Alaska Wilderness Adventure 
| DATES: | July 12 – Aug. 11, 2012 | |
| DURATION: | 1 month (30 days) | |
| LOCATION: | Alaska | |
| AGES: | Boys age 15-17 | |
| TUITION: | $TBA | |
| ARR/DEP: | Anchorage Intl. (ANC) AK. | |
| Group Size: | 12 Campers, 3 Guides |
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Welcome to the UWSA Alaska Wilderness adventure for boys. We are happy that you chose us for your summer away from home. This is a program for boys ages 15-17 who are in high school and have some camping experience. It is a 31 day trip and spans the massive Alaska landscape from the coast to interior Alaskan rivers, glaciers, and backpacking in rarely seen or visited wilderness mountains. This is unlike any other teen programs offered today! Learn how to ice climb, catch a salmon and cook over open fire. Spend a night in your own natural structure that you construct yourself. Float a wilderness river and climb an unnamed Alaskan peak to gaze 360 degrees for 100’s of miles in every direction. Trips arrive and depart from Anchorage Intl. airport. (ANC)
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival
Today you will go on the very first adventure of your trip! Flying into Anchorage international airport you will meet up with your CAMP STAFF at the exit gate of the terminal. Make sure your wearing your UWS T-Shirt so we can recognize you easily. Depending on arrival times you may hang out in the airport for a bit to wait on a few more or if your early staff may take you right to camp where we will get the ball rolling settling you into camp and letting you get organized. Tonight once everyone has arrived we will have our Kick off dinner of BBQ Chicken and Corn on the Cobb! Tonight we will also have our first evening meeting. This is an important part of the UWS program and tonight we will get to know each other. Talk about the our next adventure and whats going on the next day.
Day 2 Day hiking
Today is the first day we travel into the backcountry! We will pack up our lunch and throw on our daypacks for a long day hike to the summit of Wolverine peak. This is a 5000 foot summit that overlooks all of Anchorage, and the Cook Inlet. Your first Alaskan summit has 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside and overlooks the massive Chugatch range stretching away to the North,South, and East. Get excited because our next leg of our adventure takes us deep into the wilderness you see from the top of the mountain. After heading back to camp we will prep for our big day tomorrow. We will talk about packing your backpack properly and organize our equipment. Tonight you are the chef! We will select a meal from the UWS cookbook and cook up something incredible on the camp stoves. Evening meeting and off to bed.
Day 3-7 Chugatch Backpacking
An early morning greets us in Alaska, after all this time of year it doesn't really get dark! Quick breakfast in camp and our first camp breakdown experience. We will pack everything we will need in our backpacks for the next 5 days, tents food clothes journals and more. We will load up the VAN and head out into the wilds of Alaska. Once at the trail head we will hoist our packs, talk about traveling through the wilderness safely and backpacking in bear country. Off we go for the next 4 days. It takes a little time to get used to the weight of the packs but after a day or two you will ease into the wilderness setting and before you know it the mountains will feel like home! Over the course of the next few days we will practice our navigation skills, take turns in a leadership role learn some tasty healthy camp recipes and get our feet wet crossing an Alaskan River on our way. On day 7 we will arrive back at the van from our wilderness trek, load up and head to our next campsite for dinner evening meeting and bed.
Day 8 Anchorage logistics da:
When your on long expeditions of a month or more you occasionally have to resupply. Today we will head into Anchorage for a logistics day. We will hit the grocery store, wash and vacuum out our trip van and trailer, catch some showers and call home. We will stock up on some fresh fruit and vegetables for our dinner tonight and get ready for our next adventure in Prince William Sound. Tonight we will pull another recipe out of the UWS Cookbook and put our fresh groceries to good use around the camp stoves. You will be a professional wilderness camp chef by the end of your trip!
Day 9 Drive to Whittier Alaska and Prince William Sound
Today we will rise early for a long day of travel. By the end of the day you will be camped on a beach on the Incredible Prince William Sound. The Sound is one of the most incredible ecosystems in Alaska. We will launch from the tiny town of Whittier Alaska which you can only reach by driving through a tunnel running under a huge glaciated Mountain! We will meet our guides at Alaska Sea Kayakers and learn all about our Sea Kayaks that we will be traveling in for the next 6 days! After loading our gear and putting in you will paddle smoothly along through the sound and keep our eyes peeled for curious Sea Lions, Sea Otters and if we are lucky Humpback Whales! Orcas and Porpoises also frequent the sound.
Day 10-14th Paddle paddle paddle
Over the course of the next few days we will continue to explore this incredible place. We will hunt for star fish and crustaceans in the surf, look for whales, watch glaciers calve huge ice chunks into the ocean and marvel at all that the sound has to offer! By the time this part of the adventure is through you will have traveled close to 50 miles by sea kayak! There is nothing quite like the sensation of gliding smoothly along under your own power. Eating well in the wilderness and getting a chance to see the ocean environment from a whole new perspective! On the last day we will head back to Anchorage for a quick resupply and then on to our campsite along the Matanuska river for the next few days. A great dinner and evening meeting and off to bed.
Day 15-17: Ice climbing Matanuska Glacier
After having arrived at our camp along the Matanuska river, we will wake up and cook a filling healthy breakfast to fuel our long day ahead. Today we learn how to ice climb! Our guides at MICA Glacier Guides have been in the business for a long time and will shoe you the ropes when it comes to hiking and climbing on this immense piece of moving ice called the Matanuska Glacier. We will hike and climb here for the next three days and develop our skills as ice climbers and glacier trekkers. So strap on your crampons and grab your ice tools!
Day 18-19: Overnight White water rafting
Now we move from glacier travellers to river explorers. We will meet our guides at NOVA river rafters and prepare for our overnight two day trip on the Matanuska river. Class 1-3 rapids await and the coolness factor of massive mountains and wildlife viewing rates about a 9 on the 1-10 scale! Learn how to run a rapid, load the gear boats cook and eat and travel on the rivers of Alaska. We will suit up in our dry suits to protect us from the frigid water and travel through the wilderness in the best way....on a river!
Day 20: Logistics
Today is another logistic day. We will pack up camp and leave the river bright and early. There is quite a bit to do for our next expedition! After a day in town shopping for groceries, cleaning the van and prepping our gear we will have a great dinner with gourmet Pizzas from the famous Mooses Tooth in Anchorage. Settled back into our new campsite with stomachs full we will have our evening meeting and head off to bed to catch our plane in time tomorrow....thats right plane!
Day 21-23: Lake Clark
Now we head into the heart of the Alaska Wilderness for the next week. We will be flying with Lake and Peninsula Airlines a well respected and well travelled air taxi service known for their impeccable safety record and decades of flying experience. Your next journey takes you through some of the most spectacular and rarely visited places in Alaska. We will be in the air for about an hour and pass over glaciers, snowy peaks and beautiful blue green lakes. Keep your eyes peeled for Beluga whales just off the coastline as we travel towards the mountains. Once we are through the pass and after you have recovered from the massive glaciers and huge waterfalls, start looking for moose in the grassy meadows below and sheep in the high meadows above. Welcome to Lake Clark National Park. After landing in the tiny town of Port Alsworth we will shoulder our packs and hike the 3 ½ mile trail to Lake Kontrashibuna. This lake is named after a Russian word that literally means water between the mountains. We will stop and listen to the deafening roar of the mighty Tanalian Falls a huge waterfall at the mouth of the lake, and continue on into the wilderness to our camp beside the crystal clear waters of the lake.
The next two days we will learn primitive wilderness skills, we will construct our own bow drill kits and learn how to build a few simple traps, track animals, and learn how to build a primitive shelter that will actually keep you warm and dry in bad weather. We will practice our campfire cookery skills with our billy pots and you will learn how to cook your own delicious meals over the fire.
Day 24-29: Turquisoe to Twin and Dick Preonnekke
Today after breakfast we will hike out from the lake and back to the little bush town of Port Alsworth. Here we will be flying with the famous Lake Clark air owned and operated by the Alsworth’s themselves. Our pilot Glenn Jr. is third generation bush pilot and up here that's a sign of safety, knowledge and experience. We will climb into our Cessna 206 and head out to Turquoise lake about 52 miles north. Once we set down in this place you will immediately understand why its called Turquoise lake. We will make camp in this wild place and marvel at the massive 7000 foot Telaquana peak....still unclimbed! Our camp is made here tonight and in the morning we will shoulder our packs and begin our trek south to Twin Lakes. Twin Lakes were made famous by the very interesting Dick Preonekke who first came to the area in his fifties, built a cabin in the wilderness using only hand tools, and then lived in it for 30 years! Our backpacking trip over the next 5 days will lead us through spectacular mountain valleys, tranquil forests and across clear mountain streams. It is a place seldom visited and incredibly beautiful. Our trip ends at the cabin in which Preonnekke lived in for 30 years. Yep, its still there and you can go inside, take pictures and even sit in his chair and look out his window into the country he loved so well. After this trip you will understand just why he stayed.
Day 29
An early wake up call this morning as we have lots to do! Today we will get picked up by our air taxi pilot Glenn and head back to Port Alsworth. We will hit up the visitor center for a few souvenirs and then hop on board with Dave and Jacquie of Lake and Penn Air to head back to town. Take lots of pictures, not many people get to see this spectacular place. Some quick logistics and then we are off to Talkeetna in the Alaska interior for our last adventure and campsite.
Day 30: King Salmon Fishing
Today we are back on a river! This time we are fishing for the massive King Salmon! Our guides at Fisherman's Choice outfitters know where to go and how to find the fish. With a little practice you might get to hook into one of these huge fish that once hatched swims all the way out to sea and then back to the exact place where it came from to spawn! It is one of Natures most incredible journey’s. We will fish for half the day and then have our catch cut and packaged up to fly home with you tomorrow. You can take a piece of Alaska home to share with your family!
The rest of our day will be spent in camp with friends. We will share pictures, stories and swap contact information to keep in touch. The final entry in the trip journal will be made and everyone will get to sign the book. And the best.....fresh salmon baked in the fire for dinner! Stay up as late as you want and enjoy the last night under ALASKAN skies.
Go to the photo gallery for some pictures!
Day 31
Saddle Up! Time to head home. Today we will hop in the van and head to the airport in Anchorage. We will be hanging out here for awhile as people head out. Take time to say goodbye to your new friends and think about the incredible journey you just had here at UWS Adventures.
Head over to the photo gallery for some pictures.
> Photo Gallery
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