Report from the Trail: Bailey Bremner on the Alaska Four Range Route

BY BAILEY BREMNER

One mantra I have come to value over the last few years of hiking long-distance routes and hiking with dogs is the saying “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Recently, this sentiment came back to the forefront while attempting the Alaska Four Range Route with my boyfriend and two dogs. We had successfully completed the first 160 miles from Hope to Seward to Girdwood when we began to run into significant problems. The first of these was snow. It had been a higher snow year than we anticipated and there was still substantial coverage above 2,000 feet. Our original route would have been off-trail over 5,000-foot peaks and passes—obviously difficult and likely unsafe with that much snow. When we tried to reroute, high runoff proved to be another problem, one that seemed likely to be an issue for the foreseeable future.

At the end of the day, choosing to pull the plug on an adventure is never easy. This is especially true when it feels as if maybe you could have finished with more effort and risk. That’s where “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” comes in. We could have kept going and maybe everything would have been fine with enough slogging, but it just wasn’t worth it this time around. This is especially true with two senior dogs in tow. So for now, we’re off to enjoy a more laid-back thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. Besides, the mountains aren’t going anywhere and I know we will be back to try again soon.

Read Bremner’s full report of her 2022 thru-hike across the State of Colorado via her own route, only in Issue 1 of Trails.