When we decided to go to Alaska, the land of seemingly endless wilderness, we knew we wanted to get some four-wheel trails on our odometer. We signed up on the alaska4x4network.com (a 4x4 web board) and got in contact with local off-roaders.
The interest on taking us on a run was plentyful and thanks to some board members we were able to experience a cool trail in the area north of Palmer.
We met up at King River at around 10:00pm on Friday. By the time everybody rolled in and we got out it was after 11:00pm. We hit the road north and started the trail just before midnight, about the time the sun set. It was fairly dark for Alaska standards due to the thick clouds and occasional rain, but head lights were not necessary.

The group of eight vehicles made the first steep ascent on a dirt path in the dense forest, climbed to a ridge and followed it along for about a mile. From there the trail snaked through the mountains crossing through mud holes every once in a while. Passing a few lakes we enjoyed the beauty of the landscape although the tops of the surrounding mountains were covered in dark clouds.
We made good progress until I got hung up on a big boulder in the middle of a mud field. It took a lot of manouvering back and fourth to avoid damaging the drive shafts. Finally we hooked my winch to Curtis' Cherokee and used a HiLift jack to get the drive shaft to clear the rock. By now it was pretty dark but this wouldn't last for more than an hour. We could carry on without major hold-ups and finally exited the trail into a wide river bed. Countless water crossings followed before we pushed on back into the forest to get some rest at a small cabin in the woods. It was 4:00am and pretty light.
A campfire was started (with one match) and we gathered around to stay warm. The mosquitos were a nuisance but most of the group stayed awake throughout, while a few got a couple of hours of sleep.
At around 10:00 we made our way back to the river and even more crossings followed. We all started to get a good feel for the depth and currents of the water and we cruised upstream for a few miles, our rigs diving in, the waves sometimes splashing over the hoods. We enjoyed the scenery along the way. The weather had cleared up a bit and it promised to get even better. Some muddy sections provided more challenges and our rubber boots proved their value for this trip alone. Further and further we continued into the valley to a point where we ascended into a side arm up a narrow grassy path. From this place halfway up the mountain we marveled upon the awesome view in three directions - a fabulous lunch spot.
After a break, we returned downhill and through the raving waters and occasional mud holes to the trail that would lead us back to the road. Just before heading away from the river bed we met a group of drunks racing their ATV's through the deepest possible water and one guy acomplished the task of drowning his vehicle and relying on some sober helpers (us) to get out of his situation before the front of his truck completely went under. We left the area of alcohol scent and dug through the many mud sections, climbing the few rocks and getting back to the dirt path we had come through a few hours earlier. The scenery opened up to us as the clouds moved out and the sun pushed through where possible. My rig started a new strange noise on the steep descent towards the pavement which would turn out to be a trashed double cardan on the front drive shaft. After a long long day and 33 miles through a spectacular secluded area, we got back onto pavement around 8:00pm.

We all made it back without major breakdowns, with a lot of mud added to our paint jobs. Our windows were covered with silt so thoroughly that no light passed through anymore, but we all enjoyed a long night/day run with fellow wheelers.
We made a bunch of new friends and hope we can return the favor of showing off some nice wheeling spots in California some time in the future.
A special thanks to Jerry Hermann who contacted us a while back via email to make an excursion like this possible, and of course to everybody who came along to make the trip an experience not to be missed.

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