Genesis

Our Alaska adventure got its start in Wyoming.  It was May 1980, just a few days after the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.  We were backpacking in the Wind River Range.  One day, we spent several hours stuck in the tent as wet snow fell outside.  There was time to kill, and the conversation wandered.  We should go to Alaska, someone said.   Yes, it was agreed.  In two years, 1982, we'll do a backpacking trip in Alaska.

A late winter backpacking trip in the Wind River Range, May 1980

Stuck in the tent; Wind River Range

That germ of an idea took root in my brain and wouldn't let go.  In the following months, I dove headfirst into research about Alaska.  Where should we go?  There is the great coastal mountain range along the border with British Columbia with peaks exceeding 18,000 feet.  And, of course, the giant Alaska Range, dominated by Denali.  But there was one place that really intrigued me, mainly because it was a blank space on most of the maps.  The far north of Alaska.  The Brooks Range.