Reindeer Backpacking with Mom

Alright Mom, we could drive to Kennicott and explore around there. We could go backpack around the Tangle Lakes area. We could just relax around the kennel. (Me knowing this isn’t actually an option. Hanging at home inevitably turns into projects for which guests are unknowingly “volunteered.”) Or we could take the reindeer and hike the Chena Dome Loop.

All of my family members have experienced the old “come visit Alaska and get roped into work” trick, so recently, I’ve been trying to set aside time for actual vacation-esque activities. And yes, one could argue that handling for the Yukon Quest at -40F is an exciting vacation activity, so maybe I should clarify a bit more: less Type 3 fun, more Type 2 or perhaps even Type 1.

Let’s hike the Chena Dome Loop! Mom said enthusiastically.

Excellent! The 29-mile Chena Dome Loop had been on my list, and I’ve also been scheming about how to offer expeditions with the reindeer. Here was the perfect opportunity to test it out with a very willing guinea pig: my mother.

After picking Mom up from the airport, we ate lunch, then made all the essential stops to grab food and supplies for our three day, two night backpacking trip. The weather forecast looked promising and barring hordes of mosquitos or unwelcome predators, conditions looked perfect. We decided on the crew- Pilot, Sailor, Cartel, Sasha, and the newest addition to the kennel, little puppy Dune. That evening, we piled all our gear, weighing each item and strategically arranging them for each pack the deer would carry. I’ve been told the deer can each carry 40 pounds, but also, there’s not really a robust deer packing community. Google says that the Tsaatan people of Mongolia ride their reindeer and Tucker gave me this packing book, so that combined with the occasional overnight trip with the reindeer and our previous day hikes made me feel moderately confident in our abilities. Ultimately, we settled on keeping the deer’s packs 30 pounds or less. I’m sure a trail-hardened deer could pack more, but we want this first multi-day to be a fun experience for everyone.

The Chena Dome Loop is actually a horseshoe shape rather than a loop. Derek helped with the shuttle, staging a car at the terminus, then dropping our clown crew off at the Upper Trailhead. I won’t lie, that first day was a little rough. The Chena Dome Trail does not believe in switchbacks. And while hiking straight up a mountain is challenging, what really got us was the heat. Even though the deer are in their summer coats, they prefer to sleep in the shade through the heat of the day, and hiking in the blazing sun directly up a hillside is not where they excel. Over the steepest sections of trail, we were stopping regularly and averaging about one mile per hour. That day, we traveled about 7.5 miles. My skewed mushing brain kept thinking a dog team would cover that distance in like 45 minutes. I actually struggled this winter with re-calibrating my brain while skiing too. Dogs are just amazing. I will always be slower.

At camp, we filtered water from the small puddles, picketed the deer out in a patch of tasty forage, and settled in for what I hoped would be a restful night. I should have known better. Dune took a nap from 7:00 - 9:00 PM, then like a husky on a race, she bounced back up ready to tackle the next leg of the journey. No Dune, we now sleep for 10 hours. I zipped her out of the tent and she romped around camp until about 3:00 AM when she finally decided it was time for another nap and insisted on being back in the tent. The night continued like that. Unzip, zip, unzip, zip, unzip, zip. The next million dollar idea is a silent tent zipper. I thought it would be the deer who would keep me awake, but they settled down and relaxed tranquilly all night long.

For much of the next day, we lived in the clouds. The deer loved the cooler temperatures and motored right along all day. While I enjoyed the cooler temperatures, I would have appreciated a bit more visibility. We were crossing the actual Chena Dome that day and even though the trail just follows the ridgeline, we did manage to lose it for a bit. The trail is marked by cairns, and when the trail is enveloped in a cloud, it would be nice to have twice as many cairns as there are currently. We took a slight deviation at the top of the Dome which resulted in us stumbling around through the rocks for awhile. When we finally found the trail again, Mom would proceed slowly, always checking that she could see the previous cairn over her shoulder. I’d hike faster in what seemed like the most likely direction, always making sure I could see Mom over my shoulder, until I could spot the next cairn, then holler back and say- I see it! For the most part, the cairns were spaced the length of two-people’s eyesight, if that makes sense.

Eventually, we descended below the clouds, and that evening, we stopped for camp at a shelter cabin. Mom opted to sleep in the cabin to hopefully get a better night sleep. I set the tent up on the porch, so I could keep an eye on the deer. Dune once again came alive at night, so while it was less than the first night, there was still constant unzip and zip action.

With the next day forecast to be sunny, we woke up early to beat the heat. Yes, our heat is only 75-80F, but for whatever reason, it feels like 100F! The final day was glorious. Lots of vertical climbing and descending. Big vistas. Pilot was a rockstar. Sailor was a plodder and made sure to never miss a mushroom on the side of the trail. Dune was a trooper- working hard then napping even harder during our breaks. Overall, the adventure was a SUCCESS. Reindeer backpacking trips are definitely on the horizon for Chena Outdoor Collective, and like my 1000-mile races, I feel so fortunate that my mom was there for the adventure!