Struggles in Alaska: The Tiekel and Beyond

Exploring whitewater in the Copper River Valley has been Brendan Well’s dream for years. Despite the Tiekel River’s easy access and seemingly classic late-season characteristics, few groups have explored it or the other major tributaries in its watershed. From the little beta Brendan and Eric Parker could gather, it sounded like the Tiekel was good to go at super low flows. Little did they know, low water was just the beginning of their struggles trying to tie together three rivers in one trip.