Tag: Alaska

Into the Tundra: Part Two

Leigh, Travel

The following is an account of day two of our trip to the arctic circle.  If you missed day one, you can catch up in quick fashion with a recap found here.

On Friday we got packed up not-so-bright and early for the 6a flight into Kotzebue.  The journey took about 90 minutes, and most of the passengers had one common denominator: camouflage.  Nearly everyone on the flight looked like they were prepared to rough it in the elements for a few days, and hoped to fill their freezer in the process.

It makes sense.  Kotzebue is a small town, and is considered the gateway to the artic.  It’s also an island, so getting goods in or out is tricky.  (That might explain why a bag Cheetos at the local market sold for a cool $7.) Once we landed at the small airport, it wasn’t too hard to find the two young men with the name of our outfitter embroidered on their jackets.  Kaleb and TJ helped us load up into a van to take us over to the staging area.  A few other hunters shared the ride, and a couple more were already at the base camp.  There was a team of two from California, one bearded quiet guy, and one clean-shaved and chatty fellow.  Another pair of guys were traveling from Wisconsin and said they had hunted together for 30 years.  A third duo were also longtime hunting buddies from somewhere in the lower 48.

We all got busy breaking our big bags down into smaller bags, per the instructions of the outfitter.  The bush planes are small, so the pilots prefer many small bags that they can tuck into limited cargo spaces, versus just a couple larger and more cumbersome bags.  We had quite a few items when we broke everything out, and were a little nervous about how the weight would add up once they put everything on the scale.  As it turned out, my bathroom scale had set us up for success.  We were both at about 71 pounds, one pound over the limit, but the outfitter let us slide.

The plan was for us to get into the field that morning, but the wind was up and we decided to grab breakfast while we waited it out.  It was fun to chat with the other hunters and hear their stories about “that one time” when their buddy shot a big moose, or how one guy had the perfect spot for his trophy bull, until he put it on the wall and couldn’t open his back door without hitting the tines.  We all had a delicious breakfast (Edgar raved about the chicken fried steak) and a few good belly laughs before heading back to the staging area to see if it was safe to fly.

The weather was beautiful in town, but reports were that the wind was still howling en route to our camp, so it was decided we’d wait a day and get into the field on Saturday.  We resigned ourselves to the delay, and wandered around the town.  Hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and sled dog mushing are clearly the big pastimes in Kotzebue.  We also saw quite a few broken down vehicles and equipment in yards. Living in a place that remote, and for some of the year, that cold and snowy, must make it hard to get those items removed, and people probably make use of whatever parts they can.

We had a nice dinner with a view, and pondered about the journey ahead.  Would we see caribou?  Would we see bears? Was it really that tough to walk on the tundra?  What kind of camping area would they select for us, and would our gear stand the test when the Alaskan wind and rain blew into the valley?

We couldn’t wait to get out into the wilderness and see what the arctic circle had in store.

 

Thoughts on Alaska

Travel

Thanks to our loyal contributor, Marie, for sharing these thoughts on her recent Alaskan adventure. 

Starting off, there are a few preconceived notions about Alaska that I have found to be exceedingly true. From traditional totem poles to glaciers to the sheer vast emptiness of the land.

By emptiness I don’t mean lack of substance or matter.  I’m referring to the lack of human disturbance of the natural world: buildings, parking lots, houses, all of the things that fill our eyes every single day (Maybe not my sister’s, as she’s been living in a tent clearing trails and building bridges for the Rocky Mountain Youth Core since early summer).  The majority of people take the sight of untouched land completely for granted, and mostly, I think, because they’ve never had the opportunity to understand it or have not been taught the significance of the untouched space.  I was so fortunate to have been raised to love and treasure the connecting beauty that nature, particularly the mountains, holds.  Thinking of the people who have been my mentors in helping me know how precious it is and will always be gives me an unmeasurable amount of gratitude. It makes me who I am.

Alaska holds so much, and it’s one of those rare places that you see and you just think, this is how it is supposed to be.

We took “The Seeker”, a rough and tough landing craft, out to an island one day, and sat on the beach with the sun shining down on us.  The moment was how I picture heaven.

I have seen a few different oceans and there is always some sort of noticeable change between them. I speak just for southeastern Alaska, but when you look down into the water, there is nothing but clarity and life. The forests are the same way!  They look healthy and happy and there is so much diversity when you train your eye to notice the vitality on a smaller scale.  Seeing the unvarnished beauty and strength of nature provides a sense of unwavering hope, and I’ve been able to feel it all day and night and it’s better than any cleanse you’d find at your local, overpriced health foods store.

Living on a boat, there’s nothing else like it. The first few steps in the morning feel like they’re your first three steps ever. I’m sure this is all comical to the ones that have experienced it.  All in all, I have definitely developed a much deeper respect for Alaska, seeing as I was the woman riding a borrowed, squeaky bike in my Xtratuffs.

-Marie

Special thanks to our friend Billy, who helped this trip come together.