Trip Logs

Select a date below to view the Trip Logs for that trip.

2012

June 19 – July 10, 2012

Chap Chapman, 22, grew up in Montgomery, AL where he took to the outdoors at a young age. He came on multiple Moondance trips as a student and knew immediately that he wanted to return to be a leader as soon as he could. Chap worked as a counselor at Camp Kieve in Maine for the time before he was eligible to work for Moondance. In 2010, he was able to work for both by leading the Kieve West trip that Moondance facilitated in Colorado but has since moved it Washington. This was a familiar area for Chap, who recently graduated from Colorado University at Boulder majoring in geography. The students quickly took to Chap’s magnetic enthusiasm and unyielding love for fun. He returned last summer to lead the Northern Lights groups in Alaska where his students participated in his relentless energy and positive attitude. Chap usually spends his free time enjoying everything that the Colorado Mountains have to offer, whether it’s skiing, mountaineering, climbing or hiking. Moondance is pumped to have Chap join the team of summer leaders for his third summer and second consecutive year in Alaska.

Mary Martha Gaiennie, 24, comes from Shreveport, LA where she grew up as the only girl of six kids, which means “you quickly learn that Barbies are for sissies.” Sports were a big part of Mary Martha’s life, split primarily between soccer and basketball. By her senior year she was captain of her basketball team and had lettered in soccer all four years. After spending a summer on the Costa Rica Venture with Moondance, Mary Martha was inspired to test her boundaries and switched to a boarding school in Rhode Island her junior year. Her love for travel and new adventures has persisted as she spent a summer abroad in Innsbruck, Austria to study a new language and new culture. After Mary Martha concluded her career at the University of Georgia in Athens with a real estate major, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in commercial real estate. She felt the call of Moondance and, after completing a NOLS Himalaya course this spring, is returning to Moondance to lead in the Alaska, the last frontier. She is still very close to her many brothers, and “being their role model is [her] most important role.” In her free time Mary Martha can be found water skiing, playing soccer and tennis, doing pilates, or cheering on her LSU tigers (“sorry UGA”). We could not possibly be more thrilled and excited to have Mary Martha back for what promises to be another great summer.

Scotty Harry, 24, grew up on a large farm in rural Virginia where he was introduced to nature at a very young age. The love for the natural world that was planted in Scotty as a youth has become an important part of the Scotty Harry who joins Moondance for his second season as a leader. Scotty studied architecture and historic restoration at the University of Colorado and has since put that knowledge to good use. During his summers and a break from school, Scotty helped his family restore their old 1820’s brick farmhouse where he grew up. In addition, he spent two of his summers working on a restoration of President James Madison’s home of Montpelier in Orange, Virginia. Scotty’s strengths and interests are by no means limited to architecture and restoration. Scotty finished his studies at Appalachian State University where he graduated with a degree in sustainable development. Since graduation, he has become involved in finding sustainable farming practices for grass-fed beef and supplying the product to local organic markets. Scotty has a wealth of knowledge and spends as many days outside as most of us only wish we could. We are pleased to have Scotty back to lead and eagerly await his return to field in Alaska.

June 20, 2012

The 1^st session Northern Lights group has arrived in Anchorage and will begin their sea kayaking section soon. Check back to hear about their journey!

June 28, 2012

Greetings from Alaska! This group of high-spirited adventurers has successfully completed 5 days of sea-kayaking in Prince William Sound. Currently preparing for ice climbing and backpacking at the Mica Ice Climbing Adventures headquarters, let us provide a snap shot of our first week here in the Final Frontier!

We finally met our 11 Alaskan explorers at the Anchorage Airport. Reece, arriving at Ted Stevens Airport around 11:30 am, quickly proved his patient manner, while remaining enthusiastic about the trip and welcoming others with open arms. Unfortunately, Lillie experienced some delayed flights and was not able to join us until 1:00 am. However, those who have been to Alaska in the summer will that it was still light outside. We are in the land of the Midnight Sun!

The next morning the group welcomed our late arrival as we ate a quick breakfast of bagels and cream cheese and waited for the famous Magic Bus to pick us up. It’s not just the bus that is magical, but the bus driver, Gary, is full of Alaskan knowledge and provided the most interesting ride to Whittier. From Anchorage to Whittier, we take the Seward Highway that hugs Turnagin Arm. The Arm experiences the second highest tide in the world reaching up to 30 feet! With such large tides, Turnagin Arm experiences what are called bore tides. A tidal bore is essentially a wall of water that travels up a narrow bay caused by a strong incoming tide. Still not intrigued? Well, it gets better. Turnagin Arm is home to abundant wildlife. While cruising 60 mph around the Arm, Mary Augusta’s quick eye spotted a group of 3 dall sheep high up on the cliff. The dall sheep roam wild in Alaska and are insanely good climbers.

Our Alaskan explorers were curious about how Turnagin Arm got its name. Once again, Gary had the answer and explained that in 1777 Captain James Cook was looking for a northwest passage and thought he had found it, but quickly realized he had to “turn again,” hence the name Turnagin Arm. The journey to Whittier got more and more interesting as the only way to get to Whittier by car is a one-way tunnel. But this is not just some ordinary tunnel. The Whittier tunnel is the only tunnel in the world shared by car and train. Cars have designated times they can dice the 2 mile tunnel and you are literally driving on the train tracks.

We arrived in Whittier around 11:00 am and made contact with Alaska Sea Kayakers. We spent the rest of the day preparing for sea kayaking and packing our dry bags that Alaska Sea Kayakers provided. It was a busy day but Sophie kept us entertained with games such as “mafia.” With snow still on the ground in Whittier, we warmed our bodies with delicious stir fry and hit the sack knowing tomorrow would be a big day.

Finally on the water! With boats packed and sunscreen applied, we set sail for Entry Cove campground. Not the sunscreen was mentioned. Not only did we experience sunshine on the first day, but we received 3 straight days of bluebird skies in Prince William Sound! I don’t know what y’all know about the Sound but that is not common. After making our first big crossing in Passage Canal, Billings Glacier came into view and a Minke Whale surfaced no more than 50 yards from Fran’s kayak! I can just feel the jealousy on the other side. As we continued to Entry Cove, the Minke Whale followed for another 20 minutes. Yee-Haw! The paddle to Entry Cove was about 12 miles and that night we filled up on fried mac ‘n’ cheese.

Getting on the water early is crucial to ensure we camp where desired and to simply enjoy resting on the gravel beaches. The leaders of the day, Lynne and Walker, got the crew up early, while Fran, Sophie, and Lizzie prepared a quick breakfast of yogurt and granola. The paddle to Hobo Bay, one of my personal favorites, was again filled with sunshine and abundant wildlife. Seals, otters, bald and golden eagles were constantly viewed throughout the day. Hobo Bay is a textbook example of a U-shaped valley. U-shaped valleys are glaciated valleys that take the shape of their name, a “U.” The landscape is dramatic and all were amazed by the powerful nature of glaciers.

Happy birthday Lynne! Lynne woke the next morning with a tent full of balloons and the smell of pancakes. The group all signed a card for Lynne and she now sports an Alaskan hat with a moose and a pair of warm socks with pictures of bears. Looking good! Leaving Hobo Bay, a humpback whale decided to wish Lynne a happy birthday as well and remained in sight for the next hour. Let me pause to comment on the beauty of Alaska. This place is wild and has the power to make one feel very small and insignificant in this world. In the last few days we have seen what people may spend a lifetime looking for. We are all extremely fortunate.

Surrounded by the Chugach National, we entered Harriman Fjord and set up camp at Two Boulder. From Two Boulder, once see three glaciers: Surprise, Cascade and Coxe. Throughout the night we constantly heard the glaciers calving, which sounds like sharp, crackling thunder. Our group is strong and pushed hard, which allowed us to base camp at Two Boulder for 2 nights. The next day we had light boats and toured around Harriman Fjord. These guys are true explorers at the very core and we went where no Moondance group has gone before – the Harriman Glacier! Although the day was cold and wet, the group remained energetic as we gazed in awe at the Harriman Glacier. The width of the glacier at the terminus is a mile long and towers way above the other glaciers. None of us will forget the sight of staring at that massive river of ice. We were mesmerized by an eerie calmness that was disrupted by the calving of large pieces of blue ice. That night at Moonup, Caroline expressed the powerful feelings the glacier provided.

We were on the water by 7:30 the next morning. Issac and Mary Clayton motivated the group for we had a pickup at Kelly’s Cove scheduled for noon. The calving remained as we paddled out of Harriman Fjord and we all agreed to paddle in silence for the first hour. The silent paddle was otherwordly. A low fog hung above the water as we paddled through ice full of seals, otters, and dolphins and listened to the heavy moan of the surrounding glaciers. Our transports back to Whittier were right on time and we sped across the Sound and arrived safely back in Whittier. After debriefing with Alaska Sea Kayakers, we boarded the Magic Bus and headed for the Matanuska Valley. The bus ride was silent with sleeping campers and it was a well deserved rest.

We are now preparing for ice climbing and backpacking at MICA, which has an amazing view of the Matanuska Glacier and valley. Everyone is in tip-top shape and looking forward to getting on some ice. We have 2 days of climbing before backpacking and the MICA guides are treating us great! Hope all is well in the lower 48 and we look forward to sharing our next adventures!

This is Alaska…and there is plenty more to be had!

Much love!

-Chap, Mary Martha, and Scotty

July 10, 2012

Howdy Folks –
Greetings from Alaska! It has been about 14 days since our last update, and my, how time has flown! Our Moondance crew has finally emerged from the bush, a little burlier, and a little wilder than when we started. Allow me to tell the tales.

On the previous trip log, Chap whet your adventure pallet with his riveting and very informational account of our sea kayaking adventure in Prince William Sound. Since, we have thrown ourselves into the wild Alaska frontier with all back-to-back adventures — ice climbing, backpacking, and rafting — allowing for no breaks for modern civilization. The Moondance adventurers were willing to take the frontier head on! We parted ways with the trusty Magic Bus (our mode
of transportation from the Prince William Sound to the backcountry of Alaska) June 26th to embark on our first quest – ICE CLIMBING! To note: this is the first group of Moondancers ever to ice climb in Moondance history. We woke early on June 27th to meet the MICA ice climbing guides and to get outfitted with the appropriate gear to tackle the Matanuska Glacier. Bring on the plastic mountaineering boots, ice axes, crampons, and harnesses — YEEHAW!!! Our guides led us onto the glacier where we quickly learned how to become comfortable walking in our plastic boots and crampons; the tip given was to walk high, wide and flat to avoid tripping on the ice.  Up to this point on the trip, we have seen our fair share of breathtakingly beautiful glaciers while sea kayaking, but now we finally get to see what the views are like while trekking on the Matanuska glacier.  The Matanuska glowed a soft, cold shade of blue, streaked with ancient black rocks and jagged ice formations. WOW!  Once the group arrived to our first climbing spot, our world class ice climbing guides taught us how to hammer in ice axes and kick into the glacier with the tips of our crampons in order to get vertical on the ice.  The Moondancers were pumped to finally be out on the glacier with all of this rad gear and start putting it to use.  Isaac was ready to tackle his fear of heights as he was the first of the crew to scramble up the ice.  Go Isaac!  Everyone climbed several routes before lunch of new bags of GORP prepared wonderfully by Lillie, Mary Clayton, Fran, Caroline and Lynne.  For those of you who are not familiar with GORP, it is the traditional camp snack of choice – Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts.  At Moondance, we have taken it a step further.  We dress our GORP up with animal crackers, M&M’s, peanut M&M’s, craisins, dried cherries, CHeez-ITs, pretzels, and more.  We cannot keep the bags full enough as everyone loves to devour this bag of goodness.  Thank you girls for the GORP!

After lunch the crew had a lesson on how to belay climbers and we were back at it again.  Now, we really felt dialed in as everyone had task whether it be climbing belaying, back up belaying, or cheering on the climbers.  Speaking of cheering, the group unanimously decided that Sophie should pursue cheerleading as she was the most vocal and supportive of the group as they pushed their way to the top of the ice climbing routes.  Mary Augusta impressed us all day as she was the fastest  and most natural climber of the group. You go girl!

We wrapped up our first day on the glacier tired but excited for the next day of climbing — longer day and harder routes, oh yeah!!  We arrived back to the campsite at MICA which, lucky for us, is located near the newly opened MICA Mocha Coffee stand.  We all warmed up on hot chocolates, mochas, and chai tea lattes.  Nothing beats a hot beverage after a day on the glacier! For dinner we enjoyed a large meal of pasta alfredo prepared by Sophie, Mary Augusta, and Lizzie.  WIth full bellies, we finally retired for the night, dreaming of sticking that ice axe in the glacier.

The crew woke up the next day a little earlier, grabbed our gear and were back on the glacier ready for more.  The weather could not have been more perfect for ice climbing– some sun and some clouds to keep a moderate temperature and the ice in optimal condition.  The view from and of the glacier for our second day of climbing was truly awesome.  We could see for miles down the Matanuska valley and were surrounded by dramatic ice formations and glacial streams.  The climbing routes were a little steeper and longer this day.  Fran was on the belay all day as she muscled the ropes up and down the routes, sometimes pulling her friends up the ice.  Fran is considering moving to Alaska permanently to pursue a professional career in belaying ice climbers.  We climbed all day and perfected our skills.  The MICA guides were so impressed with our skills that the opened up another route that was harder and longer than the rest.  Reece was the first of the group to get to the top, a very difficult, but impressive feat.  Walker was not far behind as he muscled his way up there as well.  After two brave attempts, Isaac found himself at the top as well.  The day came to an end and we were all satisfied with our performance on the Matanuska glacier.  Gear was returned, and mochas were enjoyed — all in a day’s work.  Back at the campsite, we began making preparations for the final push of the trip: backpacking and rafting!

We must wrap up this update for now. More to come!

Over and out,

Mary Martha, Scotty, and Chap!

 July 10, 2012

Hello again from the Final Frontier!!

With two successful days of ice climbing behind us, we now walk into the bush. Our time at MICA allowed the crew to prepare for our extended backpacking section into the Talkeetna National Forest. The Talkeetnas are filled with spectacular views, wildlife, and all types of weather. Although tough, the backpacking section was flawless and here are some details about the journey.

Our friends at MICA transported us to the trailhead and we couldn’t have asked for better weather for our first day on the trail. Following a 4-wheel drive trail for the first couple of days makes for a pretty wet and muddy trail. But thanks to those goofy things called gaiters, we charged through the mud with only a few mishaps. Mary Martha stressed her strategy of “think light, be light” to Caroline but proved unsuccessful as Caroline took a nice dive into the red mud. Mary Clayton (MC Hammer) became one with the mud a few more times than Caroline but always remained smiling and optimistic. With blue skies and the sun beaming from above, we reached our first campsite located along Hick’s Creek. That night we loaded up on burritos and retreated to our tents early for some necessary rest.

An overcast sky hung low the next morning as the crew woke with aching muscles. Carrying everything we need for 8 days in the back country requires large, loaded packs. It takes a couple of days to adjust to the new weight but these Alaskan troopers were quick to adapt and had no problem carrying their homes for the next week. On day 2 we headed for Caribou Creek. Sophie, Mary Augusta and Fran prepared an energizing breakfast of granola cereal, and we quickly hit the trail. The day consisted of an 8 to 9 mile trek on flat rolling terrain. The heavy mud remained, but the group never complained and kept on pushing. During our lunch stop near Hick’s Lake, a moose ventured out into the lake to cool off and provided us with a classic Alaskan scene. Picture a post card you would send home from Alaska — moose, a vast and snow spotted valley, and pristine waters. A steady rain remained the rest of the day but once we reached camp along Caribou Creek, the cook crew prepared a warm, filling meal of pizza pockets made with pita bread. Again, many thanks to Sophie, Mary Augusta, Fran and Mary Martha!

Keeping with the steady pace of the backpacking flow, we got up and got with it, ready to take on whatever Alasksa wanted to throw our way.  The weather from the previous day carried over to day 3 of backpacknig, making for soggy trail conditions.  The group persevered, mostly lead by Lynne’s songs (or chants, rather) of “ALASKA”, an epic ballad created by Lynne of our time marching down the muddy trail, grinning in the face of the Alaskan weather.  We accomplished our biggest feat of the trip this day — our first “real” river crossing.  The group was able to put all of our river crossing skills that were learned on smaller streams to use for the crossing of Caribou Creek.  Everyone got across the cold waters of the creek safely, and we were all glad to be on the other side.  On to the campsite! To our relief, the Alaskan sun decided to make an appearance about the same time that we arrived to camp.  What a relief to be able to bask in the sunlight and dry out our damp clothes and wet boots!  We camped next to Caribou Creek again that night, however, it was one of the more interesting campsites I had ever camped at before.  Spirits were really  re-enegergized with the presence of the ever coy Alaskan sun, and everyone went to bed warm and happy.We declared this campsite the “Truck Stop” in honor of the mysterious World War II army ambulance converted to poor man’s mining operation that lay desolate near our tents.  The group got some pretty good pics of this old machine and created some pretty interesting fables of the life of the truck.  Only in Alaska.  Mr. Slawson, Mary Augusta thought of you when she saw this truck and took many pictures to bring back home. Look out!

The next day, the ATV track that we followed the previous 3 days finally ran out as expected and anticipated.  We were now 100% reliant upon our map reading and compass skills to reach the final destination.  We bushwacked and “bear called” our way along Caribou Creek for most of the morning until its confluence with Glass Creek where we crossed Glass Creek and began following it up stream.  So long Caribou!  For those in the audience that are not familiar with the term “bear call”, it is a backpacking precaution, especially mastered by Sophie, to make noise by either clapping your hands or yelling to let all animals in the area know that we are approaching and to scare them away.  Thanks to Sophie’s calls of “AAAAAA-YYYYOOOOO” every minute.  I think every animal from Alaska to Russia knew that Moondance was in the house.  Day four of backpacking proved to be a big day: first day of bushwacking, another river crossing, and the completion of one of two of our big passes of the backpacking section.  We approached the pass after crossing Glass Creek at the end of the day right as a slight drizzle began to set in.  Everyone looked up to see the glorious pass in between two prominent peaks.  After a quick break to soak in the scenery and the task at hand, the group set off to find our own way, straight up to the top.  On the way up, Chap and Reece, the pace setters and route finders, scared a rare species of Alaskan Owl out of the ground. We cleared the pass after a couple of grueling hours of steep hiking. Where there is no pain, there is no gain! Everyone was exuberant to be at the top and enjoyed the new high vantage point of the valley we had hiked through the 4 days prior.  Making it up through the pass meant we had finally reached the tundra!  No more mud!  I think Mary Clayton was really relieved to say good bye to the thick and sticky Alaskan mud.  Our campsite for the night was one of the group’s favorite of the trip.  We could see three different valleys and the setting was very eerie with rolling clouds blowing in off the peaks above down through our campsite.  During moonup that night, we watched Caribou frolicking in the distance and some dall sheep as well.

We slept in the next day and had a very leisurely morning of potato pancakes — a new spin on the worn out breakfast of cheesy hashbrowns and summer sausage.  Our group only had a few miles to travel on the 5th day, so we sure took advantage of the downtime.  However, though the day’s hike was to be an anticipated quick two miles, it ended up being some of the steepest two miles we hiked the entire trip.  The group decided to ration a rest day for the following day — July 4th!  Everyone went to sleep that night excited for the much needed rest day and dreaming of the Fourth of July feast we had planned for the day.  However, the lesson that Alaska kept wanting to teach and re-teach us was this: hope for the best, (and perhaps, more importantly) expect the worst.  Much to our surprise, we had a wintry mix of snow and sleet for the better part of the day.  Snow on the Fourth of July!!!  I would have never guessed that.  We spent the first part of the day cuddled up in our sleeping bags watching the snow fall from our tents.  Then,we all slowly and lazily crawled from our tent homes to make a feast of pancakes.  Delicious!  Thanks to Lillie, Fran, and Lynne for getting us out into the the summer winter weather for such a wonderfully filling meal!

Onto the second pass.  We were very well-rested – thanks to our day of rest – for the second pass that had a healthy bit of snow on top.  On the way up, we got another peaceful dusting of snow that really set the scene for a beautiful summer day on the Alaskan tundra.  Chap, Walker, Reece and Isaac kicked steps in the snow on the way up for the rest of the group to more easily climb the pass.  Mary Augusta quickly adjusted to the new terrain, though it was her first time seeing snow!  So glad we could share that with her!  We reached the top as the clouds parted and the sun shone down on us.  It was breathtaking up there, and of course, a great photo op! Coming down was fairly steep and we had to be careful of our footing, but all was well when we reached our campsite just below the pass.  The views just kept getting better with every step we took.  We had entered a new valley now, that was rich  with jagged, snow covered peaks and many different bands of deep colored rock.  I think one of the favorite meals of the entire trip was devoured here — Thanksgiving dinner.  We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, chicken (as a turkey substitute — the other white meat?!), and most impressively, corn bread that was baked by Lizzie.  I couldn’t believe how well Lizzie made that cornbread!  To everyone’s delight, we even had an oreo, cookies-n-cream pie!  Who says you can’t eat well in the backcountry!?

Up until the day of the second pass, most of the hiking had been gradually up hill.  Day 8, the final day of hiking, started the first day of a gradual descent, off the tundra and back to the bush.  The hike this day was pretty steep and very long.  I was proud of everyone’s efforts and determination this day to keep positive attitudes and to finish strong at our final campsite of the backpacking section.  We came down from the tundra to the Chickaloon River, the river that we would be rafting out of the backcountry the following day.  We reached our final destination, the Chickaloon International Airport (really the 100 yard long bush plan landing strip next to the Chickaloon River) as the sun was shining beautifully.  Chap, Scotty and the rest of the gang gathered some wood for our first fire we had of the entire trip (minimizing its impact of course) on the rocky, sandy river bed of the Chickaloon.  Spirits lifted as the fire blazed and Lynne was especially happy to have her feet in the sandy river bed as it reminded her of Panama City Beach- sand, yay!  Not a drop of rain this day.

We woke the next day with much anticipation to have the bush planes bring in the rafts and raft guides.  Of course, having the driest and most beautiful day of weather the day before would bring the rainiest day to come.  It rained all day long, but everyone remained positive as the planes were able to drop down out of the cloud cover bringing the raft guides and new supplies.  I think everyone was glad to look through the ice chests of fresh and abundant food that the raft guides brought — saladas, vegetables, deli meats, and more!

The Chickaloon River is fed by the Chickaloon Glacier, which is about 2 miles up river from where we put in. The river is a milky color for it is full of glacial silt and is very cold. Not to worry, the NOVA river guides dressed us in dry suits and only our heads and hands were exposed. We looked like we were headed for the moon! After filling up on turkey and ham sandwiches, we finally hit the river! The first day of rafting is mellow and we float down what is called a braided river. No one channel exists as the abundance of glacial melt spills over the land creating many channels. Issac and Lizzie displayed great courage sitting at the front of the boat, occasionally getting splashed by the cold, milky water. Although the rain kept falling, spirits remained high from the excitement of the rushing water. Once a camp, our NOVA guides quickly set up a tarp city by turning the raft boats on their sides and began preparing enchiladas using Dutch ovens. Delicious! Walker, Lizzie, Reece, Issac, and Mary Augusta gathered firewood and we all enjoyed a necessary cup of hot chocolate by a warm fire. Let me tell ya, those enchiladas were outstanding! But wait, there’s more! The NOVA guides then proceeded to pull out an abundance of s’mores materials. Oh Yeah! If I’m not mistaken, I believe Lillie had about 6 of those things. That night are tummies were smiling and we all slept warm.

Sunshine! Day 2 of rafting was accompanied by abundant sunshine and the day consisted of hoots and hollers all the way down the river! The section known as “8 Mile” brought some excitement and our trusty and experienced NOVA guides got us through with no problem. Those guys are good! Everyone was all smiles as we left the back country and we couldn’t have asked for a better day to end the trip. We were off the river by 1:00 that day and NOVA again prepared a nice lunch for us. Chocolate chip cookies all around!

The famous Magic Bus arrived at the NOVA office and we said our goodbyes to the Matanuska valley and headed back to Anchorage where we had a final banquet dinner at Uncle Joe’s Pizzeria. Thank ya Uncle Joe! Moonup that night was filled with laughter and sadness as we reminisced about the trip.

This Northern Lights crew was outstanding and our trip was flawless. We all learned so much from one another and couldn’t have asked for a better group. I trust that all our explorers will succeed in what ever they pursue. The leadership abilities shined throughout the trip and we could not be any happier. We are all so fortunate.

We must now bid you a final farewell and wish everyone only the best!

Much Love!

-Chap, Mary Martha and Scotty

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July 12 – August 2, 2012

July 12, 2012

Chap Chapman, 22, grew up in Montgomery, AL where he took to the outdoors at a young age. He came on multiple Moondance trips as a student and knew immediately that he wanted to return to be a leader as soon as he could. Chap worked as a counselor at Camp Kieve in Maine for the time before he was eligible to work for Moondance. In 2010, he was able to work for both by leading the Kieve West trip that Moondance facilitated in Colorado but has since moved it Washington. This was a familiar area for Chap, who recently graduated from Colorado University at Boulder majoring in geography. The students quickly took to Chap’s magnetic enthusiasm and unyielding love for fun. He returned last summer to lead the Northern Lights groups in Alaska where his students participated in his relentless energy and positive attitude. Chap usually spends his free time enjoying everything that the Colorado Mountains have to offer, whether it’s skiing, mountaineering, climbing or hiking. Moondance is pumped to have Chap join the team of summer leaders for his third summer and second consecutive year in Alaska.

Mary Martha Gaiennie, 24, comes from Shreveport, LA where she grew up as the only girl of six kids, which means “you quickly learn that Barbies are for sissies.” Sports were a big part of Mary Martha’s life, split primarily between soccer and basketball. By her senior year she was captain of her basketball team and had lettered in soccer all four years. After spending a summer on the Costa Rica Venture with Moondance, Mary Martha was inspired to test her boundaries and switched to a boarding school in Rhode Island her junior year. Her love for travel and new adventures has persisted as she spent a summer abroad in Innsbruck, Austria to study a new language and new culture. After Mary Martha concluded her career at the University of Georgia in Athens with a real estate major, she moved to Nashville to pursue a career in commercial real estate. She felt the call of Moondance and, after completing a NOLS Himalaya course this spring, is returning to Moondance to lead in the Alaska, the last frontier. She is still very close to her many brothers, and “being their role model is [her] most important role.” In her free time Mary Martha can be found water skiing, playing soccer and tennis, doing pilates, or cheering on her LSU tigers (“sorry UGA”). We could not possibly be more thrilled and excited to have Mary Martha back for what promises to be another great summer.

Scotty Harry, 24, grew up on a large farm in rural Virginia where he was introduced to nature at a very young age. The love for the natural world that was planted in Scotty as a youth has become an important part of the Scotty Harry who joins Moondance for his second season as a leader. Scotty studied architecture and historic restoration at the University of Colorado and has since put that knowledge to good use. During his summers and a break from school, Scotty helped his family restore their old 1820’s brick farmhouse where he grew up. In addition, he spent two of his summers working on a restoration of President James Madison’s home of Montpelier in Orange, Virginia. Scotty’s strengths and interests are by no means limited to architecture and restoration. Scotty finished his studies at Appalachian State University where he graduated with a degree in sustainable development. Since graduation, he has become involved in finding sustainable farming practices for grass-fed beef and supplying the product to local organic markets. Scotty has a wealth of knowledge and spends as many days outside as most of us only wish we could. We are pleased to have Scotty back to lead and eagerly await his return to field in Alaska.

July 16, 2012

Ice ice baby! This group of Alaskan exploreres just completed 2 amazing days of ice climbing with Matanuska Ice Climbing Adventures (MICA). The first day of climbing the guides taught ice climbing techniques and how to belay. Our group was quick to learn all the skills! With crampons on and axes in hand, our crew jumped on the ice! So that everyone could get comfortable climbing on ice, we remained on more mellow routes the first day. Learning to belay was no problem for Adam and Caroline demonstrated some excellent ice axe techniques. Oh Yeah! The MICA guides had a lot to teach us on the first day but the group did a fantastic job remaining focused and enthusiastic about climbing.

After a long day on the ice, we returned to our campsite that is located right next to the Matanuska River. The views are breathtaking and the fire pits allow us to warm our souls at the end of the day. That night, Jalil, Megan, and Dave prepared us an delicious meal of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches! Nothing like having breakfast for dinner! That night at Moonup, some veteran Moondancers, Alex and Laura Katherine, asked the group to explain why they chose Moondance and why Alaska. Everyone’s response only excited the group more about our 22 day journey in the Final Frontier and that night we all dreamed of ice!

The next morning we woke to blue skies and filled our bellies with pancakes. Picture this… hot cakes next to the Mighty Matanuska and surrounded by snow-capped mountains…Yes Please! Many thanks to JT, Lillian, and David for those most amazing pancakes!

MICA picked us up that morning around 9:00 and since our skills had been dialed in the day before, we quickly got on the ice. These guys were born climbers as everyone  dominated the harder routes set up by MICA. Dave entertained the group with some hilarious cimbing lingo and everyone cheered on David as he ascended an over-hanging arete. Get Rad! The area of the glacier we climbed is called Monument Wall and the name explains it all. The climbing was monumental and all were praising Lillian for her skills on the ice.

We finished the day with an hour trek on the glacier and the MICA guides provided us with interesting facts about glaciers. We visited a moulin, which is a subsurface tunnel within the glacier created by flowing melt water. At the glacier’s terminus, the land is composed of glacial silt. The silt is like a viscous mud and when walked on, one tends to sink. As we journeyed along the glacial silt, Adam found himself a bit stuck and it was a hilarious venture getting Adam free from the mud’s grip!

Ice climbing on the first 2 days of the trip brought the group close together. Belaying one another requires great trust and the group displayed this throughout ice climbing. I would like to comment on what a fantastic group we have! As Moondance leaders, we could not ask for a better crew. The energy is high and these guys are true leaders! Everyone is extremely excited and has welcomed all into our new family. Currently we are now preparing for our backpacking section. Our backpacking adventure will take us 8 days into the Talkeetna Mountains and on the 9th morning, NOVA river guides will fly in rafts and a tons of food! YeeHaw! It is very exciting to watch those bush planes land on a gravel runway in the middle of the Alaskan bush. Once all gear has been flown in, we will raft out on a 2 day paddle down the Chickaloon RIver.

We hope that all is well in the lower 48 and look forward to sharing our adventures once we leave the bush.

Much love!

-Chap, Scotty, and Mary Martha

July 27, 2012

Howdy Moondance Friends,

Greetings from the Final Frontier!  We have just wrapped up the meat of the trip, the longest section: 9 days of backpacking right on into 2 days of rafting.  What a whirlwind of action packed adventures!  Let me begin to tell all the tales.

Day one of backpacking was an early and rather hectic day.  This high energy group popped out of their tents, ate a quick breakfast and packed up their big ol’ packs, ready to hit the trails.  The MICA guides so graciously dropped us off at our “trailhead” – mile marker 101 off the Old Glenn Highway.  We are really out in the wild out here!  We picked our route, an old muddy four wheeler trail, and took off for the wilderness.   We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to start the backpacking expedition – crisp air, bluebird skies, snow capped peaks of the Chugach Range in the distance and the Matanuska Glacier still in sight.  We picked our way through the mud and gained about 1,000 feet in elevation in the first day’s journey.   Once over that first pass, Alaska really opens up.  It was hard at times, but the views were breathtaking.  We are free of the tree line at this point and can see for miles and miles.  We didn’t see a tree again until we dropped back down to the Chickaloon on the last day of backpacking.   The gang concluded the first day of hiking to enjoy a big, hot meal of Gado Gado prepared by JT (affectionately nick named Peaches), Alex, and Megan.  This meal is a group favorite – an Asian inspired pasta dish with lots of spices in a peanut sauce (don’t worry – no peanuts for JT!).  We settled into our tents with full bellies that night, rested our backs, and slept in the next morning to be well rested for the days’ adventures to come.

The next day’s hike was longer but rolled through the valley.  Everyone loved this day’s hike because, again, we had another one of those rare bluebird days in Alaska and the topography was a lot more mellow than the day before.  Jalil and Adam spotted two moose in the distance with their binoculars; big thanks to those guys for the binoculars, we had a lot of fun looking for wildlife with those things!  Lillian kept us entertained the whole way with some of the most fun trail games I have ever played – “Bottom Dollar” and “Twenty Questions”.  The hike flew by and the group finally reached our campsite along Caribou Creek.  We cooked on an island in the riverbed and enjoyed some spicy Mac and Cheese.  Oh yeah!! Peaches found a mini football at our campsite that quickly became a token of the trip.  Many hours have been spent throwing around this guy.  It is still with us today as we prepare for sea kayaking.  Sports and wilderness!!! That’s what Moondance does!!

Day Three – river crossing day!  Bring it on Caribou Creek!  We woke and broke camp efficiently on the third day to have a lesson on river crossings as we were preparing everyone for our biggest (Note: parents, this is a safe activity!) river crossing of the trip.  The leaders of the day, David (also a camper with a Moondance alias – “Rico”) and LK, did a great job organizing and preparing the group.  To our advantage, we got to the river early and it was lower than we last remember seeing it.  Great, smooth sailing.  We used the “Eddy” technique which is a river crossing method that requires a single file line of about 4-5 people lead by a leader to absorb the force of the river; everyone steps together, one foot at a time to get to the other side.  Success!  Even better was the sunshine!  On the first night of the trip, I promised the group a few things about what to expect about the Alaskan weather.  I told them that “It will rain; it may snow.  The sun might come out.  You will be cold; you may be warm – BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE HOT!”.  Thank the Lord above – I was proved wrong!  It was hot this day and it was wonderful! The gang splashed around and cooled off in the creek.  I couldn’t believe it – swimming!? In Alaska?! After playing around in the water for a while, we finished off the day’s hike along Caribou Creek and reached our campsite.  This is one of the more interesting campsites that we camp at in all of Alaska.  We have named it the “Truck Stop” because there is an old, abandoned WWII ambulance converted to poor a man’s mining operation.  Some dredging machinery was hooked up to it in order to look for “the colors” (Alaskan prospector lingo for flecks of gold) in the creek.  It is very mysterious and intriguing.  The gang loved exploring looking around it.

Unbelievably, day four brought more sunshine.  After three days of the rutted up four wheeler trail, we were finally free of the trail – bushwacking begins!  The Moondancers loved picking their own route high above Caribou Creek.  One really begins to start channeling their inner primal spirit when you get off the trail and to find your own way through the wilderness. Grrr!!! We followed Caribou to its head waters where the second of three passes awaited us.  We picked up about another 1,000 feet to get over the pass and onto the TUNDRA.  The way up was rugged and steep, but we pretended we were mountain goats and scooted right along.  Caroline led the way fearlessly as she couldn’t wait to get to the TUNDRA.  You go girl!! Camping and hiking around on the tundra is the bread and butter of this trip.  No trees, high vantage points, herds of caribou around every bend, jagged snow covered peaks, vibrantly colored rock faces… you could spend a lifetime up there.  The group decided to spend a well-deserved rest day at the first campsite on the TUNDRA to really welcome themselves to its vastness.  The next day we all slept in til about 10:30 am and enjoyed a leisurely morning.  Lillian, LK, and Megan made a brunch of chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate for everyone. DELICIOUS!  Rico, Peaches, and Jalil improvised a garbage bag and some ropes to make a kite to fly in the high winds of the TUNDRA.  Dave did some reading and soul searching.  Adam explored one of the peaks nearby.  Caroline and some others played cards.  Alex took some excellent photos and really captured the beauty of the Tundra.  A great day of rest and leisure!

Day six of the backpacking expedition led us to our second campsite on the tundra which is situated just below the third pass of the hiking section.  Imagine a confluence of two clear creeks, green rolling hills, a bowl of snow capped peaks and four Mountain Hardware expedition tents.  That’s the Northern Lights trip!  We cruised some old game trails (aka “Caribou Highways”) through the rolling hills along Glass Creek.  Beauty at every bend up here! WOW!

Day 7 – the third pass!  The group woke up to a breakfast of more pancakes to prepare us for the journey ahead, up and over the final pass.  The gang was up rip roaring ready to go.  All the snow that we saw from the previous trip had melted leaving us with some thick mud to trudge through.  Chap lead the way as guinea pig and got stuck in some of that mud, starting a mini land slide.  Exciting!  We took the high route over the mud through the rocks and made it safely to the top.  This pass is steep but offers some of the most breathtakingly beautiful views that we see of the entire trip.  We could see the upper Chugach range behind the Talkeetnas, valleys, rivers, creeks.  Wonderful!  We came down the pass, a steep but doable journey.  We saw herds and herds of caribou grazing and scared them up over the mountains.  What a sight!  We made it to camp which was nestled in a cirque with steep rockfaces surrounding.  The next day would be our eighth day of hiking, the final day, the final descent out of the Tundra.  It was a bittersweet goodbye as we said our farewells to the tundra but eagerly anticipated rafting out on the Chickaloon River!  The journey out was steep and rocky, but again the group channeled their inner mountain goat and safely picked their way down.  Definitely an action packed day that kept us all on our toes – no pun intended! Ha! To the Chickaloon!  We wrapped up the backpacking section hiking next to the Chickaloon to get to our final campsite of the backpacking section – the “Chickaloon International Airport” – really just a 100 yard clearing used by the bush plans of Alaska as a landing strip.  We enjoyed a fire that night, hot chocolate, and burritos. Yummy!  Also reminisced about all that we had encountered on our journey to the “airport”.  We awoke the next day to a fleet of bush planes landing near our tents.  The raft guides had arrived!! Having your rafts and supplies delivered to you in a remote area where only satellite phones by bush planes is a truly Alaskan experience.  Everyone loved it!  We helped unload the planes, pumped up the rafts, put on our dry suites and were ready to hit the water.  Quick turn around of activities.

More sunshine and cold water on the Chickaloon- high water, big rapids, and ACTION!  We loved it!  Everyone enjoyed the “glacial facials” (Alaskan lingo for a wave of cold river water to the face).  We are awake now!  The group cruised down the river to our campsite – more campfires, OH YEAH!  The raft guides set up some pretty sweet tarps and made a delicious meal for us.  What a nice break to have someone else cook our dinner!  I think a major highlight of the entire trip came after dinner – SMORES!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t think anyone had less than 4.  What a delight!  Bellies FULLL of gooey, chocolaty goodness.  We woke up the next day to get back on the rafts.  More white water!  Jalil and Alex went for a little swim on one of the biggest rapids of the 42 mile river run.  Everyone acted quickly and efficiently to pull them back in the boat.  It was crazy and everyone, especially Jalil and Alex, loved the action.  Chickaloon swim team.  Bring it on boys!  We pulled off the river at around lunch time and said our farewells to the Talkeetnas, the Chickaloon and the raft guides.  What a great time!

We are currently in Whittier packing and preparing for our 5 day sea kayaking adventure.  Hope the sun keeps shining.  We could not be luckier with the weather we have had!  Thanks Alaska.

Blue Skies,

Mary Martha, Chap, Scotty

August 1, 2012

Greetings from the Land of the Midnight Sun! This crew of Alaskan explorers has completed 5 days of sea kayaking in Prince William Sound! Whales, sea otters, seals, snow-capped mountains, glaciers and beautiful water…we experienced it all and are here to share our spectacular voyage!

The adventure begins with the scenic and interesting drive to Whittier, AK. In order to reach Whittier by road, the Magic Bus (our mode of transportation in Alaska) takes the Seward Highway south out of Anchorage. Seward Highway hugs Turnagain Arm, which offers amazing views from the bus. Turnagin Arm is full of interesting facts. The Arm experiences the 2nd highest tides in the world that can reach up to 30 feet! It is rare to see any boats in the Arm because of the dangerous waters. However, the nasty tides of Turnagin Arm did not prevent Captain James Cook from sailing up the body of water in 1777. Cook believed that he had discovered a northwest passage but soon realized he had to turn again, hence the name Turnagin Arm.

Whittier, AK has been called the strangest little town in Alaska. For those who have been to Alaska, you know that must be saying a lot. The strangeness begins with the Whittier Tunnel. It’s the only way to access Whittier by automobile and is the only tunnel in the world where cars and trains share the same passage. There are designated times when cars can drive through the 2 mile tunnel and you are literally driving on train tracks. Alex greatly enjoyed the Whittier Tunnel for he is a railroad enthusiast.

Because Whittier is so interesting, I must provide some information about Whittier’s history. Whittier was founded during WWII because the U.S. needed a strategic port in Alaska. Whittier was chosen due to its location in a true fjord and it has a deep-water port. Whittier experiences lots of precipitation and receives over 200 inches of rainfall each year! The heavy clouds served as natural cover from enemy planes, another reason why the military chose Whittier. Today, the population of Whittier is about 200 people and 90% of all residents live in the same building. They don’t worry about enemy planes today but the clouds remain.

I know what everyone is thinking…but our arrival into Whittier was greeted with sunshine! With some time to spare, we spent the evening exploring Whittier. Trust me, it did not take long.

More sunshine! We woke the next morning to another beautiful day in Whittier and had a lovely breakfast of cereal and non-powered milk. This day in Whittier was understood to be a day of packing and rest but as Moondance leaders, we must always be prepared for spontaneous logistical changes. After talking with the Alaska Sea Kayakers that morning we learned that 3 other companies similar to Moondance would begin their sea kayaking the next morning as well. With such a strong and organized crew, we decided to pack right away and set sail from Whittier in the afternoon. After all, the sun was shining and we would have a day’s head start on the other groups. We at Moondacne prefer to take that next step to greatness! Our leaders of the day, Lillian and David, did an excellent job rallying the troops for our unexpected, yet ideal departure. Having that extra sunlight up here helped a lot for we did not depart from Whittier until 5:00 pm. After 12 miles of paddling, we reached Entry Cove around 10:00 pm with the moon shining bright behind the Chugach Mountains. The night paddle was an adventure and seeing stars for the first time lifted spirits high as we ate warm pita pizzas.

The next morning was again sunny and warm! YeeHaw! Megan and JT (Peaches) got the group up and motivated for another 12 mile paddle to Hobo Bay. Drew, our excellent sea kayaking guide, answered questions all day about Alaska and as Jalil asked about whales, 2 minke whales surfaced in the gleaming sunshine! With calm waters, we reached Hobo in no times and ate a filling meal of fried mac ‘n’ cheese.

Happy sweet 16 Adam! Adam woke to the crew singing “Happy Birthday” and a tent full of balloons! We all filled up on wonderful pancakes covered with nutella. Delicious! With our tummies filled and boats packed, we headed for Black Sand Beach. The day was cloudy and rainy but we finally reached the Harriman Fjord! Harriman Fjord is home to tidewater glaciers and Black Sand Beach is right next to Coxe Glacier. From Black Sand Beach, we can also see Cascade and Barry Glacier. Once in Harriman, the sound of calving glaciers filled the air and the seals and sea otters were curious of our presence. Caroline and Dave had a pleasant surprise as a seal surfaced right next to their kayak. The seals are funny because they are curious and often times startle themselves by surfacing closer than they expected. It gets a lot colder back in the Harriman Fjord with all the glaciers but we had a surprise Thanksgiving dinner for Adam’s birthday that kept us warm. Laura Katherine demonstrated some excellent baking skills and prepared an oreo “no-bake” cake. We drifted to sleep that night with happy stomachs and the sound of calving glaciers resonated throughout the fjord.
We decided to stay another night at Black Sand Beach and had a leisure day with a short day paddle to Barry Glacier. We sat in our boats in awe as we witnessed huge chunks of ice calve into the water. We were surrounded by floating ice and the sea life was active. Laura Katherine and Alex spotted a family of seals resting on chunks of ice. It was like watching something from Planet Earth. The air was cold paddling near Barry Glacier but once at camp, we warmed up with cups of hot chocolate!

Our decision to paddle out a day early from Whittier gave us a full day’s paddle on day 5. We paddled back to Hobo Bay where the boat ferry would pick us up the next morning. Jalil and Dave led us back to Hobo and entertained the group with their hilarious singing. It was a rainy day but this crew stayed warm by paddling hard. We arrived at Hobo Bay early due to our tough group and had time to warm up in our tents before dinner. It was our last meal dinner in the backcountry and Megan, Adam and Peaches prepared the most delicious meal of chicken and cheese quesadillas accompanied with hot tomato soup! The sound of that makes my stomach growl!

The boat ferry was scheduled for 8:00 the next morning so we woke up early. The most beautiful sunrise made for an enjoyable morning as we were hard at work preparing to load all gear and boats on the ferry. Lillian and Megan made sure all was organized for the ferry that arrived right on time. The ferry back to Whittier took about an hour and once in Whittier, we unloaded the ferry, packed our bags and said our goodbyes to Whittier. Again, we had sunshine during our time in Whittier, which made for a smooth transition.

Since we made it back to Anchorage early, we were able to clean all gear and had our banquet dinner in downtown Anchorage. Uncle Joe’s Pizziera treated us well. We all had plenty of pizza and reminisced about all the great times! It is sad that this trip is coming to an end but I want to comment on how proud I am of our group. I have so much respect for these guys and know that they are capable of anything. They are true leaders and that made for a flawless trip. We formed a family out there and learned about ourselves and most importantly we learned from each other. We hope that all is well in the lower 48 and want to thank the parents for sharing your amazing kids with us.

Much love!

-Chap, Mary Martha and Scotty

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