Story and photos by Sven and Magdalena Schlogl

Alaska's four-wheelers are known for going out of their way to help fellow off-roaders out. We figured that this was the survival mentality in a state as vast and undeveloped as the Last Frontier. A similar spirit had transpired in the Outback of Australia on a previous journey.
Hence it came as no surprise when many wheeling enthusiasts were more than happy to show us around their breathtaking lands after we contacted them through the Alaska 4x4 Network.

To top this adventure off, our new friends decided to take us on a night run. We met up on a Friday evening to tackle the Boulder Creek trail just east of Palmer, 40mls east of Anchorage. We hooked up at 10pm but by the time everybody showed up and we made it to the trailhead to disconnect sway bars and to air down it was already midnight. We had never started a trail this late, but heck, this was Alaska and it barely got dark in the middle of the night.

The nine vehicles ascended a very steep narrow path between trees and bushes, climbed to a ridge and made a hard left turn so as not to drop down the other side. The group snaked along the ridge further into the backcountry, crossing creeks and mud puddles. The first big obstacle was - how could it be any different - a mud hole. A few people had some difficulty getting through, and I slid against a huge rock and got high-centered. With the rig stuck on the rock, and tires spinning in the mud, we had to use the Hi-Lift jack to free my truck, and we were on our way. Clouds started to move in and obscure the fairly light sky at about 1am.
A long wet stretch lay ahead of us, a muggy water channel about 100 yards long. We all eased in, submerging our vehicles to above the door sills, and slowly pushed our way through. The bottom was solid dirt with boulders scattered throughout. A couple of vehicles did not feature a snorkle and I'm sure their drivers had quite an adrenalin rush.
Around the next bend we manouvered down a muddy step and exited this trail into a river flowing through a wide valley which we would follow along for most of the trip. It was after 3am when we were headed for a cabin to serve as our break stop. Magdalena and I had initially thought that we would only drive a little way into the trail to set up camp for the night but we soon learned that some Alaskans seem to live like the famous grizzlies - hibernate in winter and go non-stop in summer. At 4am we finally reached the cabin. Firewood was gathered, and food and drinks were brought out. Nobody seemed to be tired or in need of rest. Around the campfire we hung out chatting. A light drizzle didn't deter us, and at some point just a handful of us settled in their rigs to get a couple of hours of sleep.
At 7am we left camp and followed the narrow trail through the dense forest back to the river. It was a very wide braided stream bed and we searched our way from bank to bank forging the strong currents. Countless water crossings followed and we continued upstream deeper into the lush green valley. Around lunch time we climbed up the side of a mountain following a grassy dirt trail to a spot where we enjoyed a gorgeous view over the main valley and the surrounding mountains. The clouds had lifted a little and the drizzle stopped. We couldn't follow this trail as far as intended because a huge snow field barred our access. The snow was too deep and it was impossible to cross it. We stopped to have lunch. While some performed minor repairs on their rigs, others watched a couple of marmots play close by; then we headed back down the slick path towards the river. The rigs turned back the way they came and more deep stream crossings followed. Just when we got to the spot to leave the river near the muggy water channel we came across a small group of four-wheelers with trucks and ATVs. They reeked of alcohol and it was apparent that they were out of control. Before we had reached them, they had drowned a truck in the stream and it was getting sucked deeper and deeper into the water. None of them was sober enough to take action or understand the severity of their situation. A few good souls in our group helped them get the rig out and we left the scene before anything else would happen.

On our way back the same mud hole held some of us up but eventually we all made it through. We finished the trail with our vehicles intact and not too much water inside our rigs. We returned to the trailhead where we aired up, connected the sway bars and took a last group shot. It was almost 9pm on Saturday when we finished this 23-hour off-road trip in the wilderness of Alaska. We want to thank Jerry, Curtis and the gang who made this unforgettable adventure possible.

If you ever happen to go to the northernmost state of the US make sure you hook up with local folks. On alaska4x4network.com you can meet plenty of Alaskans who proudly show you a good Alaskan time…