In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
Welcome to my backcountry page.
Some very important stuff for you to bring on your paddling trips.
| TARP | Not necessary to bring but it will make your stay much more comfortable. You can make a good shelter to hang out under in the daytime if it rains. | |
| COOKING POT | A little cooking pot for boiling water and doing some light duty cooking is very important to have, especially if your water filter stops working. | |
| FLASH LIGHT | Always carry two separate light sources with you. If one lamp goes bad you've still got a good one. You need to see stuff around your camp site at night, and sometimes you need a light to see your way home in the dark. | |
| FIRE STARTER | Bring plenty of lighters and matches. Lighters are very small and light so bringing extra ones in case one doesn't work is a very good idea. Without means to make fire you will freeze to death. You can try to make fire like a caveman by spinning a stick against a piece of wood but that is a skill that takes practice to learn and if you don't already have that skill you'll freeze to death before you have it figured out. | |
| SLEEPING PAD | Good quality sleep is very important when your out in the woods, you feel a lot better if you get a good nights sleep. Sleep on something you are very comfortable on. I recommend an air mattress, they weigh a little bit but I think it's worth it. | |
| MULTI PURPOSE TOOL | Some paddlers like Leatherman tools, some like Swiss army knives, but everybody's got one, how' bout you? | |
| STOVE | The Trailstove is such a great stove in every way. It burns wood instead of gas or liquid fuel which means you will never run out of fuel and you don't have too worry about your gas container exploding if you happen to leave it in the sun. |
HOW TO MAKE EMERGENCY SNOWSHOES
1. FIND BRANCHES. Cut down two thickly vegetative branches 2-3 ft long (60-90 cm) from a fir or similar tree.
2. TIE STRING. Tie a string about 2 ft long (60 cm) around the base of the branch at a branching near the cut off end, in the branch.
3. TIE STRING AGAIN. Tie string again around the base but on the opposite side of the branching. This ensures that the string is fixed in any direction.
4. ATTACH TO SHOE. Tie string to the front of your shoe. Make sure it goes through the front shoe lace threading holes. Make sure all ends and sides of the branch are pointing up away from the ground.
5. ANGLE. Your shoe should be able to flip up to an angle of around 30 degrees. This is very important, the snowshoes must pivot around your toes and drag in the back. If the snow shoes don't pivot the front ends will go into the snow and you can't move forwards.
6. WALK. If you have done everything right you will be able to walk on the snow with your emergency snowshoes.
Kotzebue, AK
Cape Krusenstern National Monument is a treeless coastal plain dotted with sizable lagoons and backed by gently rolling limestone hills. Cape Krusenstern's bluffs and its series of 114 beach ridges record the changing shorelines of the Chukchi Sea over thousands of years.
Because the ridges accumulated over time, the earliest ridges lie inland, and the most recently formed ridges near the shore. This unusual series of beach ridges present, in sequence, detailed evidence of an estimated 9,000 years of prehistoric human use of this coastline. Some archeological sites here are older than well-known remains of ancient Greek civilizations on the Mediterranean Sea.
In summer, wildflowers color the beach ridges and nearby hills. Large numbers of migratory birds come from all over the world to Cape Krusenstern to nest. In fall, these migrating birds use the lagoons as feeding and staging areas. Shifting sea ice, ocean currents, and waves continue to form spits and lagoons possessing important scientific, cultural, and scenic values.
Along the outer beaches, Alaska Natives still hunt marine mammals. Local rural residents are allowed to hunt in the Monument. A road to the Red Dog mine crosses the northern boundary. Trucks haul zinc from open pit mines to a tidewater port. Cominco Alaska operates the mine, along with the NANA Regional Corp., a Native corporation based in Kotzebue.
CONTACTS
Email - WEAR_Webmail@nps.gov
Fax- 907-442-8316
Write to
National Park Service
P.O. Box 1029
Kotzebue,
AK 99752
Phone
Headquarters - 907-442-3890
Visitor Information -
907-442-3890
summer Visitor Information - 907-442-3760
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours,
Seasons
Park is open year around. Headquarters office hours 8:00am
to 5:00PM Monday through Friday. Visitor Center 8:00AM to 5:00PM daily,
June through September. Arctic winter conditions - snow, ice, wind, and
below-freezing temperatures exist in the park from October through April.
Temperatures rarely exceed 65 degrees F. in July-August; snow or freezing
temperatures may occur any time.
Getting There
PLANE - Commercial airlines provide service
from Anchorage or Fairbanks to Nome or Kotzebue. There are scheduled
flights to villages and chartered flights to specific park areas. Summer
access may include motorized/non-motorized watercraft, aircraft, or by
foot. Winter access may include snowmobiles, aircraft or by foot.
Weather & Climate
Weather is a central concern to those
planning to visit the park at any time of year. Summer temperatures on the
coast are usually in the low 50?'s F, with mid 60? to 70? with an
occasional period of 80's or 90's in the interior. Average January lows
are -15?F on the coast and -50?F in the interior.
Winds average 8 to 12 mph, but 50 to 70 mph winds commonly accompany storms and produce extremely low and dangerous wind chill factors.
Annual averages are not always good guidelines; in summer, visitors can see snow, near freezing temperatures, and long periods of clouds, wind, and rain.
Summer days are long, almost without darkness; winter days are short, with only a few hours of sunlight.
Any time of year, exposure and hypothermia are real threats to visitors and park personnel. Be prepared.
Accessibility
There are no accessible trails in the park.
Contact charter services to check availability of required services.
Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service