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Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage, Alaska
Arrive in Anchorage and make taxi arrangements to your hotel or B&B.

Day 2: Van transportation from Anchorage to McCarthy You will be picked up at your lodging in Anchorage for the van ride to McCarthy. It will take about 8 hours for the drive but you won’t get bored. The route passes through some stunning country in the Matanuska valley. When you see Mt. Drum looming straight ahead, then you will know we’re getting close. We arrive in McCarthy around 5 - 6:00 PM. As soon as everyone is checked into the hotel, we meet with our backcountry guide at their headquarters. The guide does a gear shakedown to make sure everyone has what the need... but nothing that they don’t. We all get a plastic, bear canister chock full of tasty meals and snacks. After cramming all of our newly acquired gear into our packs, we meet up at the New Golden Saloon for some dinner, a few brews and if we’re lucky maybe a bit of local bluegrass entertainment.

Day 3: After breakfast in McCarthy we take a short van ride from McCarthy to the former mining town of Kennicott. After passing through Kennicott, we just head out of town on a path that was once a road to some of the mines in the area. Fifty years ago we would have been able to get up on the glacier right at Kennicott, but like most glaciers in the world, the Root Glacier is receding. But after about an hour or less of easy hiking we arrive at the toe of the glacier. Today’s journey takes us across the Root Glacier by the scenic route. We take our time in the crossing to explore the fascinating glacier features such as melt water streams and canyons as well as deep holes called moulins that are created by water drilling a hole down into the ice. Your guide will teach you about how glaciers are formed from the gradual transformation of fluffy snow into super dense glacial ice hundreds of feet thick. Our first camp is set up on the far side of the Root Glacier on the moraine edge near a thundering waterfall. Bears are often spotted here as well as a family of foxes that has a den not far from our camp. (L, D) Overnight Camping

Day 4: Today we leave our camp set up and take off for a day hike with only light loads. We start by hiking along the edge of the lateral moraine of the Root Glacier. Then we turn to the west and cross the Donoho Lakes land mass. We pass right past the base of Donoho Peak which rises This is a moderate day of hiking as we make our way (on dry land) to our next camp by a lake just past the foot of Donoho Peak. At one point today we’ll have to get our feet wet as we negotiate a chilly stream crossing. Our camp is near a spring and close to the junction of the Kennicott and Gates Glaciers. A short hike from camp and up a hill gives us a commanding view of the glaciers and peaks that surround us. (B, L & D) Overnight Camping

Day 5: We leave our camp set up today and head out for some exploring with just our daypacks. It's more fun on the Gates and Kennicott glaciers. This area has some of the most interesting glacial features on the trip including some dramatic fins. This will be the longest day of our trek but one of the most rewarding. (B, L & D) Overnight Camping

Day 6: We pack up camp and head onto the Kennicott Glacier and head back towards Kennicott. But it's a long way back so we stop for the night near the end of the white ice and set up our camp… right on the glacier! Don't worry, we'll take an extra sleeping pad to ensure that we stay warm. (B, L & D) Overnight Camping

Day 7: After breakfast we cut across a band of moraine and are back on the Root Glacier. We take the express route over the ice and back into Kennicott for the conclusion of our trek. A van takes us back down to McCarthy and hot showers. Later we meet up at the Golden Saloon for dinner and a few well deserved brews as we share our experiences of the trek. (B & L) Overnight Camping

Day 8: Van transportation from McCarthy to Anchorage. We depart after breakfast for the return trip to Anchorage. We should arrive in Anchorage by 6:00 PM. You can make arrangements for a night flight out of Anchorage or stay overnight and depart the following day

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