Last updated: August 30, 2016
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
August 14
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting at 4 pm in Fairbanks at the Arctic Wild headquarters.
August 15
Fly north from Fairbanks across the Yukon River over the Brooks Range past Gates of the Arctic National Park to a gravel bar on the Kiligwa. After unloading the airplane we will make camp and relish the feeling of solitude. An evening hike on the tundra will wet our appetites for more exploration.
August 16
We have the day to explore the headwaters on foot. Late in the day we can inflate the rafts, get a refresher on paddle strokes and review river safety in preparation for the next day’s paddle.
August 17 - 21
The weather, the river and the wildlife inform our decisions about when to paddle, when to hike, when to rest and when to climb the bluffs for a vista. Some days we will spend most of the day on the water. Some days will be shorter and more leisurely and there will be one or two days when we elect to explore the uplands on foot and fish for grayling in the river, leaving camp set up for two nights in a single location. No matter how we spend our time, each day will be full of adventure and surprises
We will camp at the base of bluffs that will afford us sweeping views of the Colville basin. Each day presents new wonders and each moment offers a quiet surprise. It is a subtle, serene, and rich landscape; hauntingly beautiful primordial wilderness.
August 22
A final cast of the fishing rod; a final search of the gravel bar for fossilized coral; one last look in the willows for blue-throats and then it is time to pack our gear and listen for the distant hum of an airplane, perhaps the first we have heard in a week. Once the plane arrives it is back south. Weather permitting, we arrive in Fairbanks in time for a late dinner and can begin exaggerating about the trip.
