Rob DeVelice will lead "Free Bird" with a duration of 2.5 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Meet at 6:30 pm at the “original” (small) Bird Ridge trailhead. We
will proceed straight up from the trailhead via bushwack and scramble. Once we reach the ridge we will hop the trail and dive downslope towards Bird Creek. We will finish on obscure paths and a little bit of the official Bird Ridge Trail.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Caballo Blanco" with a duration of 3 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Meet at 6:30 pm in the McHugh parking area on the Seward Highway. We will
head a ways up McHugh Creek valley on the new trail then proceed upslope off
trail via snow and scramble to the ridge (west of “McHugh Pass”) overlooking
Potter Creek valley. We will finish up by looping back down to the Turnagain
Arm Trail.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Rainbow Warriors" with a duration of 2.5 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Meet at 6:30 pm in the pullout on the right (sea side) of the Seward Highway nearest to milepost 109. That’s the pullout immediately across the road from the spring fed water pipe and near the “Sky Pilot” rock climbing area. V/e will bushwack, scramble, and snow climb steeply up and down the slopes and ridges of Rainbow Peak.
Bring an ice ax and traction devices (such as micro spikes).
Rob DeVelice will lead "Flipping the Bird" with a duration of 3 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Rob DeVelice; Flipping the Bird; class 2+; 3 hours; 6:30 pm start; meet outside the Bird Ridge Cafe (in Bird on the Seward Highway); includes segments of paved bike path, steep uphill bushwacking, steep uphill scrambling, majestic tundra running, steep downhill trails, ATV trails and dirt roads; a Turnagain Arm tour de force.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Solstice mega run" with a duration of 6 or more hours somewwhere in The Chugach Front Range.
Solstice mega run planned for June 22-23; class 3; up to 90 miles; if interested call or email Rob DeVelice for details (contact information below).
Rob DeVelice will lead "Diet of Kryptonite" with a duration of 2.5 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Rendezvous at 6:30 pm at the Windy Corner Trailhead on the Seward Highway (between Anchorage and Bird).
We will start on the Turnagain Arm Trail but will rapidly diverge off trail towards Sheep Thrills Ridge. This out and back route includes sections of technical scrambling, encounters with snow and ice, and bushwacking through roses.
Sticky rubber running shoes, gaiters, and traction devices are desirable.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Mudstorm on Venus" with a duration of 5 hours somewwhere in JBER.
Rendezvous at 6:00 pm (NOTE the earlier rendezvous time) at the Centennial Park parking lot to convoy to the 6:15 pm start. To get to the 6:00 pm rendezvous point take Muldoon Road to Boundary Avenue (the first road south of the Glenn Highway – Muldoon Road intersection). Take Boundary Avenue east one block and turn left on the Frontage Road. The Centennial Park rendezvous point is on the right shortly thereafter.
This loop route involves segments of the Tank, Snowhawk, and Dome trails and an alpine bushwack.
Be prepared for muddy, dark trails, plus snowy ascents and descents in the central section.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Knoya-Kanchee Loop" with a duration of 4 hours somewwhere in The Chugach Front Range.
Rendezvous at 6:30 pm in the small parking area at the junction of Basher Drive and Kalmia Court high in the Stuckagain Heights area. For a map, look at the inset for map 7 in the ACS Yellow Pages.
The route will go over the summits of the Dome, Knoya Peak, Kanchee Peak, and many other unnamed peaks.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Cellular disIntegration Lite" with a duration of 5.5 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
The start will be at 5:30 pm (note earlier start than normal) at the Falls Creek parking area on the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Girdwood.
This will be a reduced version of the Rainbow Rim Route (aka Cellular disIntegration). We will follow the extremely rocky and (potentially) acrophobia inducing Sheep Thrills Ridge to the summit of South Suicide Peak. From there we will return to the parking area via sheep trails and the Falls Creek Trail.
Warning: this is one of the more technically demanding routes in the Epic play list.
Rob DeVelice will lead "The Struggle at Potter Heights" with a duration of 3 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
The 6:30 p.m. start will be in the parking area by the mail boxes at the South end of Potter Marsh (New Seward Highway).
The plan is to follow the Turnagain Arm Trail to the Rabbit Lake Trail. We will then take the Rabbit Lake Trail a short ways and bushwhack to the ridge top between Potter Creek and Turnagain Arm. We will then follow this ridge over a summit (steep and potentially treacherous snow) and through alder before descending back to Potter Marsh.
Since big snows are expected prior to this Epic, be prepared for post holing. Devices to help you adhere to steep snow slopes will also be desirable. Also, the descent route features robust rose bushes and devils club.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Westchester-Airport Road Run Loop" with a duration of 3.5 hours somewwhere in West Anchorage.
This outing will last about 3.5 hours and cover about 22 miles
(see bottom of this page for details).
Rendezvous in the Westchester Lagoon ice skaters parking lot (intersection of 15th Avenue and U Street) for a 6:30 pm start.
From the lagoon, we will proceed to Kincaid Chalet on the Coastal Trail, take Raspberry Road to Jewel Lake Road, and then navigate on various paved roads and trails back to Westchester Lagoon. This is a fast, most flat, and a straight forward route by Epic standards.
Rob DeVelice will lead "Persistent Vegetative State (AKA The Beluga Bash)" with a duration of 2 hours somewwhere in Turnagain Arm.
Meet at 6:30 pm in the Beluga Point parking area on the Seward Highway.
This will be an out and back, off trail bash through brush, over rocks, and up steep snow slopes. Go out as far as you desire and consider bringing crampons and an ice ax for the central segment of the full out and back. Rose bush and devils club resistant gloves and leg protection are suggested.