Crow Pass September 2017

Our maiden backpacking trip kicked off 02 September 2017 with a group of veterans.  But none of it would have been possible without the help from some amazing organizations.  REI provided the outdoor equipment our veterans needed to survive the elements.  Wounded Warrior Project provided all the meals and incidentals for the multi-day hike. And the Chris Kyle Patriots Hospital provided the transportation and logistics to get our team to the trail head.   

Our inaugural Crow Pass backpacking trip!

We kicked off the trip at 1800 the evening of the 2nd from Girdwood and trekked the first 5 miles of the trail with a grueling 2500 FT of elevation gain.  Our group set up camp just before dark and settled in for our first night under the stars.

The next morning we woke refreshed and ready to tackle the 2nd leg of the trip.  Looking forward to a chilly river crossing, we made it to the river by mid afternoon.  After a not too eventful trip across the icy river, we rested, made a hot meal, and continued along the trail for another few hours where we eventually set up camp and built a fire for the second night.

The final day we set off early and made our way to the nature center in Eagle River.  We scurried along granite rock-slides, zig-zagged along the river bank, and eventually were greeted by an awesome group of veterans from the Eagle River VFW post!  The post members accompanied us along the final miles of the hike, reaching the nature center by 1430.  We had accomplished 26+ miles over 3 days.  Our veteran group never once complained about hurt knees, sore ankles or a bad back.  We had completed the trip despite all those old nagging injuries.  But we had each gained something meaningful on that trip, which brought back so many old memories of camaraderie and friendship!