Last updated: November 22, 2021
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
Aug 28
Meet your guide at Arctic Wild headqarters in Fairbanks for a meet and greet, gear shake-down, and safety briefing at 4 pm.
August 29
If the weather cooperates, it will be an early departure from Fairbanks in light aircraft. As we leave Fairbanks you’ll buzz above the last roads you will see for a week. After an hour we pass the massive Yukon River and then into the Brooks Range beyond. After another hour of some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine, the plane descends.
There is no airport, no runway per se and the pilot’s target is usually perceptible only to them. And then the wheels scratch gravel and the plane lurches to a stop, dust flying and the wings bouncing as they adjust from supporting the plane to be supported by it.
Once we are all unloaded and the plane is gone the silence of the Brooks Range settles in on us and we pitch camp, making our home for the week in the wilderness.
Aug 30 - Sept 2
A custom and private trip like this is all about your desires and dreams for the trip. We supply food equipment, transportation, and leadership; but the experience is tailored to you and your vision of what is fun and rewarding. If you want to take it easy and loaf in camp, that’s great. If you want to charge off on a hike, your guide will lead the way. Or if you want to fish in solitude, that is fine too. We have lots of ideas and suggestions for how to enjoy the Arctic.
The options for hiking are varied, from relatively easy strolls to exhausting ascents. From natural history oriented rambles looking at animal tracks to aerobic challenges among the peaks and spires. The Brooks Range has it all.
If you want to fish, bring a rod, reel, and plenty of tackle. We will help you refine your skills to target the char that lurk in the deep holes.
We will also bring (airplane capacity allowing) a couple of very small rafts which each hold one person. We can use these to ferry across the river to access hikes on the far side. And if some of the group are eager, we can also hike up river and float back to camp.
There is no limit to our adventures. And when we return to camp we can shelter in the cook tent, swapping stories while waiting for the Aurora to brighten the autumn sky.
Sept 3
If the weather permits we ought to hear the plane by late morning. It may be the only we’ve heard all week! Time to fold and stow the tents, perhaps covered in frost, and to pack up the rest of camp. Then we squeeze back into the small planes and wing south back to Fairbanks.
Time for a shower and to begin exaggerating about the trip. And you should probably call your wife too!
