Alaska Cruiser Trek 2010

Randy88FJ62 · 08-03-09, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grench

Here's an odd question... Again, the logistics of getting there are just as big of a question as getting the truck ready to do it.

3 weeks off work to do a trip - not going to happen.

However, if I break the drive up and move the truck out ahead on weekends and flying back...
I could, in theory, get my truck from here to Seattle in two days of 12 hours each and leave it at a buddy's place or long term monitored at the air port. Fly back on a 2 week round trip ticket.

Come back to Seattle 2 weeks later and spend 3 days or 12 hours driving it up to Anchorage. Again, leave it with a fellow mudder or in long term at the airport. Two week round trip home.

At the end of the event, leave the truck at the airport, take a two week round trip ticket, come back to drive it to Seattle, two week round trip & drive it home.

A month to get there, a month to get back - only traveling on weekends. Like $2,000 in airfare later... Still cheaper than shipping the truck up there and back. Has anyone ever tried something as whacked as this? How did it work out?

Why not pay a trucking company to ship it up and back for you then just fly for the trek itself?

Bad economy should make it easier to find people willing to do it at a decent price.

Mark W · 08-03-09, 12:42 PM

Vehicles shipped to AK come up on the barges from Seattle. The haul back down is pretty cheap. Don't remember what it is coming north, but it is more. The trip up to AK is a large part of the experience for those who can do it. We had some folks pool together to trailer 3 rigs up in 2008. Two guys drove nonstop in the tow rig and four others flew up to meet hem. Seemed to work well for them.

Assuming 3 days up from Seattle, solo drive in a Cruiser... and then again after 7 days on the trail... that is probably cutting it close. And anyone planning n a straight drive up and back right away as they come off the trail.... I would strongly recommend giving yourself a down day or two there somewhere.

Also, most of my experience up and down the Alaska Highway is that you need to plan on am overall 55mph average for your travel periods once you leave the US interstate system. Canadian highways are as good as the US ones, but once you hit the Alaska Highway, things slow down a bit.

I have made the run from Seattle in 2.5 days... in a Saab 9000 turbo and a total disregard for speed limits. This was summer time and I could pass the motor homes with bursts of up to 110mph and bring it back down quick too.

I have driven a truck w/ trailer the same route in 3 days in the winter. With a co-driver and sleeping in the rig at fuel stops waiting for them to open in the morning. But I was not heading into or coming off a week on the trail either.

These times and logistical issues are one of the reasons I am looking at the concept of building a few '80s for outings like the Cruiser Trek.

Mark...

Ducks · 08-03-09, 01:03 PM

I'm very interested in actually making it this time around. I'll have my 12HT conversion done by then. How much fuel should I be able to carry since I'll need diesel?

Mark W · 08-03-09, 01:14 PM

We have seen some impressive fuel economy on the trail from some of the diesels. And some that was not so impressive. On board fuel requirements are the same (in the past that amount has been 36 gallons...) but we carry a smaller amount of extra diesel fuel in the support truck than we do gasoline. We have been carrying 10 extra gallons per gasser and about 5 for the oilers

Mark...

GLTHFJ60 · 08-03-09, 01:22 PM

Cool. I'd be willing to consider setting something up, but the financials might not work out.

My biggest concern with the truck would be an underpowered motor, loaded down struggling to get out of a mud hole somewhere in the Alaskan bush.

Mark W · 08-03-09, 01:44 PM

I would be surprised if you found your rig to be underpowered. It is seldom that you find yourself spinning full throttle in a mudhole up here. Deep water crossings are actually as taxing for power a lot of times, as are a couple of long loose hill climbs. But except for the 22RE powered mini-trucks, until you surpass the 38 inch tire range, power is seldom a major concern.

and... on the Trek, everyone gets stuck at some point.

Mark..

ctuna74 · 08-03-09, 07:43 PM

I also would like a package on this trip, we run in fla. and our 60 is set up for deep water and mud. Its no trailer queen and has already made a few trips out west. thanks charlie

RockDoc · 08-04-09, 03:36 PM

Mark - Are there any tight treed trails, or will the expedition take place north of the tree line?

Mark W · 08-04-09, 11:34 PM

Both our primary area and our fall back have varied terrain. From barren tundra verging to rock all the way to mature forest.. But there are not any areas that I would call "tight" with trees. Maybe a few spots, but nothing worth mentioning in the overall picture. The other rigs that uses these trails are as often "moose buggies" as anything else, and they tend to widen the trails a bit in the woods by simply plowing over stuff when need be. And/or the trails get laid down avoiding tight spots..

There are a lot of tight trails in deep woods with close together trees up here. But we will not be running those areas. Gina's photos in the ACT links will give you a good idea of what most of the days will look like. She has few pics taken in the woods but the best shots always seem to be out in the open country

Mark...

Ratpuke · 08-05-09, 11:11 PM

Time for a teaser pic:

Ratpuke · 08-06-09, 01:24 AM

After spending hours pouring over copies of the Farmer's Almanac analyzing weather patterns and soliciting advice from the local fortune teller in an effort to determine exactly when next summer's weather will be the best, the mosquitos will be at an all-time low and the wildlife watching will be at its finest, we are pleased to announce that tentative dates for ACT 2010 have been set!

June 26-July 5, 2010.

The current plan aims to hit the trailhead early on the morning on the 26th, returning to civilization at a time, yet to be determined. The reason for the open ended return date is to accommodate the scheduling requirements for those individuals who will be joining us. Typically, the Trek takes place over a period of a week; however, next year's event will be running slightly longer. We may decide to come off the trail a bit early in order to do some extra runs for a day or two at a different location than the main Trek.

Hopefully, this information will help aid in your 2010 vacation planning!
Please note that the dates are still flexible at this point in time to a certain degree.

Charla

D'Animal · 08-06-09, 07:05 AM

Approx 230 days till the Trec!

That is approx 100 saturdays and 100 sundays

49 weeks

I had better get wrenching.

Randy88FJ62 · 08-06-09, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D'Animal

Approx 230 days till the Trec!

That is approx 100 saturdays and 100 sundays

49 weeks

I had better get wrenching.

Same here...

GLTHFJ60 · 08-06-09, 07:14 AM

Putting it like that makes it seem like next week!! Gotta go hit the grease...

D'Animal · 08-06-09, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GLTHFJ60

Putting it like that makes it seem like next week!! Gotta go hit the grease...

Now subtract holidays such as Labor day, t-giving, x-mas, boxing day, Honey Do weekends, etc.

You will have about 1/2 of that in actual time to build your rig, test it, fix what you broke and beef it up, test it again.

GLTHFJ60 · 08-06-09, 07:23 AM

Damn, right again! I gotta start looking at my calendar for next summer. My truck is pretty close to ready, new wheel bearings all around, fresh-ish springs yadda yadda yadda. I really need to build my trac-bar and fix my e-brake.

Nemo · 08-06-09, 10:48 AM

OK. After speaking to the family and friends I am a go if you good folks will have me, my GF, and another friend. I can say without doubt other than "God's Will" I will not be backing out.

Leaving Denver for those who would like to carpool up...

Mark W · 08-06-09, 11:00 AM

We may not see caribou like in the Rat's picture. Hopefully we will be that lucky. We actually saw thousands of them that day. Surrounding us and blocking the trail even. could hear them and even smell them all around us. It depends on which trails we wind up on and how the migration cycle matches our timing. If it does happen that our paths cross, it is memorable to say the least.

This pic is not mine, but was taken by one of our participants in 2003. Not sure who right at the moment, hopefully they will not mind my posting it here

PabloCruise · 08-06-09, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo

Leaving Denver for those who would like to carpool up...

Oh man...

Mark W · 08-08-09, 01:59 AM

Glacier 13... beautiful and vengefully evil

Mark...

D'Animal · 08-08-09, 06:51 AM

Glaciers = Evil

Would tire chains be a good thing to pack?

Mark W · 08-08-09, 01:27 PM

The only need for chains would be if we were to drive up #13 there. We have done that in the past. It can be more difficult than you might think... it is tremendously larger than it may look in that shot. A line of Cruiser going up would be barely descernable dots in that view. If you could see them at all. It is steep and wet and slick and irregular. With channelized streams of melt water running over the surface and plunging hundreds of feet into gaping holes. Amazingly beautiful, surprisingly accessible with Cruisers and sneakily dangerous.

Chains are what the doctor ordered for driving up there. No need for them on this trip otherwise.

Such a jaunt is not planned for the entire group. A side trip for those who wish *may* happen.

The Glacier Goddess apparently has close ties with the Cruiser Gods. A few years back, John and a couple of the other guys took a shovel and started chopping iced for the coolers.... She must not have liked the shovel to the back of her head. :(

She struck back immediately....

Gina cut a tire in the rocks below... Charlie got his M37 stuck... Peter found some rock pudding and mired his rig... resulting in one burnt out winch, two blown birfields and a blown full floater rear axle. Jeff ripped his tranny off the old school adapter plate. Greg lost 4wheel drive in a rocky ice hole halfway up. and I have a hidden crevasse attempt to swallow my '40. All of this happened within about 5 minutes.

DON'T make the glacier angry!

Mark...

D'Animal · 08-08-09, 04:00 PM

So bring plenty of Ice or a ton of spare parts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark W

The Glacier Goddess apparently has close ties with the Cruiser Gods. A few years back, John and a couple of the other guys took a shovel and started chopping iced for the coolers.... She must not have liked the shovel to the back of her head. :(

She struck back immediately....

Gina cut a tire in the rocks below... Charlie got his M37 stuck... Peter found some rock pudding and mired his rig... resulting in one burnt out winch, two blown birfields and a blown full floater rear axle. Jeff ripped his tranny off the old school adapter plate. Greg lost 4wheel drive in a rocky ice hole halfway up. and I have a hidden crevasse attempt to swallow my '40. All of this happened within about 5 minutes.

DON'T make the glacier angry!

Mark...

Mark W · 08-09-09, 12:12 AM

Or at least be very very polite when you ask her to share

Mark...

PabloCruise · 08-09-09, 07:25 AM

Sounds like everyone better get one of those fancy Cruiser fridges...

Randy88FJ62 · 08-09-09, 02:30 PM

Explain to me why anyone would ever attempt to take a cruiser up a glacier that had potential crevasses? That sounds insane.

GRM · 08-09-09, 04:46 PM

Keep me in the loop. I'll have the days off of work as soon as a schedule is set. Been thinking about this trip after spending too many hours chatting with roger about it.

Been exploring options to ship my truck, as I can get a maximum of 14 days off. If anyone finds a good shipping company, let me know.

Mark W · 08-09-09, 04:56 PM

Judge not without facts.
Travel over glaciers is nothing new. In this case we are on the glacier in summer conditons.
No snow to disguise the features. No more hazardous than lots of other stuff we all do. New water crossings can be much more unnerving than crawling the ice. The "crevass" that I mentioned giving me trouble... was actually a narrow slot in the ice, cut by running water, hidden under a broad shallow area of overflow at the very foot of the glacier as it sunk uner the rocks piled at the bottom. Simple mistake, learning experience, moved on. I'll post some pics of that and others from the glacier later.

Mark W · 08-09-09, 08:14 PM

GRM, check Charla's last post. The dates have been set. Jun 26 - Jul 05. We may be off the trail early from the main event, to do a day trip or overnighter or two closer in to the Anchorage area. But that might not be determined until we are out on the trail. Or at least after discussion with confirmed participants prior to departing the roads at the trailhead. We will be on the trail for the main Trek for 7 days at least. If we do return to the road early, that would be opportunity for those who are cutting it close for time to head south at that point instead of turning toward the Anchorage area with the rest of us.

Mark...

Mark W · 08-09-09, 09:23 PM

As promised.... Embarrassing pictures

The water here is about 2 inches deep... except for a slot about 2-3 feet wide, that goes straight down further than I was willing to lower myself into with chest waders to see if I could reach the bottom. I was a couple of feet off to the side of the line of the folks ahead of me and found the channel that was overflowing to cover this broad flat spot.

Mark...