Here are a few photos from the morning after we recovered in the Alpine Creek Lodge. After returning to the site of my raft flip to take a closer look at the cross-current and search thoroughly for the remaining meat, we drove back to Fairbanks via Cantwell.

We learned many lessons on this trip from what was done right, and what went wrong or could have:

  • Don't trust topo maps in steep places.
  • Be very careful of strong cross-currents.
  • Run straps through loops in everything.
  • Keep dry clothes in a very secure drybag. They're worth the weight.
  • Wear a good foam life vest (my inflatable one never inflated) with survival gear in zippered pockets.
  • Float the river without a round in the chamber. (I did this, and was glad.)

This trip could have had an ugly end if disaster hadn't chosen such a convenient place to strike.

View the next morning of the cross-current where my raft flipped
View the next morning of the cross-current where my raft flipped

Close-up of the cross-current
Close-up of the cross-current

Dad standing on the bridge looking for any trace of the meat bag
Dad standing on the bridge looking for any trace of the meat bag


Panoramic view of the Clearwater Mountains the morning after we
Panoramic view of the Clearwater Mountains the morning after we


Glaciers on the upper Susitna viewed on our drive back to Fairba
Glaciers on the upper Susitna viewed on our drive back to Fairba