Backpacker

80 BACKPACKER.COMHike to this month’s cover shot.uncoveredPHOTO BY MICHAEL DEYOUNG``````BACKPACKER (ISSN 0277-867X USPS 509-490) is published nine times a year (January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, and November) by Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., an Active Interest Mediacompany. The known office of publication is 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301. Subscriptions are $19.98 per year in the U.S., $29.98 in Canada, $41.98 elsewhere (surface mail). Periodicals postage paidat Boulder CO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BACKPACKER, PO Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. GST #R122988611. BACKPACKER publications, includingGearFinder®, Waypoints®, and Adventure Travel®, are registered trademarks of Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. © 2017 Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Volume 45, Issue 343, Number 8, October 2017.Subscribers: If the postal authorities alert us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within 2 years.Portage Pass TrailChugach National Forest, AlaskaFollow in the steps of the Last Frontier’s original explorers for views overPrince William Sound and an unforgettable sunrise.``````Get hereDrive through the WhittierTunnel, built in 1940 and thelongest vehicle-railroad tunnelin North America, to accessthe trailhead.``````Hike itFrom the Portage Passtrailhead, climb 750 feetthrough alder and pine and``````across tundra to PortagePass, after which the traillevels out. Once used byAlaska Natives and Russianfur traders, the hike is perfectfor a relaxed overnight; thiscampsite with views in bothdirections is just .7 mile fromthe trailhead. Tip: The passoften gets windyat night. For a calmer``````campsite, continue another1.3 miles to the gravelly shoresof Portage Lake.``````PaddleThe Forest Service openedPortage Lake to kayaking in2009. Put in at the launchacross the bridge from theBegich, Boggs Visitor Centerand give Portage Glacier awide berth (check specificsat the center): It still calves,dropping huge blocks of iceinto the water and triggeringlarge waves.``````DO ITTrailhead 60.775784,-148.718104 Season Juneto September Permit NoneContact bit.do/portagepass``````N``````W S``````E``````ELEVATION807 ft.``````The Nellie Juan-College FiordWilderness Study Area coversroughly 2 million acres of theChugach National Forest.The mountains inChugach NationalForest are madeof greywacke,a crumbly,metamorphicsiltstone formed onthe ocean floor anduplifted 130 millionyears ago.Once visible from the nearbyBegich, Boggs Visitor Center,Portage Glacier (on the pass’ssouthwest side) retreatedout of sight in 1993.``````Passage CanalDEEPEST POINT1,140 ft.``````WIDTH1 mi.``````LENGTH8 mi.``````In September, the sunrises between 6:50and 8. Go to bit.do/portagesunrise forexact times.``````Whittier (population 214)sits below the pass.