July 7
63 miles + 10 in pilot car
Today was an Odyssey. It feels more like two days. We began the morning making the final approach to the Brooks Range. Views were awesome, riding was relatively easy, and we did nearly 19 miles before we got stopped at a construction zone with a pilot car.
The Dalton Highway is continuously undergoing maintenance, as the harsh conditions and permafrost are always breaking down the road. We loaded our bikes into the back of the pilot car and hopped in for a roughly ten mile shuttle. This put us right at the base of the climb to Atigun Pass, the highest highway pass in Alaska at 4800 feet, and the climb culminates with 2 miles of a 12% gradient. We decided to take a break and eat before we took on the climb, and while we were stopped a worker drove past, pulled over, and asked if we wanted breakfast that he want going to eat. So we got some bacon and eggs! Alaskans are so friendly. The climb was brutal indeed but it was over soon enough and then we had a similar descent.
When we finally got to the bottom, we took another break. We didn’t realize we stopped right by an airstrip and watched 4 planes land. One of the pilots came over to say hello and see what we were doing. They were all employees of AK Fish and Wildlife doing a survey on the Dall Sheep population, which has been in severe decline the last few years.
A few more miles and suddenly we saw trees! We’ve officially left the Tundra and entered the Boreal Forest. This, combined with the spectacular scenery, really energized us and we were feeling amazing. We stopped for an early dinner and decided to push on a few more miles. The scenery continued to amaze us.
We kept pushing on to find a decent campsite until we found ourselves exhausted and unable to find anything. So we kept going, and going. On the bright side, we did our biggest day ever, riding over 60 miles. We were dehydrated, hungry, and grouchy by the time we found a place to camp and had our first fight of the trip. It was just a short spat of being irritated with one another, and we felt better once we set up camp.
We are now less than 40 miles from Coldfoot and we will get there 2 days ahead of schedule! We will definitely take a zero to rest and recharge before tackling the southern half of the Dalton. After this long day today, my knee hurts and so does my butt. The second half of the Dalton has a lot more up and down so our cumulative elevation gain will be more than double what it was for this half! At camp, I noticed an owl perched on the very top of a tree nearby. I haven’t even been birding seriously but have still managed to see at least one new bird each day. And that’s not to mention the dozens of birds I’ve seen flying around but simply haven’t gotten a good enough look at to positively identify. I’m glad I brought my binoculars.
New life bird: Snow Bunting, Northern Hawk Owl
