Day 19 - Arctic Circle!
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Today we crossed Arctic Circle and camped there.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Knowing the harsh conditions of Dalton, I was mentally prepared for it, thinking if the semis can run on it, how hard could it be? Turned out, boy oh boy, I couldn't be more wrong.
My first wakeup call was on the highway leading to Dalton. The crew were regrading the foundation to repave the surface, and dumped a lot of sand and soil. When dry, that wouldn't be an issue, but it turned into a giant mud pit when wet. I had issues with traction and keeping the truck heading straight, and was fighting for traction in 2wd. Situation got better when I threw in 4H, but still was sliding around. The whole section was no more than 1000yard, but it felt like eternity. I was praying so hard to not get stuck or go sideways, because that would be really embarrassing.
I safely passed that section without getting bogged down, and got on Dalton.
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It was around 45F outside, with rain dripping down. Knowing if I didn't air down, the next ~800 miles would be bad for me, so I braved the windchill and aired down before getting on my way.
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The beginning was decent and I kept my pace. The road was well graded without major potholes, but the rain made it muddy and slippery at some sections. However, it got bad after Finger Mountain at mile marker 96. Potholes that are wider than the truck's track width, potholes that are larger than the contact patch of my 35s, and potholes that are so deep that it can break suspension are scattered everywhere on the trail. Even worse, there are pothole gardens that I couldn't find a safe line to swerve around the potholes.
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I caught up to the vehicles in the front, and used them as markers to see which line to take.
The tire tracks on the trail are also good indicators of a safe line.
Then, the road got even worse. Fields after fields of potholes that no speed could make it feel better.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally arrived at the Arctic Circle Sign, my first stop for the day.
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It was 5PM already, and I only covered about 113 miles. My original planned stop was at Wiseman, another 76 miles away.
The potholes drove the energy out of me, and I was done for the day. The coldness and the rain didn't help either.
So I called it for the day.
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There's a campsite right behind the Arctic Circle Sign, so I claimed a site for myself.
I sat in my driver seat after positioning the truck, a first since I left home on 8/4, 19 days ago. I was tired, sore, cold, hungry, and wet.
The rain was still pouring, and I was in bear country so I didn't want to cook to risk attracting bears to come hangout near me at night. So, I had some jerky and some chips, and drank a can of coke for dinner.
Not the type of dinner I wanted after the last 20 miles of bumping around on fields of potholes.
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The mud caked on the truck was even worse to deal with than potholes.
These are the sticky type of mud. The mud that will not come off easily. My reverse camera was completely blocked, and the latch covers were stuck shut.
Good thing I put on those covers before leaving.
I setup camp, turned on my heater, started the Starlink, checked weather forecast, and have a decision to make: Extremely high possibility of snow (and resulting ice) on Atigun Pass is in the forecast. Do I take my chance with that 3000ft elevation and steep hills betting on I won't get stuck or slide off the pass just to say I did it, OR, do I play it safe, get to Coldfoot, and turn around?
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By 9PM, the sun came out. I checked weather again. All sources indicated that weather would not be on my side further north.
As I refill the diesel in my heater, I walked around the truck, and asked if it wanted to keep braving the potholes.
By bed time, both of us agreed that we were done. We will save the Arctic Ocean for Dempster, where we will actually see the ocean instead of having to pay $80 for a shuttle bus to get to the ocean in Deadhorse.
As I am typing this up back in Fairbanks, part of me regret admitting defeat after driving this far for it. But that's just a small part of me. I thought of all the crashed and abandoned vehicles on the side of the road since I got in Canada, those are great reminders of why I shouldn't let my ego get in my decision making.
Afterall, I'm only almost half way done.
