Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley National Parks, Alaska

Gates of the Arctic National Park is not easy to get to. After hopping on a very sketchy plane from Lake Clark to Anchorage, one of the guys, Danny, offered to give me a ride to the Anchorage airport. When his mom came to pick us up, me and another guy that was going with us, jumped in her truck, but there was no room for Danny. He  called a taxi and his mom drove me and Jim to the airport! She wouldn't take any gas money from us and said, "Its the Alaska way!" I arrived at the airport about 7pm, then rented a little car and started driving to Fairbanks. It was still daylight at midnight and people were riding their bikes on the frontage road next to the freeway! After a few rest stops, I finally arrived in Fairbanks at 6am, grabbed some coffee and immediately jumped on another plane that took me to Bettles, where the Gates of the Arctic National Park Visitor Center is!

Bettles is extremely small. A population of 10 year round residents, a lodge, some, houses and airplanes. Around back of the buildings, I saw a bunch of dogs that were tethered to their kennels, barking their heads off. This beautiful dog, was free and easy, roaming about and creating all the fuss for the dogs on their tethers.

 Brooks Range Aviation was the company I booked to take me on a flight to both Gates of the Arctic National Park and Kobuk Valley National Park. I was so excited to meet three other fellow travelers doing the same thing I was doing, and who also joined me on the flight! The whole experience was wonderful, and enabled me to see from the air and touch down in those wilderness parks. Thank you Brooks Range Aviation!

I stayed in the very rustic bunkhouse on Skid Row, or so they call it.  Another new experience!

My fellow travelers, Laura, Adam and Steve, and our faithful pilot Jim!

 Within an hour of arriving at Bettles, we were up in the air with Brooks Aviation and off on a new adventure. The scenery was spectacular and the people were fun and friendly.

 We flew over the Arrigetch Peaks, which in the Inupiat language means "Fingers of the Outstretched Hand." The peaks are a cluster of rugged granite spires in the Endicott Mountains of the central Brooks Range. 

 A mist and clouds played games with the peaks but in the long run, it only accentuated their ethereal beauty. Some people actually go down there and hike the peaks. Not me. I just wanted to see them!

Our  pilot, Jim, said that this was the closest he had ever been able to get to the peaks. Apparently the clouds frequently cover the peaks and forbid any airplane from getting too close.  It was as if on that day, the Lord opened the clouds for us to see those amazing peaks!

 I really enjoyed the pattern the braided rivers made. All so very beautiful.

 We flew over the Kobuk Valley Sand Dunes, left behind by glaciers retreating in the valley. The sand dunes lie on the southern banks of the Kobuk River. At one time, there were over 200,000 acres of sand dunes but over the years the vegetation has reclaimed all but 16,000 acres of sand dunes.
 

The local residents are the only ones allowed to hunt in Kobuk Valley which is on the migration path of 1/2 million caribou!

Grass, sedges, wild rye and the Kobuk locoweed  grow in the sand dunes. They stabilize the sand and from there moss, algae, lichen and shrubs grow, preparing the way for aspen, birch and spruce to take root. Such an amazing process.

The green looked so green after looking at the barren sand dunes.

After circling the dunes, our pilot, Jim, took our plane down and landed on the Kobuk River. That would be me on the left, then Steve, Laura and Adam. What a great group of people! We were all talking about the places we had been and where we were going. All of them are on the National Park Quest like myself. Adam has already booked to American Samoa National Park and has promised to tell us all about it. 

 The Kobuk River runs through Kobuk Valley National Park. Kobuk means Big River, and as you can see it is a very big river......280 miles long! Our pilot, Jim, pointed out the wolf tracks running alongside the river. That gave me the shivers!

 After the Kobuk River we headed over to Walker Lake in Gates of the Arctic National Park. That would be me standing in front of our plane at Walker Lake.

 The lake was very peaceful and serene, with no one there but our group and the fish, birds and animals.

Our pilot took full advantage of the moment and went fishing, quickly coming up with one big fish he didn't want to keep. 

As I explored the lake, this beautiful Old World Swallotail butterfly  came to rest right next to me. They are also known as Yellow Swallowtails. So pretty!

 After we left Walker Lake, it all went south for me. I got so queasy and put my head down and couldn't see anything. A very bumpy ride to say the least. After we got back, we still had two nights in Bettles. There was plenty of time to rest, have coffee, eat and get to know my fellow travelers.

 A couple of the folks stayed at the very expensive Bettles Lodge, a log structure built in 1951 on the Koyukuk River in the foothills of the Brooks Range. They didn't know what they were missing over there in Skid Row where I stayed! Tuna and peanut butter for dinner, my sleeping bag at night, and a roof over my head!

 One of the oldest structures in Bettles. Laura told me all about this house, but I forgot what she said. Something about an old lady living here forever.

Beautiful rainbow over Bettles. Good night Bettles. Good night fellow travelers. Good night Brooks Aviation! It was fun! 

On my way back to Anchorage, I stopped in Denali National Park for two days. Took a hike along the Savage River, also took a much needed shower and washed my hair!

That would be me, the final picture of the grand adventure to Katmai, Lake Clark, Kobuk Valley, Gates of the Arctic and Denali National Parks! I have now seen 58 National Parks and loved every minute of my exploring. Sometimes it wasn't so good, but all in all it was great fun. Only two left: American Samoa National Park, in American Samoa, and Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri. Gateway Arch was just dedicated a National Park in February of this year! Good night all!

Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

After I visited Katmai National Park in Alaska, I was ready for a break. Back in Anchorage for one quick night, then I was up in the air the next morning, heading to Port Alsworth and Lake Clark National Park. The view of the river and the clouds are the first notable things I saw on the trip.

That would be me, smiling for the guy behind me who was not supposed to be taking my picture, but a picture of the river below! I had so much fun looking out my little window, and didn't even get sick!

We flew through Lake Clark Pass, one of the prettiest flights I have ever taken! From my little window I saw, glaciers, snow covered peaks, turquoise lakes, and green cliffs.

This glacier was outstanding!

As usual the clouds and rain were ever present, creating dramatic lighting for the photos.

We landed right near the lake in Pt. Alsworth on the 4th of July! Boats and planes lined the lake shore, but there were no fireworks, flags or decorations. I was startled by how small Pt. Alsworth was. It was basically just a gravel airstrip for the planes, one lodge, a post office, a church, the NPS Visitor Center and a food truck that made hamburgers and milkshakes. 

One  of the guys that worked for Lake Clark Air volunteered to take me and my purple suitcase about a mile down the airstrip to Dry Creek. Across that creek was where my campsite was. He dropped me off and I was left looking at that tiny little footbridge over a very wet creek and wondering how I would ever get across. I eventually pushed the suitcase ahead of me and very slowly walked and pushed, walked and pushed, trying not to look down until I reached the other side. I nearly had a heart attack!

Once across the creek, I rolled that purple suitcase down the trail until I found my Tulchina Adventure Camp Hut which was all screened in away from the bugs. You can see it in the picture above, over  in the far left corner. Beth left me plenty of wood, and I could hear the creek, but could not see it. After I set my tent up in the hut, I made some soup, then took a walk down to the beach.

The beach was covered with flowers, driftwood and rocks, just like Katmai was. I loved it and did not see one bear the whole time I was there. Yay!

Beautiful wild rose grew alongside the trees near the water.

Back at Lake Clark,  I sat by the lake, drinking coffee and watching the kids playing in the water. A blue and white float plane took off while I was sitting there. 

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is one of our most remote National Parks. Not easy to get there! The park and preserve protect 4 million acres on the Alaska peninsula in southwest Alaska. I only had three days to stay there and see only a very tiny piece of the park, but what I saw, I loved!

I stopped by the Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center where they have the Trefon Fish Storage Cache on display. It was built in 1920 by Wassillie Trefon at Miller Creek on Lake Clark and could store 2000 dried salmon for both human and dog consumption. It has been restored and moved to the Visitor Center where people like me can see it and imagine what it was like to live at Lake Clark nearly 100 years ago. Love that sod roof! 

On my second day at Lake Clark I woke up with a raging migraine. I could barely move. All day long I lay in my tent, throwing up into a plastic bag. It rained all day and into the night, so maybe it was a good time to be sick. I couldn't eat one thing, or even take my medication I was so sick. That day and night I was the only one out there, so I was happy no one heard me moaning and groaning. God was merciful, and come morning I woke up happy and well! 

That morning, I had to pack up all my stuff and haul it back to the airport. I still felt so weak I wasn't sure I could navigate that little bridge and walk the mile down the gravel airstrip to the plane. Again, God was merciful, and Beth from Tulchina Adventures found me and packed me up in her ATV and took me down to the creek. She picked up that huge purple suitcase and walked it over the bridge and I meekly followed her, trying not to look down. Then she put me in her truck and drove me to the plane. Wow, thank you Beth! My plane wasn't taking off until 5pm, so I decided to hike to Tanalian Falls. That would be me, ready and willing to hike the trail. 

I passed this old shed on the way up to the Falls, and of course had to take a picture.

The hike was wonderful and it felt good to be out in the woods, singing my trail songs.

Alaska Cotton Grass grew along the trail, and looked so silky smooth flying in the breeze.

The view from the trail overlooks Lake Clark. So pretty!

Near the falls, there was a boardwalk to cross over the meadow. The whole experience reminded me of hiking in the Sierras, near Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. As a child, my aunt used to take me and my sisters there during the summer, and it soon became one of my most favorite places! That was way back in the 60's and Yosemite was still a wild child.

 As I drew near Tanalian Falls, I could hear the roar of the water as it cascaded down the mountain.

 I got as close as I could get to the water without falling in. It made me so happy that there were no guard rails to stand behind. Made me feel alive and free.

 Looking down the river and listening to the roar of water, I felt such peace.

With one last look, I said goodbye and started walking back down to the lake.

One of my last views of the lake before boarding the plane to go back to Anchorage. Once I reached Anchorage, I had to rent a car and drive up to Fairbanks for the last half of my trip! Goodbye Lake Clark National Park!