By: Bill Mohrwinkel Co-owner and Guide

Bill protects his brain

As the days grow longer it signals to Alaska’s trees that it is time to wake up from long winter’s sleep. As I write this I can see the first buds bursting out on the willows. It also signals that summer is upon us and it’s time to prepare for a busy season of sharing this amazing state with you.

It seemed like a good idea when I went from a full time guide for Arctic Wild to a co- owner. It’s easy to think of all the fun stuff you will be able to do as owner such as coming up with cool new trips like the Caribou Migration Backpack, talking with folks to help them choose the best trip for an experience of a lifetime and one of my favorites,

Clean, dry and ready for the river.

meeting them at the end of the trip to hear all the incredible stories of their adventures. Knowing I played a small part in helping you have a good trip is deeply satisfying.

But then the realities of being a small business owner sink-in and you find yourself doing things that were not in that dreamy image of owning your own business. Like sniffing raft glue for 80 hours (ok, Don’t worry, I actually use a respirator because raft glue is pretty nasty stuff).

In the winter and spring we spend many hours going through our gear to make sure it is in top

Our “new” van

shape. This is important for maintaining the safety and quality of our trips. Also, we operate in remote areas that we fly into with bush planes.  If the gear fails, we either have to fix it or do without. And it is hard to imagine paddling down the Hulahula without a raft!

So this spring as I repack first aid kits, build a roof rack for our new Arctic Wild van (Yes, the white van will be put out to pasture!) and repair all our rafts, I’ll be thinking of all the amazing experiences I will have with you or hear about from you at the end of your trip. See you this summer!