My Alaska 2015 Gear List

Packing RAAGGEE

Packing is probably the hardest part of any trip preparation -- especially when that trip is going to last 6 months and involve 4 seasons worth of weather conditions. What's more, when you're going to be flying with your gear, you'll likely have to figure out how to fit it into 2 checked bags (under 50lbs each) and 2 carry-ons. As many times as I've done this in the last 3 years, it's still a challenge, so I figured I would share my gear list here for others who may be interested in how one might go about accomplishing such a feat.

Begin Chapter Two

The view out my window, winter and today

After 23 hour of flights, a couple hours of sleep, and one lost bag (yet to be found -- I may be wearing this same shirt for a while..), I've made it to Nome for a second summer of arctic adventure. It's a perfect day, 55 degrees, dry and sunny. Way better than when I got here last year in mid-June when it was 40 degrees and rained for a week straight.

First Law of Alaska Dynamics...

You may or may not be familiar with it. The First Law of Alaska Dynamics: The closer you get to the middle of nowhere, the smaller your planes get. 

Case in point:

Shishmaref

This week I spent 2 days in Shishmaref, the village I visited last November just before Thanksgiving. The purpose of my trip was essentially the same: to talk to local youth about Serpentine Hot Springs and get their perspectives on the area, but this time the experience was far more successful and fulfilling.

On my way there, I was once again the only one on the flight. There was a seat open in the back, but the rest of the plane was packed with cargo -- boxes of milk, orange juice, canned goods, and produce. The pilot asked if I wanted to ride copilot instead: Heck yes!! He even ran inside and got me a headset, and we spent the entire flight talking cameras and aviation. He was pretty excited I had a GoPro and a good Nikon.  

Trying out the GoPro

Off and away!

Off to Shishmaref for a couple days tomorrow! High of -5 for the week, lows in the -30s. Bring it on!

A day in a village

The sky is just beginning to get light as I walk into the terminal for Bering Air to check in for my morning flight to the village of Deering. I'm only going for the day, to help out a park ranger from the region and speak to the high school class, but as always, I'm prepared as best I can for the unexpected. My pack is stuffed with classroom materials, extra warm clothes, my camera, a few survival essentials, and a satellite phone for emergencies. It seems a strange combination of things to pack, but necessary, I suppose. 

It turns out I'm the only one on the flight besides the pilot, so we walk out together across the windy tarmac to the little 9-seater Navajo charter plane and I settle in for the 45 minute ride. 

Sunrise from the morning flight

On gratitude, love, and a village

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful to be alone. And I don't mean it ironically, but most sincerely from the bottom of my heart. I am alone because I am fortunate. I am alone because I am loved enough for my family and friends to let me go off and reach my own stars. I am alone because I love my family and friends enough to be able to leave and come back, knowing I still have a home and a community.

I am thankful to be alone because it allows me to reflect on these things and realize that not only am I comfortable enough with myself to enjoy a Thanksgiving in solitude, but that I also have so much to be thankful for.

Incredible weekend at Serpentine

Alaskan native tradition says the valley of Serpentine Hot Springs is the home of powerful spirits. I could see how those beliefs came about last time I visited in July, but the 3 days I spent there this past weekend were perhaps some of the most beautiful days I have ever been lucky enough to experience.

Beaver lodge and dam

Update and lots of pics

This week was relatively uneventful, so I'm taking it as an opportunity to post a backlog of random photos that don't really fit anywhere else. 

As you may have guessed, the rest of my trip into the field totally fell through and I ended up staying in Nome. My trip for next week has been postponed too -- I was supposed to go out to Serpentine again on Monday for the week, but yesterday we found out that we're not allowed to go because it would mean working on Labor Day! Yay government. 

Rained in at Kuzitrin

The week started out promising. By noon on Monday my supervisor and I were suited up in our flight gear and walking across the tarmac behind the Bering Air hangar for our first helicopter trip out to Kuzitrin and Imuruk Lakes. It was partly cloudy, but the ceiling was high with a vivid blue sky above. 

My view

When I saw the chopper we were flying in, I couldn't help but laugh -- it was smaller than the car we had driven to get here, with a big bubble window around the cockpit, giving the two front seats a wide view all around. As the photographer, I got copilot's seat.

Week in Serpentine, part 2

Wednesday was by far our worst day, in terms of weather. We all awoke in the morning to wind rattling the entire building and rain pounding at the poorly insulated windows. When I decided to brave a trip up the hill to the outhouse, it felt like being on a boat in a small storm, the whole structure rocking back and forth and a cold draft coming up through the hole, bringing with it all the wonderful aromas an outhouse has to offer. Lovely experience.

Week at Serpentine, part 1

Monday morning I found myself once again traveling the long, dusty dirt road to Quartz Creek, the airstrip where we were to meet our bush plane to be dropped off at Serpentine Hot Springs in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Also known as Iyat in Inupiaq (meaning "cooking pot"), Serpentine is one of the most visited areas of the preserve, as it has an old bunkhouse and bathhouse pumped in with water from the hot spring, and has for centuries been known as a place of healing and spiritual energy. 

First night in the backcountry

Made it back from my first two-day-one-night stay in the backcountry. Headed out again tomorrow morning so I will attempt to be brief with the highlights from my 530 photos I took. 

Travel limbo

Today has been both exhausting and disappointing. And it's only 3 o'clock.

Obviously, since I'm writing this, I'm not out in the field like I was supposed to be. Everything started out as planned this morning -- we were out of the bunkhouse by 6am, on the road, and heading 80 miles into the fog to a landing strip about 30 miles from the preserve.

Into the Unknown

Super stylish flight suit

I don't even know where to start! Tomorrow at an ungodly hour of the morning, I'm taking my first trip into the Alaskan backcountry for the work assignment I've mentioned before to the village of Wales and Ikpek Lagoon.

Preparations swung into full gear today when our NPS media specialists arrived from Utah. We had a long meeting to go over flight procedures, gear allocation, filming and photography shoots in the village, and pretty much every logistical detail you can imagine.

Overflight trip

Yesterday was our long-awaited overflight tour of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and this time it went off without a hitch. 

Our ride was a Cessna 208 Caravan, which just fit out 8 staff members, plus the pilot and copilot. I was seated in the front left, directly behind the pilot. 

Our excited crew

Take off was smooth and the ascent to our 500 ft altitude was thrilling. With a huge window all to myself, I felt like I was just hanging in the air, bobbing over bumps in the air turbulence and leaning into the tight banking maneuvers around mountains and hills.

Banking out towards Salmon Lake

The mountains

Grizzly bears

Our first exciting find was a pair of grizzly bears -- the first bears I've ever seen! -- galomping across the tundra. The pilot did three tight turns over them so we could get photos, but unfortunately mine didn't come out well, as I was battling the churning of my stomach and the shakiness of the plane.

After that, my stomach turned for the worse and after the flight I found out that pretty much did everyone else in as well. At the time though, I assumed I was the only one feeling sick, so I toughed it out in silence. Fortunately, the scenery was spectacular enough to keep me distracted.

Kuzitrin River

 The Kuzitrin River was fascinating -- strange curves and oxbows formed serpentine patterns through the tundra, some parts of the river not even connected. Amazing geology and hydrology going on there.

Kuzitrin River bend

Lava fields

Our next landmark was the Imuruk lava fields. The black once-molten rock stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see.

Our wing, perpendicular to the ground

 Above is the main lava dome, from where most of the lava in the field came out.

Serpentine Bunkhouse 

 This is where I'll be staying starting on Monday. It has its own landing strip, and a bathhouse where the hot water from the spring is pumped. I'll be helping with maintenance and hiking to get photos of the preserve.

 The rock formations around Serpentine are called "tors" and are made from volcanic activity underground. It somehow pushes up the rocks in this area.

Plane wreck on a hillside

BELA is also known for its maar lakes. We have the largest maars in the world, which are formed from lava  underground coming in contact with the permafrost layer and creating a violent explosion.

A moose

Along the bank of one of the lakes was a moose! Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good picture of this guy either, but it was cool to see.

Research camp on Devil Mountain Lakes

Devil Mountain Lakes, THE largest maars in the world

 From the maar lakes, we headed to the coast of the Chuckchi Sea. This was a long stretch of very interesting wetland formations, small native villages, and we even got to see the Russian island of Big Diomede through the incoming fog.

Unfortunately we were running behind schedule so we had to cut out our last flyover and head back to Nome through the mountains.

Heading into the mountains

More mountains

Glacial valley

By the time we landed, everyone was quite queasy, but I think we all enjoyed the trip immensely -- I know I certainly did! I feel like I understand the preserve a lot better now, and can't wait to explore it more in-depth this summer.

Fortunately, I will starting this week so I'll be totally out of touch after tomorrow for about a week and a half.  I'll try to post at least one more update before I leave, and then lots more when I get back.

Aviation training

Over the last two days at work I feel like I've significantly increased in my preparedness for life in the Alaskan wild -- although I am still undoubtedly oblivious to the many things that can and will go wrong. Nonetheless, B3 Aviation was probably one of the most interesting courses I have ever taken.