| Northern Lights Log (2007-06-20 -> 2007-07-10)
Leaders: Jack Matthews, Molly Damm
Students: Bart Freibert, Elana Congrress, Lauren Biles, Polly Mingledorff, Michael Akers, George Lezcano, Leo Skovron, Coles Lawton, Caitlin LeCorgne, Parker LeCorgne
June 20
All have arrived safely. Preperations are underway for their extended backcountry trip in to the Talkeetna Mountains.
July 3
Dearest friends and family,
Greetings from Alaska, where we have finally returned to the "front country" after our extended backpacking trip into the Talkeetna Mountains! Much has happened since we ventured out onto the trail eleven days ago and the trip has been a brilliant adventure thus far. We spent our first glorious Alaskan day preparing for our journey and getting to know each other...A few veteran Moondancers, Bart and Elana, and super New Orleans cook, Parker, were quick to jump into the kitchen and prepare a delicious breakfast of huevos rancheros to get everyone fueled up for the busy day ahead. We had lots of fun under a brilliant blue sky that first day packing up our food and backpacks, learning about our tents, and generally learning what the course of our next few weeks together would be...
The next day we hit the trail, and the group's energy and excitement to head out into the mountains was incredible! Everyone was so psyched to get their first tastes of Alaska as we hiked through the gorgeous forests with our very heavy packs...Bart and Caitlin were chosen as our first leaders of the day and they did an incredible job of setting great examples of this important daily role in our group. That night as we cooked dinner, we were treated to absolutely breathtaking views of the Chugach Mountains. We were all pinching ourselves in disbelief, to believe that we were really out here, it was so beautiful! It was clear from the moment we met everyone at the airport what an amazing group of people we had been blessed with for this trip, and as we moved through the backpacking section that fact just became more and more clear.
Our days on the trail carried us through the greenest valleys ringed by steep and craggy snowy peaks, and they passed far too fast. Elana and Parker quickly showed themselves as natural leaders, always looking out for the group and keeping morale high during tough parts of the hike. Leo, with his pack nearly as big as his body, is our team’s comedian, always grinning and keeping everyone laughing.
The most memorable few days of this backcountry section were when we began to venture off trail and bushwhack through the Alaskan tundra. Climbing up into the high meadows, we were greeted by scenes that took our breath away. Mike was the powerhouse hiker, cruising up tough terrain with no problem and always out in front, leading us to our next camp (must be all that soccer practice or "football" as they say in his home of Madrid). Georgie, another Spaniard on our trip, is definitely the group’s motivator. Rarely a moment went by hiking when you could not hear Georgie quietly inspiring someone to push on, telling them they could do it, and just generally extending a ton of kindness to everyone. Lauren and Coles were stars in the kitchen, always ready to help out and keeping everyone laughing all the while; they were the ones behind one of our best meals, backcountry calzones from scratch! Tons of work but these girls were up for the challenge.
As our backpacking section drew to a close, we encountered some very challenging terrain on our way to the Chickaloon River where we were to be picked up by whitewater rafts in a few days. Everyone hiked through these areas with great determination and style. Polly was especially strong during these days, always positive and smiling even as she cruised around with really bad blisters! After a much needed rest day near the Chickaloon, we were greeted by a small bush plane carrying fresh food, rafts, and raft guides! It was so exciting to greet the planes and also to greet the delicious lasagna they cooked up for us.
The next day found us switching gears into dry suits and lifejackets as we rafted down an awesome section of whitewater back to our takeout and original campsite. It was fun to ditch our packs, give our blisters a break, and hit the water and everyone paddled hard and laughed a lot as we splashed through the cold river!
Now we are on our way to Whittier to begin our sea-kayaking section and we couldn't be more stoked to visit the beautiful glaciers and tides of Prince William Sound. Needless to say, everyone here is amazing. We have formed a really wonderful family in our two weeks together and can't wait to get back out into the wilderness to keep learning and experiencing ALASKA!!
Thanks for reading, best and much love from the North Country!
Jack and Molly
July 9th Update
Hello Hello. Jack here, coming to you live from the heart of burly Alaska! We just finished our amazing sea kayak expedition in the Prince William Sound and it could not have been more adventurous. After finishing up with our backcountry section in the mountain we hit the road and traveled south towards the small coastal town of Whittier, AK. Everyone was getting excited to trade in their backpacks and boots and develop their character into a rowdy group of Alaskan mariners. We met our guides the night of the 3rd, packed up and got ready to begin our trip the next morning. Parker was getting so fired up and excited he had a hard time falling asleep that night...or wait, it could have been the loud and crazy fireworks show in Whittier that kept him up. haha. Anyway, folks were loving life and living large. The next morning we celebrated the 4th with an American breakfast and headed out to sea. We rode a chartered boat out from Whittier to our drop point in Hobo bay. Elana could not get enough of the amazing scenery filled with sea otters, harbor seals, and huge glaciers falling from the sky. Once we arrived at our destination, we began to feel it. We were out there now. Back in the wet and wild Alaskan backcountry. Lovin' It!! Everyone grabbed a quick bite and then we set out in our seafaring vessels.
We had a strenuous, but rewarding 12 mile paddle out to Harriman fjord. You should have seen these guys out here. Burly folks! Lauren and Coles proved to be natural born paddlers, speeding around in their white lightning of a boat. We arrived to Black Sand Beach late that night to stay at one of the most beautiful campsites in the world. This place is truly magical! It is surrounded by a beautiful bay filled with ice that has fallen from three glaciers that tower over the landscape. Words cannot describe the feeling you get when camping at Black Sand. We retired to our bags that night and fell asleep to the sound of caving glaciers and falling streams. We slept well. The next morning we slept in and enjoyed a nice day of rest in our magical spot. Georgie was loving chocolate chip pancakes after a long night of solid slumber. We relaxed all day and laughed about anything and everything. That night Caitlin, Parker, and Bart whipped up a New Orleans-style gumbo dinner for everyone before we fell asleep early, dreaming of the paddle day to come. The next morning we woke to blue skies! Polly and Georgie took control as leaders of the day used their excellent leadership skills to drive the group 12 miles back to Hobo bay. Blue skies all day long!!!! The next day we hit the water again for another glorious day on the water. We travelled about 11 miles with ease. Everyone was completely in the zone by this point in the trip. Mikey Akers was making it look so easy! We hit high winds in the afternoon and cruised into Early bay around 4 pm to set up camp for our last night in the backcountry. Leo dominated everyone in a big game of cards, while others prepared a delicious pizza dinner. It was perfect. The next morning we woke at an early 5 am so we could get on the water early and dominate another 12 mile back to Whittier. It was amazing to get going so early and enjoy the quite Alaskan morning. We arrived back in Whittier yesterday, gathered our gear and headed up to Anchorage for the end of the trip. It has been an amazing journey up here in the big state up North. I have never in my life experienced such an amazing group of individuals that have become a close family in such a short amount of time. LOVE LIFE!!!! We are for sure! This is Jack signing out for now. Hope all is well and happy out there...
Jack and Molly
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