The Arctic

This Monday, I officially entered the arctic circle. This elite section of the world includes only Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. On another comped tour I was flown to Coldfoot and then driven further to Wiseman.

I sat in the cockpit on the way there, careful not to touch any of the knobs, pedals, or switches in front of me! Amazing views on the 1 1/2 hour flight there. After we landed, we were driven an additional 25 minutes on the Dalton Highway north. This road is known in Alaska for being the only one that runs fully through the north to the Arctic Sea.

In Wiseman, a town where only twelve people live year round, we received a tour of the grounds. The cabins are the same ones started during the time of the gold rush. 

We learned about the way of life there in order to survive in such a rugged area. They burn through tons of wood during the winter to keep the inside of their cabin a toasty 70 degrees while it drops to negative 60 outside. They shovel snow onto the outer walls of their house to insulate it more efficiently. Since there is no grocery store for 190 miles, they garden potatoes, turnips, carrots, and cabbage during the summer months and hunt caribou. 

Spencer was the pilot on the way back ;P

We have OFFICIALLY been to the Arctic!

Blueberry Pie

After picking wild blueberries for hours, we decided to bake a pie!

Spencer cooked the filling...

while I made an oatmeal crumble topping!

Then we put it in the oven to bake.

We shared with friends,

 it was delicious!

And it turned our tongues blue :P

Camping in Denali National Park

On August 7th, Spencer and I celebrated our anniversary. It was two years since we met each other in Australia and one year since we have been dating. We decided to spend the weekend backpacking and camping in Denali National Park, and I'm so glad we did! It was wonderful to be secluded in nature and enjoy our time together.

We arrived at the visitor's center and starting by going to the Ranger's station. We picked out an available location to camp in and filled out paperwork for a permit. We watched a thirty minute video  regarding appropriate camping protocol and hypothetical wildlife encounters. Then we received a safety talk from the ranger. 

After that we took a six hour bus ride through the park. We saw a lot of wildlife along the way...

When we go to our Wonder Lake, we hiked the McKinley Bar Trail until the McKinley River and then found a good tent spot! It was next to the river and had Denali in the distance!

We had fun hiking and cooking camp style!

There were wild blueberries everywhere! We picked a bag to bring home and make blueberry pie with!

It was a fun and relaxing retreat! I felt as if I was wild!

Fly Denali

Today I was fortunate enough to fly up close to the peak of Denali and then land on a glacier! Fly Denali offers other company's employees the opportunity to be on stand by for this amazing experience. Today was my lucky day!

The planes are tiny, holding only the pilot and eight passengers. 

We flew above the clouds to see Denali!

We landed on a glacier and enjoyed the fantastic view.

What an amazing experience. I cannot find the words....

Saying good-bye to 'The Great One'

Rafting the Nenana

Yesterday I rafted the Nenana river with Denali Outdoor Center, the company I work for. A major perk of working here is the ability to jump in the raft if there is available space on your day off! I felt lucky to get on a paddle boat on the 'canyon' part of the river. This is where the white water rapids are located. (As opposed to the 'scenic wilderness' part of the river which is more of a float down the river.) There are different names for the areas on the river and each stretch of rapids.

This river is one of the few that runs from South to North, and is glacial feed. The water is now 35 degrees, which is why you are required to wear heavy layers and a dry suit. In the winter the river completely freezes over. Every spring, as it begins to warm, the river breaks up. There is even a local Denali betting pool to guess the exact time!

 In this first picture I am paddling through a rapid. Thanks to Chad for guiding us!

In this picture I am 'riding the bull' which is where you sit on the front edge of the boat and hold on tight! The water was at the third peak of the season due to high water levels from a week of rain. This made the water fast and exciting!

Wild Water Festival

The 40th annual Wild Water Festival is coming up in two weeks! But the most exciting part for me is the design on the poster, drawn by SPENCER MORRISON! Awesome job on the wild kayaker!

Here it is hanging on the business's window!!!

Happy Birthday Arnie!

 We use any excuse to get together for a good time! It was Arnie's birthday (the brown 'hot dog' dog below). So given the type of dog, we had a weenie roast! It was a potluck of food with hot dogs as the main treat. Even the pups got to celebrate with their own frozen doggie treats!

(Willow the owner's dog on the left, Arnie on the right)

(Scout is having a fun time at the party too)

 (All the dogs are out to play)

(I just like the funny faces captured here :)