Family on bikes tackles the Dalton Highway

Atop Atigun Pass on the Dalton Highway
Nancy Sathre-Vogel

This is a newsletter from Family on Bikes. The family of four is currently cycling the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina as the 11-year-old twin boys attempt to break the world record as the youngest cyclists to bike the entire Pan Am. See a slide show of cycling the Dalton Highway here.

June 28, 2008

“You’d better get going,” the manager of the Arctic Caribou Inn in Prudhoe Bay said. “Take advantage of every second of this weather – it’ll change soon enough.”

By all accounts, six full days of glorious sunshine is unheard of in the Arctic tundra, so we feel more than blessed. I would even go so far as to say we were protected by the hands of the Almighty himself.

We pulled out of Prudhoe Bay the afternoon of June 10 with more than a few feelings of apprehension. After hearing all the stories of terrible weather, wicked truck drivers, and hungry bears we were concerned – was it really wise to drag a couple of kids along this highway?

Within a few hours we had our answer – yes, it was wise. In fact, it was the best thing we could have done. Davy and Daryl, who had also heard the stories, rose to the challenge placed in front of them and determined to conquer the Dalton. Yes, they faced many challenges – steep hills, rain, and a bit of hunger – but they took it all I stride and never complained once. The Dalton could not defeat my boys!

As I look back upon our sixteen days between Prudhoe Bay and Fairbanks, I see the journey in a series of distinct segments. The first phase, which brought us through most of the Arctic tundra, was easy cycling in many regards. The area was mostly flat, the road was either paved or gravel in very good condition, and a strong tailwind blew us forward all day long. The tundra, a vast, treeless plain, was beautiful in its own right, and we thoroughly enjoyed pedaling through
it.

The major challenge in this portion of the journey was the simple fact that all four of us were getting reaccustomed to being in the saddle for hours each day. We had also hurriedly packed our bikes, and had no system of organization yet – had no idea where anything was at all. Nevertheless, we survived that 170 miles, and looked forward to the next phase.

The second segment of our journey was short, but caused the most anguish of the entire trip – crossing the pass. Although a mere 4643 feet high, Atigun Pass is known for its severe weather. We had heard stories of blizzards and flooding in June – needless to say, we were a bit concerned. Before we left home, we had packed winter coats and heavy gloves to be sure we could make it over regardless of the weather. Of course, our dream weather would be clear blue skies and a tail wind – which we mostly got.

Three miles from the top, the skies opened up and poured – for about four minutes. Otherwise, we pushed our bikes up the steep grade under clear skies and were more grateful than ever for His protection.

Just a few miles beyond the pass starts the third distinct portion of the journey – we hit treeline. After 180 miles with no trees or bushes at all, the hillsides were suddenly covered with trees of a variety of species. Farther north, the sunny days are simply too few to allow for enough photosynthesis to keep trees alive.

300 miles after we started, we reached the Arctic Circle, and the sun began to set. We also entered into the toughest segment of the entire highway – a part I dubbed the Ozarks on Steroids. We pedaled up hill after torturous hill, only to plunge down equally-as-brutal descents.

Fourteen days after taking off from Prudhoe Bay, we arrived at the end of the Dalton Highway. The four of us shared a celebratory meal of freeze-dried banana cream pie and chocolate. The Dalton had turned our legs into trembling masses of flesh and our hands into aching piles of bones, but WE MADE IT! We conquered the Dalton – probably the toughest 500 miles we’ll do on the entire journey.

Thank you all for your support and prayers – I can’t tell you how much it means to us to have a whole family of people around the world supporting us.

Until next time –

Nancy

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A Family Does the Dalton, Adventure Cycling, February 2009

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Read our other newsletters here:

Read y for takeoff: June 6, 2008

Dalton Highway in Alaska: June 28, 2008

Alaska Highway: August 3, 2008

Crossi ng into mainland USA: September 10, 2008

In Montana, Wyoming, and Utah: October 17, 2008

Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico: November 19, 2008