DAY 1
WELCOME TO FAIRBANKS
Welcome to Fairbanks, the "Golden Heart City,” nestled between the mighty Alaska Range to the south and the picturesque Chena River flowing through the center.
Check into our shared AirBnb anytime between 3 and 5pm. We’ll meet at 5:30 to get to know each other, talk about our upcoming adventure, share goals for the trip, go over gear, and share a great meal.
DAY 2
8 Day Trip: In the morning after breakfast (provided) we’ll shuttle to the airport and hop on our charter flight to Anaktuvuk. From Anaktuvuk, we’ll set off into the mountains to start our loop. Our route is created as we explore, changing and shifting depending on our desires.
12 Day Trip: We’ll have an early morning wake up to catch out shuttle driving up the Dalton Highway. It’s a long 8 hour drive, but incredibly scenic and one of the cooler road trips in America. In the early evening the shuttle will drop us off and we’ll head away from the highway to make out first camp.
DAY 3 - 6
We’ll spend the next six days wandering high alpine meadows, climbing small peaks, spotting caribou & bear (from a safe distance), watching the persistent alpenglow of the far-north dance across endless mountains, laughing around camp, eating delicious well-earned meals, and connecting in the deep way wilderness makes possible. There are no trails in Alaska and few people set foot out here at all.
DAY 7
For the 8 day trip this will be your last day in the field. And the feeling is bittersweet.
When you wake to the final morning in the backcountry relishing the memories, the deep sense of connection to a world that moves slower but also excited for your restaurant meal and hot shower. We’ll take some time this morning to soak in the quiet and reflect on how we want to return to the busier world — what we want to bring with us and what we’d rather leave behind.
We’ll cover some final ground to return to the village of Anaktuvuk. In the afternoon, we’ll catch a flight back to Fairbanks, return to our shared AirBnb and have a celebratory meal in town. The trip is officially over after dinner, though you’re of course welcome and encouraged to spend the night in the AirBnb.
DAY 8 - 12 (Long trip only)
These final days, you’ll start to feel the rhythm of each day settle in. We’ll make out way through some of the sweetest parts of the traverse before finding our way in Anaktuvuk Pass feeling incredibly accomplished. Surely there will be a stop by the local grocery store before catching the plane back to Fairbanks and our shared AirBnb on the evening of Day 11. Day 12 we’ll have breakfast in the Airbnb and then say our goodbyes.
The Alaska Factor
Any expedition in Alaska requires flexibility, patience, and a big sense of adventure. We always try our best to follow our itineraries as written, but rarely do. That’s part of the fun of it! Alaska weather is always changing and shifting and we will always respectfully honor what the weather allows or doesn’t allow us to do. We get the incredible luxury of flying into these beautiful places, but with flying also comes a need to defer to the conditions. Sometimes flights may be delayed for a day or more as we wait for an appropriate weather window. Trip itineraries may also shift due to group skill, pilot availability, or any number of unforeseen circumstances. Please come with an open mind, a spirit of enthusiastic adventure, and a willingness to see where the trip takes you.