Alaska-Yukon Expedition: 280 Miles Along Alaska's Wild West Coast

Follow adventurer Andrew Skurka as he skis, hikes, and rafts 4,720 miles through eight national parks, two major mountain ranges, and some of North America's wildest rivers in Alaska and the Yukon from March to October. Read his blog updates here.

West Coast Wrap-Up: What I've Seen, posted in Unalakleet, Alaska, on March 24, 2010

Tomorrow morning I head inland via a historic portage route between the Bering Sea (the Unalakleet side) and the Yukon River (at the village of Kaltag). This is a transitional point in the route—moving from the coast to the interior—and a good opportunity for me to wrap up the last 280 miles.

My route has been completely dependent on the network of snomachine trails between rural Alaskan villages. About 100 miles of the route being blazed as the "Iditarod Trail" doesn't change the reality that local snowmachiners represent the bulk of the use—dog mushers are exceptions, and skiers like me are freaks. The tracks are well packed, making for fast skiing since I'm not breaking trail. They're often marked (but not signed), for the safety of users. Following these snowmachine trails has been like following the Appalachian Trail, almost... I've been out for ten days and have seen a person every day thus far; sometimes it's just been a lone snowmachiner while other times there have been waves of two- to four-rider groups.

Alaska-Yukon Expedition: Secrets to Surviving the Bitter Cold

Follow adventurer Andrew Skurka as he skis, hikes, and rafts 4,720 miles through eight national parks, two major mountain ranges, and some of North America's wildest rivers in Alaska and the Yukon from March to October. Read his blog updates here.

Staying in Control - Posted March 18 in Buckland, Alaska

It was -25° F when I started this trip on Sunday. It warmed up some, to -15°, but it was offset (and then some) by the 10 MPH crosswind from the west. Monday wasn't much better -- it was -20° F in the morning and -10 deg F mid-day. The weather finally broke that night: Tuesday morning it was a balmy 0°, though that low pressure center was being ushered in by a 25 MPH southeast wind, just in time for an exposed 12-mile southbound ice crossing.

The bitter temperatures (and my newfound respect for polar travelers who contend with even colder temperatures) was certainly the headline for my first four days, but there is a valuable lesson here: The importance of "staying in control" in such conditions (wording courtesy of Roman Dial). The cold has a way of causing, accelerating, punishing one for—and preventing the reversal of—mistakes and oversights.

Alaska-Yukon Expedition: What's in My Pack? A Guide to Ultralight Backpacking

Today adventurer Andrew Skurka begins an ambitious, seven-month expedition that will take him 4,720 miles across Alaska and the Yukon by skis, foot, and raft. Follow his blog dispatches here and his tweets via twitter.com/andrewskurka.

The contents of my pack are almost entirely need based. During this trip, my legitimate needs will include staying hydrated and nourished, keeping my body temperature regulated, and traveling efficiently and safely over the land–snow-covered tundra, glacier-fed rivers, and dense alder forests. I can think of only one item, my camera, which can be classified as a “want.” This Spartan approach to packing is easily explained: carrying more stuff means more work, and work, well, it’s generally not very fun.

The weight of an item is a major consideration in whether it makes the final cut, for there is an indisputable correlation between pack weight and the quality of one’s experience. But it’s not the only factor I consider–particularly on a trip like this, which will be hard on gear and has relatively few opportunities to replace things. Durability and versatility are also of great value. My RidgeRest Deluxe Solar sleeping pad is a case in point. It’s warmer for its weight than any inflatable pad, it won’t puncture, and, come springtime, I can cut it in half to make a suitable three-season pad.

Alaska-Yukon Expedition: Andrew Skurka Embarks on 4,720 Miles by Skis, Foot, Raft

On Thursday Andrew Skurka arrived 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska, to begin his latest expedition. Similar to his Great Western Loop hike (a feat which made him our 2008 Adventurer of the Year), this is an ambitious, never-before-attempted endeavor. For the next seven months, he'll cover more than 4,720 miles in Alaska and the Yukon by skis, foot, and packraft. Much of the time he will be in true wilderness, without a track or trail to follow. Luckily Andrew will be keeping us posted here, so stay tuned for his weekly dispatches. He'll also be tweeting via twitter.com/andrewskurka.

Andrew's route inspires both awe and envy. He will cross through six U.S. national parks (Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, Glacier Bay, Gates of the Arctic, Klondike Gold Rush, Kobuk Valley) and two Canadian national parks (Vuntut and Ivvavik). He will traverse parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Iditarod Trail, and the Chillkoot Trail. He'll also float some of North America's wildest rivers—the Copper, Yukon, Peel, and Kobuk. He will hike 450 miles in the Alaska Range and a whopping 975 miles in the Brooks Range.

Wild Roads: Ski, Soak, Repeat in Crowd-Free Banff National Park

Banff is hardly a secret. But come winter, it sure feels like one. Banff National Park boasts 2,564 square miles of protected Rockies, emerald alpine lakes, and some of the best skiing in Canada—but the place is empty when the powder hits. Bonus: Rooms are half what they go for in the summertime. 

1 - The Trans-Canada Highway careens across Alberta, up and over the Continental Divide, straight through the park. Take the two-lane Bow Valley Parkway to Lake Louise. “This is a national park, not Disneyland,” says Banff–Lake Louise ski school director Paul Thrasher. “There’s hardly any development” (lift ticket, $72; skibig3.com). Watch the sun sink while soaking at Banff Upper Hot Springs ($7), then retire to the grand Fairmont Banff Springs (doubles from $286).

Best New Trips in the World: Shadowing Rick Ridgeway's Journey Through Tanzania and Kenya, From Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean

For our annual Adventure Travel issue, we scoured the globe to find the 25 Best New Trips in the World for 2010, complete with a Best Trips photo gallery. Today, we present Tanzania and Kenya. The world's far corners are now well within reach.

TANZANIA + KENYA: Beyond Kili

In the ’70s and ’80s, Rick Ridgeway was on a tear: He became one of the first Americans to summit K2, joined the second U.S. expedition to conquer Everest, and dragged a 250-pound handcart across a Tibetan plateau. But perhaps his most outlandish idea was to climb Mount Kilimanjaro . . . and keep walking all the way to the Indian Ocean. In 1997 he did just that, publishing an account of his journey, The Shadow of Kilimanjaro. Since Ridgeway’s feat—which included the first west-east crossing of 11,000-square-mile Tsavo West and East National Parks—Tropical Ice Limited has been retracing portions of his 300-mile route. Now owner Iain Allan, who served as Ridgeway’s original guide, will organize the first full trek from mountain to sea.

Click here to continue reading "Best New Trips in the World: Tanzania + Kenya"

Ken Burns's National Parks: Insider Escapes in Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains

Grand and great: these superlatives describe our wildest, most spectacular landscapes, as well as the forward-thinking Americans who thought to protect them. Wednesday night (September 30), Episode 4 of Ken Burns’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea told the founding stories of Grand Teton and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. Grand Teton was the brainchild of then-Yellowstone Superintendent Horace Albright, and Great Smoky sprang from the preservation efforts of travel writer Horace Kephart and Japanese-born photographer George Masa.

But both, it turns out, owe a great deal to Big Oil. At a time when the United States was too broke to consider buying private land for parks, philanthropist and oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, Jr. stepped forward and used his personal fortune to preserve these outsized landscapes and put them into the public trust. He bought 35,000+ acres of Jackson Hole and gave it to the U.S. government to establish Grand Teton NP, and donated $5 million to buy up roughly half of the land that now comprises Great Smoky Mountains NP. The result is two iconic, and wonderfully different, parks that are all of ours to enjoy. Here’s how:

Ken Burns's National Parks: The Grand Canyon and the Empire of Grandeur

For as long as most of us can remember, the Grand Canyon has been a protected natural wonder we can traverse without worrying about some manmade intrusion blocking our view. But someone had to fight for the protection of the splendors that millions of people view every year. Last night’s edition of Ken Burns’s National Parks: America’s Best Idea was about the amazing Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) and the people who did just that.

Ken Burns's National Parks: Insider Escapes in Yellowstone, Yosemite

If you've been watching Ken Burns's The National Parks: America's Best Idea series this week on PBS, you've probably already started dreaming of your next escape. The first episode, which aired on Sunday night, captured the grandeur of Yosemite and Yellowstone enough to make anyone want to find their inner John Muir and head out West. 

Just makes sure you do it right and far from the crowds with these unexpected adventure trips. Then get more game plan ideas from Editor at Large Robert Earle Howells's national parks feature story and photo gallery. Or read an essay by Ken Burns about his love for the national parks.

Ken Burns's New National Parks TV Series Begins This Weekend

"If you love the outdoors and American history, you simply have to watch it," to quote a review by editor in chief John Rasmus after the premiere of The National Parks at Mountainfilm in Telluride last summer. Award-winning director Ken Burns spent a decade in the parks, capturing 800 hours of jaw-dropping footage and interviewing scores of people, famous and unknown. The new twelve-hour, six-part series will begin airing this Sunday, September 27, on PBS. 

Burns wrote about the making of his new documenary, which looks at American history through our unique natural heritage, for our national parks cover story. He notes, "I prefer to think of...all national parks, a bit differently—not only as something this nation has preserved, but also something we've accomplished: one of America's best ideas." Read his essay here.

Photograph courtesy of Paul Barnes / Florentine Films