Geadakee Lake Backpack

The second trip of the summer was a backpack trip with two mid-twenty year old guys from New York City. They were definitely city boys missing the city but loving the solitude at the same time. This trip centered around Geatakee Lake at the head waters of the Alatna River, in Gates of the Arctic National Park about 350 west of the Hulahula river. Backpack trips in the Arctic with no trails are never a walk in the park because of all the tussocks and miscellaneous tundra obstacles but certainly a great way to get in touch with the land. Since we were dropped off and picked up at the same lake by a float plane we had the luxury of moving at what ever pace satisfied our urge for exploration and motivation. These guys were happy alternating moving days with rest days which gave us three different camps for two nights each. A very relaxed pace. The scenery was breath taking. One moose and a white wolf were spotted along with ample evidence of caribou but no sightings. Mosquitos.... Wow! say no more. Alaska has a reputation for horrendously large populations of nagging mosquitoes which is mostly undeserved. Roughly ten to eleven months of the year they are not noticeable, but.... mid-July in the arctic will drive the most stable person to the loony bin with mosquitoes. Not to get to personal, but it is even hard to pee without getting bit on the knotty bits. If you see someone scratching their crotch in mid-July in the Arctic don't assume the worst, assume they've just releived themselves. The lesson here folks is to visit the Arctic in June or August when you won't notice large swarms of insects.

The Hulahula River revisited

Lets bounce around a little bit in time and reminisce a bit about this past summer. I had the good fortune to spend much of the summer running guided wilderness trips in Arctic Alaska... in different parts of the Brooks Range. The most memorable was the paddle raft trip down the Hulahula River running through the heart of the disputed 1002 area in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That would be the dispute over wilderness protection vs. oil drilling. The trip included both great scenery and very pleasant clients. Folks on this trip came from a wide variety of back grounds from a high school chemistry teacher to an aerospace mechanical engineer that developed propulsion systems for NASA. For get to the put-in we flew a relatively large plane, a Caravan which seats about twelve folks and small amounts of cargo, from Fairbanks to the small native community of Arctic Village. There we unloaded all the gear onto a small gravel runway by the Chandalar River to wait for Dirk from Coyote Air to pick us up in his Beaver. Dirk's plane in comparison to the first can hold as many as five folks, a raft, and some gear.

From start to finish the weather was exceptional and the mosquito population was almost absent. Dirk made it to Arctic Village around 3pm and started running shuttles over the Brooks range to our put in just north of the continental divide. Our whole group was at the river by dinner. That night was spend at the landing stripe organizing gear and soaking in the solitude. That first night Jim Stoltz was strolling up the river brushing his teeth while getting ready for bed. He was about 200 yards away looking at the movement in the water when we notices a grey wolf on the other side of the river hidden in the bushes checking him out. This went on for about five minutes before the wolf spooked and took off. Jim had no idea the wolf was there until we told him. Jim appreciated the wolf's presence non-the-less. The rest of the trip provided a host of other adventures along the same vein including the very same thing happening to Jim a second time later in the trip.

Cabin Living

As most of you know, Becky and I bought a nice little cabin on 2.5 acres in Fairbanks, Alaska last April. We've been through the seasons in it now and are getting it nicely broken in to our liking. Summer was great with gardening, removing brush for a future chicken coop, watching the birds and basking in the 11:30 pm sunsets. Winter is setting in now with about 6 inches of snow on the ground. The temperatures are in the 20 F range and the days are getting shorter. It feels good to be getting back into the winter months with lots of skiing and playing in the snow ahead.

Riga

Introducing Riga! This little girl has energy and loves to use it. Out of all the photos taken of her there is not a single one where she has all four feet on the ground. Running is her main occupation. Sometimes it's to chase a squirrel, other times she is just chasing her nose. Her zodiac sign is Aries. Her favorite season is winter, she likes long strolls in the woods, licking people, laying in mud puddles, scratches behind her ears and cuddling in laps. If you manage to get a photo of her outdoors with all four feet on the ground simultaneously please email it to me.

The Axe Goddess

Never a dull moment around these neck of the woods. Last weekend Becky entered a few of the categories at the Farthest North Forest Sports competition hosted by UAF's Natural Resource Management Department. A few years back she awed the crowd by taking first place in the axe throw with three consecutive bulls eyes. She held her own this year as well but was not able to hold on to the victor's cup this go around. For those of you that had money placed on her this year, don't worry, she is already back to her training regiment sharpening the axe and throwing... focus and throw... sharpen and throw.

Kasugi Ridge

With the summer slipping away from us Becky and I teamed up with our neighbors Eamon and Anja for a weekend backpack trip in the Alaska Range along Kusugi Ridge a few weeks back. It was raining when we started the hike giving the impression it might not let up, but since we drove five hours to the trail head and were really itching for a stretch of the legs we put on the packs, unleashed the dogs (four of the rascally little guys) and headed up the trail. What a spectacular trail. With Autumn in full swing the trees were a nice palate of colors and by the time we reached tree line the blueberries were in full abundance. For all you lower 48ers, not all the berry bushes around here are big which just means you have to get a little closer to the ground for a good harvest like Becky is doing in the photo. Notice her bounty in her left hand. As we got closer to the ridge line the clouds started breaking up and by the evening we had grand views of the valley below, even a little glimpse of Denali off in the distance at times.

Hulahula River

You can never have too much fun exploring new places. This blog will be a new place for me to post current good times as they progress. This photo is overlooking the Hulahula River running out of the Brooks Range and across the coastal plane of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from a trip I worked this past June. Contrary to what some politicians may want folks to believe, this land is full of life and well worth preserving as a wilderness fully intact and without oil development.