Packrafting Yakutat, Alaska(2013)

Packrafting Yakutat, Alaska    posted by Ike Jutkowitz   on 08/24/2013 16:15:11 MDT
アラスカ・ヤクタット村の川下り(パックラフティング)

I’ve always liked sleeping in airports. Draped over a couch or crashed out on the floor, I feel like a hobo, cut loose from societal norms and on the verge of a great adventure. I guess that’s why I found myself in the Anchorage airport, rolling out my quilt in the native arts exhibit. I was not alone up there; I had gotten in at 2 am and all the good nooks and crannies were already taken. I made due with a small corner of floor space and passed out till 5 am.
僕はいつも空港で寝るのが好きだ。長椅子にもたれ掛かったり、床で寝る。素晴らしい冒険の間際に、浮浪者のように社会的規範から解き放なされる。アンカレッジ空港の原住民民芸展示エリアで、キルトを広げて私が気が付いた理由だ、と思う。そこでは、ひとりぼっちで無かった。午前２時にそこに入ったが、良い場所（角と隙間）はもう占有されていた。フロアーの小さなスペースを確保し、朝５時までにはここを後にした。

Another weary traveler enjoys the display (疲れた旅行者は展示を楽しむ)

The next morning, I hopped a plane to Juneau and then Yakutat, arriving by 11 am. I was traveling to Yakutat for work as I did every year at this time, but as always, had scheduled a few days in advance for some exploration.
翌朝、ジュノー行きの飛行機に飛び乗り、午前11:00にヤクタットに着いた。毎年、この時期にヤクタットに仕事で来ているが、数日間余分に計画している。

The route（ルート）

I planned to hitch a ride from Yakutat along the Dangerous River Road to Nine Mile Bridge. From there, I’d hike along the Situk River until its confluence with the Old Situk. I’d spend the first night at a nearby forest service cabin on the river, and the next morning, would packraft the river to its mouth on the Gulf of Alaska. Turning right, I’d then paddle or hike the coastline around the cape and into Monte Bay. Time and daylight permitting, I planned to cross the tip of the cape by packraft through the Ankau Saltchucks, a tidal zone known for ample fish and crustacean sealife. I would then bivy the second night on Khantaak Island, paddling across the bay and back to the conference lodge on day 3. Total distance was estimated at 35 miles.
ヤクタットから９マイル橋まで、Dangerous川への道路をヒッチハイクを計画していた。そこから、支流のOld Situkとの合流点までSituk川沿いに歩いた。川沿いの森林サービスの小屋で、初日を過ごし、翌朝、アラスカ湾の河口に向けて川下りしたかった。河口を、右に旋回して、岬周辺の海岸線とMonte湾に向けて、漕いだり、歩いたりしたかった。時間と日が許すなら、Ankau Saltchucksを通って岬の先を、packraftで横断する計画で、パドリングと豊かな魚と甲殻類(crustacean)の生き物を知りたいと思っている。二日目はKhantaak島で野営(bivy)しf the Ankau Saltchucks(Ankau Saltchuck

Closeup view of the Ankau Saltchucks(Ankau Saltchucksの拡大写真)

I arrived in Yakutat to find that the airline had lost my luggage. This had happened last year too, so I was not entirely surprised. I had packed around this possibility, carrying everything that I could in my backpack as carry-on luggage. This included packraft, paddle, bivy, quilt, and the clothing I would need for the trip. I had been nervous about trying to carry the paddle on-board, but tucked away in my backpack, it passed through security without comment. Items I was missing included life vest, cookware, food, waders and boots, and my camera tripod. Over the next 3 days, I would come to miss the tripod most of all. I had knife, bear spray, fishing gear, and some odds and ends stored in a locker at the lodge, and was able to borrow a cookpot, alcohol stove, and boots. For food, I was gifted a pack of ramen noodles, two snickers bars, and miraculously, a small flask of whiskey. I was confident that this time of year I could make up the deficit with fresh berries and seafood.
ヤクタットに着いてから、航空会社がぼくのカバンを紛失したことを知った。これは昨年もあった。それでぼくはまったく驚かなかった。手荷物に、バックパック可能なものだけ詰め込んでいた。packraft, paddle, bivy(一人寝袋テント), quilt, 旅の間で必要な衣類も含んでいる。paddleを手荷物として運ぶことが心配だったが、backpackの中に隠していた(忍び込ませていた)。しかし、空港のセキュリテーは何ら問題無くパスした。無くしたアイテムはライフジャケット、調理道具、食料、ウェイダーとブーツ、そして三脚(tripod)だ。
３日が過ぎてから、初めて三脚が無いことに気が付いた。ナイフ、熊よけスプレー、釣具はあり、ロッジのロッカーにガラクタ(odds and ends)があり、料理道具、アルコールストーブ、ブーツを借りることができた。食料としてラーメンパック、２個のスナックバー、ウィスキーの小瓶をもらった。今回は、新鮮なベリーとシーフードで不足分を補う自信があった。

I was also able to liberate a basic life vest from the lodge boathouse. (ロッジのボートハウスからライフジャケットを拝借した)

I caught a ride out to the bridge in the fog and drizzle, not at all disheartened by the weather. The Tongass National Park was technically a rainforest, so it would be foolish to expect anything but rain.（霧と小雨の中、橋まで乗せてもらった。天候で全く落胆しなかった。トンガスの国立公園は雨林地帯であるので、雨以外を期待するのは馬鹿げている）

I arrived at the bridge, thanked my driver, and began to make my way downstream along the riverside.(橋に到着して運転手に礼を言い、川沿いを下り始めた)

I was happy to see that salmon were schooling in the river. I could see pinks, some spawned out kings, and a few sockeye. Prospects for dinner looked great.
(川に鮭が回遊していて、嬉しかった。ピンク、産卵が終わったキング、紅鮭が見えた。良い夕食を期待した)

Making my way through the old growth forest, massive trees completely encased in moss(コケで覆われた大木、樹齢のある森林を進みながら)

Stopping to snack on twisted stalk, a juicy, watermelon-flavored treat. Also known as scoot berries for their mildly laxative effect, I took care not to eat too many.
(ねじれた茎の、ジューシで、スイカ味の実を摘まむために立ち止まった。マイルドな下剤効果のあるscootベリーとしても知られている。たくさん食べないように注意した)

I was not the only one stopping to snack on berries. As the salmon made their way from the bays into the rivers, the bear moved in from the beaches. I would never be far from bear or bearsign for the entire trip.(このベリーをつまみ食いしたのはボクだけでなかった。サーモンが湾から川へ遡上すると、熊は海岸から川沿に移動している。この旅ではいつも、熊や熊の痕跡が近くにあることになるだろう)

A brief glimpse of mountains(山脈の様子)

A well-gnawed femur rests along the route(道端に完全にかじられた大腿骨が残っていた)

Wading through sedge after crossing the old Situk River. I ended up going over my boots in this section, now squishing as I walked.
(支流Old Situk川を渡った後のスゲ草。この区間はブーツを使って渡り終えた。歩くとゴボゴボ音がした)

Moose in the cottongrass by the Old Situk(支流Old Situk近くの綿花の中のムース)

Hungry for lunch, I started gathering berries as I walked and soon had a hat full of blueberries, strawberries, cloudberries, and salmonberries
(腹ぺこの昼食。歩いてすぐに、帽子一杯にブルーベリー、ストロベリー、クラウドベリー、サーモンベリーを集めた)

Still life with cloudberries(クラウドベリーで静止画)

Finally I arrived at the old “landing strip” where I would find my cabin. I had expected to see tarmack or at least packed dirt, but was pleasantly surprised to find only a large wildflower covered meadow (最後に古い滑走路に到着した。そこに小屋RavenとEagleがある。舗装道路か未舗装道路を期待していたのだが、嬉しいことに野草でおおわれた大きな草原があっただけだ)

I was able to get some fairly detailed shots of these two blades of grass(草の茎のショットがうまく撮れた)

The Eagle cabin sat not far from the river and included a woodshed, axe, firepit, and outhouse amongst its amenities. This was paradise as far as I was concerned. I split some wood and then headed down to the river to see about some dinner.(川の近くに立つEagleキャビン、木製に斧、炉、はなれがある。ここは私にとってパラダイスだ。薪を割り夕食を見に川へ向かった)

My third cast netted me a nice Dolly Varden, hooked on a purple wooly bugger. A perfect size for dinner, I filleted the fish, seasoned it, and wrapped it in some foil I found in the cabin. I’m shown here modeling a Nau M2 hoody, one of my favorite base layers for adventure travel. It’s more "normal" fit makes it ideal for trips where I may need to make appearances in public (like sleeping in airports or attending conferences) and want to avoid the long underwear look
(３回目のキャストでドリーバーデンを釣った。フライは紫のウーリバーガーだ。夕食に丁度いいサイズだ。切り身にして、味付けし、小屋にあったホイールで包んだ。写真では「Nau M2 hoody」ウェアを着ている。私のお気に入りの旅行用ウェアだ。空港での仮眠や会議のような公の場でも着れて、長袖の下着のように見えないので理想的だ）

Campfire cooking in the rain. The fish came out perfectly, with just a hint of smokey spruce flavor.
(雨の中でキャンピング。トウヒの香りで、魚は理想的に調理できた。)

After dinner, I sat in the dimming light, sipping at my whiskey and thinking pleasurably about the day. Before bed, I hung my damp clothes and dried out my boots as best I could. The security of the cabin was nice, and I drifted off easily to sleep on a ratty old pad I found on one of the bunks. Tomorrow would be a more challenging day.
(夕食の後、薄暗い明かりの前に座って、ウィスキーを啜りながら、今日の楽しかった出来事を振返った。寝る前に、ずぶ濡れの服を干して出来るだけブーツを乾かした。小屋の安全は素晴らしかった。ラフトの古い棚、寝床の１つで寝ると、ウトウトし始めた。明日はもっと冒険的な日になるだろう)


I woke the next morning and started boiling some water as I packed up. I feasted on my borrowed ramen noodles, later finding out that they had been sitting in storage for 3 years. Tasted just fine to me. (翌朝目を覚ました。持ってきた水で、お湯を湧かし、借りたラーメンを楽しんだ。後で、それは３年間倉庫にあったものであることがわかった)


After breakfast, I inflated my packraft, stowed my gear, and slipped into the current. The middle reaches of the Situk carried me swiftly through the forest. The river was mostly class II with only two log jams that necessitated a quick exit. As I was starting to relax into the rhythm of the river, I came around a bend to find a large Grizz planted mid-stream looking for fish. I frantically began to backpaddle and the bear looked up from his fishing. As I contemplated what I would do should he charge, he comically turned and fled, his big round butt quivering in alarm as he pushed through the willows in his haste to get away. I’m not sure how bears affect the river classification scheme, but in my opinion, obstacles that can chase you should probably bump things up to at least a class IV.
(朝食の後、packcraftに空気を注入し、荷物をまとめ、水流にこぎ出した。Situk川の中間域は森林を通って下っていく。川は、２箇所ですばやい脱出を必要とするが、流木の塊があるレベル２だった。川のリズムでリラックスし始めたとき、カーブ近くの川の真中で魚を探している大きなグリズリーベアーを見つけた。私は必死にパドルを漕ぎ始めた。熊は魚取りに夢中だった。)


My second bear sighting was of a young bear fishing . I quickly eddied out on the opposite bank and waited to see what he would do. He seemed content to ignore me, so I pulled out my iphone and snapped a couple of hasty shots before continuing on past.(次に見かけた熊はもっと若かった。素早く反対側の岸へ寄り、彼が何をしているかを見て待った。私を無視しているように見えた。それでiPhoneを取り出して、素早くスナップを撮った。)


Without a tripod, I had a difficult time getting self-portraits. Finding a dry place in Alaska to set down a camera was challenging. And I don't care who you are but 10 seconds is not enough to set up a shot, jump into a packraft, push off from the bank, close the spray deck, and then try to act natural before the self-timer goes off. So this is all you get, admittedly not my best work.
(三脚なしの自撮りは難しかった。カメラを据え付けるために、アラスカで乾いた場所を見いだすことはチャレンジングだ。どうでもよいが、１０秒間でカメラの前からpackraftの乗り込んで、離岸してスプレーデッキ(座席部分)を綴じ、セルフタイマーが閉じる前に自然な振る舞いをする、には十分でない。だから、これしかない。許して)


A yearling makes his way along the river(小熊が川沿に進んで行く)



A young eagle stands guard at the mouth of the Situk(若いワシがSituk川の河口の見張り台に立っている)


The character of the river changed as I reached its mouth. The forests evaporated and the bleached bones of old trees littered the banks. Dozens of eagles perched on the tangled roots, eagerly scanning the water for injured fish.(河口に到着したとき、川の様子が変わった。干上がった森林と古い木の脱色した骨が岸辺に散らかっていた。数十羽の鷲が、弱った魚を狙って入り組んだ木の根に止まっていた)



I moved out of the river mouth and into the Slough, a tidal zone separated from the ocean by a narrow spit of land. The tide was coming in and paddling was slow as I fought the currents. I hoped to be able to paddle the coastline until I passed the Lost River crossing before coming ashore. Unfortunately, the currents became increasingly turbulent as I neared the river mouth. I aimed the packraft towards a point on the far bank of the Lost River and paddled hard. I’m embarrassed to admit that I paddled furiously for about 20 minutes before realizing that I wasn’t actually moving. Changing tack, I aimed inland toward the near bank of the river and finally was able to make some headway. Once within the mouth of the river, I was able to cross to the other side, beaching on the opposite bank.
(Situk川の河口をあとに、Slough方向へ進んだ。陸地の細い出州(でず)で、海と隔たれた干満の影響を受けるゾーンだ。潮が満ちてきていたので、流れに逆らってゆっくりパドルを漕いだ。Lost Riverを越えてから上陸する前に、海岸線を漕ぎたかった。残念ながら、Lost川の河口に近ずくと海流が荒れ始めた。そこでLost川の土手にpackraftを向けたが、パドリングは難しかった。20分間懸命にパドルを漕いだが、実際にほとんど移動していなかったことに気が付き、恥ずかしかった。進路を変えて、河口近くの土手に向けた。やっと進むことが出来た。河口内で、対岸に渡り浜に上陸した)

 


The far bank of the Lost River(Lost川の岸)

Satellite imagery suggested that the going would be smooth once past the Lost River, with wide sand beaches to walk on. The reality proved more difficult. What I found were tangled clumps of fallen trees bobbing in the waves that came right up to the sand cliffs. Atop the cliffs loomed a seemingly impassible forest of fallen trees and Devil’s club. I initially started out climbing over, under, and along the fallen logs along the shoreline. This often took me up to 15 feet above ground, and I watched the giant logs moving beneath me in the waves with misgivings. Soon enough, this route became impassable. (衛星写真ではLost川を越えると、広い砂浜で前進はスムーズのように思えた。実際はそう易しくなかった。目にしたモノは、砂の絶壁に波で打ち上げられた倒木の絡まった木々であった。絶壁の上から、倒木で前進不可能に思える森林とDevil’s clubが立ちはだかっていた。まず、崖を上り、海岸線の倒木に沿って進んだ。ときどき、地面から15フィートの高さを超え、懸念していたとおり、足元の巨大な流木は波で動いていることが分かり、すぐにこのルートは移動不可能になった)


Climbing the sand cliffs, I began to bushwhack through the thick undergrowth at its top. Impassable tangles of fallen trees along the cliff’s edge soon drove me towards the interior. Bushwacking through Devil’s club was not a pleasant experience. For those that have not had the pleasure, Devil’s club is a broad-leafed woody plant with numerous sharp spikes on the stalks and foliage. The many fallen trunks and roots I had to climb over and under led to inevitable stumbling and I was soon bleeding from a number of punctures. I would be working thorns out of a variety of festering wounds for the next 3 days. I criss-crossed back and forth until I stumbled upon a bear trail and followed this as far as I could, until it veered off toward the Lost River. The relief of easier passage far outweighed the fear of coming face to face with a bear in the green tunnel.
(砂の絶壁を駆け上り、まだ背の低い藪の、道なき道を切り開いて進むことにした。絶壁際の通行不可能な絡まった倒木は、すぐに陸地側に私を阻んだ。このDevil’s clubの前進は大変だった。このDevil’s clubは茎と葉っぱに無数の鋭いとげがある広葉樹だ。その上や下を越えたたくさんの倒木の根や幹は避けられい障害物で、すぐにたくさんの傷口で失血した。次の３日間は、傷口からトゲを抜くことになりそうだ。熊の通り道に出会うまで、あっちこっちに進み、上手く進めなかった。進路をLost川へ向けるまで、出来るだけ熊道に沿って進んだ。この容易な歩行の安心感は、草木のトンネルで熊と出会うのではという恐怖より遙かに強かった。)

After leaving the bear trail, I followed a variety of faint game trails in the general direction I wanted to go. Far from being true trails, these were mostly just faint paths of lesser resistance through the Devil’s club. The going was slow and I frequently had to take wide detours around large sections of forest where interwoven trunks of downed trees blocked my way. Now deep in the interior, I had the thought that if I suffered an injury here, it would be really hard to find my carcass.
(熊の通り道を後にして、目的の方向へ進むために、いろいろな獣道(game trail, animal trail)を使った。本当のトレイルから離れると、ほとんどDevil’s clubの障害が無いはっきりしない道だった。前進はゆっくり、時々は進路を阻む倒木の広い森林区間を迂回しなければならなかった。内陸部は深く、ここで怪我したなら、私の死体が見つかることはないだろうと思った)


When terrain permitted, I would make my way back toward the coastline to get my bearings. The point in the far distance marks the spot where I thought I could reconnect with an actual beach.(地形がゆるすなら、自分のいる位置を知るために海岸線へ戻れるだろう。遠くの地点は実際のビーチに再び出会う場所のマークになる)


Feeling relieved as the underbrush began to thin out, I finally made my way out onto Cannon Beach.(藪が無くなると、気分爽快だ。そして、やっとCannonビーチへの道を見つけた)


An exhausted self-portrait. What was probably only a 2 mile bushwack had taken about 3 hours. Soaked in sweat, I removed my now perforated raingear, glad for whatever limited protection they had offered.(くたびれ果てた自画像。たぶん、たった２マイルの藪漕ぎで３時間かかった。汗びっしょりになって(I am soaked with sweat. )、雨具を脱いで、彼らが提供してくれたこの限られた衣類に感謝した)


Heading out across Cannon Beach(Cannon Beachを横断して前進する)


Wolf tracks on Cannon(Cnnonビーチで狼の足跡)


A relic held over from World War II(第２次世界大戦の遺物)


The unanticipated bushwack had cost me hours, and as shadows lengthened, I decided to cut inland along Ophir Creek, rather than risk getting lost in the Saltchucks after dark. I intersected a jeep trail that took me to Monti Bay and once again inflated my raft.(予期しない藪漕ぎで時間を食った。浅かったが。。夕方のSaltchucksの探索が出来なくなるので、Ophir Creekに沿ってここをカットすることを決めた。インフレータブルraftを使うMonti湾まで乗せていってくれる車を拾うために、ジープ・トレイルの出会いへ行った)


Paddling into Monti Bay(Monti湾を漕ぎ出した）


I came ashore on Khantaak Island in the fading daylight(日が暮れる中、Khantaak島の海岸に到着した)


My camp on the beach with a driftwood fire for company. After a long day, I really enjoyed the ability to just throw down my bivy and call it good, no fiddling required.
(海岸で、流木のたき火で寂しくキャンプ。長い１日の後、bivyを投げ出して、いい感じと思うことができて本当に良かった。つまらないモノは必要ない)


Basking in the afterglow of a challenging day. Dinner consisted of two snickers dark bars and a flask of whiskey. Not up to my usual standards, but it tasted just great at the time. I could see salmon jumping 20 feet offshore, but was too tired to fish.(頑張った日の余韻に浸りながら。夕食は２つのスナックバーとウィスキーの小瓶だ。通常の夕食には及ばないが、そのときの味は格別だった。沖合20フィートでジャンプする鮭を見たが、釣りをするにはあまりにも疲れていた。)


An early night’s sleep in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Strangely, as I lay tucked away in my quilt, I could hear Karaoke music drifting out across the bay from the one bar in the city of Yakutat. I found this strangely disconcerting for a campsite on a remote island beach in Alaska(地上で最も美しいことろの１つで早い睡眠。不思議なことに、ケルト包まらないで横になりながら、ヤクタットのバーの方から、湾を跨いでカラオケの音楽が漂ってくるのを聞いた)


Waking up to a beautiful sunrise. The fish were still jumping, so I busied myself with salmon fishing until it was light enough to see. Then, climbing back into my raft, I set out for home.(美しい日の出で目を覚ます。魚はまだジャンプしていたので、十分明るくなるまで鮭釣りで忙しかった)


The highlight of the morning was paddling with a school of porpoises. Timing the photos as they surfaced proved difficult that morning
(朝のハイライトはネズミ海豚と一緒に、パドリングだ。彼らが水面に来た時のこの写真のタイミングが、難しいことを示している)


Aiming toward Canoe Island (far left) marking the mouth to shipyard cove. I got back in time to enjoy a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, pancakes, and more bacon. And coffee.
After breakfast, I headed back out to the river. Work would begin tomorrow, but for now, I was indescribably happy to just walk the river and take in the wild beauty so typical of Alaska.
(造船所の湾への河口をマークしながら、Canoe島に向かう。左の遙か向こう。パンケーキ、卵、ベーコン、そしてコーヒーの豪華な朝食を楽しむために、時間通りに戻った。朝食の後、川に戻った。仕事は明日からだが、今のところ、川を歩き、アラスカの野生の美しさを訪れて、本当に幸せだ。)


by Ike on 08/25/2013 11:17:31 MDT.