Twin Lakes Paddle – Lake Clark National Park

This morning you’ll start the day with an orientation and gear check at our shop in Anchorage.  We'll then make the transfer to Merrill Field where you'll await the flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth   From Merrill Field, located in the heart of Anchorage, you’ll fly west through the glacially carved splendor of Lake Clark Pass, one of the most spectacular bush flights in Alaska, arriving 1.5 hours later in the small community of Port Alsworth.  You'll enjoy a delicious lunch along the shores of Lake Clark with your guide team, discuss the adventure and wrap up the trip orientation.  Then you’ll load into float planes and lift off into the afternoon skies bound for Lower Twin Lake; a spectacular 30 minute flight.  We’ll spend 2-3 hours setting up camp at Beech Creek near the stream connecting lower and upper Twin Lakes, while we begin to absorb the solitude of this sublime wilderness.  After our first delicious wilderness dinner, you’ll have the chance to relax on the sandy beach in front of camp and enjoy the magnificence of Twin Lakes.

Today we’ll hoist daypacks and head off to explore an area locally known as “Death Valley.”  This fluvial filled wash is as spectacular as it is surreal, and it leads us directly into the open tundra country above the lake.  We’ll approach death valley via a narrow pass with spectacular views of the mountains surrounding Twin Lakes.  Your first sample of Alaska wilderness hiking will give you taste of off-trail navigation and Dick Proenneke’s favorite terrain around Twin Lakes.

After yet another great breakfast, and a thorough kayaking orientation from your guide(s), you’ll load the kayaks and begin paddling up the shores of Lower Twin.  We’ll spend the day kayaking, picnicking for lunch, and enjoying the remote splendor of this special slice of Alaskan wilderness.  As we head out onto the lake, we’ll scope the shores for wildlife and enjoy the dramatic and rugged mountains that surround basin.  With plenty of Alaska’s summer daylight, we’ll grab a couple of energy bars and start another hike in search of more wildlife and alpine tundra.  We’ll return to camp for another amazing Adventure Appetites dinner and wilderness celebration.

The early dawn will greet us with more adventure and we’ll start it all by lining our kayaks up the connecting stream.  After a couple of hours of walking our boats up the creek, we’ll be kayaking the azure waters of Upper Twin Lake, where we’ll paddle toward Hope Creek and our camp for the final 2 nights.  We’ll pause at Emerson Creek for a hike up to Emerson Falls. Emerson is a spectacular Alaska drainage and the waterfall was one of Dick Proenneke’s favorite places to visit.  After a couple of hours exploring Emerson, we’ll jump back into the kayaks and continue toward Hope Creek.  Alaska size peaks will dominate our panorama and the solitude of kayaking Upper Twin is certain to entrance the group.  Camping near the mouth of Hope Creek allows a short walk to the Dick Proenneke site.  After a hearty dinner, we’ll make our first visit to Proenneke’s cabin – his year-round home from 1968-98.

A visit to Twin Lakes, and Hope Creek in particular, wouldn’t be complete without a hike to Eye of the Needle – an obscure rock formation at the head of one of the many tributaries of Hope Creek.  This full-day hike will take us up to the Cowgill Benches before heading into alpine tundra, where we’ll train our eyes on the crags above for glimpses Dall’s sheep.  Before long we’ll traverse along a beautiful canyon as we negotiate thousand year old game trails on our way to the head of the alpine valley.  With luck, the weather will cooperate and we’ll get a glimpse of the Eye of the Needle from the high point of our hike – a glacial cirque and source of the crystal clear waters of Hope Creek.  The day will conclude with another great dinner and, as always, a home-baked dessert that will initiate a good night’s sleep.

After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll break down camp and prepare our gear for the float plane flight back to Port Alsworth.  After the morning chores, we will take the rest of our time in the wilderness immersing ourselves in the Proenneke site and perhaps even doing a short hike to Teetering Rock – a Proenneke favorite.  We hope you feel Dick’s spirit as you wander about his property, admire his craftsmanship and imagine an existence so far from our modern world.  We'll await the float planes for the return flight to Port Alsworth, and will get settled into the cabins at the lodge.   After hot showers and a celebratory dinner in the lodge dining room, we’ll tally up our wildlife sightings, and attempt to absorb the solace that Proenneke himself must have felt after spending 30 years at Twin Lakes.

After an amazing breakfast at the lodge, we’ll spend the day hiking to Tanalian Falls before paying an afternoon visit to the Lake Clark National Park visitor’s center, where you’ll have a chance to purchase maps and postcards, enjoy multiple interpretive displays and videos, and share your experience with park staff.  You’ll then board a late afternoon charter flight back to Anchorage.  If you are departing Alaska on this day, please schedule all homebound flights for after 9PM.