Leaving the land of light
Shannon Huffman Polson | August 17, 2009
After the haze from faraway forest fires had cleared, we would often sit speechless watching the low light from the midnight Arctic sun paint the gentle hills and mountains around us. The light is perhaps one of the biggest gifts of the Arctic, one of the spectacles of this part of the world less noted [...]
Another surprise in the Western Arctic
Shannon Huffman Polson | August 10, 2009
(Post #2 from the Western Arctic trip. More posts coming over the next few days.)
Wolf howls woke us our second morning, which continued to astonish us as though they were the first we had heard. Before heading downriver in the Klepper, Peter and I wanted to explore more of the beautiful valley in which we [...]
Day one in the Western Arctic, Nigu River
Shannon Huffman Polson | August 9, 2009
(Post #1 from the Western Arctic trip. More posts coming over the next few days.)
It was, perhaps, a good thing that our first Arctic trip of the summer taught us that plans are only something from which one deviates. We would return to that lesson on this trip.
Smoke from distant forest fires swallowed the drone [...]
The Final Stretch: Our Last Days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 24, 2009
To make it to the airstrip, we had to reford the Aichilik- though this time below the confluence with the Leffingwell Fork with higher water. We planned to make it to the landing strip a day early. My digestive track was upset- to say the least- so we determined if we arrived a day early [...]
The Leffingwell Fork
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 24, 2009
The first order of business the next morning- morning relating only to the time we had breakfast and started moving, not hours on the clock- was to ford the Aichilik. From there we would ascend the saddle crossing over the range to the Leffingwell Fork.
Though we had been hiking on the Aichilik for the past [...]
The Aichilik River
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 23, 2009
Rain and sleet pounding on our tent woke us close to noon. It fell for two hours. The lightweight Tarptent held up great; we stayed nestled in our sleeping bag and read and journaled.
After a breakfast of oatmeal, walnuts and raisins, we filtered more water, and headed down the drainage. The steep slopes into the [...]
Crossing an Arctic mountain range
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 23, 2009
In the middle of a deep sleep I woke suddenly to a grunting and snorting. We chose our Tarptent in part for weight and in part because we can see out through the mesh around the bottom. Peter was in between me and the grunting- I shook his shoulder. He was sound asleep. “Peter!” I [...]
To the Arctic
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 20, 2009
Someone once said that “a plan is something you deviate from.” And we all know things rarely work out as planned- especially in the wilderness. This Arctic trip was no exception. Our planned route was to land on the Aichilik at the coastal plains and hike south, upriver, to the continental divide, cross it and [...]
Voice blog #1 from the Aichilik River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Shannon Huffman Polson | July 9, 2009
Click here to listen to the voice blog via satellite phone (online posting delayed due to technical difficulties)
Gear for the Ultima Thule
Shannon and Peter | June 24, 2009
We have modified this list a bit to make it specific to the Arctic
shotgun with shot and slugs
bear fence
Ursack or other bear-proof container
bear spray
mosquito head nets
SAT phone
(Iridium 9555)
maps
overview map of area
compass
GPS and extra batteries
sunglasses
sun screen
first-aid kit
knife
matches
water bottles
iodine/filter
nuun
camera
travel camera case
hot packs
bug juice (DEET)
head nets
chapstick with SPF
candle
duct tape
garbage bags
ziplocks
toilet paper
bandana
journal and pen
plastic zip ties
poncho
water filter
quick dry shorts
hat [...]