Heli Yeah! (Day Two)

Sun up: Center Mountain

The "party" atop Center Mountain continued until midnight as the sun dropped below the volcanic peaks of the Alaska Peninsula to the west. Sated by a tasty camp meal and anticipating the next day of skiing, we slid into our bags for sleep. Sunday morning greeted us with bright sun and a mild breeze. In the distance a low-lying fog shrouded Kodiak town. The three new windmills on Pillar Mountain, however, stood above the mist as though floating in air. Patrick provided the breakfast and the group prepared for a full day of skiing, skinning and hiking/bushwhacking (watch Patrick's video).

Skiing home

We took a morning ski run off the southern face of Center Mountain before packing up our gear and skiing home. The ground that Patrick used to cover in about three and a half hours during his yearly ski quests would take us nearly twice that. In addition to almost 2000' vert of skiing we had several miles of hiking and some mild bushwhacking ahead of us. The views of surrounding peaks, valleys and rivers, however, kept our heads up. Eventually Patrick did unsheathe his machete during the final leg of our hike as we dropped off a high ridgeline into Sargent Creek drainage. Though the vegetation was thick, a footpath led us toward the creek without incident. Soon, we found ourselves on a dusty road in Bells Flats in the bed of a Ford speeding toward our respective families, showers and ice packs. I would like to thank Steve, Greg, Lisa, Mike and Patrick for showing me around Kodiak's backcountry. I hope to be back soon.

Looking back on our lines

Heli Yeah! (Day One)

"Breathe, breathe in the air"

Soon after recovering from our bushwhacking adventure last week I got a call from Patrick offering another backcountry ski adventure. He proposed that we fly to the top of Center Mountain, camp and ski from the summit as far as possible before hiking home. After working out the logistics we decided to depart Saturday afternoon. For this excursion we joined up with pro skier Mike Mannelin, Greg, Lisa, and Steve. All of whom have extensive knowledge of skiing Kodiak's backcountry. The chopper was delayed due to morning fog that burnt off by mid-day so we waited at the helipad in eager anticipation. The wait was well worth the ride, however. We crammed our gear and our bodies (a little on the heavy side) into the aircraft and our pilot Tom fired up the chopper. As the rotors sped up and we lifted off I had the the first three minutes of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon playing in my head: the screaming woman's voice and the chopper's whine synched up and the cymbals crashed in at the moment of liftoff, then the sensation of floating over Kodiak's lush greens and rounded peaks - "Look around, choose your own ground." Only music could describe the ride.

On the trail of a brown bear behind Center Mountain.

The twenty minute flight to the top of Crown Mountain left me hungry for more. (Later I half-jokingly asked Meghan, "could we register at Chugach Powder Guides?") We offloaded our gear and chose a spot to set up camp before quickly gearing up for an evening ski. The views south and west toward the heart of Kodiak Island were spectacular - mountains and a couple of glaciers defined the horizon. After a long run of nearly 2000' vert, we found ourselves at the bottom of a high valley covered in snow. Brown bear tracks and scat left evidence of wildlife activity in the valley. We skied to end of the snow, pleased to be in the shadows as Kodiak has experienced "hot" weather for the last several weeks - a windless 70 degrees. We stuck on our skins and climbed back to the top of Center to prepare dinner and enjoy the sunset - four hours hence.

Mountain chef, guide and morale booster Patrick Saltonstall

Once reaching the summit the group settled in for appetizers (salami), dinner (red beans, rice, cabbage and salami), and drinks (rum, boilermakers and cherry tea). Greg and Patrick cooked up a delicious meal while I listened to the group's tales of adventure in the Kodiak backcountry. Patrick talked of his yearly quests to ski in every month of the year which compelled him to scramble the several miles on foot to the top of Center Mountain during summer months and ski. "Yup, I could climb up here, ski a run and hike back to the road in seven hours," explained Patrick. "I'm glad those days are over." Greg and Lisa carve out time to ski most of the year on the Island and are approaching the "one million vertical feet" mark. Mike, who has logged several hours in a chopper, told me about his appearances in heliskiing movies. "At first it's terrifying, then it becomes addictive, like crack cocaine." Steve and his wife Sharon own and operate Orion's, the only ski shop in town (besides Patrick's barn). Together they have flown many times to Kodiak peaks and Steve was able to describe many of the runs that we could see from our campsite - lots more to ski.

Looking south and enjoying the high life.

Erskine Ski Tour

So far July has been a busy month. Our painting adventure is slowly progressing, yet the summer sun continues to draw us away from the house for outdoor adventures. Take a look at the lineup of activities so far this month: house painting (7/1), surfing at Pasagshak (7/3), kayak trip around Near Island (7/4), downhill ski tour Erskine Mountain (7/5). Although the surfing and paddling have been great, I am most excited about the recent ski tour of Erskine Mountain - a full day adventure that I will not soon forget (watch the video here).

Deep blues, bright greens and soft whites from Kodiak's high alpine

While discussing his recent skiing exploits this summer over dinner Friday evening, Patrick Saltonstall invited me to join him on a ski tour of Mount Erskine. Secretly, I have been pining for a chance to ski Erskine's deep bowls this summer after ogling them from our kitchen window. Patrick, famous for his speed on cross country skis and mountain climbing stamina, is a tenacious outdoor enthusiast. Whether retrieving a mountain goat from a high alpine cliff or, in this case, bushwhacking alder thickets to ski untouched snow, Patrick will let nothing stand in the way of his objective. So, after accepting his invitation I soon became anxious about the logistics of the tour. The climb to ski Erskine would require lots of climbing through thick Kodiak vegetation while carrying both skis and boots. I cast aside my reservations and agreed to meet Patrick at the golf course on the road to Pyramid Mountain. We would drop a car there and drive another to Burma Road to begin the tour.

"Patrick, I thought we were going snow skiing."

When I met Patrick the next morning he was chomping at the bit. We discussed other options for a different route, but then settled on our original plan. Patrick's confidence about the relative ease of the climb assuaged some of my fears - the machete handle poking out of his pack, however, caused a slight tremor in my bones. "We'll only have to use it on the way down, I have a trail cut part of the way." Patrick assured me. Soon, I would be thankful not only for sharp edges on my skis, but also for the sharp edge of Patrick's machete.

Just below the Barometer-Erskine saddle

We left Patrick's red truck and drove past the golf course toward our starting point. It was almost eerie watching twosomes carry their bags to the driving range while we discussed the day's ski tour. After parking and strapping our skis to our packs we began the walk up Burma Road toward Bell's Flats. We left the road after about 35 minutes of walking and climbed toward the saddle between Barometer Mountain and Mount Erskine. Following a trail that Patrick had cut several year's earlier we pushed through alders and salmonberries. While the vegetation was dense, about chest high, we were able to follow the trail's footpath and soon reached a hanging valley. The absence of a well worn footpath, I would soon learn, turns a moderately challenging hike into full-fledged "battle in the bush." In the valley we spotted a brown bear slowly moving to higher ground, keeping an eye on our movements.

Patrick enjoying the view from atop Erskine (the Alaska Peninsula is visible on the horizon)

Patrick and I reached the Barometer-Erskine saddle around 11 am and continued climbing to the top of one of Erskine's four peaks. The views from the top were stunning. To the south Kodiak's snow-white mountains reflected the July sun. The jagged Alaska Penninsula poked up behind Kodiak and Afognak peaks to the west. The north and east offered views of Kodiak's deep blue bays, while a lush green blanket covered the valleys and hills above sea level. We stopped only briefly to admire the view, snap a few pictures and gobble down a PBJ sandwich. Patrick then impelled us to continue on our objective: skiing. We carefully climbed along a scree slope to a large patch of snow lining one of Erskine's bowls. Once reaching the snow we enjoyed soft, yet stable turns to the bottom of the bowl. The opposite side of the bowl offered longer runs so we skinned up to a ridgeline along the rim of the bowl and found nearly 1000' of vertical - skiing until the snow turned to running water. Then the fun really began.

Skinning up to the ridgleline

To reach Patrick's red truck parked near the golf course we slung our skis over our shoulders and Patrick took out his machete. Following the creek fed by the snow we had just skied, Patrick led the way searching for traces of a footpath among the salmonberry, pushkie, alders. Where there was no footpath, where each footfall fell on thick brush, the going was extremely difficult. Our ski boots tangled in the thick vegetation - each step required coordination of the entire lower body. Patrick hacked through the alders as I struggled to remain upright on sidehills. Finding the path provided brief relief from the walking struggle. After nearly two hours of bushwhacking we reached the Buskin Riverbed and its wide open trail system. While the skiing was great, I now value above all, a well maintained trail. Many thanks to Patrick for his route-finding, photography, and enthusiasm in the face of a daunting excursion.

The route to Patrick's truck parked to the left of the lake in the valley below.