Alsek and Tatshenshini Rivers, Alaska, BC, Yukon

I used to be a partner in Alaska Wilderness Expeditions (AWE) out of Wrangell Alaska. I mounted one of the first exploratory expeditions on the Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers. It was right after Alaska Geographic published an article reporting that the famed Doc Blackadar, of Salmon Idaho, had kayaked Turnback Canyon on the Alsek, and his son repeated the trip.

The river trip starts at the head of the Inside Passage, and cuts through the Coast Range from Alaska into British Columbia Canada, westward through a jutting section of the Yukon Territory, and out through the glaciered valleys between the Brabazon Mountains, north of Glacier Bay, Alaska, to the Pacific Ocean between Lituya Bay and Yakutat.

This link is to another outfitter, Chilkat Guides, with former guides from OARS and Sobek. I think they started running the river after we had. But their photography and other work is so stellar that it deserves promotion here.

My photos from this trip are in storage somewhere, but we were part of scenes just like these, with similar weather -- including riding up on top of icebergs jammed in the river while current rushed between, full moon rising over Mount Fairweather on a perfect evening, etc. I'll post them when I find them again.

Meanwhile, try this: http://homepage.mac.com/rbartelow/Kongakut/PhotoAlbum15.html . You'll see why we called our river guiding company, "AWE!"