As I arrived to the turnoff for Alaska Route 10 to Chitina and the start of McCarthy Road it was already raining lightly and it looked dark and very iffy to the east. It’s about 17 miles to Chitina and then about 60 miles on the gravel/dirt to the town of McCarthy. I was debating if I should wimp out due to the rain and uncertainly of the road condition when wet. After the episode on the Canol – dropping the bike and having to deal with getting it back upright by myself, I’m having negative thoughts. This road should have more vehicles due to the attraction of visiting McCarthy and the Kennecott Mines, but I actually wasn’t sure what to expect. The DR650 I rode up here last year was probably 250 pounds lighter the this 1100. I could just pop off the duffle off the tailback and fairly easily get it back up by myself. My back is finally starting to feel better and I don’t want to screw it up again.
I decided to run to Chitina and go from there. When I got to Chitina I decided to go for it and headed out into the light rain. The speed limit on the road is 35mph and honestly probably went even slower through most of it as there are many very sharp turns. I never really lost traction but certain spots looked slick and much of it was very rough with washboards and potholes. The potholes are a bit hard to judge when they are full of water. I took some pretty good hits that I wasn’t really ready for. I decided to stand up to better balance out the suspension. Soon the rain let up a bit and had periods of sunshine peeking through the clouds. The Kuskulana River Bridge most definitely got my heart racing and adrenaline flowing. It’s over 100 years old, 775 feet long and vertigo inducing 238 feet above the bottom of the gorge. I was glad to be over it but already thinking about having to go back over it again on the way back.
I made it to the end of the road, parked the bike and hiked into town across the footbridge. The bridge for vehicles is private and only can be used by residents of the town. I grabbed a coffee and ate a couple of bananas I bought earlier and made off for the return trip to back to Highway 4. The bridge was just as scary the second time but I focused my vision forward this time so was able to keep a better line with the bike. Still was glad again when it was over. I continued on enjoying the winding and undulating track when in the smooth sections and cursing it when it returned to the washboarded and potholed rough sections. There has definitely been more vehicles on this road but I only ran into one motorcyclist on a KTM 990, originally from Argentina but currently living in LA. He was heading out to McCarthy as I was coming back but we both stopped to chat for a bit.
Six hours after making the right turn onto Route 10, I was back at the same spot, this time turning right to head north. I really enjoyed this ride and glad I went through with it. All the dirt tracks I have ridden in Alaska and the Yukon come with incredible scenery with each having its own identity and its own version of naturally created beauty. McCarthy is more like the Canol than any of the others I have ridden. Both McCarthy and the Canol are pretty narrow with zero shoulder and have long sections through thick forest and tall brush areas. I didn’t see a single wild animal out or back on McCarthy Road but expected something to jump into the road around every curve. On the Canol I saw several Moose and Deer and a one bear. McCarthy should be a can’t miss for anyone on a proper bike with tires that can handle some dirt. It’s an extremely remote area in an already remote state so be prepared. As I turned north, I knew I had another decision to make in about 30 miles.
The Tok Cutoff is the most direct route back to Tok. The longer way is to continue up Highway 4 and then drop back down the Alcan. It is roughly double the distance to go around but on decent chip seal and tarmac. I had heard from several other travelers that the Tok Cutoff was totally destroyed and they had hated every minute of the trek. The guy I talked to the other day said he would absolutely go around if he had to do it again despite the two extra hours of travel. It looked dark and raining up the Cutoff so decided to keep heading north and go around. 20 minutes later I came around a corner into a wall of low dark clouds. I pulled over to gear up and get my heated liner and controller out as I was about to get wet and cold. Just a few minutes later it started to rain and didn’t stop until over 3 hours later – about 25 miles north of town. At times it was pouring and I had a hard time keeping my shield from fogging so I had to keep the speeds down.
I arrived in Tok a little after 9pm and after stopping for another salad bar at Fast Eddy’s, headed to Thompson’s Eagle Claw Campground to spend the night. I hoped there would be one of the eclectic structures available so I didn’t have to pitch a tent. I dried out a bit in the last 15 miles but not completely. The jacket and Helmut were super damp when I put them back on after dinner. I pulled in and did a loop through the camp and found it deserted so had my pick of anything. There is a tent cabin, and a tepee – dry, but both would let in mosquitoes so I would have to burn the provided coil stick repellents. There is a converted ambulance that was sealed enough to keep the bugs out – but that seemed like a bad omen so passed on that. There is a private little cabin, but $40 – the most expensive option. All the other shelter options are $25 except the bunkhouse cabin and school bus bunkhouse with both communal and $15 per bed. I chose the bunkhouse cabin knowing I would have it all to myself for only $15. The small cabin had two bunk beds, a comfortable couch and a little propane heater.
As I opened the left box with my camping gear, I found the inside soaking wet. It seems that I had closed the top hatch on top of the metal zipper for the lid bag leaving a gap in the rubber seal that faced forward. The rain had made its way into my pannier soaking everything. I took all the soggy gear out and poured an inch of water out of the box. Now I was even more grateful I had a roof and some heat. It was still full on daylight at 10:30pm despite the overcast skies. I started reading hoping my sleeping bag would dry to a bit – and after 2 hours it did not. It was almost 1am so I climbed into the wet bag and fell asleep to be awakened by rain on the metal roof about an hour later. It ended up raining on and off most of the night and into the morning so I’m glad I didn’t have to pitch a wet tent on top of sleeping in a wet bag.
This morning I woke up early and took my time getting packed while enjoying some camp stove coffee. Since it was raining and cold I was in no hurry to get back on the bike. I didn’t end up riding away until almost two hours later and decided I was going to head back towards the border and the Yukon Territory. The constant rain in Alaska is taking it’s toll on my mood so I think I need to try to find some better weather.
I’m now at Fast Eddies grabbing a quick bite, double checking weather forecasts, and accommodations down the trail and updating the blog using their wifi. I just booked a room at the Wild North B&B in Whitehorse – a hostel type place where you get your own bedroom but share bath, kitchen and living areas. It had received good reviews and was the cheapest option in Whitehorse. It’s not raining at the moment but looks like it could start again any time. The temp is only in the low 50’s at the moment and forecast to barely reach 60. It was aparently in the low 40’s last night. Seems the summer is coming to an end up here in the north as the highs and lows forecasted in the region are low 60’s and low 40’s. It’s probably a 6 or 7 hour ride I have ahead of me but all on the Alcan.