2021 Death Hike Recap: Fly-In, Hike-Out Adventure in the Frank Church Wilderness

The 2021 Death Hike began with a flight into a remote airstrip, deep in Idaho's Frank Church "River of No Return" Wilderness. Two groups landed at two different airstrips, and upon waving goodbye to the Cessna planes, each group had the goal of hiking out of the wilderness over the next 48 hours.

The route out of the Wilderness included a good mix of trails, off-trail travel, and deep snow. The hike began in the river bottoms, well below the snow line, with temps in the upper 40s. With full sun exposure and the radiance of heat bouncing off the deep rock faces that paralleled the river, it felt like 80+ degrees. The following day, groups would gain elevation and enter snowfields. Temperatures would plummet below zero, winds would pick up, and fresh snow would fall. The variety of terrain and conditions encountered on this hike was a welcomed challenge.

Adventures like this are hard to put into words, but in the content below you will find a podcast discussion of the hike, some photos from the trip, and a gear list of everything a participant carried for this event.

We hope these adventures inspire you to get outside, experience new places, seek challenge and learn throughout the process.

Listen Via: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Direct Download

Gear List Example

With 17 participants on the hike, no two gear lists were identical. There was a lot of variability in shelter choices, clothing brands, personal gear, and more. That said, most everyone carried very similar base equipment and had a pack weight of roughly 45-50lbs when accounting for all food, water, weapon, snowshoes, etc.

As an example list of the gear suggested for this type of adventure, here is Mark's Gear List...