{"id":19572,"date":"2019-04-10T19:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T02:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=19572"},"modified":"2019-11-20T09:05:45","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T17:05:45","slug":"what-lies-beneath-the-koktuli-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2019\/04\/10\/what-lies-beneath-the-koktuli-river\/","title":{"rendered":"What Lies Beneath the Koktuli River"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 3:00 AM and we take turns rowing into a headwind somewhere in remote Alaska. We\u2019re lost amongst a giant network of braided channels. Exhausted and covered in bug bites from head to toe, after ten days on the Koktuli River, we\u2019re forced to paddle an unplanned 70 miles of flatwater to an alternative takeout. Stormy winds thwarted our original plan to meet a floatplane at the confluence, but with rations depleting fast, we had to embrace Plan B, pushing our sore bodies back to civilization. Morale dwindles, but our final traces of energy carry us along after one of the most inspiring river trips I\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n

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The Koktuli River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Koktuli is a sacred watershed where salmon spawn in peace; moose, bear and other wildlife thrive; and water flows freely as it has since the melt of the last ice age. No roads lead to the put-in and bear spray is mandatory. This river has no formal protection, no wild and scenic designation, and is arguably one of the most endangered watersheds in the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Alaska has called to me my whole life. Growing up between northwestern Washington and Jackson Hole, I\u2019ve always heard captivating stories from people who spent their summers fishing or springs skiing in Alaska. When I was 12, I remember reading Dick Proenneke\u2019s Alone in the Wilderness<\/em>. An account of his wild Alaskan adventures. Desire to explore the iconic mountains and rivers in the land of the midnight sun consumed me ever since.<\/p>\n

Over the last four years, I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to fulfill this dream with awe-inspiring kayak first descents and remote ski trips all around the state. With an insatiable appetite for more, in May of 2018, Brendan and I organized a trip to document Coastal Grizzly bears in Katmai National Park.<\/p>\n