It was Tuesday, July 27th, 2021, the first day of our 17-day trip to the Arctic. My spouse John and I awoke with great anticipation. This adventure had been four years in the making. After previously concentrating on trips elsewhere in the world, we decided we needed to take the time, and spend the money, to explore more of Alaska, especially since we are not getting any younger…. After researching potential travel companies and their offerings, we zeroed in on Anchorage-based Alaska Alpine Adventures (AAA). We were intrigued by their 12-day kayaking/camping trip down the Noatak River beginning in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (Gates of the Arctic National Park) and ending in the Noatak National Preserve. This would be followed by three days in Kobuk Valley National Park, which boasts of having the largest active sand dunes above the Arctic Circle. Ever since we learned there were huge sand dunes in Alaska, they had been on our list of things to see. It went without saying that having the opportunity to paddle 80 miles of the Noatak River–a National Wild and Scenic River that flows through the largest undisturbed watershed in North America–was right up our alley!
The only downside was the trip required tent camping, and it had been a long time since we had pulled out our tents. Over the years, we had gravitated toward basing our multi-day kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking trips out of public-use cabins rented from either the Alaska Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. Forest Service. That way, if the weather was bad, which could be the case anytime in an Alaska summer, we weren’t stuck inside a tent. We didn’t mind kayaking, biking, or hiking in the rain as long as we could dry off and warm up next to a fire in the cabin’s wood stove at the end of the day. Likewise, just spending a rainy day in front of the fire enjoying a good book was always an excellent option as well.
The problem was that focusing trips around cabins limited our ability to explore many other parts of Alaska, especially remote national parks. While the “Noatak River and Great Kobuk Sand Dunes Combination” itinerary sounded wonderful, the question was if we would still enjoy tent camping, which necessitates sleeping on an air mattress on the cold, hard ground, and being able to extricate ourselves from the tent once we were inside…. We had already agreed upon an age-related concession; namely, paying for a guided trip into the Alaska wilds, rather than organizing the trip ourselves. This option freed us from dealing with complicated logistics and had the added benefit of traveling with guides who were familiar with the area. All we had to do was bring our personal gear and make sure we were in shape to take advantage of the advertised activities.
So before jumping in with both feet and committing to a 12-day trip, we figured it made sense to book a shorter guided trip in case things didn’t work out. So, in August 2018, we found ourselves, along with Anchorage friend, Sara, flying into Turquoise Lake in Lake Clark National Park with two AAA guides. We spent the next six days tent camping, kayaking, and hiking. That trip, which is a story of its own, was a huge success. Not only were we thrilled when our float plane took off and flew out of sight, after dropping off the last of our supplies and leaving our group alone in the wilderness, we re-discovered how much we enjoy tent camping. It was nice to know that it was still a reasonable option.
Returning from Lake Clark, we were now ready to sign up, along with Sara and Isabel, a friend from Florida, for the Noatak River-Great Sand Dunes adventure. However, much to our surprise and dismay, the August 2019 trip was already booked. Not to be deterred, we checked other options, including another visit to Lake Clark National Park; this time to Twin Lakes. We were bummed to find that all of the Twin Lakes trips that would work with our schedule were booked as well. During a subsequent call with the company owner, I expressed our disappointment. Much to our surprise and delight, he agreed to add another Twin Lakes trip during the second week of September, which was after their 2019 season would have typically ended. That worked and the Twin Lakes trip turned out to be a winner as well. The fall colors were in their prime and the weather was mostly perfect.
Now, as twice-returning clients for AAA, we were able to lock in our spaces for the Noatak River-Great Sand Dunes trip for August 2020, before it was posted online. We figured the third time was the charm, and it indeed appeared that that was the case. In the late spring, the company established all kinds of COVID-19 pandemic-related protocols and work arounds. Everything was still progressing as planned until mid-June, when we received an email notifying us that our August trip had to be cancelled. Brooks Range Aviation, who provides AAA with air access to and from Gates of the Arctic National Park, decided to cease their 2020 summer operations due to “…mass cancellations and the uncertainty of the [COVID-19] virus.” A quick check on the AAA website revealed that our preferred August 2021 trip dates were already booked! Given other things on our respective plates, our group immediately registered for the last four places for a trip departing July 27, 2021. We began to wonder if someone was trying to tell us something….
A few days later, we received another email from the company owner, this time asking if we would like to add on a five-day, four-night trip to Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and Cape Krusenstern National Monument at the end of our Noatak River-Great Sand Dunes adventure. Our group decided to grab the hook on this opportunity. We figured it was unlikely we would ever visit those places otherwise, and as they say, it’s only money and you can’t take it with you. So, our adventure grew from 12 to 17 days.
As with our previous trips to Lake Clark National Park, once the snow cleared in the spring, John and I trained in Hatcher Pass to ensure we could, in fact, hike the requisite distance and elevation necessary to take advantage of the areas we would be visiting during our journey. The goal was hiking (off trail) ten miles with an elevation gain (and then loss) of 3,000 feet. The last thing we wanted to do was pay through the nose for a guided trip and then not be able to “go the distance” to enjoy what there was to see along the way. Plus, since we would likely once again be the oldest clients on the trip, we wanted to make sure we could hold our own and not slow down the rest of the group.
Isabel arrived one week prior to our departure date from her home near Miami. That gave her time to acclimate to Alaska’s time zone and cooler temperatures. While she is an avid runner and had many marathons under her belt, we wanted her to have the opportunity to hike trails with different surfaces, in addition to those with significant elevation gain. This was accomplished with a trek to the top of Lion’s Head near the Matanuska Glacier on the Glenn Highway, in addition to a 7. 5-mile hike that traversed, as well as summited, Gunsight Mountain near Sheep Mountain Lodge.
Having been disappointed the summer before, I continued to wonder up until the week before our 2021 departure date, if another shoe would drop and the trip would be cancelled once again. At that time, however, Alaska seemed to be winning the battle against COVID-19, now that vaccinations were available. We were not yet experiencing another wave of infections. So now, waking up on July 27th, the long-awaited trip was actually beginning.
