The Ultima Thule

Journeys in America’s Northernmost Lands: a web anthology of the Alaskan Arctic

The Final Stretch: Our Last Days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

July 24th, 2009

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 [...]

Video of Porcupine Caribou Migration on the Jago River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Shannon and Peter | July 22, 2009

Some raw footage until we have time to put it together with other sound recordings- hope you will enjoy as much as we did!