Ketchikan to Fairbanks to Aichlik River Part 1

Riding the ferry from Ketchikan to the airport. Left to right is Tammy Howard, Heidi Ekstrand, Sher Schwartz, and Bruce Schwartz.  Day 1 -- June  18,   2010

Rubber  dry bags--allowed 50 pounds per person, including tents, sleeping bags, all clothing and gear.

Jet from Ketchikan to Fairbanks, Alaska

Welcome Aboard!

Having reached Fairbanks, we met
our guide Bill, and he drove us to
the Arctic Wild gear shop where we
showed and weighed all our items in the
dry bags. Oops Bruce was overweight!
The girls packed the lightest.:)











Our pre-trip dinner in Fairbanks being serenaded by an excellent Bulgarian
Accordian player. Had 10 layer lasagna to fatten up!

Sher's 45 pound dry bag!

We  stayed at the Bridgewater Hotel for one night before the trip and for two nights after we got back. Lovely place, and they allowed us to leave items in storage while we were on our expedition. :)

Tundra planes have big fat tires. We took two planes. Bruce, Tammy, and I were in this tiny plane for 3.5 hours on the way and back= a total of 7 hours in a tundra bush plane.

Tundra-for the next 3.5 hours no signs of civilization-just permafrost,   tundra, rivers...wild space. This is South Slope before the massive Brookes Range.

Just before going over the Brookes Range.

The Brookes Range mountains were so close it was startling. This is the dividing line between the South and North Slope..

It was pretty turbulent going through the Range. We were almost across and Bruce started seeing goats and caribou.. bad news for me as you will see.

Poor Sher feeling SICK; I missed the other animals after I saw the first one and the world began to swirl and then it was quick to the plastic bag!

First views of the Aichilik River, our river to paddle for the next week, for the next 45 miles.

Banking to land on a gravel bar along the Aichilik River. The one and only place to land!

LANDED!  Ready to unpack the dry bags and set up camp for our first day in the Acrtic. The plane left and we were alone with the grizzlies, the caribou, wild flowers, and wind!

Part Two --the trip coming ....