Los Alamos to Tuktoyaktuk and Prudhoe Bay

The January 24 Mountaineers meeting will be in-person, with a hybrid adjunct. Lucy Frey and Wes Even will speak about their adventures from “Los Alamos to Tuktoyaktuk and Prudhoe Bay”.

Video recording here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12vWfFBY9PE

Lucy writes “I found a book about the Iditarod in the Huron, Ohio, library when I was in second grade, and since then have been wishing to explore the wilderness of the north.  After many less lengthy road and camping trips over the years after moving to Los Alamos in 2008, I decided I was ready to get serious about doing a solo roadtrip to Alaska, exploring many of the remote places along the way.  As I made this decision in January 2020, I ended up having much more time than I had anticipated to research and plan, including working out which gravel and dirt roads I would be comfortable driving on and where I could camp without fear of being eaten by bears.  After having to postpone my plans a few times, I spent nine weeks this past summer driving and camping along 16,000 miles through western and northern Canada and Alaska including to the Arctic ocean both at Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  I was able to explore many beautiful places along the way, including the amazing remote mountains in Tombstone Territorial Park.  I had tried to prepare for the many possible car issues that come with long stretches of gravel driving, but returned without any flat tires and only three tiny nicks in the windshield.  And, I was not eaten by a bear (although I saw many).”

“My friend Wes Even, who is much more of a photographer than I am, flew into Fairbanks and joined me for the stretch up to Prudhoe Bay and then back south to Denali and the Seward Peninsula.  Along the way we found a corner of the Gates of the Arctic we could hike into without needing to ford a river on foot. We are both happy to share some of the many photos and stories from our trip”

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration is at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=45307.