Alsek River

Alsek River

Tatshenshini - Alsek Park

The Alsek River is a North American wild river flowing from the Yukon Territory through British Columbia to Alaska.

The Alsek River has a length of about 250 km. At the level 08AB002 ( ⊙ 59.395-138.08194444444 ) near Yakutat, the average outflow 892 m³ / s The river empties into the Dry Bay, a bay in the Gulf of Alaska.

Geography

The Alsek arises as the confluence of the River Dezadeash and Kaskawulsh River in Kluane National Park. First, he then flows from north to south, after the confluence with the Tatshenshini River in east-west. It flows through the St. Elias Mountains, a coastal mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The surrounding mountains are up to 4500 m (Mount Fairweather 4663 m), the Tweedsmuir Glacier calves in the Turn Back Canyon directly into the river. About 50 km upstream of the mouth is the Alsek Lake. In this lake calve several glaciers.

History

The Alsek in its present course is a very young river. The Lowell Glacier blocked 1725-1850 the Alsek and accumulated a huge lake. After the dam broke in 1850, the water and boulders poured through the valleys of Alsek and Tatshenshini.

First descent

The Alsek offers great whitewater, the Turn Back Canyon in the middle reaches is still regarded as impassable. The American physician Dr. Walt Blackadar has traveled in August 1971 to complete Alsek alone in a kayak. Since then, other expeditions have sailed the river, there are always fatal crashes in Turn Back Canyon.

The river itself is always to be expected with floating icebergs. Unlike on the parallel flow Tatshenshini River is on the Alsek little commercial rafting, among other things, due to the high organizational effort or cost - the Turn Back Canyon is usually flown with a helicopter transfer.

Flora and Fauna

Tatshenshini Alsek and flow in British Columbia on the Canadian side through the nature reserve Tatshenshini - Alsek Wilderness Park, located in the Park Windy Craggy Mountain is also called "Copper Mountain" because of suspected high copper deposits. There are plans to reduce the natural resources in the park, environmentalists advocate against mine plans. As mammals to grizzly bear, moose, porcupines along the riverbank, the bald eagle nests numerous in the region. Due to its steep gradient and high flow rate, it is the salmon not possible hochzuschwimmen the Alsek, the salmon draws only in the tributaries downstream of Turn Back Canyon. The forest is dominated by Canadian spruce and black pine.