Welcome to our monthly blog, “In Dick’s Words.”
Here Friends of Dick Proenneke will publish an excerpt from one of Dick’s journal entries that reflects what he was building or thinking about in that month. Each post will lead us on a journey through Twin Lake’s seasons by highlighting Dick’s words and first-hand accounts of his life in what would become Lake Clark National Park.
We hope you will enjoy reading this new addition to the website and learning more about Dick’s writing and experiences.
Line drawing by Fred Hirschmann of Dick Proenneke’s Cabin at Twin Lakes, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Illustration used by Dick for many years as his rubber stamp for letters and envelopes.
Hiking In Winter
January 3, 1969,
Clear, calm and again a -45°. The full moon just ready to set behind Allen mt. when I looked out this morning. A breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon along with a big helping of cooked oatmeal with rice and raisins. A very good combination I think and one a person would do well to have along on a backpacking journey.
Today was the day to go up the canyon to the Low Pass 3600 feet above sea level and 1600 ft. above the lake. See what problems a man would run into at 45 below. I dressed warm enough but not to warm I figured and took off down the lake after loading the stove and closing it up tight.
I climbed the bank at the mouth of the creek. The snow deep enough and the crust to weak to hold and strong enough for hard going. The snow got deeper a quarter mile up and I stopped. This was no good – snowshoes would be proper for such going. I turned back and had gone about fifty feet when I decided anyone could turn back. The thing to do was go or learn the reason why I couldn’t so I turned again and stomped my way up the creek bottom. I was warm as toast and really frosting up even my navy chest high wool lined pants were frosting on the outside. Brush and rough going forced me to climb the bank on the down country side. Going was some better and I climbed on to the mouth of the canyon. Higher and a good crust. Only one thing bothered me. How much -45° air could a person pull into his lungs and do no harm. At times I found myself taking a very deep breath as I have many times in a light plane at 12 to 14,000 ft. over the great divide. I hit the caribou trails dropping into the canyon. Snowed over now of course except in bare slide rock now and then. In the bottom was the old wolverine track. I had followed it up the slope after climbing the bank. He was heading for the Kijik country. The crust was like concrete going up the canyon – easy going and I trudged right along. Would I get to the saddle in time to see the sun before it went behind the mt. at the mouth of the canyon near the Kijik.
Finally I pulled out on top. The wolverine and a fox were the only animals to use the pass. I climbed a rock knoll near the saddle to see the sun which I hadn’t seen for some time. Also for a view of the big basin. No sign of tracks. I was surprised to see a solid overcast to the south and I was lucky to have seen the sun at all. Overcast was forming down country too. Now it would warm up for sure. Air was moving up from the lake and funneling through the notch increased it to a light breeze. Now I would cool off coasting back down the mt. I would stay out of the canyon for a better view down country. I was surprised as easy and effortless as the going was I stayed warm. Finally to the point at the mouth of the canyon and the steep pitch down into the tough going again I saw a camp robber – not the sissies mine are he was feeding in the tips of the spruce. Into the brush along the creek and in the cold the brush breaks as if it was all dead and dry. I cut into my up going trail and followed it to the lake. It wasn’t until I hit the lake that my face and fingers began to get cold. It must be the moisture at lake level that makes the difference. One hr. and forty minutes from the pass to the cabin. Still smoke coming from the chimney and the temp. 42° inside. Outside it was a -37°.
I was surprised to find frost from the top to bottom between my outside and second layer of clothing. My pacs had snow inside to the tip of the toes. My stocking cap, scarf and hood of my red sweatshirt a mass of frost.
What did I learn? – for one thing I learned that I could travel all day in -45° cold and be comfortable. If there was a few mts. in the way so much the better. To carry an axe and camp in the thick timber it would be no problem to dry out and sleep comfortable in a good sleeping bag. On such a trip snowshoes would be a must and my climbers for the hard crust on the mt. This was a very educational day.
