May 29, 2011
Notes from Joe: Unpredictable Arctic
The Arctic landscape is very diverse and constantly changes with the wind and snow. You never know what type of conditions await you in the next valley.
In the river valley below, we were greeted with a sea of snow that was five feet deep. Its quite a chore breaking trail in these conditions. We are lucky to average 1 mph in deep snow like this.
Breakfast for the guys and gals and another day traveling further into the unknown.
Getting camp set up is always a relief after busting trail the entire day. But anticipation for the next day is actually more difficult. Its like Christmas Eve and you can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Searching for a route through the mountains is a continual afternoon chore. Sometimes there are passes and narrow canyons that you can squeeze through, and other times you get to place and have to turn around and find another way.
Below is a small lake where the fishing was fairly good. Fresh lake trout is always welcome on the menu.
Warm springs are always a good find. They make a great place to stop and fill thermoses of water.
The team and camp is on the lower right of this picture. It really gives you a perspective of the vastness of the arctic.
- bill stark
Whene do you think you will have book out ?
Bill
- Hi Bill,
Thanks for your interest. Joe’s still working on putting it together, but we’re hoping to have it out this fall sometime. There will definitely be a big announcement on our blog and website when it’s ready to hit the shelves!
Have a great day,
-Andrea
- Brian L. Brunner
Beautiful pictures Joe. As vast as the Arctic is and as many expeditions as you and the team have been on, are there some routes you will travel parts of that you have been on before to get to new areas ? Barb & I think of feeding 22 dogs, everytime we are fixing to feed just our 5, and just wonder, how do you do it !!!!!
- Hi Brian,
Thanks. Yes, sometimes we’ll travel over an area that we have been, to explore another area. But usually I go into a completely new area. Alaska’s arctic is larger than most states so it’ll take quite a while to cover it all. In fact, I doubt if I’ll even come close to covering it all.
Feeding the 22 dogs doesn’t take much time, and its just part of the day’s routine. I hardly notice it. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos.
- http://e410.wordpress.com Just Run With It
Those pictures are out of control. I can’t believe how wildly differently our lives are 
Thanks so much, Joe, for sharing all this with us! I really enjoy reading/learning about your adventures!
