# Alsek Tatshenshini 2017 trip advice



## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

Bear Spray! Lots and lots of Bear Spray.


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## [email protected] (Jun 1, 2010)

Electric fence, see video


https://youtu.be/Sv2G-aRDvyY


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

Cloudburst Productions puts out an excellent guide book that will answer just about all your questions. Stan Boor rents gear out of Haines if you stage your trip there. Not sure about Whitehorse, Yukon. I liked renting the twin turbo Hawker on my first trip, plenty of room for everyone's gear and 15 people, but that's only if you stage out of Whitehorse.

Both trips I've been on were about $1200. Per person with 15 peeps, though we didn't rent gear. That included paying mileage and the drivers expenses to haul everything up there and back.

I brought my Chota knee high boots and was happy I did. Bring quality rain gear, more food than you would normally--people eat more when it's cold.

If you go out of Haines, you can preorder food supplies in advance of your trip at the grocery store there.




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## washoe99 (Mar 11, 2011)

I too have a Aug 2017 permit (Aug 20). Probably hauling gear up from Salmon, Boise, Missoula and Helena. Maybe we could coordinate gear up or back?


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## Treswright3 (May 20, 2013)

washoe99 said:


> I too have a Aug 2017 permit (Aug 20). Probably hauling gear up from Salmon, Boise, Missoula and Helena. Maybe we could coordinate gear up or back?


My take out is for Aug 21st, so yea, we can coordinate. Im in Colorado and dont know if anyone in my group wants to drive up there so I might be renting rafts/gear. But Ill message you, Tres


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

Treswright3 said:


> This trip has been a dream of mine for a while and I finally scored a permit for Aug. 2017. So now is the time when I have to start working out the details and figuring out cost so that I can get a few friends together to drop some cash and time to make this trip a reality. I have done some research and will be pouring through previous threads and other internet knowledge this week but I still thought I would throw this up here. Thanks in advance for any info.
> 
> Im looking for advice and information that will help me plan this trip. More specifically:
> 
> ...



It might help either you or Washoe99 to plan your trip by inviting me!


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## wamsley (Feb 28, 2011)

I only ran the Tat, not the Alsek, but somethings are all the same in the end.

I know its not legal for the trip, but I'd bring a shotgun. We never had a bear incident, but we did have them in and around our camps.... we had bear spray but looking back on the trip, I wish we had it. Maybe I'm wrong on that thought, dunno....


Bring serious cold wet gear. Dry suits and lots of layers. We brought fly fishing chest waders for hanging around camp on rainy days as well. That was a good piece of gear. I'd bring a couple cheap plastic ponchos as back up, extra rain proofing as well.

We always collected firewood as we floated, just in case we got to a camp where drift wood was scarce. It was never needed, but would of sucked to get to camp on a rainy day and not have wood.

I would bring a gill net and try to catch a few salmon with it. Is that legal? I dunno, so check first, but I reckon you can get a fresh fish or two. Way too silty to fish the main river. We never hiked the creeks to fish, maybe should of, but bears and laziness win sometimes.

Be sure to lay over at the lake. The icebergs are amazing. Being on the Alsek first, you'll have a different experience than our trip, but I still think that floating around the icebergs would be amazing even after doing some more intense whitewater.

Did I mention bears... do everything you can to be bear safe.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

You could try to bring a firearm. Wouldn't that suck if you got caught though. Everyone's trip could be over. Canada has a very strict stance on firearms. They are not allowed in the world heritage park.

On 3 rafting trips, we never had any issues with habituated brown bears. Saw dozens of bears.

Keep in mind that Canada also has VERY strict rules on allowing ex felons and convicted dui peeps in.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

On a chitna, copper trip, someone legally brought a shotgun. But that wasn't in a park. He also filed the proper paperwork. 

When you cross the border into AK, or from Canada into the US, customs do not fuck around. I would never chance bringing in a weapon, or marijuana, etc.

You're prison time may vary...




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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

I'd also be very interested in going again on this river trip again. It's been 10 years, and I've been wanting to get back up there. Regardless, let me know if I can be of help.


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

If you are determined to bring a gun, you can legally do it by shipping it to an FFL dealer in AK where you know you can pick it up. It's especially easier if it is a long-gun. (shotgun)


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

No matter which way you go you will still pass through Canadian customs and border enforcement on the way to the put in. If you feel the need to take a firearm this will need to be declared upon entry. Travelling from Haines you check in with US border control on the way to the put in to get your reentry paperwork validated before you go through Canadian customs. Kind of weird but that is the way it works. 
As stated before any felony or DUI conviction is grounds for denial of entry into Canada.


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## daveb1 (Jul 18, 2008)

We also scored a 2017 Tat/Alsek permit, take out August 5. We're most likely going to rent gear from Stan in Haines, and have a choice of bucket boats or self bailers. For those of you that have floated the Tat, do you have any experience or opinions on bucket boats vs. self bailers? Thanks


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

Waters cold so having a dry floor is nice, plus more flotation. There's really only 1 day of rapids--the first.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

It can get very shallow when the channel braids out, as mentioned more flotation with a self bailer and less chance of floor damage if you drag, which you most likely will at some point.

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## Alaskajim (Apr 5, 2011)

Here's a link to Couldburst. The Complete Guide to the Tatshenshini River | Cloudburst Productions - you can also get the book from Amazon. 

Recommend against firearm. I live in Alaska and bear spray will do you fine. We saw a number of bears - really big effing bears - some in/around camp - no unfriendly encounters but be prepared. 

We took layover at Walker - camp "A". All nice camps but A is higher. We also had layover at The Dunes - very nice - the parade of icebergs was remarkable. We had high water and took Door #3. Have a great trip.


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## washoe99 (Mar 11, 2011)

We have a mid -August takeout permit. One question that has come up is if Dry suits are necessary. We use them for April /May MT and ID cataraft whitewater but not sure about up there in August in rafts


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

I can't speak directly to the temp on the Tat. But after guiding for a couple seasons on a Glacier fed river in AK here are my thoughts: Not many people swim from boats in class III big water, a few swim in class IV. For those that do the coldness of the water is a huge issue. We put 100% of our commercial clients in dry suits - even on the class II/III sections. Heart attacks, cold water shock (including dry drowning), and hypothermia are real issues in water that cold. A solid combination of neoprene and/or semi-dry gear could also work. Plan on a water temp in the mid-upper 30's and daytime highs anywhere from the 40's with rain to the 70's with sunshine. Personally i wouldn't take anyone who did have at least a semi dry top and good splash or semi dry pants and lots of layers to wear under those. 

I would also recommend a rain hat with space for a wool/fleece hat underneath for comfort on rainy days. While I'm giving advice both neoprene gloves and socks that are fully seam sealed make a night and day difference vs the normal non seam sealed ones. "Muck" boots, aka cement boots are great to have in camp for loading/unloading boats and just keeping the feet warm and dry in general.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

I spent 2 of the toughest days I have ever experienced in over 40 years of boating on the Tat in August a few years ago. The day above Alsek lake we had horizontal rain and at least 30 mile per hour winds. I had a Gore Tex dry suit and didn't suffer nearly as much as the people who just had splash gear and rain suits. 
We had serious rain 8 days out of 13 and Alsek lake rose over 3 feet in the two days we laid over there. They gauged over 8 inches of rain at Dry Bay in 3 days.
I would not go up there without a dry suit. Some people say that Gore Tex doesn't perform well in Alaska and opt for rubberized rain gear. I found that my dry suit kept a lot warmer and dryer than most of the other folks on the trip. 
If you have dry suits bring them, not so much for the rapids, which are class 3 at the best, but for the weather.


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## wildh2onriver (Jul 21, 2009)

I've never brought nor worn a wet or drysuit on the 2-14 day Tat trips that I've been on. Had warm layers and good quality rain gear and myself and family were warm and dry. The rapids are on the first day and didn't pose any real threat of potential swims for my family in the boats I rowed at those water levels.

One boatman in our group hit a rock and had a 5-6' tear in his cat tube. We ended up patching it with a spare paco pad as we didn't have enough pvc material. That patch held up the entire trip.

My rain gear consisted of goretex rain pants and my Simms fly fishing shell. My family wore good quality rubberized rain gear and synthetic under-layers. We also wore Chota rubber and neoprene knee high boots which worked excellent both on the boat, and while working in camp if it was raining.

Our sweep boatman flipped on one of the S-turn features, which is pretty hard to do, but that's another story which was epic.

Fyi, bring strap over your hiking boots crampons for Walker Glacier. You will be amazed at how well they work while exploring the ice. 






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## paulster (May 27, 2011)

I've done one Alsek and one Tat trip. My conclusions:
Stan and Kate Boor for boats, ride to put in, food, and advice
I've used Yakutat Coastal Airlines and Fly Drake. Both great.
Don't plan to get all your food in Haines unless you make pre-arrangements. The grocery store only gets so much food per week
Rubber boots. I like Bogs
I don't see a need for a gun. But I don't feel a need to carry one at home to be safe, either.
I've had great success with fleece under a medium quality rubber rain suit. I have a dry suit now, though and would take it instead or along with. On both trips we needed to get people in the water for some boar wrangling at camps at on gravel bars - it was really helpful to have part of the group in dry suits.
Plan on a couple of overhead tarps and a big fire every night
Bucket boats work fine and are a lot easier to get into a plane. Water splashing around in the bilge is not a big deal if you are wearing rubber boots.
For an Alsek trip, get good beta on the 2 significant rapids. Easy and important to sneak. Also get good beta on where to stop to stage for the portage. That was stressful for us as it feels really close to the mouth of Turnback. 
Lay over at Walker Glacier. You are not (or at least were not) allowed to lay over at Walker and Alsek Lake, but we camped close enough to Alsek lake to hike there and layed over at that point too.
Carry a couple of paddles in each oar rig. When sharing windy flatwater with icebergs, you want all the speed you can get.
Take a tent that you have great confidence in staying dry.
Get Pat Pellet's sat number if he is still at Dry Bay to talk about AT shuttles - the channels change and sometimes (maybe always now?) that is the only way you can get to the airport unless portaging your gear a few miles seems reasonable. If you go that route, get the GPS coordinates for the take out. I missed it the first time (major problem).
Take as much time as you can afford. It won't be enough to take it all in. I think my Alsek trip was about 16 days and the Tat was 12 or so. The current is really fast, but the wind, scenery, and hikes can slow things down a lot. 
You might get stuck at Dry Bay for a bit.

Both rivers have complicated logistics, potential for ferocious weather, and mind-blowing scenery. The boating is generally easy but the conditions can challenge your skills in all kinds of ways. It ain't no desert river. Have fun.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

From the regulations page: 

*E. *There is no limit on trip length. Camping is restricted to one night at each of the following areas: Walker Glacier, the Alsek Lake Peninsula/Spit, and Gateway Knob; except you may camp an extra night at *one *of these three sites. This restriction is in place to lessen the impact on these popular areas.


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## washoe99 (Mar 11, 2011)

Thanks for the advise. Drysuits primarily for the weather make sense given the range of potential conditions


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*Alsek Recommendations*

I am more of an occasional lurker on this website, but with this post i can actually contribute with some dialogue. I may break my responses up into multiple sections. I ran the Alsek late last season, one of the most exciting trips of my life. Would love to run it again....

My recommendations are *PLAN for the worst, HOPE for the best*...... It's just you and the wilderness. You better be able to handle any situation on your own. We planned for the worst case and pretty much lived through it (explained below), without too may worries. We still had lots of fun and could laugh about it. Fortunately we also had lots of coffee and hot chocolate to stay warm. Flow was pretty high, so on "on the water time" was cut down. This allowed time for hot breakfasts in the morning. 

These are my recommendations:

DRY SUITS- mandatory (kinda like a seatbelt- probably don't need it, until you do) We lived in our dry suits due to weather issues. It rained every single day for 3 weeks, well actually it snowed the first 3 days. You need a good polypro & fleece layering system to wear underneath. I poached my dry suit off Ebay for under $300 (need a little patience, but you can get great deals). 
I strongly recommend wearing dry suits thru the major rapids. One of the rafts hit the BIG hole at the bottom right on Lava North, (he didn't go over but it wasn't pretty). You should also look up the story of the Idaho family that flipped in Lava North and weren't wearing dry suits, sad outcome, you have minutes to react. 
Lessons to take away- everyone should be in a dry suit thru the major rapids, every raft should have basic provisions to live on your own, plus have GPS and Satellite phone for emergency communications.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*Alsek Recommendations p2*

TENT- double wall (needs to be able to handle heavy rain & wind)
I used a Cabala's Alaskan 4 man tent with 10in tent (nail) stakes (good gravel stakes). I use this tent for camping and hunting. It rained putting the tents up and taking them down, so everything got wet. Single wall backpacking tents didn't work well, condensation rolls down the walls and get sleeping bags and clothes wet. I use a roll-a-cot to get up off floor. They also work great on my back. Also consider a single burner, 1 pound bottle Mr Buddy heater to dry things out after you first setup the tent.

Pavilion/ Dinner RAIN FLY- 
You need a BOMBER Rain Fly for meals (breakfast & supper). You need bomber Gravel Stakes, not sand stakes. I bought anchor stakes from Home Depot- 18in x 3/4in, $3/each, painted tops orange, also 2.5lb small sledge hammer, used 4 on Rain fly and 1 to anchor each of my rafts. These are heavy weightwise but worth it. I swear we had 50mph wind storms, every other night.

Raft ANCHOR STAKE for gravel (don't need your sand stakes)
Get a couple of concrete form anchor stakes from Home Depot 3/4in x 18in (as discussed previously). One should have 2 point tie-downs. I'm not a fan of tying all of the rafts together plus single anchor points. 

HeavyDuty FIRE PAN- you need to burn garbage EVERY night, something about bears (more on that later). Get rid of your garbage, smells and all scraps, NO leftovers unless they are properly stored in coolers which are stored on the rafts. Smash all tin cans with sledge hammer & store in a rocket box 

Tarp and FireWood
Have 2 or 3 rafts collect dry firewood as you're going down the river. I like using a tyvek tarp & a couple of long cam straps to bundle firewood on the back of the raft (a duffel bag will get trashed). You need to burn garbage every night. Fortunately, we stocked up heavy on firewood supplies on day one.

Rain Suits- We did have a few days with SUCK HOLES, where the sun tried to break thru the clouds. We jumped out of the Dry Suits and into Rain Suits with Muck Boots (or similar). Really good quality goretex suits work fine, but the goretex needs to be new or treated (reconditioned).

Rain Hat- i picked up a neoprene helmet liner w/ earflaps to wear under my river hat. You need something waterproof.

Gloves- you are going to need fleeced lined, sealed neoprene gloves I've seen some of the guides wear the big rubber cleaning gloves w/ liners inside, anything waterproof and warm works.

Rescue Gear- you need a basic Z-drag system and how to use it. There are lots of dead trees in the river, some below water line. High flow events dumps lots more trees in the river.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*Alsek Recommendations, p3*

Advice- Reading the river for Braiding Channels 
"Stick to the feeders, not the bleeders". The feeders gain water and the bleeders are drainers that splinter off, leaving you high and dry. If it's not a feeder, its a bleeder!! This will be the challenge- how many times one has to get out and push raft back out of a dead-ended channel. 

Icebergs- be aware of roll-overs
Blue Icebergs have recently rolled over and are SAFE, avoid large white icebergs what could flip at anytime, they are dangerous.

Water- Alum and/or Water Wizard for River Runners (can get at gcpba.com)
Take plenty of Alum to clarify water for washing daily. We fortunately never had to worry about it, we set out our 5gal buckets each night and they were all filled to the brim by morning.

Satellite Phone Rental- mandatory
Get a rental sat phone!! (yeah it may cost a couple of hundred bucks, but don't go cheap here). It's your #1 communication source for emergencies, plus coordinating with helicopter and bush plane pickup. It's not uncommon for storms and fog to force you to reschedule pickups & pickups.

GPS Garmin- pre-mark the major rapids using Google Earth Pro (great resolution), plus all major features (turnback canyon, alsek lake, takeout, all campsites, etc. You can set your GPS to alarm when approaching your waypoints. It really saved our bacon due to socked in weather and not being able to see reference points.(like mountains). 

Guide Book- Cloudburst Productions- Complete Guide to the Tatshenshini River (also covers the full Alsek), read it, multiple times. Where are also some great youtube videos on the Alsek, plus Helicopter views on Turnback Canyon

Rapids- research ahead of time, have a game plan
Sam’s Rapids- don't miss the sneak cut back to the right
Lava North- scout

Turnback Canyon- 
talk to your helicopter pilot before hand on how he wants things laid out for the long haul portage

Alsek Lake- we got lucky on our trip where several weeks previously, another mega rain storm washed out most of the icebergs. I actually ran the "channel of death" just to say that i had, but it wasn't a big problem. Just a long way around with NO current, but I loved rafting amongst the icebergs.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*Alsek Recommendations, p4*

Jumpoff Point
We all gathered in Whitehorse, since most were flying in. We had our rafting gear driven up. We bought groceries in Whitehorse (great places to shop). The helicopter and bush plane services were based out of Whitehorse.

Charter Helicopter and Planes: 

Note- Declare all hazardous materials. We put all bear spray & flares into a rocker box, plus gathered up all 20# propane bottles, the helicopter pilot strapped these things down to his exterior back board. 
For the bush plane, vent all propane from bottles, then they put rocket box with maze and flares in rear of plane.

Trans North- helicopter Bell206L3, 6-passenger

Air North- bush plane, twin engine prop, Hawker Siddeley 748
we spend 3 hours draining all water from puddles so that the plane could land using 5gal buckets & shovels

ATV Transport (It's a No Brainer, worth the money) Pat Pellett, Dry Bay Shuttle.	

Left-over Food from Trip
Clean out your coolers and dry boxes of all food. We gave our food away to the NPS Park Rangers and to Pat Pellett. They are extremely happy for any donations.

CUSTOMS-
Since we are rafting from Canada into Alaska you need to technically first go thru US Customs. So we drove to Haines, Alaska to go thru US Customs, then turned around to come back thru CA Customs. Whatever you do, don't bring your produce and meats with you. Even though you just bought food in Whitehorse, US & CAN Customs will try and take it (even with receipts). When trip was complete, bush plane flew us back to Whitehorse, again thru CA Customs.
Note- you can't pickup and bring back Moose Antler Sheds


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*GRIZZLY BEARS, p5*

I love bears... You need to be bear aware on this trip. There are both grizzly and black bears, everywhere and they can show up at any minute. Most are just curious and checking things out, and of course looking for a free meal. We never had a close encounter, although we did come around a rock outcropping with grizzly bear forging not 25 ft away. That startled us, bear just slowly picked his head up. On most of the grizzly sightings, the bears scampered off, once they saw or smelled us.

The following recommendations need to be reviewed by everyone and everyone needs to agree to follow the rules. Just one or two people not following the rules could have serious consequences. 

These are my grizzly bear recommendations:

1) Bears have a readily available food source- salmon. Salmon spawn and die, so there's both live and dead fish for bears to feast on in the river. Bears are not after you, they are just curious and love to check everything out (just like a dog). They are looking for an easy meal, that's what they do.
WATCH out for several eagles and/or seagulls (closer to coast) which will indicate a salmon feast. WATCH OUT for BEARS feeding nearby, stay a ways off from the river banks. I saw bears on several of these occasions.

2) Runway (not run away)
Grizzlies run up and down the river all the time, we either saw bear tracks in the mud, nearly every morning in front or in behind camp. GIVE THEM SPACE (75ft+) between your rafts and your pavilion and tents. We moved our camp closer to the trees to use as a wind break, so allow a buffer zone with no gear.

3) Tents- Perimeter Markers
Keep tents fairly close together in one location. NO food in tents. This also includes anything with a scent that would smell like food (leave these in an ammo can on the rafts)- toiletries (tooth paste, deodorants, cologne, soaps, shampoos, etc.), sunscreen, lip balm, etc.
Also each afternoon after the tents are setup, especially up and down river, guys need to mark trees and bushes with their human scent (kinda like the dog marking his territory). You need to deter the bear walking thru camp.

4) Garbage- burn every night. One of the most important things you can do to keep bears out of camp.

5) Dry boxes and coolers, leave on rafts
I prefer leaving ALL food on the rafts in the coolers and dry boxes. Then bring up what's for dinner that night. We had a kitchen dry box that was brought up each night with cooking supplies. 
CLEAN UP camp after supper, wash and put away ALL utensils. Wash tables down with clorox wipes.
Even though you maybe cooking breakfast in the morning, put everything away in bear proof containers (dry boxes and cooler). Don't just put food stashes up high on the table. Also put away your coffee and cocoa.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*GRIZZLY BEARS, p6*

GRIZZLY BEARS, p6
5) Electric Bear Fence
I had built an electric bear fence for this trip. Its easy to do, in the west, just go to your local CalRanch or Tractor Supply. Ranchers use them for cattle, horse and sheep. I built mine small (15ft dia) to put food, dry boxes and coolers inside. Hindsight, I should have built it large enough to go around the Pavilion. This is where we spent the majority of our time.
Note- get hot pink flagging tape. Place tape between posts on the electrical wire and tie them in a bow. Bears are curious and will be attracted to the pink looking flowers and will mouth it. POW, the bears get shocked where it hurts most. They have good memories and will hopefully in future to stay away from camps.

6) Bear Spray- mandatory, everyone needs to carry bear spray with them all the time. 
NOTE- you should BUY bear spray in CANADA. Something about clearing Customs with approved chemicals (Capsaicin < 1.0%) as listed by Canadian Pest Control Act. If its listed as a pesticide it is okay, However if it can be considered mace to use on people its against Canadian Firearms Prohibition Order and is considered a prohibited weapon. Pepper Spray must be declared with Customs. Also bear sprays has an expiration date.
On River- Get in the habit of carrying it everywhere you go. A holster and clip works great to attach to you belt.
NOTE- you can't carry bear spray or fireworks (bear bangers) on airliners. This is a problem with the helicopter portage and bush plane ride out. 
We coordinated and put all of our spray in a rocket box for transport, includes the flare gun & flares.

7) Hiking- groups of three
Hike in a minimum group of three, however the more the merrier. Make lots of noise. Plus always leave at least one person in camp (that stays awake) to deter bears from wandering into camp. 

8) Noise Makers- scare bears
If you encounter a bear, scare it out of camp. I always carried a Fox40 whistle around my neck, at all times. Plus we always had a couple of the air canister air horns in camp.

9) Road Flares- scare bears
I bought a packet of 6 road flares for emergencies at a truck stop. This can also be used to signal planes or copters, start a fire in a rain storm or to scare away bears coming into camp. 

10) CAMPS- designated camp sites
Note- The Yukon requires you to camp only at designated campsites. Their philosophy is that the bears will learn and leave these campsite areas for people.

12) Future Regs- Mandatory electric bear fences??
Check on newest regulations. Yukon and British Columbia are talking about mandating electric bear fences. However, they want them to their specifications. Their specs are more like a 9 wire snow fence and mega battery which can be rolled up and stashed into a jumbo duffel bag. I don't particularly agree with their philosophy and there are a dozen different perspectives on building a fence.

13) FUTURE concerns- If Bear Problems
The first time grizzly bears get into someones garbage or cooler, there will be major consequences. We see this with Black Bears in the west. A fed bear, will end up a dead bear. 
I will bet that the governments controlling the Alsek River will shut down ALL RAFTING to protect the bears. No HUMANS allowed.... That would be a SAD DAY. Alaska has an estimated 30,000 brown bears statewide.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*GRIZZLY BEARS, p7*

14) Weapon of Choice
Handguns are extremely difficult to bring into Canada. I would not recommend smuggling one in unless you want to spend your entire vacation in jail. What I decided the most effective weapon would be is a flare gun. 

I decided on a WWII 26.5mm signal flare pistol. There are several varieties available on the internet. Which ever one you buy, get one with a trigger guard for safety reasons. i like the the H&K P2A1. You also need 26.5mm Red Signal Flares (single or "red rain" which is the 3 star bust). 
These flares ignite at 376 degF can burn as hot as 2,900 degF. These aren't toys and could kill a bear at close range. Also get a thigh, hip or under shoulder holster. 
Another smaller & cheaper option is the Orion 12-Gauge Launcher and Red Flare/Aerial Signal.

NOTE: During any discussions with the Border Security, National Park Services, Alaska Fish & Game, Coast Guard, or Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this is a signaling device and is required by coast guard for all small watercraft. NEVER, ever call it a weapon or firearm. 

NOTE: INSERT- Do NOT purchase a conversion insert to convert the 26.5mm to a 12gauge shotgun shell or 45 Long Colt/ .410 shotgun ammo. 
It now is classified as a weapon or firearm and if caught you will end up in jail. Also the transport of ammunition is restricted on all airlines.

ALSO NOTE: If you up the fire power too much (lets say use a 12 gauge slug with an insert in a 26.5mm flare gun), you will likely break your wrist. There are many disaster videos on YouTube on this subject, check them out.


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## raftfreak (Feb 12, 2013)

*GRIZZLY BEARS, p8*

15) If Attacked by Grizzly- Fight Back
Rules of engagement have changed on grizzlies and they should now be treated like black bear encounters. Fight Back, unless its a sow with cubs. In Alaska, grizzles are challenging fisherman for their catch of salmon and Fish & Game are now saying "Stand Your Ground". Alaska Fish & Game website has some great recommendations. Also they have a great video clip on "How to judge the sex and age of grizzly bears".

if Attacked by sow grizzly bear with cubs- PLAY DEAD The number one threat to grizzly cubs is another male grizzly bear, who will kill the cubs to bring the female back into heat. Cubs stay with their mother for 3 seasons, so she is constantly fighting off other male grizzlies. If confronted by female grizzly with cubs, try to back away slowly and leave the area. Don't make direct eye contact. If charged, get down into fetal position with hands clasped behind neck. The sow grizzly will eliminate the threat, if you play dead hopefully she will move on. She may paw you and try & roll you over to determine your sex (are you a male threatening to kill her cubs?). If she continues the attack- attempt the bear gag reflex counter attack (see below).

What do you do in Hand to Hand combat with a grizzly bear?
Grizzly attacks are on the rise, largely due to more and more grizzly bears plus more mountain bikers in the woods.
So what do you do if a grizzly bear attacks (kinda like the question "if you are attacked by a shark, what do you do"- go for the gills and eyes. On the Grizzly Bear, JAM your FIST down their THROAT. Bears have a gag reflex and will hopefully spit you out and run off. 

Anybody watch the movie- "The Revenant", with Leonardo DiCaprio?? Not sure if you want to watch it before the Alsek River Trip, it has a very realistic grizzly bear attack scene. Obviously he hadn't heard about the bear gag reflex advise.

The above recommendations aren't meant to scare anybody off, but its something you ought to think about in the event you are scratching your head asking "What should I do? Anyway, these are my suggestions in case i am confronted nose to nose with a grizzly gear.

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Sorry about the rambling mini-novel, but hope it helps the 3 Alsek trips heading out this summer
Ask questions and hopefully i can help you out

Stay SAFE my friend...................

RAFTFREAK
Aaron


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## tmacc (Sep 6, 2009)

I know this is a thread from last year , but we launch 7/3/18 and take off 7/14. Lots of great info here. Thanks


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## Treswright3 (May 20, 2013)

I was the one who started this thread and since I just did the trip last Aug, I would be happy to fill you in on anything you need to know. Its a very different river from anything else. Anyway, feel free to contact me and we can talk on the phone if you still have any questions. Tres


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