Last updated: July 14, 2022
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
June 10
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting at 4pm in Fairbanks at Arctic Wild headquarters.
June 11
Fly north from Fairbanks across the mighty Yukon River and over the Arctic Circle. Land in Arctic Village, an Athabascan settlement of 120 people.
From there, we fly over the Brooks Range into the Arctic Refuge. Once our link to civilization wings back south, we will shoulder our packs and hike several miles up river to our first camp. We pass the evening settling into our surroundings and climbing a nearby ridge for a view.
June 12 - 15
We have thirty miles to hike and ample of time to get there. Our first day and a half are in the mountains and we will take advantage of the topography to do some extra exploring. Once out of the mountains we can make good time across the coastal plain and will have a couple longer hiking days. On moving days, we’ll walk about 6 or 8 miles, which will keep us on our feet for about 6 hours. With the endless daylight this leaves ample time for exploration and relaxation. There will be good hiking from every camp, whether it’s up a peak, or out looking for wildlife in the flats. At any time, we could see thousands of caribou, a grizzly bear or two, a wolf, or other arctic wildlife. We will see wildlife, and plenty of birds so keep our binoculars at the ready.
June 16
A day to explore the Arctic Coast on foot. There are old sod houses, sea-ducks nesting, seals basking on the sea-ice and maybe even polar bear tracks!
June 17
From our camp by Demarcation Bay we pack up early and begin listening for our airplane. When it arrives we reluctantly load our gear and ourselves for the flight back through Arctic Village and on to Fairbanks, arriving late in the afternoon.
