Chatanika River I

I'm going to preface this adventure by first saying a lot happened on this trip and it's going to take me a couple days to put all of it together to show you. I will be doing several posts in a row to tell the story.

The original plan was to pack 4 days of food and head out for 2 days then check in with the guys back here at the Hostel with my cell phone on t0p of Murphy Dome, see how i fell then maybe head out for 2 more days. I packed up the bike and hit the road tuesday morning about 10am. I wasn't 100% sure of my route but i planned to ride to the top of Murphy Dome then take one of the trails down the other side into one of the valleys and hoped to run into the Chatanika River somewhere. My friend Ralf here at the Hostel said that he had a bush property with some buildings on it and i thought maybe i could try to find it, even though i had no idea what i was looking for. The ride up to Murphy Dome was a lot harder this time hauling gear, food and water. When i got to the top i picked a trail that looked like it headed in the right direction, down, and went for it. The first few minutes were a mild grade then it really dropped off and i picked up a lot of speed! Wow, one hell of a rush! Twists, turns, humps and did i mention fast! Navigating the trail with a bike loaded with gear and not knowing where i was going was a little nerve racking. Well i finally made it to the bottom of the valley and came across a few canoes locked up to trees right next to the river. Here the trail went out on the river and back across the valley paralleling the river. The whole time i was traveling on the trail i was looking for a good place to camp. Along the trail there was still a couple feet of snow on the ground so i just kept going down the trail. The trail then turned and went out to the river again. Upon getting to the river i noticed a couple cabins on the other side. I got off the bike and wandered around the bank for a while hoping to find some clear flat ground to set up a camp. I found some fairly open ground and i think the only flat spot in the valley! I set up camp found a bunch of downed trees trees for firewood and made plans for dinner. After making dinner about a five minute walk away i went back to camp, made a fire and settled in for the night. Later in the night owls were chatting away all through the valley and one happened to perch in one of the trees right over my tent. Today i have some pics of the bike, a view of the trail looking down from Murphy Dome, camp with a view of a cabin across the river, another pic of the camp and the trail through the valley. I have 3 videos from the first day, the bike, after setting up camp and my cooking area and water supply. More to come.