountain passes, wandering through muddy forest, slogging into artic peat bogs, or even climbing up onto a glacier or two. We expect to visit abandoned gold mines that date back to the first explorers in this area. We expect to see beavers, bald eagles, mountain sheep, spawning salmon, and possibly even caribou, moose, bear or wolf.

We will not be tasked with particularly rugged terrain. In fact we tend to regard these outings as remote sightseeing trips rather than "challenge" routes. That said, we will be repeatedly and routinely faced with stream and river crossing that are encountered by few in the '48. Depending on exactly which routes we happen to use on any given day, we may encounter bogs which are only crossed at the end of a winch cable. We may spend periods of time quite literally "bushwhacking" through thick alders reaching far over the tops of our Cruisers. Vehicular breakage is not by any means a given, but it happens. (see our list of carnage for the kinds and amounts of mechanical failures we have experienced in the last two years).

We will be traveling in a steady but relaxed manner for a couple of days until we reach an area particular at the edge of the Alaska Range where we will make a camp that we will keep for a few days, heading out on day trips which will return to our base camp each night. We may move the camp during this perod, or we may not. During this time we do not anticipate a set aggenda, but rather opportunities to engage in a variety of activities both in the rigs and afoot. After we wind up this phase of the Trek we will again travel back to the road, taking about 2 days to reach it. We will reach the road early on the 13th, so that we can reach the Anchorage area by late afternoon.

Again, the Alaska Cruiser Trek is a moderately taxing, but easygoing event. It is a personable event, and the people who will be on the trail with you will be as much a part of your enjoyment and your memories as the scenery. While it is relaxed, it can at times be very tiring and dirty. It is possible for a day trip to turn into a solid 24 hours on the trail. It is possible for mechanical breakage or badly mired, or even drowned or rolled rigs to delay progress extremely. You will want to bring provisions to allow you to eat well on some nights, but you will also want to have food that can be eaten with no preparation as you climb out of the rig at the end of a long day and jump straight into a sleeping bag.

This is not a trip for someone who does not enjoy roughing it a little bit. It is not a trip for someone who does not enjoy time spent traveling in a Cruiser. It is not a trip for someone who doesn't enjoy being part of a cooperative group. It is not a trip for someone who is not up to a moderate amount of physical exertion or is adverse to gettng a little bit dirty in the name of fun and adventure. It is probably not a trip for the extremely young or the extremely old among us, but it is also not a trip for anyone who is looking to somehow prove their abilities. It is not a trip for anyone whose interest in Cruiser revolves soley around ultimate vehicular challenges, but at the same time it is definitely not a trip for someone who considers thier local fire roads adventurous. We may have beautiful weather the entire time. Or it may rain everyday. There may be no mosquitos or other bothersome insects at all. Or we may spend a lot of time wearing repellent and head nets.

This is a trip for anyone who enjoys using their Cruiser the way it was designed to be. This is a trip for anyone who truely enjoys getting away from everything and being surrounded by unspoiled nature in the way that few in the US will ever get a chance to. This is a trip for anyone who enjoys a bit of vehicular challenge to spice up a trip and looks forward to the occasional field expediant repairs. It is a trip for anyone who enjoys making new friends with folks that they have little in common with as well as others that they do.

It is not a trip for anyone who is afraid of a little wear and tear on their rig, but you do not have to assume that serious damage to the rig is a given. Within the group travel system that we will be operating under, any rig that meets our vehicular minima will have no significant difficulty completing this event. This is not really a trip put together with the total novice in mind, but we have had some along with us and they have done just fine and had a great time doing it. Again tackling this in a group with companions who are experienced in this environment and on these trails makes all the difference. Our perception of a group is perhaps a bit different than you may have encountered at some other events. You do not suddenly cease to be a part of the group if your rig becomes disabled. We do not go on without anyone and we do not sit around and ignore you while you deal with your problems by yourself. If we go in together, we deal with problems together, and we all come out together.

Please look through our website for more detailed information.


To read more from previous "Trekers" about what to expect on the way up and the trail, click for more trail reports