After packing camp, we took a walk toward Galbraith Lake. We spent time on the snow and had a great time.  Galbraith Lake campground is another wonderful place to spend time.  We spent time with one gentleman that works nearby at pump station number 4 and spends much of his time in the Galbraith Lake area. He was very enthusiastic and passionate about spending time here (at Galbraith Lake).

Ice crystals

Hike at Galbraith Lake Campground

Today’s trip had fewer stops.  The region north of Galbraith Lake is arctic tundra and has very few stops.  There was several places where the road was under construction, and we were required to wait on the pilot car. This could take up to 20 minutes of waiting.  During this time, there may only be two vehicles (our two vehicles) in line. Once there were four vehicles after about 15 minutes of waiting. That gives some sense of the isolation of our trip. Although we only traveled about 140 miles, it took much of the day.

We saw our first Musk Ox, and then a herd of musk ox!

Musk Ox

Musk Ox herd

We stopped for lunch out of the coolers at Happy Valley. There is a busy ‘air strip’ during the summer, but no planes landed while we were eating lunch.

Sagavanirktok River (“Sag River”) at Happy Valley

After lunch, we saw the first caribou!  And later we saw more caribou closer.

Caribou

Caribou

And just before Deadhorse, we saw a grizzly bear (thanks Casey!). It was raining on this stretch of road, but the bear was fairly close — for wildlife. That really is a bear — and it looked much better through binoculars.

Grizzly Bear

We arrived in Deadhorse about 4:00 pm.  We checked in to the Prudhoe Bay hotel and had time for a shower before dinner.  We had been about three days without showers, and had been eating out of the coolers (bagels, sandwiches, and cookouts for dinner) since we left Fairbanks.  We were all ready for a good meal.

The hotels in Deadhorse are simple. Most operate similar to the dorms — two single beds in a room, with a large bathroom down the hall.  Our hotel had four “halls”: three were designated for males, and one was for females.  One great feature is that the hotel has ‘free’ food available for guests 24 hours each day.  The meals are served at designated times, but at any other time, one can go in and get sandwiches, desserts, and other items. The students enjoyed this particular perk of the stay.

Deadhorse is an industrial town in the Alaska tundra of Alaska. It was built to support the workers at the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. All of the structures are prefabricated, built from materials trucked up the Dalton Highway or brought by barge.  Deadhorse has a very industrial feel. There is only one general store in the whole town.  There are many international companies that help support the oil operations.

Prudhoe Bay, near the Prudhoe Bay Hotel

There are about 2,000 people living in Deadhorse, but only a few dozen permanent residents.  The other people are oil workers. A common work schedule is to work about 2 weeks  ( or 4 weeks) in Prudhoe Bay and then go back home for 2 weeks.  During the time in Prudhoe Bay, they work 7 days each week, generally 12 hour days.

After spending the summer solstice at the Arctic Circle, we packed camp and headed north on the Dalton Highway for another busy day.

The first stop was at Gobbler’s Knob.  We took a hike up to the top of Gobbler’s Knob.  The views were spectacular.

Students hiking up Gobbler’s Knob

View from the top of Gobbler’s Knob

The second stop was at Coldfoot. Coldfoot is a very small place. We visited the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center.  This is a wonderful, friendly, and educational place.  The rangers were very nice to our group and were happy to answer the many questions we had.  We were able to refill our water vessels and eat lunch there.

Inside the Arctic Interagency Visitors Center

Leaving Coldfoot, we begin a trek of 240 miles with services such as gas and food — the longest stretch in the United States!

Continuing north, we stopped at Wiseman. This is another very small community with only 20 residents (and only 3 residents during the winter) on the bank of the Koyukuk River.  We spent time talking with Clutch about the area.  Clutch was so nice, and he gave us a lot of information — about bears, hunting, and gold mining. Clutch also gave us a lesson in how to pan for gold and some of us spent time practicing (alas, no major find was made).

Wiseman, Alaska

The next stop was at the Middle Fork Koyukuk River turnout. This was a beautiful stop next to the river with great views of Sukakpak Mountain.

Students at Koyukuk River, with Sukakpak Mountain in the background

As we continued the travels north, the views are amazing. We saw a panorama of Dietrich River valley and the Brooks Range north and west.  During this travel segment, we pass the last spruce trees of the trip north and enter the arctic tundra (“treeless uplands”).

Continuing north, we stopped at Atigun Pass Summit. This is the Continental Divide.  Rivers to the north empty into the Arctic Ocean, while rivers to the south empty into the Bering Sea. This is the crossing of the Brooks Range. This is the highest highway pass in Alaska.

View from Atigun Pass Summit

Today’s drive was incredible.  The vast expanse of Alaska was on display for most of the day.  It is very hard to describe the beauty of the place.  There are no man-made structures in view, except for the road and the pipeline (at times) and occasionally a pump station (there are six pump stations along the Dalton Highway.  As we drove north today, we passed by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to the East and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve to the West.

Finally we made it to the campground at Galbraith Lake.  The campground is about four miles off the Dalton Highway, although it is still visible in the distance.  The campsite was rustic, similar to the one at the Arctic Circle; but it did have a pit toilet.  We had a nice hot dog cookout for the evening meal, along with S’Mores for dessert.

Camp site with fire.

We ended the day with a meeting to debrief about the day’s adventures and visitations, and a personal reflection in the solitude the Alaska. What a great day in Alaska!