Caribou Base Camp – ANWR, June 2006

Friday, June 16^th

Mary and I have spent the last week in Anchorage, Talkeetna, and now Fairbanks. Our ‘Caribou Migration Base Camp’ in ANWR begins later in the day with a pre-trip meeting and group dinner in Fairbanks. During the afternoon we stop by Gulliver’s bookstore near the University. Gulliver’s is notable for its’ large selection of Alaskana and was recommended in an email from Karen Jettmar, the owner of Equinox Expeditions with whom we booked our ANWR trip. Later, we check into the Minnie Street B& B where we’ll be staying for the night as part of the Equinox deal. The B&B has expanded into three separate buildings. Our room is so new that pictures aren’t even hung on the walls yet.

Around 5 we meet our fellow Equinox travelers in the lounge area - - Jamie Berggren, our guide (originally from Ann Arbor who now lives in Girdwood); Peter Armstrong & Linda Miller, a couple who are psychologists from Portland; and Peter della Femina, a fellow IT-type from Vermont. Jamie reviews the trip details and lets us know that there is some trouble with the reservations for our Frontier Airlines flight from Fairbanks to Kaktovik. Dave from Gulliver’s bookstore is helping to clear things up. Per Jamie, Dave is a long-time friend of Karen’s. We drive over to ‘Pad Thai’, a restaurant near the University and just across from Gulliver’s, for dinner. Dave stops by and lets us know things have been taken care of with Frontier and we’re all set to go in the morning. The restaurant is a busy place and the food is great. It was our waiter’s first day on the job (plus it was his birthday). The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor license so Peter-A walks next door and picks up a 6-pack of Alaskan Amber for us to enjoy with dinner. Perfect. After dinner, we all head back to Minnie Street. Our trip is timed to see the 130,000-strong Porcupine Caribou herd as they migrate through ANWR’s mountain passes and valleys to their calving grounds on the Reserve’s coastal plain. There’s nothing exact about when the herd will actually migrate, so it’s not for certain they’ll be in the area of our base camp while we are there. We check out the ‘caribou tracking site’ on the B&B’s PC to see if the herd is moving yet. The site maps the location of radio-collared caribou from the herd but displays data that is a couple of weeks old so it’s hard to tell exactly where the herd is right now. It doesn’t look good - - there’s nothing marked in the area where we are going. And, word is that the caribou are ‘staying in Canada’. Mary and I head up to our room and go through a final gear check. We crash around 11:00 for a 6:00 wake-up.

Saturday, June 17th

We’re are up at 6:00 and ready to go. The gear is piled into Jamie’s pickup and we head for the airport. We drop off our gear at the Frontier counter, then Jamie and I drive over to the Wright Air hanger on the other side of the airport where the smaller plans travel in and out of. Wright’s will be flying us back from the bush so we park Jamie’s truck and our rental car in their lot instead of paying for a week’s worth of parking in the main airport lot. An entertaining cab driver shuttles Jamie & I back to the main terminal, regaling us with stories of hunting ducks on the airport ponds in-between fares. 9-11 put an end to that.

Our luggage allotment of 40 pounds per person runs out pretty quick with all the camping gear and foul-weather clothing and we end up paying for some extra weight. The Frontier flight from Fairbanks to Kaktovik is a regular shuttle. All 10-seats on the plane are taken. Most of the flight is totally overcast which is a shame as we fly over the Brooks Range, a spectacular mountain range that cuts across Alaska and forms a continental divide. Water south of the Brooks drains into the Pacific, north of the range the water drains into the Arctic Ocean. As we get closer to the coastal plain, things open up in patches and nice views of the mountains, coastal plain, and the Arctic Ocean appear. Our destination is Kaktovik, a small town on the north end of Barrier Island on the Beaufort Sea Coast . After we land, we learn the bush pilot (Tom) who will fly us to our base camp is on a sightseeing flight over the coastal plain with a 90-year old gentleman and his daughter and will be gone for a few hours so we have some time to kill. The gear is loaded onto the back of a pickup truck and pulled to the side of the runway to wait for Tom’s return. We all climb into another pickup for a ride into what passes for downtown Kaktovik. We’re on the shore of the Artic Ocean so it’s pretty cold. I shamelessly ride in the cab with the women while Peter-A, Peter-d, and Jamie sit in the open truck bed.

Kaktovic is about 270 miles north of the Arctic Circle, approximately 70 degrees North Latitude. There are about 250 natives and 50 or so non-natives in the town. Kaktovic was originally the site of a small Inupiat settlement that was displaced during the cold war when the DEW sites where constructed along our northern border. The DEW structures are now being dismantled. The town’s sole hotel and restaurant is the ‘Waldo Arms’. Waldo’s appears to be constructed of army surplus housing units cobbled together with a shared lounge area. There are rooms for rent that are reported to be very popular during the short summer visitor season. For all it’s ruggedness, there are a lot of niceties - - satellite TV, a great collection of books and photography, and small natural history museum. A cutout article from an Anchorage travel correspondent is taped to the wall describing Kaktovik and Waldo’s as ‘an exciting, romantic interlude’. I guess if you had a really lively imagination it might work. It turns out that a famous bush pilot named Walt Audi was on the flight with us. Walt owns the Waldo Arms. While we wait for Tom to return with the bush plane we lunch at the grill. Mary and I split a grilled cheese sandwich that was very good, but understandably expensive considering everything has to be flown in. It’s easy to tell Waldo’s is the only place in town - - there is a continuous stream of folks wandering in for sit-down lunches or carryouts. Peter-A and Linda are birders so they head out to look for flying things. Mary and I do a quick tour of the village and visit an inland lake and a small local cemetery, then dip our toes in the Arctic Ocean.

After a couple of hours, we get the word that Tom has landed! Tom grabs a quick lunch at Waldo’s, then is ready to go. The plane can only handle 3 passengers, so Tom will shuttle us in two trips. I win a coin toss with Peter-A. so Mary, Jamie, and I get to be in the first group to head out. Awesome, awesome flight. There are great views of the Beaufort Sea and the ice that is starting to break up into odd, geometric patterns. As we cross the coastal plain river after river drains into the Beaufort. The plain is covered with polygons (patterns etched in the tundra) stretching as far as we can see. There are intermittent groups of caribou wandering on the plain - - no single massive herds, but smaller bands everywhere. Flock after flock of geese and ducks rise up from the plain. When we reach the Kongacut River, Tom turns south and follows the river towards the mountains. We fly past Caribou Pass, one of our potential camping areas. There is a small group of rafters camped on the gravel bar that serves as the Caribou Pass landing strip. That’s the only evidence of humans we see on the flight. Dall Sheep are on nearly every mountain face. Soon we approach our base camp area which is near a geologic feature called Whale Ridge. This location is in the foothills, not on the coastal plain, so we should get to see a variety of wildlife and there are many side valleys to explore. The landing strip is a short stretch of gravel next to the river. We bounce our way in.

Mary and I set up the new tent we bought for the trip. Our old backpacking tent has been in retirement mode for a while. Given the uncertain weather conditions, we upgraded to a four-season mountaineering tent from REI. We practiced the setup a bunch of times at home. With no wind or rain things went pretty easy. All the tents are pitched to face the prevailing winds. As the ground is mostly loose rock, large rocks are needed to anchor the front guy lines. We just finished setting up the tent when Mary spots a grizzly on the slope above our camp. It wasn’t a large bear, but had a beautiful golden color. It works its’ way up the slope until we lose sight. Soon, Tom returns with the second group of Peter-A, Linda, and Peter-d. and makes a nice landing on the gravel strip.

We settle into camp and begin to scan the area for wildlife. Peter-A sets up a nice scope he’s brought on a tripod. Really gives us a nice range. Soon, we spot some Dall Sheep laying in the sun on a rock face across the river. Later, we observe a wolf(!) slowly working its’ way towards the sheep. We watch the drama for hours. The wolf looks to be stalking the sheep, but as it gets close, it settles in to what looks to be a den just above where the sheep are grazing. A group of four wolf cubs wander out from where the adult is sitting and begin to wander around. We all commend Jamie for his camp selection.

After a dinner of pilaf that Jamie has prepared, Mary spots a large group of caribou moving towards camp. As we scramble to set up the cameras we spook the band, but still get some good pictures. There’s about 50 or so, some with large antlers, others with none. The band is moving through the river valley down onto the plain that is their calving ground. Through the evening, we watch group after group move past our camp. Most are on the opposite bank of the river. Peter-d gets some great video with his new camera. The day as a whole is very pleasant. There’s a nice breeze all day and few mosquitoes. Per Jamie, the Mosquito Rating for day one was a ‘1’ on a scale of ’10’. In very bright light, we hit the sack around 10:00. Mary soon falls asleep. I have a restless night and wake often to very, very bright light.

Sunday, June 18th

Father’s Day! I wake around 4:00 to what seems like high noon, grab the camera, and head towards the river to see if I can catch some wildlife. I notice quickly that I’ve got a short lens on the camera - - not good for wildlife. As I head back to the tent to get a larger zoom, I see a grizzly on the slope above our camp. Pretty close. And, it’s not the same one we saw the day before. This guy is larger and darker. It sees me and takes off. I get some pictures, but with the short lens the bear is pretty small. It runs along the slope until it’s out of sight. It’s surprising how quickly it moves for a large animal - - it only takes 5 minutes to cover the valley.

Breakfast is a nice cereal mix. Jamie (not a coffee drinker) purchased coffee for the trip, but didn’t realize the beans needed to be ground so we have a dilemma. Out of desperation, Mary designs and executes a proof-of-concept process to grind the beans using stones from the landing strip. Jamie makes ‘cowboy coffee’ with the grounds and all breath a sigh of relief. Clouds start moving in and things cool down a little. No bugs though, due to the wind.

All morning bands of caribou move along the valley across the river. Our group decides to hike the ridge above camp, maybe do a walk-up to the peak above us. Our campsite is actually on an island. We wade across a couple of small creeks, then work our way up the slope - - it’s hard walking sometimes with the tussocks and rock. Jamie is an exceptional naturalist and points out tons of wildflowers growing low to the ground. Mary hurt her knee just before we left for AK and it’s starting to bother her, so she finds a nice spot with a view of the river valley below and a side valley full of resting caribou. I walk up the ridge a little further with the rest of the group until we stop for lunch. Mary and I head back to camp, the rest of the group continues on up the ridge. The views of our camp, the Kongacut valley and river are spectacular. It’s easy from the higher elevation to see the effect of glaciation on the valley and the ridges left as the ice receded. The higher portion of the valley has a classic ‘U’ shape, the lower portions have been filled with silt. Looking north we can see aufeis formed on both sides of the river. Aufeis is the result of the river water freezing, then spilling over the river bank. The view south is of gently rounded peaks with the sharp edges and large peaks of the Brooks Range in the distance. Mary and I wander back to camp and hang out looking for critters. We set up the camera and tripod and get some shots of the rest of the group high on the slope. From our vantage point down in the valley, it looks like they got pretty far. They don’t quite make the summit. On their way back they spot an immature bald eagle and an old caribou rack.

When all return to camp, Jamie whips up another fine dinner. This time it’s vegetarian chili. Sure isn’t the backcountry dining I remember - - no Spam? Just kidding - - everything has been really great. Jamie prepares a strawberry cheesecake desert as a special for Father’s Day.

The groups of caribou are becoming more frequent, and larger. There seems to be a regular passage of bands with 100 or so. Per Jamie, Sunday’s ‘Mosquito Ranking’ is again a ‘1’. We hit the sack around 10 with the sun brightly shining.

Monday, June 19th

I wake up early (around 4:30 or so) and hear the sound of hoofs running through the camp. Time to get up. It’s a nice morning - - a little cool, but bright. I grab the camera and get some nice shots of some large caribou groups moving onto the island, then across the river. One of the caribou has a yellow collar which means it’s location is being monitored by satellite for the caribou tracking project. A little later, folks start stirring. We have cereal and my first pop-tart in 20 years for breakfast. Jamie takes a stab at grinding beans for coffee. His technique is great - - the grounds are pretty small and cook up quickly.

Today’s hike is across the river. Mary’s knee is still giving her trouble so she’s going to stay in camp and watch for caribou. We pump up the raft and ferry across the Kongacut in two groups. Once on the other side, we tie up the raft and begin to hike up a creek drainage filled with wildflowers. The hiking is hard as the tussocks are very high with water in between. We ascend to the top of a hill overlooking the river with our camp below. On the crest, the rocks are covered with interesting black lichen. It’s a good place to rest, so Jamie pulls out a fine lunch of smoked sockeye, cheese & crackers, and chocolate. The view of the river valley and camp is spectacular. We watch caribou bands collecting, then moving along the river. Wave after wave move through. We can see Mary with her camera and tripod trying to get close-ups of the caribou. One group gets close to Mary, then makes a sharp detour around her, stops and takes a nap on the gravel bar in front of the camera. After lunch, we work our way towards the rock face where we had seen the wolf with cubs and the Dall sheep on Saturday. Lot’s of caribou get close, but no sign of the other animals. Some rafters drift by. It’s interesting watching them choose which braid in the river to follow. Later, we’re a little surprised to see a guy at the base of the rocks fly fishing! It seems strange to see other humans.

Once back in camp I surrender and decide to take a bath in the river. It’s not as cold as I thought, although I did get an ice cream headache after the hair rinse. Jamie whips up another great dinner. This time it’s a salad, sweet & sour rice with Chicken , hot sauce, and a fine rock soup. Most everyone hits the sack early (around 8:00) as we’re all bushed from the long hike. I try to stay up for a while, but the bugs started getting lively so we retire to the tent for some reading (Pielou). Jamie ranks the daily bug score at ‘2’.

Tuesday, June 20th

A nice, light rain fell most of the evening. It’s still light enough outside to make sleeping difficult so I get up around 5 or so. I set the tripod and camera up in the middle of a patch of small willows just up river from our camp. It’s a good viewing area, well hidden with views to the river. A couple of large groups of caribou walk pretty close before they see the equipment, but don’t seem too concerned. They stay on our side of the river and wander close to our cooking area, then follow the river north. I watch through the binoculars as they work their way along the river, then leap off the bank into the river and swim across.

The group decides this will be a relaxation day. Breakfast this morning is eggs and hash browns. The coffee is getting really good. Jamie is adding new beans and water to the previous day’s accumulation of grounds. He sets up the dining fly in case the weather turns worse. We take a morning walk south along the river. Lot’s of caribou are present. The groups are a lot larger now and are a fairly steady stream. We wonder if the main part of the herd is starting to move through the passes. A good size band swims the river and swarms up the opposite bank. As we arrive back in camp, the rain begins to pick up quite a bit. Good thing the dining fly is up. Lunch is cheese and trail mix. It rains most of the afternoon so we split up to nap and read in our tents. It’s still raining when we gather at the dining fly for a burrito dinner (hot sauce included). All we need is a six-pack of ‘Dos Equis’. Well, maybe a twelve-pack. Jamie is amazing with the fossils. All he has to do is walk 10 feet and he spots a fossil in the rocks. He’s assembled a nice collection which we use as a centerpiece for the dining table.

We have an exciting evening. After dinner, a group of 3 adult and 1 juvenile Dall Sheep appear on the slope above camp. As we are watching the sheep, the sun starts to break through the light rain and a double rainbow forms. While we drool over the rainbows, a band of caribou walk right under them. To cap it off, we spot a wolf not far up the slope above Linda and Peter’s tent. The rain starts up again so the group wanders back to the tents. Mary and I have a lot of wet gear. We break down all the camera equipment and dry everything off as best we can. Bug rating – ‘2’.

Wednesday, June 21st

Solstice! Another beautiful morning - - mix of clouds with a warm sun. We take advantage of the sunlight and drag our gear out to dry. A few bands of caribou wander by early. A couple of Dall Sheep appear in the rocks above camp. One of the larger sheep must have found a mineral cache as he appears to be licking some cracks in the rock face for a long while. After a breakfast of oatmeal & pop tarts the group splits up for the daily hike. Jamie, Peter-A, and Linda elect to explore a canyon to the west of camp. Peter-d decides to explore the area around the camp. Mary and I head south along the river. We get to a spot where the willows start to thicken up and start getting a little nervous about the possibility of grizzlies in the brush - - especially since we’d seen a couple in this general area just a few days before. Discretion being the better part of valor, we take some pictures of the Ramanzof Mountains in the background, then head back towards camp with our tails between our legs.

Everyone ends back up in camp. Jamie, Peter A., and Linda had a nice hike. They had worked their way to the end of one of the side valleys and found a huge moose antler (not attached to the moose). On the way back, they are caught in a fast moving storm. Later, after things clear, we all head over to a spot where Peter-A has spotted a couple of porcupine in some thick brush. By the time Mary and I get over there, the beast is hidden pretty well in the willows so we can’t really get any decent pictures. There are tons of caribou in the hills above us and on the opposite bank. They just keep coming and coming. My dream is to get so close we get a clear shot of some caribou eyelashes so we grab the camera and head over to the blind by the river. No luck. The caribou are smarter than us and move along the hillside instead of coming by the river. Soon, the rain starts to pick up again, then gets very heavy, so we all flee to our tents for a couple of hours.

Jamie outdoes himself again with dinner. The main course is pilaf and for desert he uses a Dutch oven to create a fantastic apple crisp that is as good as any I’ve had. The weather starts to clear up somewhat so we hang out by the dining fly. We take some group pictures for posterity. There hasn’t been any fires on the trip as there’s not much wood and what little is there acts as important nutrient for the soil so burning wood is minimized. We start a small fire using small, dead branches gathered from near the river so we can burn all of our ‘waste paper’. Mary, Jamie, and I stay up until midnight since it’s the summer solstice. We’re in the shadow of some large ridges, so we don’t get the full effect of the sun never setting, but there’s plenty of light and a nice glow on the hills across the river. Bug rating of ‘2’.

Thursday, June 22nd

Last day in ANWR. I get up early and wander the river bank. It’s a beautiful morning - - clouds are breaking up and the temperature is very pleasant. Two sheep with two of their young are hanging out on the rock face just above camp. They don’t seem to be fearful of me at all, but quickly run up the slopes as a group of caribou move towards them. Since it’s packing day, we drag out all the gear to dry in the sun and start to break down the camp.

Wright Air shows up around 11:00 or so. The original plan was for Wright to shuttle us to Arctic Village where we would later pick up a larger plane and fly back to Fairbanks as a group. Instead, Wright sends a second plane. Both make short landings on the gravel runway . There is not much room to maneuver, so as the pilots reach the end of the ‘runway’, they lock one wheel and do a quick 180 pivot so they are facing the right direction for takeoff. The planes are ‘Helio Couriers’. The Helio has an unusual flap on the front edge of the wing that Jamie points out which automatically tilts as the plane reduces speed and serves to eliminate stalling. I really like the dipstick used to check the fuel from outside the plane. Our pilot looks at the pile of gear, then paces the length of the runway to make sure he has time to get aloft before we run out of space at the river’s edge. He seems ok with the distance so the gear is loaded into the cargo area behind the seats and lashed down. The pilot revs up the engine a couple of times, taxis quickly down the runway, then lifts off with feet to spare.

Our two planes are taking different routes back to Fairbanks. Jamie needs to handoff some gear to another Equinox group so Jamie, Peter-A, and Linda’s plane will stop in Arctic Village and catch a different flight to the city. Our pilot has a light schedule today, so Peter-d, Mary, and I take a more direct route through Fort Yukon where we’ll refuel, then on to Fairbanks. The flight south over the Brooks Range is unreal. We follow the Kongacut river valley deep into the heart of the Brooks. There is ice on both sides of the water for most of the way. The plane flies so close to the mountains it seems like we can touch them. The peaks and valleys have a very rugged and desolate appearance. After a couple of hours we begin to see some vegetation and the start of the boreal forest. After another hour a handful of dirt roads and cabins appear. We land on a gravel airstrip at Fort Yukon, a small village of about 500 at the confluence of the Porcupine and Yukon Rivers that is just north of the Arctic Circle, some 145 air miles from Fairbanks. After a short break and a forty-five minute flight, we arrive back in Fairbanks. The second flight with Jamie, Linda, and Peter-A is held up in Arctic Village and doesn’t arrive until hours later. A couple of beers, a warm shower, a good meal, and a lively evening at the ‘Marlin’ provide a perfect finish to a great trip. Out of respect for Peter-d’s reputation, we’ll keep quiet on the details of his encounter with the ‘working girl’ of College Rd.

Friday, June 23rd

We spent the last night of our Equinox trip at Minnie Street. In the morning, the group says farewell and head off in separate directions: Peter-d will stay in Fairbanks for a couple more days; Linda and Peter-A are heading to Denali; Mary and I return to Anchorage through the weekend. Jamie had a short turnaround and is on his way back up to ANWR to raft the Hula Hula.

Postscript

I checked the caribou tracking site after we returned home. It looks like our timing was pretty good as most of the tagged caribou passed through our area the week we were on the Kongacut. Fine, fine trip.