Nearly a month ago my friend and I did the well known hike and packrafting route, 'Winner Creek to Twenty Mile'. Going into this trip I had heard of the good trail leading up to the pass and the sudden dead end of the trail into a jungle of devils club and alders. The allure of a packrafting day trip so close to town in such a scenic area drew me in and I couldn't resist.
The hike up was everything I thought it to be; with a great trail, wildflowers, grand views, a few snow fields, and bear tracks (large and small) it was enjoyable but I knew what was on the other side. With a lunch break at the pass, which gave scenic views and an entertaining air show from the local helicopters of Girdwood. We started down into the Twenty Mile drainage where the trail abruptly ended. We had to follow surveyor flags that were not much help.
Once through the barrage of devils club we were nearly to the river and the onslaught of some small biting flies began. Into the water we went but only to portage a strainer fifty feet later. Heavy rains had caused the river to flood and although every obstacle was more or less runnable we portaged them all rather than taking the chance. Portaging every 100 feet or so was unexpected and after the bushwhack and biting flies it was not what I had in mind.
After floating over the tops of alders, where the river had flooded into another channel, we made it to the main channel of the river and enjoyed a peaceful float out, except the supercub that buzzed us to the bridge of the Seward highway.
Although sounding negative; this was a worthwhile trip and I would do it again. Like I said earlier, this trip offers beautiful views, wildflowers, a well maintained trail to a point, waterfalls and shimmering glaciers and snowfields.
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