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You are viewing: Home > Backpacking > Arctic Divide I
Philip Smith/Franklin Mountains Backpacking Traverse
| Location: |
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
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| Trip Length: |
8 days
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| Activities: |
Moderately strenuous backpacking through Brooks Range mountain valleys; optional day hikes. Scenic and wildlife photography.
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| Dates: |
Custom for 2010
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| Price: |
$2925 from Fairbanks, Alaska
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| Rating: |
M+ |
 Early summer in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is special: No mosquitoes, wildflowers popping up, snow clinging to the mountainsides, while meltwater gurgles down creeks, and newborn wildlife wanders upon the land.
This trek takes us to an extremely wild and remote corner of the refuge, through rugged, austere mountains, up hidden valleys, and over a spectacular pass, into convoluted geology and aufeis-covered valleys. We experience ecosystems on the southern Brooks Range, and the north slope, with its treeless expanse. Dall sheep are the denizens here, along with grizzlies, wolves, rough-legged hawks, golden eagles and the elusive Grey-headed Chickadee. If you like getting into the high country, exploring and constant light, this is a trip to savor.
| Itinerary |
| Day 0 |
Travel to Fairbanks, Alaska. The group will meet for dinner the night before the trip to go over final trip details, and to get acquainted.
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| Day 1 |
Trip participants meet in the early morning at the small airport in Fairbanks, where we pack all our gear onto a small commercial plane and fly 150 miles north, over the Steese and White Mountains and the Yukon River, to Arctic Village, a small Gwich'in settlement (100 people) situated on the banks of the Chandalar River. We meet our bush pilot here, and fly into the Arctic Refuge.
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| Days 2-8 |
Each day we establish a rhythm of hiking, relaxing, eating, and sleeping. We have 24 hours of daylight to explore our wilderness surroundings. We cross over a pass into the north side of the Brooks Range, and descend a canyon to a mountain-rimmed valley, where Stonehenge-like boulders dot the tundra.
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| Day 9 |
From our camp, we're picked up by our bush pilot and flown back to Arctic Village. Then we catch a small commercial flight back to Fairbanks.
There are few places left on earth as wild the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is a symbol of our natural heritage, a remnant of the wilderness that once covered all of North America. The area to the north (Arctic Coastal Plain) is under consideration for Wilderness designation. There have been repeated proposals to open the Arctic Refuge coastal plain to oil drilling. We hope that by visiting this incredible region of the Arctic Refuge you will be better informed, and willing to help protect it.
TRIP DIFFICULTY
Although we don't cover great distances, backpacking in the Arctic is strenuous. Our daily mileage rarely exceeds 6 miles, but we hike cross-country on river bars and tundra, following ancient wildlife migration routes. We wade streams. The terrain is uneven, and we cross over mountain passes. Permafrost underlies surface vegetation, and so moisture either runs off the land quickly or sits on the surface forming bogs. Tussocks, which are clumps of arctic sedge or cottongrass, rise mushroom-like across the land, making for challenging hiking at times. In other places, we find well-drained slopes, which are drier underfoot for walking, but may have scree on them. All in all, hiking in the arctic is challenging. It is essential that you are in good shape, and that you have prior experience backpacking.
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| Included in trip costs |
- All transportation beyond Fairbanks
- All meals in the field
- Group cooking, camping, medical and safety equipment (We bring such items as a kitchen shelter, emergency radio, bear repellent spray, water filter and first aid kit)
- Expert leadership
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| Not included in trip costs |
- Lodging before or after trip
- Extra meals you might choose to purchase in a town or village while we are awaiting air transport
- Sleeping bag and pad, and personal equipment
- Excess baggage charges
- Please plan to bring your own personal medications, toiletries, etc.
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| Call or E-mail us for the complete packet on this expedition.
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