Western Arctic National Parklands Residency Day 3: Wilderness
Jessica L. Bryant
This morning was spent on final preparations for our trip. After lunch Ranger Tyler and I packed all our gear into a park vehicle and drove over to the park hanger which is next to the lagoon where the park's float plane is parked. When our pilot arrived we got everything loaded up into the small plane, much of the gear fitting into the storage compartments on the floats and the rest we had to cram behind, in, and around the backseat where Ranger Tyler was sitting. We took off close to 4pm and enjoyed gorgeous views of town, the ocean, Hotham Inlet, and then up the Noatak River and along the Kelly River on the west side of the Noatak Preserve. As we approached our lake I was finally overcome by airsickness. I'm told this is exceedingly common, even among pilots when they're not behind the wheel, and so I'll freely advertise that flying in these tiny aircraft that barely fit two people across is not for the faint of heart. I'll also say that it was not the best idea to be wiggling around, looking out on all sides of the plane and alternating between cameras to take copious photographs. It was an excellent nausea inducer, but I couldn't help myself. As we approached our destination, the pilot spotted a bear on the tundra just south of our lake, the southern of the Rainbow Lakes. This was the first of many grizzly sightings.
Our plane landed and taxied to the west shore at the north end of an opening in the trees. We tied up, unloaded our gear, and the pilot promptly took off again, leaving the two of us alone for miles and miles in the middle of nowhere. In the entirety of the Noatak Preserve there were maybe a dozen people. Remember that this is an area the size of Massachusetts. First things first we decided to set up our kitchen area where we'd unloaded the plane. The shoreline rises to surrounding tundra, and the slope was an excellent setup that would minimize how much gear we'd have to move when it was time to leave.
If you read my previous post and the part about the realities of the tundra and grass tussocks, you can understand the difficulty we had in selecting a tent site. Had we hiked a quarter mile further inland, we could have found less bumpy ground, but it would have taken us 20 minutes to walk to our kitchen site for meals and water access. So, we pitched tents above the rise to the west of the lake where we had a nice, open view to watch for bears. I managed to find a spot where I had a tussock under my head, one against my left hip, and another at my right knee, but I could wedge my thermarest and sleeping bag between the rest and had a little aisle that was reasonable comfortable for sleeping.
After getting set up, we headed back to the kitchen to make rice and bean burritos for dinner. The lake became very still and the reflections of trees and mountains came alive. It was stunning. I ran around compulsively photographing everything and too late realized that it was starting to rain across the lake. We managed to gather the most sensitive things together and sat by them with a tarp held overhead to stay reasonably dry through the downpour. It didn't rain for too long, and the clouds and colors that followed were even more stunning than pre-rain. We finished organizing everything, then hiked north along the lake into the brush and trees. It was pretty dense, but there are a few distinct paths, clearly used by bears and other wildlife. We made plenty of noise as we navigated through, very aware of the high likelihood of grizzlies being in these woods.
In the trees north of our kitchen was the remains of an old hunting camp, primarily used during the 60s and 70s before this was a preserve. There were five wooden tent platforms left, and we were charged with breaking them down and burning the wood to restore the area. We assessed the area this evening to make a plan.
We headed back to the kitchen, cleaned up, headed up to the tents, and hung up all our wet gear and clothes. I read for a while, and fell asleep somewhere around midnight, with the sun still up in the sky.
Our plane and pilot, getting ready to go.
Wearing my hip waders. Getting gear in and out of the plane, getting yourself in and out, can be a wet and mucky affair.
Ranger Tyler and I, ready for takeoff.
Heading out for takeoff.
Flying over Kotzebue.
Flying North toward the mouth of the Noatak River.
Flying along the Noatak River.
A rainbow over the Igichuk Hills west of the Baird Mountains.
North along the Kelly River.
Landed on the southern Rainbow Lake.
Watching our connection to the outside world takeoff.
I had enough remaining airsickness to not feel the enormity of solitude I thought I'd experience watching our ride disappear.
Goodbye outside world, at least for a few days.
Our gear piled up near the shore.
Scoping out possible tent sites.
Blueberries!
The berries were huge for wild blueberries, and so tasty.
Red sphagnum moss with other plants I haven't learned yet.
A clump of spider web with water droplets.
North and east toward unnamed mountains in the De Long Mountains of the Brooks Range.
