Northern Lights

10th-12th Grade•21 days•$6895
June 16-July 6, 2025	Limited	Inquire
July 10-July 30, 2025	Limited	Inquire

Alaska is on a different level — in every sense. Her wilderness sets the scene for one of our most challenging and thrilling experiences on offer. Northern Lights is a wild and rugged immersion in the last frontier. You’ll navigate untrodden backcountry, sea kayak in the shadows of ancient glaciers, scale walls of ice and float glacial runoff. You’ll be in the twilight of the true north, in a place more untouched, and unspoiled than anywhere else in the country. The scale of Alaska will change and challenge you in ways unimaginable. The rewards for this trip are as vast as Alaska itself.

highlights

Take a multi-day sea kayaking expedition among the glaciers of the Prince William Sound
Spend eight days on a backcountry expedition trekking the remote Talkeetna Mountain Range
Raft the glacier fed Matanuska River
Learn to ice climb on the Matanuska Glacier

sea kayaking

There is no better level to witness the humbling sight of a glacier, than sea level. Get in your kayak and paddle the Prince William Sound, where glaciers meet the sea. Learn the fundamentals of open water safety, coastal navigation, and carrying everything you need in your boat. Camp on wild beaches every night in the company of otters, orca and bald eagles.

backpacking

Set off on a true expedition and backpack the Talkeetna Mountain Range. Using braided river beds and geological features, you’ll navigate this stunning terrain and learn to make a home in the backcountry. Travel across vast alpine tundra, up and down jagged peaks, and orient yourself to map reading and off trail travel. Immerse yourself in rugged unparalleled wilderness, and get in the rhythm of living simply.

white water rafting

After tackling the beautiful and rugged wilderness of your backpacking section, you will travel to the glacier-fed banks of the Matanuska River. Featuring class III and IV rapids, this thrilling waterway will be a welcome white water victory lap after carrying your packs for eight days.

ice climbing

Get your crampons and ice axes out for a multi faceted journey on the Matanuska Glacier. This spectacular ice river is so massive it affects the weather, and offers endless opportunities for ice exploration. Learn to navigate ropes, belay systems and safe glacier travel. Then get vertical and climb walls of ice surrounded by crevasses, moulins and cobalt blue caverns.