(Back in my Alaska uniform, rain gear and a lifejacket.)

            Twelve days of logistics, commercial flights, bush flights, shooting, fishing, paddling, sleeping on the ground, campfires, fresh fish, local culture, new friends and no showers.  And that is only the beginning!

            My time in Alaska started with an amazing assignment for Boys’ Life Magazine that put me on a 9-day river trip in the Arctic Circle with some of the most accomplished teenagers I have encountered.  Not many folks can handle remote wilderness for extended periods, and especially teens, but this group showed strength, aptitude and an overall desire to do something no other troop has ever done.  As much fun as they had on the trip, I might be able to say that I had more.

I have since had a few showers and recuperated from the last trip as well as the few months of travel and logistics that led up to it.  I have had a friend’s company, a house to sleep in and a puppy to keep me entertained.  The weather even cleared enough one day to hop into a friend’s plane and go flying and shooting around Mt. McKinley / Denali National Park.  We had a bit of weather and turbulence to deal with which made shooting a real challenge (seriously, I felt like I was being shaken like dice in cupped hands while looking through the viewfinder) but it was well worth it.  I even had the opportunity to take the controls for a little while and learn a few things.  What I realized is that this won’t be the last time you hear me talk about flying.  I am hooked!

The last few days have been a bit less exciting, but definitely all part of it.  Resting, editing, planning and gearing up for the next leg has been crucial.  Now it’s time to get back out there!


(Yes, 50 square miles of sand dunes in the Arctic Circle.  I had no idea either.)

(Somewhere on the river.)

(My craft.  Solar panel charging in the stern, full coffee mug waiting for me in the bow.)

(Flying with friends Inger Hanson and John Dieffenderfer.)

(Paying homage to Bradford Washburn.  If you don't recognize the name look him up, he was The Man.)

(And again.)

(Flying really close to the Ruth Glacier.  Too much going on to fit in a photo but I still tried.)