August 4, 2015

We went to bed last night with the sun brightly shining and planned a hike for the morning. We had hoped to hike up one of the ridges after breakfast. After eating pancakes loaded with blueberries we packed up for the hike. As we made our way thru thick brush we yelled out to inform any bears that we were coming thru. Unfortunately, as we broke thru the brush we were stopped by a wide channel of the Noatak. We had been camping on a large island. Plan B was back to camp and to head down the river. The river continues to pick up volume and the current moves us along nicely. We found a nice spot for lunch, but just as we had gotten the food out, we spotted a large bear loping in our direction. It was a quick scramble to grab the food and hop back into the boat. The bear noticed us and quickly turned and ran.  We appreciated the bear’s response. As we continued down stream a large wolf appeared on the left bank. It quickly disappeared into the brush. Another hike found us looking for Lake Mascharak, a common take out for the upper river. We did not find it as we later discovered we had not gone far enough down the river.  Again we decided to camp between river valleys in hoping to avoid bear encounters. A cup of Earl Grey tea followed with squares of chocolate from Trader Joes makes for a relaxful evening.  Today we wore extra tuffs and our feet were in need of drying out.  During a short hike after dinner we saw an American Plover and a Northern Shrike.  In the tent by 10 o'clock with a still bright sun in the sky.

Miles traveled 23

Northern Shrike

August 3, 2015

We are in the Arctic! Flying in by plane creates a time warp and Wow, the Noatak River is remote. It was an hour to Bettles and then another hour to our destination.  We pause to think about the native populations and early explores who inhabited and explored this land with no means of mechanical travel. The wind is calm and the temperature cool. The mosquitoes that greeted us yesterday are absent. The daylight has extended around the clock with just a small hint of darkness during the early morning hours. We passed several groups of rafters that were paddling the upper part of the river. In conversation with them, we realized that we had a common friend and one of the members of the group had taken a NOLS course. A short walk during one of our breaks had us finding some blueberries. It seemed like the bears had gotten there first. We had been warned about bears congregating in the next several river valleys so we decided to put some distance between them and our camp for the night. The river has a lot of oxbows which gives us lots of different views as we paddle from one side of the valley to the other. In many spots the river is quite shallow, necessitating us to be alert to where the main current flows. The named river valleys are huge. No visual bear sightings yet, however, numerous tracks on the shoreline let us know they are here. Seeing tracks would become a common experience.

Miles traveled: 22

August 2, 2015

Checked in with Wright Air about 9:00. Due to mailing and sending some of our gear in early we were able to make the 40 pound each baggage limit. No carry ons allowed on this plane. Skies were overcast as we took off and soon we were in the clouds. The pilot and us by default trusted the plane’s instruments as the visibility was limited. As the plane neared Bettles , an hour later, we had a break in the clouds and were able to see our destination. Bettles, a small inland village, has a summer population of about 80 people. In the winter it is quite a bit less. The Brooks Range Aviation truck was waiting on the runway.  The driver said that we had a pile of gear waiting for us and that as soon as we checked in with the Gates of Arctic Park office and were packed, our plane would take us to the Noatak River.  It was a fast transition as we quickly packed bear canisters and loaded up our gear in various packs. No time to recheck the gear. Within an hour we were heading down to the dock where the Otter Float plane was fueled and ready for the Ford Expedition.  We could tell that we were in a Bush plane as the bear spray and fuel were loaded up with us. No separation was needed. Visibility was much better on this stretch. The plane, however was quite noisy and our hands were used to cover our ears. Sheep, rivers and mountains made up the vistas as we headed North. The wind was calm so we were able to land on Nelson Walker Lake, named after an earlier Bush Pilot. The Noatak was flowing nearby. We checked out a route to the water and began the process of portaging our gear to a launching site. Our folding Alley Pak Canoe, which we had borrowed from NOLS, was laid out and with a sigh of relief as it had all its parts.  With help from the mallets and some persuasion we soon had a canoe that was ready to go downstream.  With adrenaline flowing in our bodies, our gear was loaded into the canoe and we pushed off from the river bank.  We stopped to check out the Pingo, which is a mound of earth covered by ice and is a landmark for another landing spot, Pingo Lake. It was time to call it a day, so after traveling about 5 miles we made camp. A meal of saucy tuna and applesauce made up the menu. We inhaled the fresh air, looked around for bears and quickly fell asleep.

Miles traveled: 5

August 1, 2015

Breakfast with blueberries and a short stop at Denali National park filled out the morning. As I was getting out of the van at the Park I noticed a Tyrannosaurus Rex lying on the ground. Picking it up, I realized that it would make a great mascot for the trip.  Now on to Fairbanks and last minute errands. We checked into Wright Air and gave them the hazardous items, bear spray and fuel. Weather looks good for the flight to Bettles in the morning. Stopped at Ah, Rose Marie Bed and Breakfast for a short visit with the owner, 80 year old John Davis. Dinner was with Oscar and Martin at the Chena Pump House and then an overnight stay with Darren and Sue.

Don and the dinosaur

July 31, 2015

Let the adventure begin! We are on our way to Fairbanks to start the first leg of our journey. Leaving Palmer and the Ford Homestead, we headed North on the George Parks highway.

A stop at milepost 203 found us surrounded by bushes filled with plump blueberries. We picked enough to be an addition to our morning cereal.  We camped along the Denali Highway, surrounded by the changing colors of the autumn tundra.  Sweet Dreams!