Basecamp in the Wild Arctic, Alaska

The Trip

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been a major battlefront of the environmental movement for years. Oil Companies want to drill in one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the world. The Refuge has been home to people and wildlife for generations. The Porcupine caribou herd, 200,000 strong, passes through to its calving grounds. This herd brings predators, including wolves, and bears. Golden eagles, wolverines, musk ox and hundreds of species of birds pass through this area. We’ll look for all of them.

This trip will be a base camp trip visiting two key areas where we can hike in all directions, exploring this beautiful and wild land. This will give us the opportunity to deeply explore two of the most remote and beautiful places in the Refuge. A base camp takes the pressure off arriving at a distant destination and allows us to ramble and explore more. Halfway through the trip our pilot will come to our camp and move us to a totally new location.

Our first camp will be at the Upper Marsh Fork of the Canning River and the second one at the East Fork of the Chandalar near Red Sheep Creek.

We’ll begin the trip in Fairbanks where we’ll all meet for a pre-trip dinner on Friday evening. On the morning of day one (Saturday) we will either take a long bush flight to the Canning River or fly a schedule flight to Arctic Village where we’ll take our bush flight from there to the Canning.

We’ll set up our base camp there and spend the next 4 days exploring. We’ll have long days which will allow us to hike leisurely and long if we want to. You’ll usually have the option of staying in camp, doing a shorter hike or doing a long hike.

The plane will come back for us halfway through the trip and move our camp to the Chandalar where we will spend 4 days exploring a totally new place. At the end of the trip we will travel back to Fairbanks.

Getting There

We will fly north from Fairbanks with either a scheduled regional airline flight to Arctic Village or directly from Fairbanks to the Refuge. Arctic Village is a Gwich’in village. The Gwich’in have been instrumental in protecting the Refuge. The bush flights are truly spectacular.

When traveling to Fairbanks, keep in mind that airlines still manage to lose baggage going to Alaska. We suggest planning at least an extra day in Fairbanks on the front end of the trip to give the airline the opportunity to find your lost luggage. If your luggage does not arrive in time, there is an excellent outfitter in Fairbanks that can solve most missing gear issues. 

On the last day of the trip we will return to Fairbanks late in the afternoon. We don’t recommend scheduling a flight out of Fairbanks on the last day due to the uncertainty of Arctic bush travel. We hope to return on time, but it is not uncommon to have weather delays that result in our coming out of the wilderness a day later than we planned.

Please do not make nonrefundable travel arrangements until notified by the leaders.

Accommodations and Food

We will supply all meals starting with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on the last day. 

We will recommend places to stay in Fairbanks at the beginning and end of the trip.

Trip Difficulty

This is not a trip for beginning outdoors people. While we won’t be carrying large packs every day, this trip will be an immersion into the ever-changing weather of the arctic. Hot, sweaty days in the sun are often followed by cold rain and snow. There are no trails and participants must commit to pre-trip conditioning and some previous experience; hiking in Alaskan-type weather and terrain is ideal but not required. You need good stamina, strength, balance, a high comfort level with uneven terrain, and most importantly, an adventurous spirit. We will hike in shallow water, across soft riverbeds, and over very slippery surfaces, even in snow. We will always hike as a group and help each other through the difficult parts. Especially given the remote location, safety will be the top priority. Depending on the weather, our route may require us to cross large streams, though if water levels are too high, we will find a different route or wait for the water level to go down. 

One of the responsibilities of the leaders is to ensure that all participants have the required gear and are sufficiently physically fit to do this trip. We are more than happy to discuss gear options, fitness level, route conditions, and pre-trip conditioning strategies.

Equipment and Clothing

A detailed equipment list will be provided to all participants well before the trip.

References

• Miller, Debbie S., Midnight Wilderness.
• Marshall, Robert, Exploring the Central Brooks Range.
• Lopez, Barry, Arctic Dreams.
• Kauffmann, John M., Alaska's Brooks Range.
• McPhee, John, Coming into the Country.
• Peilou, E.C., A Naturalist's Guide to the Arctic.
• Murie, Margaret E., Two in the Far North
• Heuer, Karsten, Being Caribou
• Calef, George, Caribou and the Barren-Lands

Conservation

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, immediately adjacent to the National Petroleum Reserve, is the country’s largest wildlife refuge (over 19 million acres). The area was first protected in the 1960s and later grew in size. However, like so many places, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is threatened by pressure to drill for oil, and this pressure has intensified in recent years. A changing climate is also contributing to changes in this area. Polar bears are forced off the dwindling sea ice and move inland, altering the predator/prey ecosystem. Our journey will be intertwined with discussions about migration patterns, flora, fauna, the ancient history of this land, and the potential changes that this refuge faces in the future.

Currently there is a push to approve oil and gas leases in the Refuge.

A central aim of this trip is to introduce participants to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding regions to develop future stewards of this land. To travel through this pristine landtaking  is to truly know the importance of preserving such a wild place.