| Northern Lights log (2004-06-20 -> 2004-07-10)
Leaders: Taylor Moody, Abby Bullock
Students: Ben Dille, Lainey Dorsey, Michael Dunn, Jamie Gullickson, Keri Jamison, Ford Kinzey, Andy Kypriss, Ian Miller, Everette Thorby, Flora Weeks
Everyone will arrive at the airport this evening. Both Abby and Taylor are extremely excited for a fantastic Alaskan adventure.
Northern Lights 1
Opening Day
Everyone arrived late in the evening of June 20 a bit disoriented since Anchorage is 4 hours back from East coast time. Taylor and I welcomed them in with a hardy meal of Fajitas. The group scarped them down and headed to sleep with it still looking like 2:00PM outside! Yes…the 24 hours of Alaskan sun light took some getting use to, but allows us more time to play.
We woke up early to a breakfast of quiche and we were off. We headed North of Anchorage to the small town of Chickaloon to prepare for our backpacking section. This day was filled with a lot of classes and interesting gusts of wind. During our tent set up class the girls in the three man tent (Lainey, Everett and Flora) had to have their tent rescued from the mighty Matanuska River. So we learned our first lesson when camping in Alaska…you can never have too many stakes to hold down one tent! Alaska’s weather is very hard to predict. We went to sleep that night with our brains hurting of new information that will help our backpacking trip to unfold smoothly.
Our raft guides gave us a lift to the trail head where we said good bye to our van and U-haul. Ready for our backcountry adventure and saying goodbye to civilization…what an amazing opportunity! Our first day of backpacking was very trying on us all. With heavy packs and the trail going straight up in elevation for the 2nd and 3rd miles definitely tested us all. The beauty kept us going as well as the anticipation of the days to come. We were welcomed into camp by a mother moose and her calf. We all felt very fortunate to be experiencing this part of Alaska.
From Hicks Lake we headed approximately 5 miles to the northwest Caribou Creek. The long hiking day provided ample time to play games on the trail. There were some very huge bear prints along our trail, fortunately he looked like he was going the other direction! There were also some huge mud puddles we were having to cross on the trail. Ben decided he would fall into one and it took the strength of Taylor and Andy to pull him out. He had sunk up to his knees! I have heard of quick sand …but quick mud!? We all laughed so hard! Once we hit Caribou Creek we all had some time to wash up and Flora taught everyone how to play Mofia. This was only the beginning of Mofia madness. After dinner we had an amazing moonup where we wrote our group contract and set some group goals for the duration of the backpacking section.
Day four and five on the trail were quite long as we accomplished 12 miles with a lot of elevation gain. We took a break in the hiking days, dropped our packs and hiked up to see this incredible waterfall off of Glass Creek. As we came back to our packs about 5 very large caribou ran in front of us. It was amazing! The students were really beginning to become an all around unit and family. I am very impressed with all of them. The day ended with a meal of chili-mac prepared by Jamie, Everett and Ford. That night we played a serious session of Big Booty that knocked Ford from the reigning position he has held since day one! This was followed by a twisted game of Mofia where Keri ruled the house.
This day began pretty normal with cook crew getting up early and starting the water for oatmeal and the rest of camp taking down tents until I smelled something funny. I ran to the top of the ridge and saw smoke filling the valley below us. My heart began to beat a million miles a minute. We quickly packed up and began to move down the trail. Luckily we had a radio to contact airplanes over head. I began to call into the sky “campers to emergency control…come in!!” After about 2 hours a pilot answered back and informed us that the fire was over 100 miles away. We were all overjoyed. I informed the pilot of our direction and final destination and he told me that if the fire came closer he would come and look for us. After the scare we sat the group down for a debrief and thanked them for pulling together as a team. Our group is incredibly solid after that experience. This taught us all how truly vulnerable you can be in such a wild place. Mother Nature really is in control. After reaching camp we fixed a large lunch as the adrenaline had made everyone a bit more hungry than normal. There were some minors camped out on the hill next to us. They were the first people we had seen since we entered the back country five days ago. There are very few places one can go and still have that kind of experience.
This was supposed to be our last day on the trail but weather and terrain kept us in the back country. Fog from the high pressure system of the fire was pushed into the valley. We climbed to the saddle and looked out to pillows of clouds below. We continued on the goat path we had been following but the fog never lifted. After hiking for seven hours we felt it was unsafe to continue so we found a semi flat spot along the trail and bedded down.
We woke up early in hopes that the fog had cleared but were disappointed. The fog had thickened. Visibility was only about 20 feet. Taylor and I knew we were within two miles of our final destination, the mighty Chichaloon River. Therefore we decided to put together a search team, three students and one leader. The team consisted of Taylor, Lainey, Ford and Andy. All the students were up for the opportunity to be a part of the team. We sent them off to find the safest and easiest route down to the Chickaloon. The rest of us watched as they ascended the adjacent ridge and out of sight. About twenty minutes later we see their heads pop back over the ridge. They had found the route just over the next hill. We all cheered and could visualize the river just behind them. We broke camp quickly and were on our way. We arrived at the Chickaloon at 3:45PM…Aaaaaa sweet success!
Today was a rest day. We all deserved it. We started off by sleeping in which everyone enjoyed. We then ate a great breakfast and began preparing for our rafting section. Our guides were planned to be brought in by helicopter on the following morning. We hoped by then the fog would clear. That afternoon we began the first part of a two part assignment we call “letters to ourselves.” This allowed the students some time to reflect on the past section in the back country and make some goals or reminders for the future. We will finish the letters at the end of sea kayaking and they will be mailed to each person in the fall.
We awoke to a helicopter zooming about 30 feet above our tents. The pilot had seen a break in the in the fog and decided to take it. We were all ecstatic to see the chopper. We quickly packed camp, sent our hiking boots and packs out with the chopper and had an orientation from our guides. The Chickaloon River was steamy…37 F, so we were all given dry suits and neoprene socks and gloves. The dry suits made us all look as if we were going to board the starship enterprise! We all laughed but they kept us warm. We were off!!! The rapids began immediately. Flora was the first to feel the water up close when she fell in, but was quickly rescued by her team mates. Taylor’s group, including Ben, Lainey, Everette, Jamie, and Flora were caught on a rock in the first class 4 rapid. They all climbed onto the rock, rescued the boat and then were off down the river once more. We arrived at camp around 4:00PM and began preparing an amazing cheese lasagna and chocolate cake. We had been looking forward to this meal for quite a while since there are limited foods that stay preserved in the backcountry. All in all, this was an amazing way to finish our backpacking experience. We knew that tomorrow we would be among civilization once again. It was crazy to think that what took us seven days to hike into takes us only 2 days to raft out of.
The day was filled with endless wave trains and two more huge rapids. One was called the ledge, which was a class 3 hole covering the entire width of the river. The mountains surrounding the river were so green and lush and as we came out of the valley and entered the Matanuska River the fog cleared. As we came to the take out we could see our van and U-haul waiting for us. This made me sad to think that yet another section of our expedition had finished. The days seem to pass by so quickly and yet our family is still growing to it’s potential. To the parents of the students: I have had an amazing 13 days with your children. They are incredible young adults with huge hearts and a lot of ambition. Thank you for giving Taylor and I the opportunity to spend the summer with them. We are all looking forward to an amazing time in Prince William Sound. We hear there is a good chance we will see some whales. Wish us luck!!
From the students:
Jamie --- “I am having fun. Thanks for sending me. The adventures are never ending. The best part was accomplishing our backpacking and getting to our destination.”
Keri --- “Dear Dad and Big Annie, Thanks for letting me come. Backpacking was fun. We saw some amazing animals. Rafting was fun when we learned how to high side. You would love the scenery. We hope to see whales on the Sea Kayak. I love you.”
Andy --- Hey Mat and Kathy…Thanks a lot for the trip. Everything is cool. Rafting was awesome. The best was the final race down the river. See you soon.”
Michael --- “Hey everyone back home. We are having a great time in Whiittier. Hope Megan’s surgery went ok. See you soon. Rafting was the best!”
Ford --- “Hey mom and dad. Thanks for sending me on this trip to Alaska. It is a really cool place. Backpacking was great and I had a lot of fun. Rafting was an adrenaline rush. Sea Kayaking is coming up and I can not wait!”
Ben --- Hey mom and dad. I am in Whittier. I learned how to read a map and use my compass. I am doing great! P.S. Don’t sell the jeep.
Ian --- I am having a lot of fun on Moondance. I have had a lot of good experiences and made a lot of new friends. Rafting was a lot of fun since there were big rapids. Can’t wait to see you at the beach.”
Flora --- Dear Mommy and Poppy…Thanks for the trip to Alaska. It is gorgeous. Backpacking was fun and the rafting was awesome. You should have seen the dry suits. We saw a lot of caribou and a couple of sheep. See you soon”
Everette --- Hey, I am having fun! Hope brother is having fun at camp. I am looking forward to the sea kayaking. Thanks for the trip.”
Lainey --- Hey mom and dad! The trip is amazing and different from last year. Thanks for the opportunity. It has been a once in a lifetime treat. My leaders have been there for us. The hiking was challenging but rewarding. When I look back at rafting it makes me laugh. I look forward to sea kayaking. I miss you and love you.”
NEW LOG
Section: Sea kayaking
Well we are off the water and everyone is headed for home! We have all had an amazing time. The weather was absolutely beautiful, as it only rained on us once. Our days have been filled with incredible views of the glaciers, a lot of paddling, and tons of wildlife. We paddled within a half mile of Surprise glacier and camped on an awesome black sand beach, next to three other glaciers. Listening to them calve all night was a bit eerie. I had two great paddling partners in Lainey and Michael. Yes our boat ruled! Taylor shared his boat with Andy and Michael. Michael entertained us both with his stories of fishing and hunting. We had a small air show of some F-16s as well as a C-130, and Andy informed us all about their abilities. Flora and Everette were two of the hardest paddlers always setting a cadence for us all. Jamie was a superstar in the kitchen, as she was always on top of getting lunch out for everyone to enjoy. We also celebrated Ben's 15th birthday during our only day of rain! Everyone stayed in good spirits though, as we enjoyed a rich cheesecake prepared by Keri, and everyone signed a birthday card painted by our guide Gwen. I an and Ford were keeping a watchful eye as they helped point out sea otters, seals, bald eagles, and a lot of there wildlife to the group on the day that they paddled in our single Kayaks. It was a great way to finish off another incredible Moondance Adventure. Our last meal together was an incredible battle of Iron Chef where we had the Buena Vista Social Club 'vs.' The Gourmet Gooroos. It was a close call with the Dille Pie taking the win for the dessert and potato skins taking the entire category. All competitors used solid creativity, proper LNT, and had great hygiene in the kitchen. So parents, don’t be shy about letting your kids cook you dinner every once in a while. Taylor and I will miss these students as they go back to their lives in the cities that await them. We hope our paths will cross again someday!
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