You fly into the Anchorage Airport on opening day where you congregate with your group and instructors.

Before you head into the lush backcountry of misty Southern Alaska, you’ll need to learn the ABC’s of backpacking: Accessibility, Balance, and Compressability. With the perfect mix of skill and gear you’ll be ready to take everything you will need into the heavy woods for nine beautiful and challenging days.

Your group will head into the Talkeetna Mountains for an extended backpacking section. You will hike on-trail and off-trail through sweeping artic tundra above treeline. This expedition will focus on map reading and off-trail travel, backcountry cooking, camping, safety, natural history, environmental ethics and more. The days are long in the land of the midnight sun, but the experience is unforgettable. Relish the soft, golden quality of the Alaskan day as the sun makes its long, low circuit around the horizon. Relish the way this landscape bursts into bloom, carpeting the tundra with wildflowers. Most of all, relish the view from your tent site, perched high among the jagged peaks of this incomparable region: mile after mile of seldom-visited mountain summits, alpine valleys, and wilderness rivers, with no sign of civilization in sight!

Out of the wilderness and onto the Chickaloon River for two final days of exhilaration, challenge, and fun. After over a week deep in the wilderness, you’ll watch in awe as your river guides bring in the gear via helicopter. When you’re not plunging through class III and IV rapids, feast your eyes on the rocky faces and hanging glaciers of the Chugach Mountains towering above you. Dig your paddles in this raging river as you navigate your way through one rapid after another. At night, pull your raft ashore to camp, explore the inland coast, toss a line to a hungry trout, or simply watch for shooting stars.

After preparing for your sea-kayaking trip, you set out through Prince William Sound en route to the Harriman Fjord via ferry. This ferry ride takes you to a remote area of Prince William Sound where rocky shores are backed by dense green stands of old-growth timber. Before you leave shore, you'll start by learning the fundamentals of efficient paddling, open-water safety, self-rescue, and coastal navigation. As soon as you launch your kayak into the coastal waters you will immediately become immersed in spectacular fjords and emerald coves of the Sound. At night, pull your kayak ashore to set up camp, prepare dinner, explore the coastline, and get ready for the next day's paddle.

Spend the last day telling tales of your three-week expedition. Before departing for home, you will celebrate with a hearty Alaskan banquet dinner.