Yay! I realized I will probably forget information about areas visited in the Alaska Range if it is not written down. Also this will be easier to send to people than sporadic texts. Keep in mind many of these lower risk tolerance with students.
Pika Glacier: Lots of information around on this one. Heading down to the Kahiltna early July found bare ice, the crevassing to get there is narrow but thin bridges that time of year. Each little pass is nice to navigate up to. Have not gone up toward Bella Couloir area but could be cool to do a circle. Attempted to get to glacier south of there over the cracked up ice fall lower down and it didn't go.
Ruth Gorge: Gorgeous area. Attempt on south face of Mt Dickey in Mid-May was too late for the season, cheese rolls and stuff coming down. Crevasse fields up to Espresso Gap, turned around for same warm related issues, but would be cool to dip over to Coffee Glacier, could turn this into a packraft traverse out the Coffee River to Talkeetna. Good cracks close to camp for practicing. Could go north to Explorers peak but we did not (would be a long walk).
Eldridge Glacier: Very beautiful. In general gets fogged in more than other landing areas, so the likelihood of drop off and pick up are lower. The snow can stay better until later than most areas. Minimal obvious crevassing around the landing bowl area. Heading down glacier fairly cracked up over the roll over. We headed straight down from the landing area and definitely some navigation with open crevassing areas. Down glacier of this there is another plateau more compressed zone, and then smaller crevassing where the glaciers meet below. If you venture further down, there is a medial moraine that takes you all the way to the fountain river. TAT can land multiple areas out here. Ignore the raft this was for coming out the Chulitna.
Kah Base Camp: Busier obviously than same areas but social. Radio Control Tower is a nice day trip, with a low hazard ski up, some bridged crevassing. The ridge to get up has exposure but is short. Mt Frances we attempted in mid-June and then was too mushy at the time, waiting until 2a. The friendly ski run to lap is up glacier. Can travel to Kahiltna Dome as well.
Triple Crown: Great for a couple days, more than that you could run out of things to do. Nice walk east, would be a great ski packraft traverse out because essentially would be the route out of the Pika but without the area that has gotten harder to traverse out of. This looked like just a slope down to the glacier and out you go. Walked north and found good cracks to practice on. Moved camp down glacier from here. Can go north of this up a big field and then to a ridge, this ridge dips over to north facing aspect. Can traverse down from here lower and then back up glacier to where we camped.
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