Hello!

Team Teflon, as they’ve dubbed themselves, just checked in after completing the second and final back-country of their trip. They finished with “zest and aplomb.” They had a beautiful camp on day one in a high alpine valley after hiking through a “jungle.” They had beautiful weather throughout the back-country, which allowed for plenty of great views, their favorite being the view from the top of Ship Lake Pass. This was the most difficult climb the group encountered, but everyone was “super strong.” And they were greeted at the top by a herd of Dall Sheep!  Team Decathlon descended from the pass down to Hidden Lake, which they loved, especially because the surrounding mountains were the perfect setting for a game of “echo.” Other popular games have included “psychiatrists,” “Dream” and “Mafia,” although the group has not proved very adept at tracking down the mafia members! Cook crew meanwhile, has been busy churning out great meals, favorites being pesto pasta and taco salad. And yesterday they had a special treat: cupcakes to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday! Today they’re heading out into Prince William Sound for their final adventure: sea kayaking!

- Alec

Hello!

Ari, Shaun and AKX 2B say hello from Healy, Alaska! They’ve had a great week, highlighted by their five-day Kesugi Ridge back-country hike. They encountered a little bit of rain the first couple of days, but by the latter half of the hike it was all blue skies and sunshine. They woke up one morning to see the clouds had cleared and Denali (Mt. McKinley) looming above them. Ari said that it was an impressive sight. Every night along the ridge they camped at a lake, which the group loved; they’re a strong group of hikers, so they’ve been getting into camp with time to spare. They’ve headed out and explored the lakes and the surrounding area. They even had a 10-mile day at one point! One of the groups’ favorite meals of the back-country section was cook crew’s Mac N’Cheese, barely beating out personal pita pizzas. After the Kesugi Ridge back-country the group headed north to Healy. Today was spent rafting on the Nenana River! They had a blast; one of the rafting guides even showed them an old abandoned cabin built by a hermit in the 1920s, which they loved exploring. Today they’re heading out for a day hike before returning south to Prince William Sound and the sea kayaking portion of their trip!

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a picture of the group this week. I’ll make sure to upload Ari and Shaun’s photos to Overland’s SmugMug’s site as soon as they return from Alaska!

- Alec

Hello!

Fiona, Casey, and the rest of AKX 2B just got out of the Kesugi  back-country section of their trip. The group enjoyed beautiful weather, and the kids all “crushed” the challenging hiking. The positive attitudes across the board really made the experience exceptional! Fiona reported that the highlight was climbing Mt. Golog where they had million dollar views of  the picturesque Denali National Park. The group also gathered wild blueberries and made yummy jam! Along with the hard climbs and cooking, the group continues to bond while playing classic games like mafia and jet-eye-juice!

To top it all off, the first day out of the back-country, the group made a fabulous spread of Thanksgiving classics in preparation for their day of rafting on the Nenana River in Healy.

Archive for the ‘AKX’ Category

AKX 2A Update #1

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Hello!

Shaun, Ari and AKX 2A say hello from Alaska! They’ve had a great trip so far, having really enjoyed their Chugach back-country section.  They started at the Indian Creek Trailhead and climbed up to Indian Creek pass where they feasted on a delicious meal of gato gato prepared by cook crew. Once on the pass the hiking was predominately across Tundra and through beautiful, wide-open valleys. They wrapped up the day with a freezing cold swim in Ship Lake. The group even stumbled across a couple patches of snow (in July!) which of course translated into plentiful snowball fights and sledding.  Ship Lake is nestled in a bowl and surrounded by mountains; on the third day the group had to climb up and over the very, very steep Ship Lake Pass to carry-on.  It was a slow-going, difficult climb, but the view at the top was well worth it! Shaun and Ari were very impressed with how the group rallied each other during the hike up the pass. The group has been playing a lot of “Ninja”  and even had a tournament last night. They also enjoyed Catch Phrase, which they brought into the back-country with them. Today the group is resting and resupplying in Palmer before heading to Denali State Park for their second back-country!

Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture from Casey and Fiona this week, but I’ll make sure to upload pictures to the Overland SmugMug site when they return!

-Alec

Hello!

Shaun, Ari and AKX 2A say hello from Alaska! They’ve had a great trip so far, having really enjoyed their Chugach back-country section.  They started at the Indian Creek Trailhead and climbed up to Indian Creek pass where they feasted on a delicious meal of gato gato prepared by cook crew. Once on the pass the hiking was predominately across Tundra and through beautiful, wide-open valleys. They wrapped up the day with a freezing cold swim in Ship Lake. The group even stumbled across a couple patches of snow (in July!) which of course translated into plentiful snowball fights and sledding.  Ship Lake is nestled in a bowl and surrounded by mountains; on the third day the group had to climb up and over the very, very steep Ship Lake Pass to carry-on.  It was a slow-going, difficult climb, but the view at the top was well worth it! Shaun and Ari were very impressed with how the group rallied each other during the hike up the pass. The group has been playing a lot of “Ninja”  and even had a tournament last night. They also enjoyed Catch Phrase, which they brought into the back-country with them. Today the group is resting and resupplying in Palmer before heading to Denali State Park for their second back-country!

Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture from Shaun and Ari this week, but I’ll make sure to upload pictures to the Overland SmugMug site when they return!

- Alec

Hello!

Alaska Explorer group B says hello from Alaska! I talked to Casey and Fiona on Tuesday before they headed into the Chugach Mountains for their second back-country section. They were having a blast! Last Saturday they tackled Mt. Healy, at the mouth of Denali National Park. It was a steep climb, but they were welcomed at the top by an aggressive scurry of ground squirrels (who tried unsuccessfully to carry away a pack!) and awesome views of the Nenana Valley. They wrapped up the day at the Denali Visitors center where they learned a lot about the area’s flora and fauna. After their time in Denali the group returned south to Palmer where they celebrated the fourth in style with plenty of apple pie. In-between the pie and lots of Ultimate Frisbee, the group has taken it upon themselves to learn about Leave No Trace principles. A cool endeavor!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any photos from Alaska Explorer this week, but once Casey and Fiona return to Williamstown, we’ll upload their photos onto the Overland SmugMug site!

- Alec

Hello!

Alaska Explorer 1A reports blue skies, no rain and just enough wind to keep the mosquitoes away! On Thursday they finished up their Kesugi Ridge hike – they kept on running into Alaskans who commented that they’d never seen weather quite as nice at this time of year. The back-country wound it’s way south and every once in a while they were afforded perfect views of Denali. Looking northwest they were initially able to view a row of mountains that they thought included Denali. But then the clouds cleared to reveal Denali towering above them. An impressive sight! They also got the chance to see a black bear, from a distance. The group is growing accustomed to the hiking and growing stronger. And cook crew has been whipping up scrumptious meals, including favorites of Mac ‘n Cheese and quesadillas.  Today they hit the river to raft the Nenana with the Denali Outdoor Center before heading south for sea kayaking on Prince William Sound!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any photos from Alaska Explorer A this week, but once Shaun and Ari return to Williamstown, we’ll upload their photos onto the Overland SmugMug site!

-Alec

Hello!

Fiona called in with an update from the group after finishing their first back-country hike.  “The group is great,” says Fiona.  “All are happy and healthy, and they’re really strong hikers!”  Upon arrival the group did a short hike near their first campground to Matanuska Lake where they played several rounds of the “Birdie on a Perch.”  The next morning they jumped right into their first back-country on the Kesugi Ridge.  The group covered 27 miles over four days and got incredible views of Mt. McKinley to the west.  A highlight of their first back-country was reaching the summit of Golog Mountain – the highest point on the ridge and enjoying the great views of the Alaska Range.  The students have been cooking meals as a group with quinoa and couscous with stir fried veggies being one of the favorite meals.  Fiona says the group has been playing Mafia for “two days straight” at night when they’re in camp.  When the group was asked “What message do you want to pass along to your parents?”, the group responded “we’re feeling solid!”  We’ll check in again next week and post an other update on Saturday, July 8.

-Alec