Avalanches, Mudflats, and Bears...Oh My!

Alaska is full of beauty and natural wonder. There are many opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing, climbing, boating, sightseeing, and more.

Natural hazards are part of the Alaskan environment, which can include land and rock slides, calving glaciers, floods, and volcanic eruptions. It is important to be aware of possible hazards so you can enjoy and get the most out of your time in Alaska.

Protecting the visitors and resources of the National and State Parks, Forests, Refuges, and Sanctuaries is an integral part in the mission of the participating agencies involved with Alaska's Public Lands.

 

Slab avalanches like this one account for most avalanche related fatalities.

Joe Kurtak

Avalanche Safety

 

Adventuring in Avalanche Country

Current Avalanche Advisories can be found on alaskasnow.org

Look at what the weather patterns have been like in the morning beforehand

• Did it snow last night?
• Is the wind blowing?

Every snowbound backcountry traveller should be equipped with the proper gear

• Collapsible snow shovel
• An avalanche beacon (GPS tracker)
• Probe - a long collapsible metal rod used in searching for a person
• The knowledge of how to use gear

Perform a quick check of all your safety gear BEFORE setting out

Test your group's beacons (GSP tracker) in both transit and receive modes.

Use terrain wisely

• Use slopes and ridges that are not very steep to ascend, take careful note of wind direction on ridges and pay special attention to leeward (up wind) slopes for cornice formations (overhang of snow) and wind loading.

Keep an eye out for red flags

• Are there signs of any recent avalanches in the area?
• Are there hollow "whoomping" sounds as you step?
• Are there cracks visible in the snow?

Only expose one person at a time

When testing out an area to cross, send out only one person at a time so that there are people available in the last known safe area in case something goes awry. 

 

Cold Weather Safety

Learn more on the NPS Winter Weather page to learn about staying safe in these conditions.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when the body’s temperature drops to a level that inhibits proper function- when the body’s core temperature is below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
 

Signs and stages:

• The beginning signs of hypothermia
  • 'the umbles': mumbling, bumbling, stumbling, & fumbling
  • slurred speech
  • shivering
  • lack of fine motor skills
  • unclear or inconsistent thoughts and conversation
• Moderate hypothermia - the body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees
  • Dazed consciousness
  • loss of motor coordination
  • slurred speech
  • violent shivering
  • irrational behavior
    • paradoxical undressing, a person starts to take off clothing, unaware that they are very cold.
• Severe hypothermia - the body’s temperature drops below 92 degrees.
  • shivering in waves – violent, uncontrollable shaking interrupted by calm pauses that increase in duration until shivering finally ceases
  • Victims might fall to the ground, incapable of walking, and curl up into a fetal position to conserve heat.
  • muscles contact
  • skin becomes pale
  • pupils dilate
  • heart rate decreases
• At 90 degrees, the body shuts down all peripheral blood flow and reduces breathing and heart rate, in an attempt to keep the body alive at all costs.
• At 86 degrees, the body is in a "metabolic icebox," where the person looks dead but is still alive and able to be saved with professional medical care.

Prevention:

• As hypothermia develops, it becomes increasingly difficult to raise the individual's temperature to 98.6 degrees F. The key to fighting hypothermia is prevention, these include:
  • movement
  • staying hydrated
    • Keeping hydrated allowed the body to preform properly and stay warm. Dehydration leads to a decrease in body temperature and reduce mental clarity.
  • staying dry
    • Never allow your clothing to become wet from sweat, water, or snow. Water causes hypothermia 25 times faster than the cold air.
  • correct clothing material
    • Do not wear cotton when recreating outside, cotton absorbs water easily which makes it loose its insulating properties.
    • wear synthetic clothing or merino wool and always bring a shell layer to shed water and snow.
  • layering clothing
    • Layers help manage heat loss and cut down on sweat
    • increasing your ability to change your clothing to match your heat output.
    • Large amounts of heat can also be lost through the exchange of heat between to objects in contact, like your hand on a cold snow shovel handle.

Frostbite

Frostbite can occur within seconds in extreme cold or windy conditions in one of two stages: superficial frostbite & deep frostbite.

Signs & Symptoms:

Superficial frostbite

• the freezing of all the layers of skin
• appears white, with no sensation and the skin feels soft and slushy

Deep frostbite

• the freezing of muscle and even bone in extreme cases
• appears white, without sensation but the skin feels hard and waxy to the touch.

Treatment:
 

• Soak the affected area in warm water, NOT hot water! Additional damage to the area will occur if hot water is used.
• Loss of limbs may occur in extreme cases.
• While the numbing sensation may go away, intense pain can occur
  • it is normal for the victim to vomit or faint from the pain

If a person acquires frostbite on their foot, it is important to consider when the appendage should be rewarmed, especially in the back country. Once the foot is rewarmed, travel will be impossible.

If a victim has both hypothermia and frostbite, increasing the core body temperature should always be a priority over rewarming the frostbitten area.

Frost Nip

Frost Nip is a very mild version of frostbite where freezing of the top most layer of skin occurs. Frost nip commonly occurs on the nose, cheeks, ears, fingers and toes.

Generally easy to reverse

• Rewarming the affected area by placing it on another persons warm skin or by covering it up with a face mask, hat or glove.
• The skin will appear white and sensation may or may not be present

Afterwards, the skin may become very dry or blister. Often times the area will become prone to future cases of frost nip and frostbite.

Do not rub frost nip, the ice crystals within the skin can cause damage when moved.

Trench Foot

Trench Foot, also called Immersion Foot, occurs when the foot is exposed to wet conditions for extended periods of time which can occur any time of the year in Alaska. 

Signs of trench foot include:

• Redness, numbness, tingling, pain, itching

Severe Cases:

• The skin becomes pale and mottled, or even dark purple, grey, or blue, as the affected tissue generally dies.six hours of trench foot, permanent tissue damage can happentwenty-four hours, the appendage may be lost.Once trench foot occurs, the circulatory damage may may be irreversible and the individual may be more prone to trench foot in the future.picking your shoes while in water:

Issues with some footwear:
Neoprene-lined rubber boots

• do not let the foot breathe and hold moisture inside the boot.

Waterproof hiking boots are often useless

• once water gets into the boot, it is held inside

Trail running shoes might be a good choice for some activities but many are not waterproof at all and also may not provide enough support for traveling over difficult terrain. 

Prevention:

• take time to allow wet feet to dry
• if you are camping use sleeping socks at night, which stay in your sleeping bag.
  • As soon as you get into your sleeping bag, put them on and enjoy a night of dry, warm feet!

 

Learn more about Avalanche Safety...

• Weather.gov - avalanche safety
• Alaska Department of Natural Resources - Avalanches
• BackcountryAccess.com - Education
• Avalanche Safety 101

 

Warning sign for Dangerous Waters and Mud Flats, with mudflat of Cook Inlet in background.

Creative Commons/J Stephen Conn

Mudflat Safety: Steer Clear!

On July 15, 1988, a tragic accident on the mudflats of Turnagain arm near Portage, Alaska claimed the life of newlywed Adeana Dickison. She had become mired in the wet silt that is exposed twice everyday by the outgoing tide. The ATV driven by her husband has become stuck in the mud and while pushing the vehicle, her leg sunk to her knee. Unable to free her, her husband summoned help, but it arrived too late. The incoming tide rushed in and inundated her. Hypothermia was also a factor as the water is extremely cold.

Do not venture out onto the mudflats of Knik Arm or Turnagain Arm for any reason. While it is true that some areas are drier and more stable than others, you may find it necessary to cross wet areas which are more dangerous. Also, you may be overtaken by the onrush of the incoming tide which comes in at over 10 miles per hour. At that point all the silt is obviously wet, and when that happens, you sink further into the silty mud.

 

A brown bear sow sits with two cubs.

NPS/anch

Bear Safety

One of the things that makes Alaska so special is that all three species of North American bears flourish here, providing a good chance for visitors to actually see one. Even if you don't see one, you will never be far from one, because Alaska is bear country.

Check out the NPS' Bear Safety Page for important information on traveling in Alaska.

 

Bear Resistant Food Containers sit on a shelf.

NPS/FAPLIC

Bear Resistant Food Containers for rent

Fairbanks Alaska Public Lands Information Center has its own bear barrels for free rental to anyone recreating on Alaska's public lands. Our barrels are the small and large size Bear Vault plastic containers with screw-top lids, which are approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee for use on all public lands.

The consistent use of bear-resistant food containers in wild places has resulted in bear populations that do not associate humans or their property with food sources. Keeping the bears wild and uninterested in human presence means safe camping for you and keeping the bears alive... 'A fed bear is a dead bear.

'Where bear barrels are required in National Parks, there are free bear barrel rentals available on site. Our bear barrels are intended to be used in places where there are no free barrel rental programs already in place. Please use on-site rental programs if there is one available for where you're going.

Stop by the Fairbanks Alaska Center to rent a free bear barrel!
No reservations needed; first come-first serve.