NOLS Alaska Trip Report 2017 June 25, 2017 The Check-In NOLS Alaska arrived at 4:00pm to check in at the Chimney Corners Sign Barn! After a short orientation, the group took their bags to the Four Seasons Lodge, settled in, and then went on a hike around Smith Pond. After a few lively rounds of the game Ninja, sure to be a group favorite, we enjoyed our first dinner together. The group had a relaxing evening playing more games, discussing our itinerary, and going over packing methods. June 26, 2017 The Day at Chimney Corners After a yummy Chimney breakfast, the group headed to the waterfront for swim checks. After, students presented their Cultural Presentations on the lawn and then headed to lunch. For the rest of the afternoon, the group headed to Camp Becket, hiked around Rudd Pond, and then relaxed on the library porch and caught up with some friends. Once we hiked back to Chimney, the group did a leadership activity called Behavior Interaction Styles, where they learned more about their individual leadership styles. After one last dinner at Chimney, the group packed, showered and then decided to stay awake until our 1:00am bus pick-up departing for Boston Logan. June 27, 2017 The Travel Day Our day started at 1:00am when the bus picked us up to take us to Boston for our flight. We had a smooth check-in and time to wait at the gate and grab breakfast. Everything ran on-time and we caught our second flight from Seattle to Anchorage. The Alaska House of Jade staff picked us up from the airport upon our arrival in Anchorage, fed us a delicious dinner of spaghetti & meatballs, and then we headed to bed for an early night. It was a full day of travel and everyone was excited for the comfortable beds. Tomorrow, we meet our NOLS instructors! June 28, 2017 The First Day at NOLS The NOLS bus picked us up from the Alaska House of Jade at 7:00am. We had an hour-long ride to the NOLS Alaska branch, a.k.a. The Farm, and were greeted by our Instructor Team (I- Team): Kelly, Richmond, and Caitlin. We got a tour of the NOLS facility, packed our food rations, and had a gourmet meal prepared with ingredients from the NOLS farm. After lunch, we learned how to pack our backpacks, rented any remaining gear needed, and had one last opportunity to shower in the front country. The I-Team answered all of our trip-related questions after dinner, and then we had another early night. We slept under our covered trip bay and got our first taste of what it felt like to sleep through 24-hour daylight. June 29, 2017 The Trailhead Rise and shine! Today we got an early start, eating breakfast and doing some last-minute packing. The NOLS bus was loaded by 9:00am and we departed The Farm, heading to Meekin s Air Field to drop of our second and third food rations with the bush pilot. Mid-morning, we were dropped off at the Pinochle Creek ATV trailhead. After a slight mishap, the bus returned with our trekking poles that we had forgotten to take off the bus. We excitedly shouted our bear calls, marking the first steps of our journey. A short, but muddy 1.5 mile hike later, we arrived at our first campsite and got to work learning how to set up camp and cook our first meal. We had a relatively early night after absorbing a lot of new information about survival in the backcountry.
June 30, 2017 The ATV Trail This morning we got our first taste of just how long it takes to cook breakfast and breakdown camp each morning. After roughly 3 hours of preparing to hike, we embarked on a 7 mile hike up Pinochle Creek, over a saddle between two peaks, and down towards Hicks Lake. It was a long day of hiking and we definitely had some sore muscles at the end of it, but we were already getting better at wading through muddy puddles in the ATV trail. We camped at a nice spot on Hicks Lake and enjoyed watching a pair of beavers cruise by throughout the evening. July 1, 2017 The Sandbar This morning after breakfast we had a lesson in leadership roles and how to be a leader even when you re not the designated person in charge. Once the morning lesson was over, we were introduced to our new morning routine of sun salutations, planks, and quiet reflection time before hiking. We passed Hicks Lake, walked down the remaining section of Pinochle Creek and turned left at the confluence with Chitna Creek. We located a nice spot on the river bar, set up cooking tarps, and then headed over to setup tents just as it started down pouring. This was our first wet evening and everyone quickly learned the importance of putting on warm layers, staying dry, and making sure the tents were properly secured against the wind. Here s to better weather tomorrow! July 2, 2017 The Moose We were greeted by off and on rain all morning and got a slower start than usual today. It became clear we needed to do everything in our power to remain in good spirits when the weather was bad. The I-Team taught us many of their drying techniques last night, and we are already seeing the positive results of drying damp gear in our sleeping bags. Hooray for the human dryer! When we got to the airstrip and started cooking dinner, the weather cleared a bit and we had our first moose sighting across the creek. We used Richmond s binoculars to determine that there were two moose and they appeared to be eating. We fell asleep to the sound of more rain on our tarps. July 3, 2017 The River Crossing We awoke this morning to very foggy conditions. It was difficult to see over the edge of the airstrip down to Chitna Creek, but the skies parted before we started hiking. We had a lesson in river crossing, assessed the conditions, and successfully crossed in 3 groups. After, we headed up Caribou Creek and the I-Team told us we would be hiking the entire length of it over the next few days. The ATV trail ended as we got to our camp for the night. It was a relatively short hiking day and students enjoyed some evening down time before bed. July 4, 2017 The 4 th of July Today we hiked to the airstrip where we will get our first re-ration! Everyone is excited to meet the bush pilot and see how he lands in the backcountry. Today, we also hiked off of the ATV trail for the first time, so our navigation skills were really put to the test. All hiking groups arrived at the airstrip mid-afternoon after a few more creek crossings, made dinner and separated food and waste for the re-ration early tomorrow morning. We attempted lighting a fire, but the last few days of rain made this difficult. The night s sunset was particularly beautiful and we watched the clearing storm clouds against the backdrop of the mountains.
July 5, 2017 The First Re-Ration Mike Meekin delivered our first re-ration via bush plane this morning! To say we were excited to see him would be an understatement. He greeted us with fresh fuel canisters and full bags of food, and participants could not wait to ask about his life in Alaska. Mike also brought us sunny weather this morning and forecasted a few more days of good weather ahead.but no promises. We are learning that Mama Alaska gives us whatever weather she feels like with no clear pattern or reason. After re-ration, we continued up Caribou Creek and tried our hand at bushwhacking for the first time. Beyond protection from mud, we learned that our fashionable boot gaiters also protected our legs from thick brush. Four miles later, there was a bit of confusion about our meeting point, but we eventually found everyone at another river bar campsite just past Mazuma Creek. We had some rain this evening, but it passed before bedtime. July 6, 2017 The Thunder Followed by the Hail The first hiking group set out after breakfast this morning, hoping to confirm that we could continue along the river rather than a steep climb back up to the tundra. Thirty minutes later, we all got turned around because there was, in fact, a waterfall ahead that we could not pass. We had some scrambling to do up the side of a steep incline, and then emerged on pillow soft tundra for the first time. A few miles later and a bit closer to our camp for the night, we were caught in a thunderstorm, followed by a period of hail. We were exposed, but able to change into warmer clothes fairly quickly as our campsite was only another mile away. The weather cleared throughout the evening and we were left with beautiful views of the mountain range beyond. The human dryer definitely came in handy tonight! July 7, 2017 The Land of the Midnight Sun We got to sleep in this morning and have some more downtime than usual after last night s storms. After a few morning classes, we hiked to the head of Caribou Creek and over a pass where we saw hundreds of caribou dropping into the next valley that we would explore. It was a shorter hike, and we took in amazing views of the Oshetna River valley beneath us. We saw massive peaks in the distance and an impressive storm that, luckily, seemed to be heading away from our current location. On our way to the camping area, we saw even more caribou and a group of marmots peeping out of their rocky home. Tonight after dinner, we sat out and watched the midnight sun, shining perfectly above the mountains in the distance. We couldn t have picked a better spot if we tried. The group felt proud of their accomplishments today. We weathered our first major storm, climbed a high mountain pass, saw all kinds of wildlife, and made a perfect home for the night. July 8, 2017 The Storm We had a productive morning with lessons and hiking after a clear, calm night of sleep. Today s 4 mile hike included another mountain pass and more caribou sightings, all while it was raining. We are learning that it s more pleasant to hike in the rain than to try to make camp and stay warm at the end of the day. Today was no exception. At the end of the hike, we located our destination for camping which happened to be at the top of a glacial valley with snow still on the ground in patches. The freezing cold wind was howling over the pass, so we decided to camp a little further down. The freezing rain persisted and spirits were low. Participants helped each other get warmer and cooked dinner collectively, speeding up the process to get everyone to bed.
Most of our gear and clothing were wet, but we made it to the relative calm of our tents eventually. Today was a big lesson in the importance of self-care, and moving forward, the group will be able to use today as a point of reference for any difficult situations we encounter. A difficult, yet productive day it was! July 9, 2017 The Mama Grizz & Her Three Cubs We had a super sleep-in this morning to gain a few extra hours after last evening s storm. It rained through the night, but stopped during breakfast. We debriefed the previous night at length and shared what we learned from the storm. Feeling prepared to tackle whatever was thrown at us next, we set out on a 3 mile hike to our next location. All groups reached the next pass and dropped down into the top of the Mazuma Creek valley. The second group, walking along the creek, saw a grizzly and her 3 cubs playing in the water a few hundred yards away. It was an impressive sighting, but the family of bears heard our group s calls and ran in the other direction. Three miles of pleasant downhill hiking passed quickly and we reached our next campsite at the base of a pass we will summit tomorrow. We saw impressive views of two different ranges from our campsite tonight and cannot wait to cross the pass in front of us. From here, it seems daunting, but we know it will be another adventure! July 10, 2017 The Alpine Lake This morning we were ready to get hiking. We had a fairly quick morning routine, and soon enough, hiking groups started down the creek and up towards the pass. All three groups easily reached the pass and looked down into the valley leading towards Billy Creek. At the top of the tributary, we had amazing views of an alpine lake below us and could see our destination around a bend about 4 miles in the distance. The skies had cleared and we had a lot of side-hilling to do before reaching our campsite. Groups took slightly different routes today depending on those navigating, but we all arrived on time and had a rainy evening under the tarps. We were pleased with our progress for the day and excited about our shorter hike tomorrow. July 11, 2017 The Early Night After a foggy morning with light rain and many lessons, we began our afternoon 2-mile hike down to Billy Creek and our second re-ration location. Spirits were high and we hiked fast today. It was a mild, sunny afternoon and participants enjoyed the free time to write letters, cook popcorn, and wash some of their clothes. We even got a head-start on re-ration prep. It was a relatively early night to bed with the day ending around 10:00pm. Once again, participants wanted to be well rested for the arrival of the bush plane and Mike Meekin. July 12, 2017 The Limestone Gap Mike brought us ice cream! This morning s re-ration was a huge success. Mike dropped off our new supplies and left because he was busy transporting a group of geologists and their gear to Limestone Gap, which happened to be our next destination. We swapped out old supplies for new and watched Mike come in for his second landing to pick up our old supplies. We learned that we would likely be camping near the geologist crew and excitedly set off on our 4-mile day. We climbed over 1000 feet in elevation to a cascading waterfall at the top of Limestone Gap and eventually reached a small lake. We camped on the far side of the lake with views for miles in both directions and were able to see the end of our long 8-mile hike tomorrow. As we began
making dinner tonight, we saw another grizzly come over the top of a ridge a few hundred yards from camp. The evening brought a few caribou sightings, some bugs, and clear weather. July 13, 2017 The Longest Hike The participants and I-Team spent the morning doing mentor/mentee check-ins before departing for an 8-mile hike. We knew the day would be long, but it was a slow downhill the whole way. Even with the ambitious end point in mind, we got to our camp before dinnertime. At the bottom of the valley, we saw a number of waterfalls and found ourselves crossing small creeks over and over. This also marked the return of the ATV trail. It wasn t muddy this time, but it did guide us in the right direction. We walked all the way down Bubb Creek today and camped at the confluence of Bubb, Shovel and Flat Creeks with views of the Horn Mountains in the background. July 14, 2017 The Gold Mine This morning we woke up to a drizzle, but nothing we couldn t handle. The group was excited to get hiking because we could see our next pass in the distance. Each group ended up taking a different path over the first ridge, but we eventually found the same pass that we needed to be at. We dropped down into Albert Creek and navigated a small canyon with thick brush, eventually emerging in a wider valley. After some trouble determining if we had actually reached our destination, we decided to continue on just as it began raining, then down pouring. The group stayed in a good mood and knew that the storm would pass because we had seen it moving at a good speed all day. Our campsite was located at a gold mine! The I-Team introduced the group to Steve and Larry, two owners of the mine, who let us camp on the landing strip down a ways. The clouds parted and we had another beautiful Alaskan sunset to fall asleep to. July 15, 2017 The Morning Coffee Delivery Steve and Larry brought us all coffee this morning! As the cooks prepared breakfast, the miners rolled up on their ATV with a full coffee setup in tow. They told stories of the mine s history and explained that they were repairing a bunch of machinery to someday start mining again. We learned about the history of the mine and the area, named after a land mogul by the name of Belanger, and enjoyed conversing with the first people we had encountered in some time. After our morning routine, we set off on a 6-mile hike to Belanger Pass. The trail got easier as we encountered the ATV road again. We hiked up and along a series of ridges with 360-views and got our first glimpse of the Glenn Highway where we will be picked up in a few days. Arriving at Belanger, we chose a spot to camp off of the ATV road in a nice canyon filled with soft tussocks. It was a relaxed evening with clear skies. Tomorrow is our first full layover day of the trip, which means a break from hiking with packs on! July 16, 2017 The Layover Day This morning we slept in until 10:00am, cooked breakfast, and then met at 12:00pm for a journaling session. At 1:00pm we set off for a short hike around a lake we had spotted the day before. It was amazing to see how fast we could go with our heavy packs left at camp. We ve all made a lot of progress! We got back to camp at 3:00pm, had an hour of free time, and then made dinner. The layover day allowed us to have an extended evening lesson time, and participants presented their Nature Nuggets, short presentations on leadership or ecology. We were asleep by 10:00pm and it was a clear, pleasant evening.
July 17, 2017 The Last Full Day We had another relaxing morning as some cooked breakfast while others had their final mentor meetings. By 12:00pm, we began our final 4-mile hike down the ATV road towards the Glenn Highway. We enjoyed our last views from up high and eventually made it to the bottom where we encountered some of the first structures and working machinery we had seen in weeks. Setting foot on the Glenn Highway, there was a huge sense of accomplishment and disbelief that we had just hiked 73 miles through the Alaskan backcountry. I doubt any of us will ever forget that feeling. As the day wound down, we found a boat launch to camp on for the night, near the highway. We cooked the last of our food, took some time to reflect as a group, and prepared our supplies to load onto the bus in the morning. We did it! July 18, 2017 The Best Shower Ever We had an early wakeup this morning. At 8:00am, the NOLS bus pulled up with a satisfying breakfast of bagels and fruit. We napped and took in views of the Matanuska Glacier on our 1- hour drive back to The Farm. We unloaded the bus and got right into the process of de-issuing our gear back to NOLS. We had our first showers and enjoyed the satisfaction of having lunch cooked for us. We spent the afternoon debriefing, shopping at the NOLS store, and cleaning more gear. After dinner, it was time to say goodbye to our incredible I-Team. Caitlin, Kelly and Richmond saw us off as we boarded the NOLS bus one last time and headed towards the Alaska House of Jade for the night. We enjoyed popcorn and homemade cookies once we got to the B&B. Some showered again and we quickly got to bed in real beds! July 19, 2017 The Front Country After a glorious night of sleep, we packed our bags and had a final breakfast at the Alaska House of Jade. We decided to go on a public transit adventure to downtown Anchorage and spent a few hours taking in the sights before our afternoon flight. All enjoyed souvenir shopping and our first real taste of the Alaskan front country. The shuttle picked us up and we headed to the airport. Our first flight to Seattle was smooth, and we had a quick layover before catching our second red-eye flight back to Boston. July 20, 2017 The East Coast We landed in the wee hours of the morning in Boston and then waited for our luggage and bus. The humidity of the East Coast got to us all more than we anticipated. Alaska s arid climate and unpredictable storms had seriously changed our opinion of normal summer conditions. We napped on the ride back to BCCYMCA and arrived at Camp Becket before lunchtime. Some worked on the group slideshow while others relaxed and caught up with friends around Becket. Our sleep schedules were off from being on the plane all night, so the group had more free time in the afternoon after they met to debrief the trip. After dinner, we began closing meetings and had a really early night. July 21, 2017 The Day at Camp Becket After breakfast this morning, the whole group hiked over to Chimney and the girls had time to catch up with friends while the boys had their closing meetings. We hiked back to Becket just in time for lunch, and then went on an off-site hike to Tyringham Cobble near Lee. After the hike, we headed into town for ice cream, and then went back to camp for afternoon free time. We were invited to attend the Becket final banquet and enjoyed the Harry Potter theme and delicious meal.
We spent the evening packing and cleaning our rooms in Gibson Hall, and then headed to our closing campfire at Rocky Point. All enjoyed reflecting on the memorable moments from the trip while acknowledging our accomplishments. It was a late night and all were happily tired as we went to bed. July 22, 2017 The Goodbyes We woke up a bit early to get to the dining hall and enjoy a coffee on the porch before breakfast. After the meal, we headed to Gibson Hall, loaded our bags in a van, and then hiked one more time over to the Chimney Sign Barn. Parents began arriving and before we knew it, we were presenting our slideshow and saying our goodbyes.