Well. . . I went from Anaktuvak to Allakaket in 6 1/2 days. A buddy and I got dropped in Anaktuvak on a windy and rainy afternoon.
The plan was to make it to Allakaket in a week's time. That meant that we had to do about 30-35 river miles each day. The first day we had a slow start as the water was shallow that we had to line the raft for the first two miles. After that the river was deep enough to float. We did little paddling as we went down river enjoying the scenery. 11 miles the first day. It was difficult to find a campsite that was out of the wind and I was glad that I had bought an MSR to cook on. The only wood available was some small willows about 2-3 ft tall and mostly wet from all the rain. Hot water and hot food is always a plus!
Second day we started the rapids and put on 39 river miles averaging about 8 mph. We experienced nearly constant rapids and many that were solid class 3. It was a blast and although we were getting wet and the temperature was in the 50's and 60's our adrenaline and work paddling to keep from being pushed into the cliff walls (that would have easily sliced the raft) kept us warm. Making such good time and making it though the majority of the rapids we made camp early in some sheltered trees to dry off.
Third day dawned sunny and we were grateful to be dry! Another day of beautiful scenery!
Day four we camped across from a creek that was aqua blue which contrasted with the main river that was a dusty gray from all the rain runoff. We also let our pick-up plane that we were going to make it to Allakaket rather than stop in Bettles.
On the fifth day we made it to the Koyukuk River. It started out as another nice day but quickly turned. We constantly wore rain boots and pants and always had a rain coats handy. We quickly put them on as it started to rain, but the rain was so relentless we were again wet. We made camp and were again glad to have the MSR to start heating water to drink and for supper as we struggled to get a fire going. All the wood was soaked and the wind was not helping. If we only had three matches we would have been out of luck but we came more prepared than that. We spent a lot of time drying gear on the trip. At least the rain had stopped by the time we made camp!
Day six was miserable! After going through the rapids the second day the river continued to slow the further we got. The slower the river the more paddling we had to do to meet each day's goal. This was not much of a problem until the wind really picked up. The wind was so bad we would not make progress if we stopped paddling and even then it would often blow us around so much that we were adding miles to our travel. Nearly half the miles of the 16 we made that day were spent walking and lining the raft. Making so little progress and fighting for it so hard we decided to make camp when we found a sheltered spot. We took an early night and got up early the next morning.
By the time we got out of the tent it was sprinkling. By the time we were an hour down the river it was raining and it never let up. At leas there wasn't as much wind as the day before, but we still lined the the raft a couple bends. The plan had been to make camp one more night before reaching Allakaket, but being cold and wet we didn't feel like stopping as the only thing keeping us warm was paddling. We went just over 42 river miles making it to Allakaket. Upon our arrival we walked to a friend's house cold, wet, and in need of dry place and hot meal. Despite our unbecoming appearance, they welcomed us warmly and fed us well!
It was a great experience with awesome scenery! After being back in civilization for two weeks, the hardships and challenges dim (or become laughable and make for good stories), but the good memories remain. If I was to do it again I would take some time to fish and do some more hiking. Things I learned: 1) It is good to have an MSR, 2) Waterproof matches are just as pathetic as they were 10 years ago, 3) Beaver can live well above tree line, 4) lemonade flavoring makes water purification tablets much more tolerable, 5) Mountain House are better than I expected, and 6) water proof bags aren't completely waterproof. Some things I was reminded of: 1) There is beauty in the mountain and in the single small rock, 2) being wet and cold is no fun, 3) it takes work to work together, 4) rafting is fun, 5) you can make plans but you have to be flexible, and 6) it is good to have connections.