Having survived our first night in the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, everyone enjoyed a leisurely mid-morning breakfast, exchanging stories of white sox bites and tents that were too hot until the wee hours of the morning. The plan for the day , Thursday, August 5th, was to continue exploring the dunes, this time hiking south. As we were preparing to leave camp, a Brooks Range Aviation plane landed on the dunes a few hundred feet away.
Out popped the five, “twenty-somethings,” with whom we had shared the airplane hangar in Bettles one week before; it is indeed a small world. With only 30 minutes to explore, they waved to us before hightailing it across the dunes to make the best of their “bag the national park” stop. So much for being alone in the wilderness!
With the temperature in the 60s and only a few clouds in the sky, our group prepared for what would end up being an eight-mile hike on the southern part of the dune field. Stowing water, snacks, rain gear, and extra layers (just in case) in our daypacks, we headed out in long, but lightweight, hiking pants, brimmed summer hats, and t-shirts…or long-sleeve tops for sun protection.
Shortly after beginning our hike, we were afforded another view of Kavet Creek, as it curved around the foot of the dunes before flowing back into the boreal forest near our camp. Its life-sustaining water provided a stark contrast to the barren, but beautiful dunes.
A firm believer that it is the journey, as much as the destination, that counts when hiking, I continued to find the dunes, and the secrets they held, to be endlessly fascinating. That did mean, however, that I typically lagged behind the rest of the group…. Nevertheless, the occasional plants and flowers spouting out of a sea of sand; tracks of caribou, bears, voles ,and birds; and wave-like patterns in the dunes, all warranted closer examination…and photos.
As the day wore on, the temperature climbed into the low 70s. Happily, the sunshine, expanse of sand, and slight breeze provided us with a welcome reprieve from white sox and mosquitoes. As was the case yesterday, it was only when we were climbing up, or sliding down, the steep sides of a dune that our boots sank more deeply into the fine sand. Otherwise, the dunes provided us with relatively firm footing. However, as with the other creatures who had walked on the sand before us, we also left footprints behind to be erased by the wind.
After walking several miles and hiking up and down a number of dunes, we found a pleasant place for lunch under the shade of three small spruce trees. From our vantage point, we had a grand view of the expansive dune field that stretched out before us, as well as the boreal forest along its eastern border and a faint view of the distant Baird Mountains.
Our break afforded us the luxury of time, when we took notice of cirrus clouds beginning to move in across the sky, foretelling a change in the weather. All too soon, it was time to reverse course and make our way back to camp. This time we walked closer to the edge of the dunes, where we were surprised to find what looked like the remnants of an ephemeral (or intermittent) stream…our own little oasis!
Arriving back at camp in mid-afternoon, pleased with our exploration, it was time to relax before Matt and Brian prepared dinner up top on the dunes. As the clouds continued to roll in, they provided a beautiful backdrop for our evening meal.
Sitting on our L-shaped folding seats on the sand, we soaked up the view and recounted our day’s adventures.
After securing everything up top for the night, it was time to call it a day and head down to our tents in the forest, where the white sox were eagerly awaiting our return. However, now that we were better versed in their devious ways, we were much more adept at keeping them at bay. Unfortunately, I still had way too many itchy bites to keep them far from my mind.
All of the tents were markedly cooler inside this evening, which was a welcome relief. After dealing with all of the white sox that entered the tent along with us, I set about doing some housekeeping. That included organizing my gear and sweeping up sand that was invariably tracked into the tent, in spite of the fact that we removed our boots before crawling inside. The temperature was quite pleasant; the only thing keeping me from a deep sleep was the incessant itching of my white sox bites, which no amount of antihistamine cream relieved. It was time once again to use mind over matter….
We awoke on Friday, August 6th to temperatures in the low 50s. After another hearty breakfast on the dunes, we prepared for what we assumed would be our last hike in Kobuk Valley National Park. The significantly-cooler temperature called for extra layers, including coats and gloves. The summer hats that were worn yesterday, were now placed underneath jacket hoods, or were exchanged for winter caps.
Because of a light wind, I covered my camera and lens with a plastic “sleeve” to help protect them from blowing sand. While the sky was mostly covered in clouds, the day was still bright. Most importantly, it was not threatening rain…yet. It was, however, a stark contrast to the clear-blue skies and 80+ degree temperature just two days before. Nonetheless, our group took everything in stride. We were eager to once again explore and see whatever was in store for us over the next rise.
Matt and Brian led us west approximately three miles across the dunes to Ahwenetut Creek, which runs along the west side of the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes. Enjoying the scenery along the way, we arrived around Noon at the edge of the dunes, overlooking the creek, which was our destination.
Looking down, we found an ideal place at the base of the dunes, that boasted a relatively narrow strip of grass, wildflowers, and shrubs, adjacent to a bend in the creek. After sliding down the dune to the grass below, we spread out to find just the right spot to relax and have lunch. Sitting alongside John out of the wind and among the wildflowers, we watched (and I photographed) semipalmated plovers and least sandpipers searching for tasty morsels in the mudflats of the creek.
Eventually, it was time to head back to camp. Walking into the wind, which had grown stronger, made our return hike more focused. Nonetheless, I could not resist slipping my camera and lens out of the plastic cover to take photos of clumps of grass blowing in the wind; a lone Arctic forget-me-not rising bravely above tiny, multi-colored grains of sand; a single, cracked caribou antler dropped long ago, and views of Ahwenetut Creek with the Baird Mountains in the distance.
Because of the blowing sand, upon our return to camp, Matt and Brian moved the cooking area down to the forest, but still well away from our tents. They also erected a tarp, which served as a combination low-standing shelter and windbreak. With the rest of our afternoon free, I explored the forest north of the camp, finding additional “treasures” to photograph, including a group of gregarious mushrooms, the blue-green tips of spruce-tree boughs, and a pile of multi-colored, weather-worn pinecones.
Before dinner, John and David volunteered to refill the bladders containing water for group meals. That required them to make their way a few hundred feet beyond our camp, through alders and other vegetation, to reach the edge of Kavet Creek.
I went along as the self-assigned “safety officer,” carrying the bear spray and calling out to our furry friends, to let them know we were entering what they would rightly consider to be their territory. I then kept a keen eye out while John and David knelt down next to the creek to dip, using my thermos, water into the Alaska Alpine Adventures bladders.
That done, we also filled our own water containers before carrying them back to camp. Once there, Matt was careful to treat the water, since Kavet Creek was known to contain giardia. It was only many days later that several of our group (including me) learned that giardia cysts are very persistent and may survive on surfaces, including the outside of water containers that hold treated water on the inside…oops!The temperature that evening was even cooler than the previous night, which made it perfect for snuggling into our down sleeping bags.
It had been a great day and a truly wonderful time in the park, white sox bites notwithstanding. As I drifted off to sleep, I began thinking about our flight back to Kotzebue early the next morning followed by our early afternoon flight to Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. However, unbeknownst to me at the time, mother nature had something else in mind. It wasn’t long after we went to bed, that it began to rain….