Last updated: September 27, 2016
Itinerary
What follows is a general flow of events. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be flexible.
July 21
Meet your guide for a pre-trip meeting in Fairbanks at 4pm
July 22
It’s a long day. We fly north from Fairbanks to Bettles, crossing en route the mighty Yukon River and the Arctic Circle. Then, we charter a plane into the Gates of the Arctic National Park. We’ll land on a sprawling lake near the river. If the mood strikes us we will assemble the canoes and paddle for a bit. Or we might elect to explore our surroundings on foot and save the paddling for the next day.
July 23- 27
We’ll canoe our way down the Noatak. We’ll paddle about 12 miles on the moving days which will take about 4 hours. Alternating days will be layover days, and we will explore from each camp on foot. We can climb peaks from every camp, but there is also lots of good walking along the river, or up pretty tundra creeks. There will be free time each and every day after camp is pitched, the long evening is yours to enjoy the golden arctic sunlight.
July 28
Pack-up the boats and await the sound of a distant plane. Once everything is loaded we fly south to the Kobuk Dunes and land in a sea of sand. Then the plane departs and we are once again, alone in the wilderness.
July 29
A full day to enjoy the dunes. The sand constantly shifts and swirls. There are springs coming right out of the sand and great expanses where nothing seems to live. The hiking is soft in places but great distances can be covered if so inclined. Should you want to hike to the Kobuk River we can explore the dunes, forests and river in a long circuit returning to our base camp at day’s end.
July 30
Our last morning in the field. There will be time for a last walk in the sand before packing camp and then flying back to Kotzebue, arriving by late afternoon (weather permitting). You can arrange your own flight to Anchorage this evening.