Last year was a banner one for our national parks, with 325.5 million recreation visits in the books for 2023. Last week the National Park Service released its , detailing the total number of visitors to the 400 units鈥攚hich include national seashores and historic sites鈥攖he park service manages. Overall, recreation visits increased by 13 million, an uptick of 4 percent compared to 2022. The number of hours spent hanging out in our parks was also up 4 percent, from 1.36 to 1.4 billion hours. That鈥檚 a lot of hiking, or sitting in moose traffic jams, depending on the park.

Parks have never been more popular than they were in 2016, when the national park service was celebrating its centennial and visitation numbers hit a record 330,971,689. That total stayed constant for the next few years, with more than 327 million recreation visits in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, parks closed, travel halted, and visitation dropped by 90 million visits in 2020. The popularity of our scenic national parks has been climbing steadily since, last year almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.

The stats break down , so you can see which of our treasured landscapes are the most and least popular. The Blue Ridge Parkway continues to be the most sought-after park unit in the country (with 16,757,635 visits), and Great Smoky Mountains National Park听rules by far among national parks (13,297,647 visits, with the next-highest contenders all in the four million range). Gulf Islands National Seashore jumped three spots to make it into the top five most popular park units in 2023. And Glen Canyon National Recreation Area climbed into the coveted top-ten list with a near doubled 5,206,934 recorded visits, a massive jump from 34^th in 2022, when it saw 2,842,776.

protects 1.25 million acres of land in Utah and Arizona, including Lake Powell. A multi-year drought had kept many visitors at bay, but the record-breaking snowfall of the winter of 2022 to 2023 brought water levels back up, allowing several boat ramps and access points to reopen. I鈥檝e explored Lake Powell by packraft at low water level, when it was muddy around the edges, but still pretty damn spectacular. Visiting the lake when the water is up would be amazing.

Then again, I like this next trove of data鈥攂ecause it tells you where to go to avoid crowds. My home is close to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so I know a little too much about the popular places.

While the top 10 or so most-visited parks see millions of people a year, the parks at the bottom of the list see only a few thousand. Alaska鈥檚 Gates of the Arctic National Park has reclaimed the longtime title of 鈥淟east Visited National Park鈥� in the U.S. after the National Park of American Samoa displaced it in 2022. Congratulations?

These overlooked parks are no less spectacular: offering tropical islands, massive sand dunes, 18,000-foot peaks, and more glaciers than any other spot in the U.S. It might take extra time and work to reach some of them, but the rewards are dramatic landscapes and big adventures鈥ll to yourself.

Here are the 11 least visited national parks in 2023.

1. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Recreational Visits: 11,045

Location: Sitting in Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle, Gates of the Arctic covers 8.4 million acres of the rugged and cold Brooks Range. There are no roads or maintained trails within the park, although there is one small village, Anaktuvuk Pass (pop: 451), a Nunamiut Inupiat settlement typically reached by small plane.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Backpack among the Arrigetch Peaks, a cluster of mountains known for steep, vertical spires deep within the Brooks Range. It鈥檚 a that requires a series of bush plane flights.

2. National Park of American Samoa

Recreational Visits: 12,135

Location: In the South Pacific, 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, National Park of American Samoa covers portions of three volcanic islands full of tropical forests, coral sand beaches, and traditional Samoan villages. The seascape is just as impressive; the ocean surrounding the islands are home to more than 950 species of fish and 250 species of coral.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: The national park facilitates a where visitors can stay with locals to learn Samoan customs and the South Pacific lifestyle.

3. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Recreational Visits: 16,728

Location: Roughly 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Lake Clark is 4,000,000 acres of glaciers, peaks, and active volcanoes. No roads lead to the park, which can only be reached by small plane. The park is home to three National Wild and Scenic Rivers (the Mulchatna, Tlikakila, Chilikadrotna), attracting paddlers and anglers alike.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Backpackers should hit the 50-mile Telaquana Route, where you can follow in the footsteps of local Dena鈥檌na Athabascans and fur traders who blazed the path between the shores of Lake Clark and Telaquana Lake.

4. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska

Recreational Visits: 17,616

Location: Sitting 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Kobuk Valley National Park protects the river of the same name that has served as a thoroughfare for wildlife, particularly caribou, and the people who have been hunting the river valley for 9,000 years. Kobuk Valley is home to the 25-square-mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, which rise abruptly from the surrounding trees.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Take a bush plane into Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, camp, hike, and watch for caribou.

5. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Recreational Visits: 28,965

Location: A cluster of islands in the middle of Lake Superior near the Canadian border, Isle Royale is a car-less wilderness where moose and wolves roam. The park is only accessible by boat or float plane, but once you鈥檙e there hikers have 165 miles of trails to explore. A small population of gray wolves have lived in Isle Royale since 1948, when the first wolves crossed an ice bridge that formed, connecting the island to mainland Canada. The population had nearly died out when, in 2018, park wildlife experts relocated wolves to the island.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Backpack the 40-mile , which crosses over the park鈥檚 main island, connecting backcountry lakes and campsites. Or, hike an 8.5-mile stretch of the from Windigo Dock to Feldtman Lake, which includes a quick, .8-mile side trip to Rainbow Cove, where a rocky shoreline on Lake Superior offers long range views of Rock of Ages Lighthouse on a clear day.听听

6. Katmai National Park and Preservation, Alaska

Recreational Visits: 33,763

Location: Man, Alaska has a lot of lonely national parks. But Katmai is special because it鈥檚 so diverse. Situated on a peninsula in southern Alaska, roughly 260 miles southwest of Anchorage, it has the rugged mountains and glaciers you鈥檇 expect, but also lush valleys, tumultuous coastline, and 40 square miles of desert landscape, thanks to the eruption of Novarupta Volcano, which scorched the earth more than 100 years ago. Katmai is probably best-known for its , where you can sit in your office and peep at brown bears eating salmon at Brooks Falls on the Brooks River.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Katmai isn鈥檛 connected to any town by road, so most people show up via boat or float plane from King Salmon or Anchorage. That alone is an adventure. Visitors usually start by visiting Brooks Camp, home to the park鈥檚 summer headquarters, to check in and get the required bear-safety orientation, then head to the various platforms that overlook the Brooks River. If you鈥檙e looking to dig deeper, consider paddling the 80-mile , which connects a chain of lakes through Katmai鈥檚 backcountry. Starting at Brooks Camp, kayakers will paddle a circle around 3,183-foot Mount La Gorce, navigating two class I-II rivers and huffing a 1.5-mile long portage between open-water stretches of three different lakes.

7. North Cascades National Park, Washington

Recreational Visits: 40,351

Location: Only three hours from the city of Seattle, North Cascades is a rugged expanse of mountains with more than 300 glaciers, the largest collection of any park outside of Alaska. In other words, North Cascades is wintry and snow-covered most of the year, so much so that most visitors only hit the park between June and September.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Hike , a steep, 9.4-mile ascent from the edge of Ross Lake that delivers sweeping views from a lookout tower of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area.

8. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Recreational Visits: 78,305

Location: Sitting more than 200 miles east of Anchorage, Wrangell-St. Elias encompasses 13.2 million acres where four major mountain ranges converge, encompassing both the largest collection of glaciers and the highest concentration of 16,000-foot peaks in the U.S., including seven of the 20 highest peaks in America. The park is a land of extremes鈥�14,163-foot Mount Wrangell is an active volcano with vents of steam on the summit, and Bagley Icefield, near the coast, is North America鈥檚 largest subpolar icefield.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Climb Mount Bear, a 14,831-foot peak deep in the St. Elias Range that doesn鈥檛 require any technical climbing, but is a beautiful adventure.

9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Recreational Visits: 84,285

Location: Head to Key West and then keep going, 70 miles west into the Gilf of Mexico to Dry Tortugas, a collection of seven islands only accessible by boat or seaplane. The atolls are a mix of palm trees and soft sand beaches with world-class snorkeling and diving just offshore. Visitors can camp on the largest island, Garden Key, in the shadows of the massive Fort Jefferson, a Civil War-era prison.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Dive the Windjammer Wreck, the remains of a ship that sank in 1907 off Loggerhead Key after running aground on the surrounding reef. The wreck is in shallow water (20 feet at the deepest point), so snorkelers and divers can explore it together. Or, bring a kayak and paddle around Garden, Bush, and Long Key, a trio of islands so close together, they鈥檙e sometimes joined by sandbars. You鈥檙e looking for nurse sharks and sea turtles in the clear water below and, above, any of the 300 species of birds that migrate through the park every year.

10. Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Recreational Visits: 143,265

Location: The 77,180-acre Great Basin National Park sits in the high desert of Eastern Nevada, 300 miles north of Las Vegas. The terrain ranges from the 13,064-foot Wheeler Peak to an expansive cave system, called Lehman Caves. You鈥檒l also find alpine lakes, old-growth bristlecone pine forests, and Nevada鈥檚 only remaining glacier, Wheeler Peak Glacier.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Glimpse Nevada鈥檚 last piece of permanent ice by hiking the 4.8-mile to the bottom of the two-acre glacier. You鈥檒l cruise through groves of ancient bristlecone, some estimated to be 4,000 years old.

11. Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Recreational Visits: 220,825

Location: In Northeastern Minnesota, up against the Canadian Border, Voyageurs National Park is mostly made up of water. This 218,055-acre park is loaded with lakes鈥攆our big ones that form a border for the park and 26 smaller interior lakes, most interconnected by 60 miles of canoe and kayak trails. There are endless shorelines and islands to explore, and dense habitat for healthy moose and wolf populations.

One Big 国产吃瓜黑料: Head to the interior lakes, where marked canoe听trails lead to primitive backcountry campsites you can only reach by boat. And you have to use the national park service鈥檚 boats; once you have a , you get a code to unlock one of the canoes that the NPS has staged at certain points for use to prevent the spread of invasive species. The Chain of Lakes are four small bodies of water on the interior of the Kabetogama Peninsula that you can piece together via short portages and creeks to create a 13-mile hiking and paddling adventure. Each of the four lakes has its own campsite, one per lake, and most people will pick a single campsite as a basecamp and explore from there, so the mileage of your adventure will vary.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. After researching these remote parks, he鈥檚 thinking it might be time to get his pilot鈥檚 license and invest in a float plane.

For more by this author, see:

7 Most Adventurous Ways to See the Total Eclipse听of 2024

The 6 Most Adventurous Train Trips in North America

The Creepiest Unsolved Mysteries in U.S. National Parks

The post And the 11 Least Visited National Parks Are鈥� appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The 49th state has 54 million acres of national parklands, thanks in large part to the Carter administration. But so much green goodness can be overwhelming, so we enlisted the help of John Baston, a guide with who has led trips in all eight of Alaska鈥檚 national parks. He agreed to a round of rapid-fire word association to pin down what鈥檚 great about each one.

National Parks Centennial

See the complete list of 100 reasons to love the parks (and a few things we’d improve)

Kobuk Valley: Sand dunes
Gates of the Arctic: Backpacking
Glacier Bay: Kayaking
鈥婯enai Fjords: Gulf of Alaska
Lake Clark: Giant lakes
Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias: Enormous
Denali: Highest mountain
鈥婯补迟尘补颈: Bears

The post Alaska Is Essentially One Big Park鈥擜nd It鈥檚 Our Very Best appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Each year, we send our editors and writers on a mission to find the destinations on the vanguard of the travel. The major takeaway from our 28 favorites of 2016?听The entire world is getting more adventurous. Travelers are pushing boundaries, from听seeking out newly accessible Cuban bars to touring North Carolina breweries鈥攂y canoe. In years past, a cruise around the Antarctic involved lots of gawking at icebergs. Today, the same cruise has you booting up and ripping untouched snow with mountaineers Andrew McLean and Chris Davenport.

But don鈥檛 think for a second that this trend is limited to far-flung and expensive trips: small towns like Bentonville, Arkansas, are investing in world-class mountain bike trails鈥攎aintained by professional crews!鈥攁nd innovative, hard, and fun-as-hell races like Quincy, California鈥檚 Grinduro are popping up just about everywhere. There's never been a better time to get out there鈥攁nd this is the definitive guide to a year well traveled.

1. Jamaica

We know what you鈥檙e thinking鈥攔eggae and ganja. But there鈥檚 another reason to head here: Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park just earned World Heritage Status in 2015.听This 65,000-acre tropical rainforest鈥檚 two mountain ranges are a Caribbean biodiversity hot spot, with 1,357 species of flowering plants plus endangered birds like the yellow-billed parrot. On the clearest days, 7,402-foot Blue Mountain Peak offers views of Cuba, 130 miles to the north. Arrange an overnight or long-haul backpacking trip with Kingston-based (from $230). For easy access to the park, book the brand-new, six-bedroom (from $2,750), which sits on a lush hilltop near the northeast beach town of Port Antonio. 鈥�Stephanie Pearson

2. Bentonville, Arkansas

Yes, the home of Walmart鈥檚 corporate headquarters. The retail behemoth鈥檚 presence means the town is flush with cash, and a lot of it has gone toward creating a premier mountain-biking destination. There are now some 23 miles of singletrack just three miles from downtown. Even better: Arkansas employs the only professional mountain-bike-trail maintenance crews in the U.S. But don鈥檛 just take our word for it. The booked it for this year鈥檚 World Summit in November. 鈥�Bryan Rogala

3. Basecamp Hotel, Tahoe City, California

In 2012, Christian Strobel turned a decrepit motel in South Lake Tahoe into , a boutique lodge for adventure travelers, with fire pits and GoPro screenings. Now he鈥檚 giving Tahoe City a Basecamp of its own, with a yoga studio, in-room bike racks, and concierges with climbing beta鈥攁ll located less than 20 minutes from the slopes. 鈥�Megan Michelson

4. Iran

Look past the complicated politics and the dark image of the country鈥檚 leadership; intrepid travelers who鈥檝e trailblazed here come back with tales of lively culture and the overwhelming friendliness of the people. Skip the canned tours and start with a DIY circuit of Tehran鈥檚 museums, caf茅s, mosques, and the Unesco World Heritage site of ancient Persepolis, in Shiraz. Then hook up with British outfitter to summit Iran鈥檚 highest peak, the 18,464-foot, still-active volcano Mount Damavand (from $3,675). Located just 45 miles northeast of the capital, Damavand is a nontechnical but demanding five-day ascent, with views of the Caspian Sea to the north and barren desert to the south. 鈥淒amavand has the challenge of other more famous treks like Kilimanjaro but without the crowds,鈥� says Exodus鈥檚 Emma Garrick. 鈥淣ot encountering other groups for the entire route is practically guaranteed.鈥� 鈥�Graeme Green

5. Ladder Ranch, Gila Mountains, New Mexico

Media mogul Ted Turner has impeccable taste in real estate. Take , a remote five-bedroom home that opened to guests in September and sits on 160,000 acres of Turner鈥檚 private land on the edge of the Gila Mountains and the Chiricahua Desert. Guests spend days mountain-biking, spotting bighorn sheep and elk, and visiting ancient petroglyphs. $6,000 for four people, all-inclusive. 鈥�Kate Siber

6. Nihiwatu, Sumba Island, Indonesia

After a long search for the perfect surf spot, Claude and Petra Graves knew they were finished when they saw the reef break 100 yards off Nihiwatu Beach. The couple built the by the wave鈥攊t鈥檚 an hour鈥檚 flight east of Bali and comes complete with spear-fishing guides and an equestrian center. But the focus is still on surfing, and less than 80 guests per day means you won鈥檛 have to battle for a spot on the huge, hollow left. From $1,000, all-inclusive. 鈥�Jen Murphy

7. Quincy, California

Think of the as a soulful gran fondo for mountain bikers on hardtails and gravel-grinding nuts on cross bikes. The folks at Giro invented it as a new kind of race, combining the timed segments of endurance mountain biking with the luxe food of a century ride and inviting everyone to camp at a fairgrounds high in the Sierra Nevada. And while the resulting vibe is laidback, the course鈥攈eld on fire roads in the Plumas National Forest鈥攊s definitely not: riders gain 7,500 feet in 60 miles, half of which comes in a brutal five-mile dirt climb that averages 12 percent and reduces many to walking. October 8. 鈥�Scott Rosenfield

8. Pemberton Music 颅Festival, British Columbia

Picture Bonnaroo without the sweltering heat and mosquitoes and you鈥檝e got . Last year 115,000 people saw Kendrick Lamar and the Black Keys headline, and things got weird. (Think: an adult-size ball pit and waterslide.) Plan to stay a couple of extra days to ride Pemberton鈥檚 abundant singletrack, which you can roll to directly from the village. July 14鈥�17; passes from $295. 鈥�Graham Averill

9. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is an outlier. It follows a calendar different than the rest of the world. It harbors some of the world鈥檚 last subsistence tribes, one of the harshest deserts on the planet, and (if you believe the locals) the Ark of the Covenant. It鈥檚 also one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, and recently it has made efforts to improve conditions for visitors. So tackle the Northern Historical Route, a rugged overland trail that leads past ancient stone churches and roaring waterfalls. Or book a few nights in the airy (from $140). It opened in March in the Simien Mountains, which are threaded by trekking routes and populated by animals, like Ethiopian wolves and gelada monkeys, that are found nowhere else in the world. 鈥擪.S.

10. Portland, Oregon

Specifically the Central Eastside. Once an industrial zone packed with old warehouses, it鈥檚 now one of the city鈥檚 coolest spots. Yes, that sounds like a setup for a Portlandia sketch. But the stunning new location of outfitter is giving the area adventure cred. And after you browse skis, you can catch acts like Neko Case at , a remodeled brick high school, or get the four-course chef鈥檚 menu at , situated in a former loading dock. 鈥擬.M.

11. French Broad River, North Carolina

The beauty of traveling by canoe is that you can carry a lot of beer. There鈥檚 probably no better place in the country to test out this theory than the mild 45-mile stretch of the French Broad that flows past the Southern outposts of three of America鈥檚 most cherished craft breweries. Put in at , hit midway through the trip, and take out at on the edge of downtown Asheville. Three days, three killer breweries, and island camping, thanks to the , a newly established series of campgrounds along the way. 鈥擥.A.

12. Smith Island, Maryland

Some of the most determined watermen in the world live on Smith Island, 12 miles off Maryland鈥檚 coast. Shaped by Chesapeake Bay tides, this small patch of dry ground set in salt marsh offers access to a natural maze of kayak trails that cut through the sea grass. Undaunted by rising sea levels, the 300 or so remaining islanders stay true to age-old traditions, fishing for oysters and crabs while speaking the 400-year-old dialect of their Welsh and English ancestors. Catch the on the mainland at Crisfield ($26 round-trip), then check out the island鈥檚 cultural center, where you can rent bikes and kayaks. Stay the night at the (from $125), and don鈥檛 skip a slice of ten-layer Smith Island cake, Maryland鈥檚 official dessert. 鈥�Andrew Evans

13. Nevada

It鈥檚 fair to say that Nevada鈥檚 mountain-biking scene is exploding鈥攆rom the 539-mile Trans-Nevada Trail, which starts at Lake Tahoe and spans the entire width of the state, to miles of new trails being constructed in the state鈥檚 48 million acres of Bureau of Land Management wilds. Start your tour of the best stuff 36 miles south of Las Vegas and ride 35 miles of smooth, flowy intermediate singletrack at the Bootleg Canyon bike park, which has received the Epic distinction from the International Mountain Bicycling Association. Then get farther afield in tiny Caliente, 150 miles northeast of Vegas, where IMBA plans to create 42 miles of trails this year. The group鈥檚 ultimate goal is to build a 150-mile system. Until then, the gravel riding in the area鈥檚 surrounding four million acres of BLM land is spectacular, and the 15 new campsites at just south of town are quiet and tucked away at the base of a 700-foot canyon ($17). 鈥擲.P.

14. San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge, Dolomites, Italy

Giorgia and Stefano Barbini, two Italian fashion-industry veterans, reimagined a into the type of place their friends would visit, preserving its Alpine charm while updating it with creature comforts like heated floors and, naturally, a heli-pad to access distant peaks for -hiking and skiing. Back at the lodge, Giorgia prepares dinner in the wood-fired stove while Stefano selects the evening鈥檚 pairings from the stable turned 1,500-bottle wine cellar. From $2,300 for up to ten people. 鈥擩.M.

15. Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias National Park, Alaska

On 鈥� new pack-raft traverse across Alaska鈥檚 Wrangell鈥揝t. Elias National Park, the action starts the moment the bush plane drops you at Nizina Lake, where you鈥檒l blow up your pack raft and paddle across the water, dodging icebergs fallen from the Nizina Glacier. Then you鈥檒l backpack for the next several days, until you reach the braided White River. From there it鈥檚 all downhill: a four-day, 60-mile Class II trip that ends with a pickup in Canada鈥檚 Yukon. From $4,000. 鈥�Chris Solomon

16. Scotland

If John Muir and James Bond got together and dreamed up an adventure, it would look a lot like 国产吃瓜黑料 GO鈥檚 across Scotland. You鈥檒l experience the spectacular Highlands and then unwind in 007-worthy castles, complete with roaring fireplaces and aged Scotch (which Ian Fleming aficionados know is Bond鈥檚 true drink of choice). You鈥檒l arrive in Edinburgh and shake off jet lag with a hike to the top of Arthur鈥檚 Seat, a dormant volcano that affords Instagram-perfect views of the capital. The next day, you鈥檒l head to the Highlands, taking a boat ride to the Strait of Corryvreckan for a spin in one of the world鈥檚 largest natural whirlpools, off the coast of Islay. The village of Glencoe will be your base for mountain-biking singletrack and scrambling up rugged peaks. And you鈥檒l want to burn as many calories as possible, since dinners at Glencoe Country House have a reputation for decadence鈥攖hink roast rump of lamb and sticky toffee pudding. In the morning, you鈥檒l kayak past otters and eagles en route to a secluded beach where camp tents and a roaring fire await. After a night in the wild, check in at Fonab Castle, then fish for salmon on the River Tay and take in views of Loch Faskally. From $5,450 for ten days. 鈥擩.M.

17. Nepal

Go now. Much of the country was unaffected by the 2015 earthquake, and just 15 percent of the trekking routes were damaged. With tourism down by almost 40 percent, there鈥檚 actually elbow room on the ($3,799 with REI 国产吃瓜黑料s). Visitors to Kathmandu can watch the painstaking restoration of historic monuments while staying at , a monument unto itself (from $220). The quake hasn鈥檛 stopped exciting new developments, either. (from $250), a sustainable resort less than five miles from Pokhara, sits in a lush valley on a working organic farm and will eventually donate up to 70 percent of its profits to charity. From there you can hike Himalayan foothills or set out on a dawn birdwatching tour. Mountain bikers with big lungs: consider 鈥� 12-day tour up trails between 5,000 and 13,000 feet in the Annapurna and Lower Mustang regions (from $3,350). 鈥擲.P.

18. Northshore, Louisiana

For Bayou charm, skip bland, boozy Bourbon Street and the voodoo tourist traps of New Orleans and head across the causeway to the other side of Lake Pontchartrain. The Northshore region was rocked by Hurricane Katrina but has undergone a serious rebirth in the past couple of years. In Covington, rent a set of wheels from and hop on the Tammany Trace, a 27-mile rail trail that weaves through the wetlands. Pull off in Abita Springs, where is brewed with the namesake springwater. If it鈥檚 a Saturday night, stick around for a bluegrass show at the . If not, head back to Covington to fill up on salumi and mussels at , then sip a Sazerac at the Cypress Bar in the century-old . 鈥�Cheney Gardner

19. Antarctica

One can only imagine what Ernest Shackleton would think of the continent鈥檚 transformation into an adventure travel hub. Now skiers can carve empty slopes with ski mountaineers Andrew McLean and Chris Davenport on a with Ice Axe Expeditions (from $8,995, plus a $1,000 backcountry-skiing fee). Shackleton buffs can join all-star explorers Conrad Anker and Tim Jarvis on a that sails to Elephant Island, where his expedition took refuge after their ship sank (from $14,995). The seriously hardy can fat-bike to the South Pole on TDA Global Cycling鈥檚 18-day, 69-mile . The $70,000 price tag is staggering but includes a Specialized fat bike to take home. Or opt for 国产吃瓜黑料 GO鈥檚 on a 68-passenger icebreaker. You鈥檒l sea-kayak to remote inlets, hike to rugged peaks, and, if you dare, cannonball into the frigid ocean (from $11,595). 鈥擲.P.

20. Colombia

The country鈥檚 passion for cycling is superheated at the moment, thanks to Nairo Quintana鈥檚 second-place finish at the 2015 Tour de France. And adventure companies like are offering new routes into forgotten corners of the Andes and across the coastal plains. Tackle the Alto de Letras鈥擟olombia鈥檚 signature ride and what鈥檚 said to be the longest paved climb in the world at 51 miles. Or opt for something mellower: pedal a chunk of Colombia鈥檚 coffee region, riding narrow, low-traffic streets past colonial villages, plantations, and high-elevation jungles. Make sure to fuel your ride with an agua-panela, hot sugarcane water mixed with melted cheese, known to locals as Colombian Gatorade. 鈥擥.A.

21. Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara usually brings to mind retirees on picture-perfect beaches. But the town of 90,000 is becoming younger, more active, and more interesting. , off downtown鈥檚 State Street, was started by two former pro cyclists and is the de facto meeting spot for the new breed of Santa Barbaran鈥攖he type that鈥檚 fueling up for a trail run in the Los Padres National Forest or a ride into the Santa Ynez Mountains. At night you鈥檒l find the same crowd at downtown bistro , which opened two years ago under the leadership of a twenty-something manager and wunderkind head chef. The team mixes can鈥檛-miss dishes with a sense of humor: the Egg McMuffin is an ode to the sandwich invented in 1971 at a McDonald鈥檚 just down the road. 鈥�J. Wesley Judd

22. Australia

Trekkers often overlook Australia because they鈥檙e dazzled by the descriptions of the routes in New Zealand (plus that whole Lord of the Rings thing). But Oz offers some of the best hiking routes on the planet. A particular stunner is Victoria鈥檚 four-day guided , a moderately difficult trail that covers 34 beautiful and remote miles hugging mainland Australia鈥檚 southernmost coastline along the Bass Strait. Guests stay at an eco-lodge designed for trekkers, with a foot spa and an impressive collection of wines. From $1,432. 鈥擲.P.

23. Hokkaido, Japan

The far northern island of Hokkaido is known for hot springs, temples, serious powder in the winter, and alpine hiking in the summer. Getting there used to require a ferry or pricey flight. The new , scheduled to begin service in March, will take you from Tokyo to Hokkaido in just over four hours, reaching speeds of nearly 200 miles per hour and traveling through the longest undersea train tunnel in the world. 鈥擥.G.

24. South Africa

Because the country offers incredible wildlife and wine鈥攂ut also because it hosts world-class races. On March 6, ride along-side 35,000 others in the 67-mile . Surfers, SUPers, and longboarders can sign up for the second annual August 19 to 21, at Muizenberg Corner, 16 miles south of Cape Town. Worth noting: last year鈥檚 inaugural event was cut short due to a great white shark sighting. The hottest new stage race is the three-day, 99-mile . You鈥檒l skirt the local high point鈥�8,209-foot Compassberg鈥攁nd pass through a game reserve filled with wildebeests, springbok, gemsbok, and zebras. 鈥擲.P.

25. 贵盲惫颈办别苍, J盲rpen, Sweden

Remote and well regarded鈥攊t鈥檚 number 25 on the San Pellegrino list of the 50 best restaurants in the world鈥� is set in an 18th-century barn on a 24,000-acre hunting estate 374 miles north of Stockholm. It鈥檚 worth the journey. The 30-course meal, orchestrated by head chef Magnus Nilsson, is farmed, foraged, and hunted on or near the estate. From drippingly fresh scallops cooked over juniper branches and birch coal to pine-bark-syrup ice cream, every bite is original. The best strategy to get one of its coveted 16 seats? Call on April 1 for a reservation for May through December, and spend the night in one of the restaurant鈥檚 five rustic bedrooms. Dinner, $258; accommodations, $292. 鈥擲.P.

26. Mealy Mountains National Park, Canada

Canada鈥檚 western half has long dominated the dreams of adventure travelers, but this year all eyes are on Newfoundland and Labrador with the opening of 4,130-square-mile Mealy Mountains National Park. Officially titled the Akami鈥搖apishku-KakKasuak鈥揗ealy Mountains National Park Reserve, it will be the largest in eastern Canada and comanaged by Parks Canada and the Innu people, who will develop aboriginal cultural experiences for visitors. The terrain ranges from rivers full of wild Atlantic salmon, rugged mountains capped with snow, sub-arctic tundra, boreal forest, and sandy ocean beaches that marauding Vikings called the Wonderstrands when they sailed past 1,000 years ago. Wildlife highlights: caribou, wolves, black bears, and martens, just to name a few. Base at the Innu-owned (from $2,190 for three days) or land a salmon at the fly-in fishing camp ($6,465 for three days). 鈥擥.G.

27. The Hotel 颅Habana Riviera Bar, Havana, Cuba

Havana is a city of ghosts, of absent gods and buried criminals. Take a seat in the 鈥檚 lobby bar鈥攁 tiny black curve with just four or five stools鈥攁nd listen for the sounds of the past: the roulette wheel, the clacking of poker chips, the murmuring crowds and celebrity high rollers. The principal owner at the time, Meyer Lansky, was the American Mafia鈥檚 main man in Cuba. His aerospace pleasure palace opened with a performance by Ginger Rogers in December 1957. Barely a year later, Fidel Castro took power, the casino tables were tipped over, and the hotel nationalized, the brief moment of corrupt glory over. But you can still have the memories. The hotel鈥檚 interior is stuffed with rich marble, golden latticework, and Enzo Gallo sculptures. The bar is now a quiet space, backstopped by an epic picture window full of ocean. There鈥檚 usually baseball on, and the Daiquiri Natural is good, year on year. 鈥�Patrick Symmes

28. WeeCasa, 颅Lyons, Colorado

Test-drive living small at this . There are 12 rentals on-hand, clustered along the banks of the North St. Vrain River in Lyons, 30 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park and a quick bike ride from the Oskar Blues brewery. From $189. 鈥擥.A.

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In the July issue of 国产吃瓜黑料, Stephanie Pearson lays out the ultimate Alaskan road trip, from the jagged peaks of the Talkeetna Mountains to the moose-laden beauty of Denali National Park. To help you along the way, we’ve put together some step-by-step directions, laid out in the map below. Just remember to look at the road every once in a while.

View in a larger map

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One of the reasons I love Alaska is that almost every conversation between skiers, hunters, whitewater enthusiasts, fishermen, or mountaineers ends up being a discussion about the state. If you start out talking about kayaking the Everglades, you’ll soon be discussing a paddling trip up through the Inside Passage of Southeast Alaska. And if you’re chatting about striped bass in Montauk, it won’t be long before the conversation progresses to the salmon runs of the Yukon River. It’s like a law of nature: Alaska is the final word on everything outdoors, the exclamation point at the end of every adventurous sentence.

Map

Alaska

Maybe it has something to do with its size. I keep a large topographical map of the state pinned to the wall of my bedroom. A lot of times I’ll be in the middle of some mundane task, like picking up clothes or making the bed, and I’ll catch myself just staring at it. My eyes will drift westward to Umnak Island, way out toward the tip of the Aleutian archipelago, in the Bering Sea. Then they’ll move across the map in an upward diagonal direction to where the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge takes in the Romanzof Mountains. The distance between those points is about 1,400 miles, roughly the distance from New York City to Houston. When staring at the map, I’m often visited by an overwhelming sense of bewilderment and lust. Before I can go back to whatever I was doing, I select some point on the map and make myself a promise: Someday I’m going to visit that spot.

Fulfilling these promises is not always easy. A few years ago, I had a chance to visit one of the most remote points in the state (and, therefore, one of the most remote points in North America). First I caught a commercial flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks. There I climbed into the co-pilot’s seat of a single-engine propellor plane hauling geological supplies to a camp on the Arctic tundra. Three hours after flying over the Yukon River, we landed on a gravel airstrip next to a helicopter pad and a tent. I was now 160 miles from the nearest road, which was dirt. Then I took a half-hour helicopter flight, and after flying over three of the state’s approximately 10,000 wolves and two of its 30,000 grizzlies, we reached our destination. I thought about how we usually travel in order to become intimate with new places. But when traveling in Alaska, any sense of physical intimacy is counterbalanced by a landscape that is gloriously incomprehensible.

I’ve been hanging around in Alaska since my brother took a position as an ecologist at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2000. During the past decade of adventures, I’ve experienced a litany of things that constitute my own personal biggest, best, and baddest. I had my closest brush with death while floating down the Chetaslina River in a leaky drysuit after a buffalo hunt, hanging from the side of an inflatable pack raft loaded with more than 300 pounds of meat in the sub-freezing temperatures of an October night. I had my most startling moment in the Chugach Mountains when my partner came rolling and screaming downhill after getting zapped in the shoulder by a porcupine that was hidden in an alder. I had my most nerve-racking moment at sea while motoring a small skiff with my brother through the current-ripped passages of Southeast Alaska last December; it was perfectly dark at 4 p.m., and we hit a submerged log that knocked out the engine and caused a surge of water to crash over the bow. And I was most blown away by the beauty of the earth when I crested a divide in the Alaska Range and looked out over a corrugated landscape of rock and ice that had turned freakishly red in the sunlit smoke of a distant tundra fire.

There’s no need to be intimidated by such tales. Believe it or not, you can ease into Alaska. The first step is to name your desire. Start with something specific: You want to gawk upward at Denali, North America’s highest peak; or you want to watch beluga whales gorge on migrating salmon during the high tide in Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage; or you want to hear the eerie, catlike meow of a rutting moose on the Kenai Peninsula.

From there, one thing will lead to another. A few years ago, I went on a fishing trip to Prince of Wales Island, in Southeast Alaska. The labyrinthine coasts of the islands and fjords continued to haunt my imagination when I got home. Before I could return, I’d become the proud owner of a cabin on the island. It sits on pilings over the confluence of a mountain stream and the ocean. It is accessible only by boat or floatplane. The creek has a salmon run. Needless to say: If you start talking to me about cabins, you can see where the discussion will lead.

鈥擲teven Rinella

Denali National Park and Preserve

The Sell: Climbing the tall one; hiking in solitude
Rumor has it that on an Alaska Airlines flyby of 20,320-foot Denali, one Texas passenger asked a flight attendant why the mountain had superhighways leading up to it. The glacial moraines do look a little like an interstate on the massive peak, which dwarfs all others in the 600-mile Alaska Range. But there’s a lot more to this six-million-acre park than a big hunk of granite. It’s one of the only spots in the world where you can ride a bus, get off, hike a few miles in, and have a 20-square-mile swath of wilderness to yourself. Few cars are allowed on the single 91-mile gravel artery, so campers and mountaineers have to hoof it, bike it, or watch the rutting moose from the comfort of the bus.

Outfitted: On ‘s ten-day, entry-level Alaska Seminar, there’s a three-to-one client-to-guide ratio, ensuring that you’ll always have an expert on hand to help you with the basics of mountaineering: knot tying, crevasse rescue, ice climbing, route finding, and deciphering big-mountain weather. Complete this mid-May course on Denali’s Kahiltna Glacier and you’ll be prepared for a guided summit bid ($2,400).

DIY: Denali has six designated along the park road, most of which you can reserve in advance ($9 per night). For backcountry campers, there are no designated sites and no advance reservations. Just show up at the , at the park’s north entrance, and a ranger will help you plot your course, give you a free permit, assign you a bear container, and give you the mandatory safety talk about food storage, river crossings, and how to avoid hypothermia ($10 park entrance fee per person). If hot meals and a bed sound better, reserve a cabin at Camp Denali. Built in 1951 and sitting on 67 acres with views to 11 major peaks in the Alaska Range, predates the existing park. The 18 hand-built cabins, with homemade quilts, fireplaces, and meticulously kept outhouses, are like a Hollywood version of frontier life. Hike with one of the expert naturalists, borrow one of the camp’s bikes and ride the park road, or wet your fly line in a pretty creek. Wind down with a meal from the camp’s organic greenhouse and on-site bakery (three nights, $1,515).

Wild Card: It’s technically south of the park, but if you want a blowout high-alpine adventure in sight of Denali, head to . Customize all sorts of adventure using this luxurious lodge on the shores of Judd Lake as your base camp: Heli-fish for trophy trout, heli-hike near active volcanoes, climb granite crags, or paddleboard among icebergs near Strandline Glacier ($1,300 for two days/one night, including internal air from Anchorage; plus guided activity fees).

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

The Sell: Paddling the frontier
Jack London, the 1880s Klondike gold rush, the Yukon Quest dogsled race鈥攆ew wild spaces hold more historical cachet than this wide-open, undulating, 2.5-millon-acre hunk of tundra 125 miles east of Fairbanks. In August, when the mosquitoes die off and the temperatures drop from 90-degree highs, the mighty Yukon River (which is a relatively easy float as long as you stay upright in your canoe) turns into an Alaska-style freeway. History and river buffs paddle the silty, 50-degree water from the historic town of Eagle to see abandoned gold dredges, endangered peregrine falcons in the limestone bluffs, and caribou from the Fortymile herd on the hillside.

Outfitted: You’re in for a wild ride on the Charley, the most under-the-radar whitewater trip in Alaska鈥攊t’s so off the map that this Yukon-tributary river feels almost exploratory. Raft it in a 16-foot SOAR inflatable canoe with . The first two days you’ll ride the Charley’s Class III water, with time to spin-cast for grayling (bring your own fishing gear) and eat delicious camp grub like chorizo-scramble burritos. After the Charley spits you into the Yukon, you’ll paddle the wide river for two to three days, the first night bellying up to the stove at Slaven’s Roadhouse, a pit stop on the Yukon Quest ($3,650, including transportation to/from Fairbanks; $300 discount for 国产吃瓜黑料 readers).

DIY: Fly 90 minutes from Fairbanks to Eagle on ($170 each way), then rent a sturdy Old Town canoe from for a five-to-six-day, 165-mile paddle on the Yukon ($195, plus $20 return fee). You’ll see fox, moose, and grizzlies (or at least their scat). Camp on gravel bars or islands, or stay in one of five free National Park Service public-use cabins, equipped with bunks, stoves, and outhouses (first come, first served; no fee). The in Eagle can help you with logistics. Warbelow’s will fly you back to Fairbanks from Circle, the end of the line ($99 each way).

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

The Sell: Wilderness on steroids
The largest national park in the U.S., 200 miles east of Anchorage, is six times the size of Yellowstone and has 14,185 square miles of designated wilderness and a glacier the size of Rhode Island. It also contains four mountain ranges鈥攖he Chugach, Wrangell, St. Elias, and the eastern part of the Alaska Range鈥攏ine of the 16 highest peaks in the country, and most of the largest mammals in the U.S., including grizzlies and black bears, woodland bison, mountain goats, caribou, and moose. If you’re a competent backcountry traveler and love to explore in a kayak or hike with a fully loaded 5,000-cubic-inch pack, this park’s for you.

Outfitted: Go where no man has gone before on ‘s eight-day St. Elias kayaking expedition. This unique itinerary, designed for experienced kayakers and campers, starts in Yakutat. From there you’ll fly to a spot near the Malaspina Glacier and get dropped off in the middle of nowhere for an eight-day tour of the fjords and mountain valleys of the St. Elias Mountains, the highest coastal range in the world. Route conditions change from year to year, so there is no set course. Trust your guides and the fact that they’ve packed enough chocolate to get you through any hardship, but don’t expect them to schlep your boat鈥攁 folding Klepper kayak鈥攊n and out of the water ($2,945, including internal air).

DIY: If testing your backcountry know-how hundreds of miles from humanity sounds like your idea of a vacation, consider Wrangell Mountain Air’s Southern Park Traverse. A single-engine Beaver plane will drop you off near Iceberg Lake (elevation 3,200 feet), the start of a 12-to-14-day, 90-some-mile self-guided odyssey鈥攖here are no trails in these parts. You’ll cross a glacier or trek up to the snow line at 7,000 feet. No matter where you go, the territory is untracked. will arrange for a mid-trip food drop and will pick you up at the end, but otherwise you’re on your own ($430 per person; optional food drop, $420).

Southeast Alaska

The Sell: Paddling the wet wilds
A short 2.5-hour hop from Seattle, Juneau averages 54 inches of rain per year. All that precip makes this a nutrient-rich haven for whales, dolphins, sea otters, porpoises, sharks, and other marine life. Southeast Alaska is an ideal spot for families, fishermen, and aspiring marine biologists. There are few roads leading out of Juneau, so an outgoing Cessna is your access pass. Your likely fellow passengers: a bearded commercial fisherman wearing a Deadliest Catch cap, an expedition kayaker, or a thrill-seeking retiree looking to ditch the “newlyweds, overfeds, and almost-deads” on the cruise ships.

Outfitted: , an 84-foot sweetheart of a yacht, ranks high in the most-luxurious-way-to-see-Alaska category. With in-suite showers, an aft cockpit with a teak dining table, a top sundeck, and a swim and fishing platform, there’s not a chance you’ll get claustrophobic. Weather depending, Captain Michael Mills recommends one of eight weeklong routes between Juneau and Sitka, all of which allow you to kayak, get close to bears and marine life, watch glaciers calve, and catch your own dinner when the fishing’s good ($10,000 per two-person cabin, all-inclusive).

DIY: For a self-guided Alaskan initiation, paddle . Rent a kayak from park concessionaire , then launch from the beach in front of Glacier Bay Lodge for a 55-plus-mile paddle up the bay to the Carroll, Rendu, Margerie, or Johns Hopkins glaciers ($45 per day). Or get among the ice and wildlife鈥攂ears, coyotes, wolves, sea lions, porpoises, humpback whales, and myriad fish and bird species鈥攂y hopping aboard ‘s high-speed catamaran, which will transport you and your kayak to a designated drop-off site, then pick you up a week or so later at another designated site across the bay ($115.50 each way). For your final night in the park, save enough cash to splurge on a room with a hot shower and a view, followed by a feast of the freshest salmon you’ll ever eat, at (doubles from $199).

Wild Card: Surfing in Alaska? Nominally sane surfers head to Yakutat. Within 15 minutes of stepping off Alaska Airlines Flight 61 from Seattle, you’ll be trolling the coastline for the perfect break. May, June, and September are the best months to find rideable waves, but be prepared for water temps in the upper forties. Jack Endicott, at , rents boards ($20 for fiberglass; $30 for a stand-up paddleboard).

Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks

The Sell: Safari northern style
Ask an Alaskan what the most underrated national park in the state is and he’ll likely answer Lake Clark, just an hour’s flight west of Anchorage. The four-million-acre park’s active volcanoes, abundant salmon, healthy brown bear population, and frothing rivers and waterfalls make it the perfect spot for folks who want to hunker down in a lodge to fish or just plain gawk at the mind-blowing scenery. Tack on an hourlong flight from Anchorage to KatmaiNational Park, home to over 1,000 brown bears (one of the world’s largest protected populations), and your eyes will be popping out of their sockets.

Outfitted: Called the “Cadillac of bear trips,” ‘ Alaska-centric trip is the voyage of choice for BBC, Discovery Channel, and Imax cameramen who want four days of intense bear interaction. From mid-June to late August, guests fly from Kodiak to the Shelikof Strait to board a converted tugboat equipped with simple bunk rooms. You’ll cruise 50 to 60 miles along the Katmai coast for an average of 20 bear sightings per day. This trip isn’t for the fainthearted; you’ll land on the beach and get alarmingly close to the big guys ($3,750, flight from Kodiak included).

DIY: Lake Clark National Park’s is a surprisingly easy way to immerse yourself in wildest Alaska for a weekend. An hourlong flight from Anchorage’s Lake Hood drops you at the lodge, on nine-mile-long Crescent Lake, which sits at the base of active, 10,197-foot Redoubt Volcano. Spend your days casting for silver or sockeye salmon, staring down a 600-pound brown bear, or enjoying a glass of wine from a hot tub that overlooks the lake. As appealing as the surroundings: chef and co-manager Heather Richards’s cooking, guide Andrew Sells’s encyclopedic knowledge of fishing, and your own cozy cabin ($1,245 for one-night stay, $1,845 for two, including round-trip bush flight with Rust’s Flying Service and food).

Wild Card: Twitchers go nuts for ‘ eight-day Adak Trip, in the Aleutian Islands, the volcanic arm that extends west into the Bering Sea from Katmai National Park. The reason: You’re technically in North America, but can still tick numerous vagrants from Asia that blow off-course鈥攍ike the whooper swan, the falcated duck, and the black-tailed godwit鈥攐ff your life list. Your unconventional digs: converted condos on a decommissioned World War II military base ($4,400).

Anchorage

The Sell: Easy-access wilderness
There’s a reason the phrase “I [heart] the Chugach National Forest” adorns the bumpers of so many cars in Anchorage. With this 5.4-million-acre playground (the least-roaded national forest in the nation) in their backyard, trophy king salmon fishing on the Kenai Peninsula’s Russian River, just a few hours south (watch out; it’s a zoo in July), and some of the best skiing on the planet just a 35-minute heli-flight away, the 60 percent of Alaskans who live in this “urban” area are happy to leave the rest of the state to the bears.

Outfitted: have been making ski-porn fantasies come true for 17 years. The season is short鈥攍ate February through early May鈥攂ut if you’re an advanced-to-expert skier and want to ski like the pros, this trip’s for you. Guests are guaranteed 30 heli-accessed runs in the heart of the Chugach Mountains, each one averaging 4,000 feet of vertical. All of this is just a 35-minute flight or a five-hour drive from Anchorage. At $7,640, it’s not cheap, but the price tag includes seven nights at the waterfront Valdez Harbor Inn, breakfast, lunch, a four-to-one client-to-guide ratio, and avalanche safety gear. There are three-day trips for $3,310.

DIY: Hop on the Alaska Railroad’s brand-new, low-emission, diesel-propelled rail car in downtown Anchorage and ride the train a few hours south along the Turnagain Arm to a new hike-in campground, with a close-up view of Spencer Glacier. Paddle a native-style dugout canoe out to the calving ice or take a whitewater raft ride down the Placer River with ($202, train tickets and picnic lunch included). Back in town, crash at the (doubles from $119).

Wild Card: In July and August, close to 50,000 salmon sharks swarm to Prince William Sound, near Valdez, in search of kings, silvers, and pinks. Seven to eleven feet long, weighing up to 400 pounds, and with the ability to swim up to 50 miles per hour, the salmon shark is in the same family as the great white, fights like a marlin, and tastes like swordfish. Go catch one with , whose $600 daily rate includes lodging at the only B&B in Valdez, meals, and your guide.

The Brooks Range

The Sell: Unmitigated solitude. And caribou.
If you haven’t read John McPhee’s , go get it. McPhee captures the remarkable remoteness of this pristine region, one of the least-visited places in the state, where massive caribou herds roam, six Wild and Scenic rivers flow, and there are no trails or roads. It’s a place where you’re likely to see a wolf stalking a line of caribou ten miles long. At the heart of this eight-million-acre protected area is Gates of the Arctic National Park, one of the crown jewels of the NPS system, perfect for river trips and backpacking. It’s so out there that it can be difficult to navigate on your own, so we recommend plugging into one of the following expert outfitters.

Outfitted: In August, spends ten days trying to catch up with the 400,000-strong Western Arctic caribou herd on the Nigu River. You may not see a half-million caribou at once, but there’s almost always a steady flow of between ten and 100 animals feeding on the willows along the river or roaming the hills, nose to butt. Riddled with Eskimo ruins dating back thousands of years, the Class II鈥損lus Nigu starts in Gates of the Arctic, then leaves the park and flows through glacial moraines. The gravelly ridges are ideal for all-day hikes into the Arctic landscape. At the end of the day, you’ll enjoy a good glass of boxed wine with chili and homemade cornbread鈥攁 warming antidote to the massive terrain ($4,400, including internal air from Fairbanks).

Outfitted: Photographers who want to skip the float and focus on the caribou herds and blazing fall tundra should plan on ‘ Fall Caribou Basecamp trip, August 24鈥�30. You’ll set up camp at a high lake in the Endicott Mountains, in the northwest corner of the park, then fan out along the tundra to watch the caribou (and likely grizzlies, black bears, and wolves) stream by as the Northern Lights eventually flare up the Indian summer sky. The trip is as out there as it gets, but you’re in good hands: Owner Jim Campbell and his partner, Carol Kasza, have been guiding here for more than 30 years ($3,575, including internal air from Fairbanks).

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Sell: Inupiat culture and wildlife
An increasingly threatened 19.2 million acres of solitude covering seven ecological zones, this region spans 250 miles north to south, entirely above the Arctic Circle. Pro-oil interests are always itching to drill the estimated 5.7 to 16 billion barrels of oil here. Yes, that’s a lot of crude, but this largest roadless refuge in the U.S. is also a haven for the centuries-old Inupiat culture, grizzlies, polar bears, moose, musk oxen, and caribou. With just one Inupiat village, 125 miles of Arctic Ocean coastline, and the remaining refuge one big wide-open space for large beasts to roam, there are plenty of ways to get into the wild here鈥攕o long as you have access to a plane and are comfortable navigating rivers by canoe and trail-less tundra on foot.

Outfitted: Think African-style river safari through frozen tundra. ‘s ANWR trip takes you up and over the jagged 9,000-plus-foot Brooks Range to the treeless North Slope, where you’ll start a ten-day journey toward the Arctic Ocean via the silty Canning River, one of the most remote river systems in North America. In the dead heat of an Alaskan summer (which means T-shirt and shorts during the day and 24 hours of daylight), you’ll watch the thousands-strong Porcupine caribou herd migrate across the water, while ospreys and other predator birds circle above. You’ll likely see a few musk oxen, grizzlies, and moose, too, but the line of sight is so endless, there’s no need for fear. The A&K guides won’t have linen tablecloths, but you will have bacon-filled omelets for breakfast and fine wines with dinner. Still hungry? Get your fly rod out and fish for grayling, trout, and arctic char ($7,000, including round-trip flight to Arctic Village from Fairbanks).

DIY: For a sweeping overview of this solitary, wide-open space, start your backpacking trip at Spring Creek, a tributary of the Junjik River on the southern flank of the Brooks Range, then trek on caribou trails over the Continental Divide on Carter Pass to the Marsh Fork of the Canning River, on the north side of the Brooks Range. You’ll ford snowy creekbeds and camp in sites with 50-mile views, which will likely include a lot of caribou, moose, and grizzlies. Dirk Nickisch and Danielle Tirrell, owners of , will help you fine-tune your plans and fly you from Coldfoot to the dropoff in their DeHavilland Beaver, which fits five people with backpacking gear. They’ll pick you up five days later ($3,788 round-trip). In Coldfoot, camp at the , five miles north of town ($9).

Wild Card: Travel out of time and fully immerse yourself in a subsistence wayof life with ‘ overnight polar-bear-viewing trip to Kaktovik. The only village in ANWR, 260 miles above the Arctic Circle, Kakto颅vik is the ultimate spot to view how the Inupiat and polar bears have relied on whale for thousands of years ($2,299).

Pack Heavy

The four topics Alaskans are most tired of discussing? ANWR, Sarah Palin, Christopher McCandless, and Timothy Treadwell. You’d be wise to avoid them. You’d also be wise to pack these essentials:Five more pairs of socks than you think you need, because most of the time your feet will be damp, wet, or drenched. We like ‘s PhD Outdoor Medium Crew ($22).Alaskans wear rubber boots. Pick up a pair of 100 percent waterproof, insulated, plain-toe rubber XTRA TUF boots ($98). Buy an additional pair of felt liners.If you’re heading deep into the backcountry, rent an Iridium Satellite Phone for $50 per week through .听听($6) covers every critter you’ll find.Four nine-ounce, 15 percent deet spray bottles per person. Like everything in Alaska, mosquitoes are outsize.Even if you don’t mean for your gear to get wet, it will. ‘ SealLine Black Canyon drybags are watertight, extra-tough, and PVC-free. Available in five-to-55-liter sizes ($20 to $55).If you still haven’t found your Alaska trip, visit . The former concierge can custom-fit any trip down to the species of fish you want to catch.

Stories of the North

Tales of Alaskan adventure.

The High Way
There is more to a bush flight than a glimpse of granite and glacier. It’s the company. The best pilots won’t just shock you with yaw and sway you with pitch; they’ll also weave you a story of aviators, explorers, wilderness, and geology. I started flying onto Denali in 1986. By ’88 I was guiding on the mountain and was catching rides out of Talkeetna with a living legend. Cliff Hudson, who’d gone into the business in 1946, was the quintessential Alaskan bush pilot, and I felt fortunate to see him at work. My luck continued as I formed a friendship with his son, Jay, who took over chief pilot duties at Hudson Air Service. In December, Jay died at age 52 from cancer. He and I had spent 20 years building genuine respect for one another. My preference has always been to go at the very end of the normal climbing season, in July. But by then, most Talkeetna pilots have switched to freshly showered tourists who don’t require landings on skis uphill in the snow. I figured Jay would quit climbers altogether at some point, but he said that such awkward flights鈥攂e they for climbers, fishermen, or folks in the bush needing their mail鈥攚ere the guts of his family business and always would be. Some years, I’d conspire to get that last flight off the mountain all by myself with Jay. I wouldn’t require a big tour on the trip back, and he wouldn’t require a blow-by-blow of the three-week climb. Sure, I’d ask him what it had been like controlling a plane at age eight or getting his pilot’s license at 16. And I’d nibble politely about how he could live so far from everything. But often I’d just shut up and enjoy the company, the amazing Alaskan summer sun, and the world spinning oh-so smoothly beneath Jay Hudson’s trusty Cessna 206 Turbo.

鈥�Dave Hahn听

Kings of All That
Fishermen are a foolhardy bunch鈥攏owhere more so than in Alaska. With good reason: Alaska is the piscatory promised land. Piggish rainbows, overeager grayling, freight-train-like salmon鈥攖hey’re all here. And they’re all equally fun to catch. That is, of course, with one exception: king salmon. In Alaska, kings are king, and landing one on a fly, possible in only a few places, is the pinnacle of sport. Last June, at Deneki Outdoors’ Alaska West tent camp ($4,900 per person, includes lodging, food, and guided fishing;http:// ), a remote fly-in camp on the banks of the Kanektok River, in western Alaska, the kings were running, and so was I. In three days, I hooked two but landed neither. Another fisherman in camp, an 85-year-old named John, had been trying to catch a king for 12 straight days, coming within an arm’s length of success. In the course of his pursuit, John’s face had become sunburnt, and by the 12th day, when he announced he’d had enough, his skin was peeling like a snake’s. But the next morning, John got up, lathered himself in sunscreen, and hit the water again. He hooked two kings…and landed both. After returning home, he planned a four-week trip for the following summer.

鈥�Ryan Krogh听听

Travel Advisory
Little-known fact: Along with grizzlies and moose, Alaska’s wilderness teems with another highly specialized charismatic megafauna: Polaris romanticus, more commonly known as the Alaska Romeo. An exquisitely adapted bipedal mammal, Romeos survive by latching on to lower-48ers for a single summer at a time, sustaining themselves on wide-eyed dreams of wilderness living. In our small town, for instance, there’s one storied female Romeo whose cabin was built entirely by lower-48ers: First she hooked up with a visiting carpenter, then an electrician, and so forth. Then there’s the Romeo whose annual hookups comprise his fishing crew. A sure sign of summer: the sight of his boat headed out with a freshly minted girlfriend (or, some years, two) perched on the bow. It’s possible for visitors to safely interact with P. romanticus, provided they use common sense and follow a few simple rules.

What to look for: Sun-bleached, wind-whipped hair, horizon-gazing eyes, rosy complexion, ripped Carhartts. Other identifying marks: a devil-may-care smile, a mid-1980s Subaru. Habitat: Fishing boats, saunas, and cabins in need of constant upkeep (often provided by willing lower-48ers). Both males and females reach peak maturity in their mid-forties; a few have even stayed active into their sixties. They gravitate to vague, seasonal jobs such as “fish counter” or “volunteer fireman.”

What to do: Be aware that late-summer evenings are P. romanticus’s prime hunting time. Twenty daily hours of sunlight frequently leaves lower-48ers dazed, blissful, and vulnerable. Avoid displaying bright, shiny objects, like rental cars, credit cards, and hotel-room keys. Also avoid demonstrating potentially useful skills, like wood splitting or clam digging. If a Romeo should display over颅aggressive behavior, it’s recommended to employ either pepper spray or a sentence beginning with the phrase “When we’re married…” Both work equally well.

鈥�Daniel Coyle

The post Go Big or Go Home: Epic Alaskan 国产吃瓜黑料s appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Every year, we evaluate hundreds of wanderlust-inducing trips to produce a guide to the world’s greatest adventures. This time around, we solicited the aid of a new contributor: you. (The democratic spirit is strong right now.) By the hundreds, you told us where you’re planning to go and what matters most to you on any trip. You also made two things clear: (1) You have zero plans to stop exploring, recession be damned, but (2) that doesn’t mean you’d object to saving some cash. Fair enough鈥攖urn the page and you’ll find Trips of the Year that maximize value, plus dozens of strategies for the wallet-conscious nomad.

United States

IDAHO, OREGON & NEVADA


TRIP OF THE YEAR: NORTH AMERICA



Paddle the Upper Owyhee
7 DAYS, $1,890
A good measure of the quality of a float trip is the difficulty in getting there. By those standards, it’s hard to beat River Odysseys West’s new expedition-style journey to the Class II Upper Owyhee. “The road’s crummy, there aren’t any shuttle services, and the portages are a bitch,” says ROW founder Peter Grubb. “But I’ve never been up there and seen another party.” From the Nevada put-in, on either the South or the East fork of the Owyhee (the East is the more striking canyon by far), each guest paddles his own inflatable kayak 50 miles through a basalt gorge to the confluence with the main Owyhee. (A 12-foot raft totes gear.) From there it’s another 30 miles to the take-out at Three Forks, in Oregon. The route goes through bighorn sheep country and passes abandoned stone pioneers’ cabins. Day four is reserved for two tough portages, but hard work makes Dutch-oven brownies taste better. Bonus: ROW’s new trip comes just in time for new federal legislation that, if passed, will add the desert canyon to the national Wild & Scenic Rivers registry, and protect an additional 570,000 acres of the area. Four departures in June and July; .

CALIFORNIA

Float the Tuolumne and Hike Yosemite
5 DAYS, $1,900
This new, amphibious itinerary from rafting specialists OARS starts fast and ends slow. First up: an 18-mile paddle through Class IV rapids on the Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River, Central California’s roiliest. From the take-out at Wards Ferry Bridge, it’s a 50-minute drive to the bar-equipped Evergreen Lodge, on the western edge of Yosemite National Park. The next four days are spent “glamping” on air mattresses on the lodge’s property and trekking to Yosemite classics like 8,842-foot Half Dome and wildflower-studded Tuolumne Meadows. Five trips between May and August; . CASH TIP: Ask if there are any openings—or last-minute discounts—on the May trip, when the Tuolumne runs fastest.

WASHINGTON


KILLER VALUE



Ride the Lewis River

5 DAYS, $1,200
Local mountain bikers have been riding southern Washington’s lush Gifford Pinchot National Forest since the mid-eighties. But it wasn’t until 2007 that the Forest Service opened this 2,138-square-mile forest—home to more than 700 miles of singletrack—to commercial trips. The first outfitter to take advantage: Moab, Utah–based cycling specialists Western Spirit, which debuted this five-day tour last July. The 100-mile haul starts near Mount Adams and traces a series of three subalpine lakes. “The old-growth cedars we ride through make the perfect canopy, keeping the trail surface tacky,” says Western Spirit owner Mark Sevenoff. Other highlights include postcard views of the Lewis River’s descent from the Cascades; nights spent camping and mauling grilled salmon (guides cook while you sip local beer); a trip-capping ride off the flanks of Mount St. Helens; and a price so low you’ll want to book a second date. Eight trips in July and August; .

ALASKA

Explore ANWR

10 DAYS, $10,000
If any splurge is called for this year, it’s this journey into America’s still untapped, northernmost reaches from luxury outfitter Abercrombie & Kent. The trip starts in Fairbanks, from which bush planes fly eight guests to the North Slope of the Brooks Range. Too-lo贸-uk River Guides will paddle you on 14-foot rafts through 50 miles of the Marsh Fork of the Canning, a mostly lazy river that meanders through green valleys in the shadow of white peaks toward the Arctic Ocean. “You’ve got 5,000-foot peaks right off the river, treeless tundra, open hills and ridges,” says lead guide Juliette Boselli. Bring your waterproof hikers for day trips along the way, and carbo-load each night on fresh-baked breads in the dome-tented camp. Scramble up a small peak and you’ll spot Dall sheep, musk ox, eagles, and falcons. End the trip where the Canning meets the Beaufort Sea and fly out over the famous Porcupine caribou herds. Top of the world, Ma. Four departures between June and August; .

BERING STRAIT

Paddle to Wrangel

13 DAYS, FROM $5,500
See how close Alaska and Russia really are on Aurora Expeditions’ new trip from Nome, Alaska, across the Bering Sea, and along the Chukotka Peninsula, at Siberia’s northeastern tip. Your base is the 100-passenger Marina Svetaeva, but Aurora’s guides offer daylong sea-kayaking options along Chukotka’s rugged coast, where sea otters and harp seals play. And pending icepack levels in the Arctic Ocean, Aurora plans to explore Wrangel Island, home to hundreds of polar bears. “We hope to get the sea kayaks in the water around Wrangel and hike onshore,” says owner Greg Mortimer. August 6–18; .

ALASKA

Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge
Comprising 16 cabins and a dining building, Alaska Wildland 国产吃瓜黑料s’ Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge is the only hotel within the boundaries of 700,000-acre Kenai Fjords National Park. Fresh-caught salmon in the restaurant is nice, but the draw is thesetting: The lodge, which opens in July, sits on a pebble beach in 1,700-acre Pedersen Lagoon Wildlife Sanctuary. And because Glacier is accessible only by boat, your stay comes with a cruise through humpback whale migratory waters. Doubles, $425, three-night minimum; .

Canada

CANADA


TRIP OF THE YEAR: ARCTIC



Paddle Hudson Bay

8 DAYS, $3,500
The locals in Hudson Bay aren’t used to human visitors. “In 2007, a client was minding her business in her kayak when a 30-pound baby beluga whale jumped in her lap,” says Wally Daudrich, owner of Manitoba’s Lazy Bear Lodge, which will host paddlers on this Explorers’ Corner expedition. The trip starts with a floatplane ride from Churchill to the South Knife River. From there, paddle a sea kayak alongside Explorers’ Corner founder Olaf Malver for three days, sifting through mild whitewater chutes to the mouth of Hudson Bay. You’ll know you’ve arrived when belugas start nuzzling the boat. The next five days are spent here, paddling with the whales and eating caribou steak at the Lazy Bear. Departures in July and August; . CASH TIP: Ask about the August trip, when the price falls $500 thanks to lower local airfares.

MONTANA & ALBERTA

Bike Glacier and the Canadian Rockies

9 DAYS, FROM $3,700
Four national parks, two countries, endless high-alpine relief, and a menagerie of outsize wildlife. That’s what you’ll encounter on Backroads’ new 480-mile cycling trip, from West Glacier, Montana, to Jasper, Alberta. Twenty or so guests will spend nights in digs like Glacier National Park’s Many Glacier Hotel—rustic western luxury at its finest. But it’s the riding that shines. The trip starts on Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile asphalt snake charting an improbable course through the heart of Glacier National Park. With its expansive vistas, Going-to-the-Sun is a worthy bucket-list item for most cyclists, but on this trip the road is just the beginning. After crossing Glacier, guests pedal between 40 and 60 miles per day through Waterton Lakes, Jasper, and Banff national parks, while a support van totes gear. On the way, riders trace the Continental Divide and coast along the 143-mile Icefields Parkway, where three major river systems—and lots of elk and grizzlies—meet. Four trips between July and September; . CASH TIP: Go with a partner and you’ll save the $890 additional fee Backroads charges single riders.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Nelsen Lodge

In ten years, Revelstoke Mountain Resort will be the world’s best ski destination. The place opened in December 2007 with one gondola and a quad accessing 1,500 acres. The master plan calls for 20 lifts, 10,000 acres, and 6,000 vertical feet—the most in North America. But there’s no need to wait. The month-old, modern Nelsen Lodge is just 60 feet from the gondola and offers post-slope relief in the form of a massive outdoor hot tub. Bonus: Glass walls offer views of the Selkirk and Monashee ranges. Thanks to an opening special that lasts through May, doubles start at $200; .

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Black Rock Resort

This three-month-old, 133-suite lodge rests on a rock promontory jutting over Barkley Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The location makes it prime real estate for three things: surfing Long Beach in summer (board rentals, Ucluelet’s Inner Rhythm Surf Co., 877-393-7873); curling up by the fire to watch the jaw-dropping storms that roll through in winter; and hiking into temperate rainforest on the eight-mile Wild Pacific Trail in any season. Doubles from $175; .

Central America

BELIZE

KILLER VALUE


Kayak Lodge to Lodge

6 DAYS, $1,590
Some 450 sun-bleached cays dot Belize’s 180-mile-long barrier reef. The best way to explore them? Take this new, lodge-to-lodge sea-kayak trip with Belize City–based Island Expeditions. The six-day journey is divided between traveling with the currents over coral structures teeming with marine life and unwinding at three rustic lodges鈥�(think seaside cabanas and conch-fritter dinners). Expect to cover up to six miles of turquoise per day in IE’s unique, mast-and-sail-equipped sea kayaks. “There’s nothing like sailing your kayak at six knots, two feet above the reef flats,” says owner Tim Boys. Trips depart weekly from November to April; . CASH TIP: Book late—IE offers $100 discounts on unfilled trips within a month of departure.

PANAMA
Surf the Gulf of Chiriqu铆

6-DAY CHARTER, $2,500 PER PERSON
Don’t want to take out a second mortgage to reach Indonesia’s Mentawais? There’s a better way to plan your dream surf trip. In 2006, Panama-based Lost Coast Excursions started plying the Gulf of Chiriqu铆, on that country’s Pacific coast, in its 100-foot motor yacht, the Explorer. What the outfitter found was a Pacific paradise with dozens of empty reef and beach breaks. The Explorer accommodates up to 16 guests in shared rooms—bring ten or so buddies and you’ve got a blue-water epic, complete with surf guides, for less than the cost of a week in Aspen. Start recruiting now for next spring, when southern swells wrap up the coastline. Guests take a shuttle from Panama City to Puerto Mutis, board the Explorer, and hit the water before lunch. Charters available between December and August; .

South America

GUYANA

TRIP OF THE YEAR: SOUTH AMERICA


Trek the Big Empty

10 DAYS, $4,600
Guyana has the land mass of Idaho, a population of 770,000, and exactly one road passing through its rainforest-rich interior. Which is to say, the place is wild. This year, high-end operator Geographic Expeditions leads an exploratory trekking trip in the country. After landing in the capital, Georgetown, guests are whisked into the jungle. First stop: 741-foot Kaieteur Falls, one of the largest single-drop waterfalls in the world. “There are no signs, no handrails, and no people,” says Michael McCrystal, GeoEx’s associate director of operations, who scouted the trip last year. Guests then hop between lodges via bush plane and canoe. (One lodge, the Karanambu Ranch, houses a small clan of rescued giant river otters, in addition to visitors.) Local guides lead the way on four-hour jungle hikes and harpy-eagle-nest-finding missions, but, accordingto McCrystal, “if you want to take the machete and bust into the jungle, we can arrange that.” Year-round; .

CHILE

KILLER VALUE


Torres Trek
7 DAYS, $2,280
Situated on the east side of Torres del Paine National Park, 国产吃瓜黑料 Life’s new EcoCamp—a series of wind-powered, fireplace-equipped domes—is your launchpad for four days of guided treks. Highlight: an 11-mile round-trip to the glacial lagoon at the base of the granite towers of Los Torres. Bonus highlight: Colchagua Valley cabernet back at the dining dome. Trips leave between October and April; .

PERU
City on a Hill

9 DAYS, $4,000
Haute outfitter Austin-Lehman ups the ante on the classic Peruvian adventure by turning Machu Picchu into a starting block. After hiking seven miles of the Inca Trail and entering the big city via the Intipunku, or “Sun Gate,” you get the rest of the day to explore the ruins. Then it’s off to the Tinajani Canyon for two days of mountain biking through 100-foot rock spires. The trip wraps up on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where your sea kayak awaits. After a day of paddling to stark Taquile Island, you’ll be ready to crash at the Sonesta Posadas del Inca Hotel, in Puno. Four departures between April and October; .

BOLIVIA
Andes to Amazon

12 OR 19 DAYS, $2,750 OR $4,600
Most Mountain Madness itineraries assume clients have high-altitude expertise. Not this one—though there’s serious peak bagging to be done if that’s your thing. The trip starts in the upper reaches of the Andes, where you’ll hike through 50 miles of high mountain passes and decide as a group whether or not to scale 18,600-foot Cuchillo 2. Next up: three days and 10,000 feet of jeep-supported mountain-bike descent to the Amazon basin. After dismounting, guests hop into three-man rafts and Huck Finn it through untamed Madidi National Park on the Class II Beni River. Keep your eyes peeled for giant river otters. June 10–21 or 10–28; .

New Zealand and Australia

Milford Sound, New Zealand

Milford Sound

DEAL OF THE YEAR

That New Zealand is the place you fantasize about most is no surprise. But here’s what is: This is the year to stop drooling and go. With a historically favorable exchange rate (at press time, one U.S. dollar equaled just under two New Zealand bucks) and round-trip flights available for around $800, adventure in Middle Earth is suddenly on sale.

FOR TROUT LOVERS

TRIP OF THE YEAR: NEW ZEALAND


Heli-Fishing Heaven

11 DAYS, $4,475
A year ago, this trip would have cost about $2,000 more. With New Zealand’s top guides, you and your partners ride a chopper from Auckland to the private Poronui Ranch, a safari-style camp on the North Island, 16 miles away from the nearest road. Catch your fill of piggish trout on the Mohaka River, then fly to the South Island, where you’ll set up shop at a hut in the Minaret Peaks. Spend your days choppering between alpine streams where the water is vodka-clear and the browns are football-size. Trips run between October and March; . CASH TIP: Four-day heli-fishing trips cost $2,680.

FOR MULTISPORT GLUTTONS
Do It All

8 DAYS, $2,300
“This is a really punchy trip,” says Andrew Fairfax, owner of Active New Zealand. “Punchy” is a Kiwi-ism for packing your days with adrenaline. To wit: On this whirlwind, called Tui Multisport, guests hike the Franz Josef Glacier, a World Heritage site; cycle Hollyford Valley; sea-kayak Milford Sound; and take a scenic flight to the Siberia Hut, one of the South Island’s many isolated mountain lodges. Departures between October and April; .

FOR HARD RIDERS
South Island Singletrack

14 DAYS, $2,200
If the thought of riding the South Island tip to tail on century-old logging roads makes your heart pound, add this: You’ll take a helicopter ride over the Roaring Meg River, get dropped in the Pisa Range, and descend 20 miles through high country overlooking the Southern Alps. Sacred Rides’ new South Pacific Singletrack trip has everything: steep canyon descents, mountain traverses, and undulating cross-country pedaling. On a rest day, don crampons and pick your way through eight-mile-long Fox Glacier. End the day sipping local Monteith’s ale at a bed-and-breakfast. Departures in December, February and March; .

DON’T FORGET ABOUT AUSTRALIA
Trek the Larapinta Trail
11 DAYS, $6,500
“Everybody thinks there’s not much out there,” says James Fuss, the Aussie guide who cooked up this new trip for Wilderness Travel. “But the Larapinta is one of the best desert treks in the world.” Fuss selected the most scenic sections of the historic 139-mile Lara颅pinta Trail, in the Northern Territory, and condensed them. Guests follow the West MacDonnell Ranges, just as Aboriginal red ocher traders have done for thousands of years; gape at the massive night sky from luxurious bush camps; and eventually wind up at iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock). May 25–June 4; . CASH TIP: Book now, with the U.S. dollar strong, and WT will lock in a discount that could reach up to $600.

Asia

BOTSWANA, NAMIBIA & ZAMBIA

Safari for Less

8 DAYS, FROM $3,850

Want to save on a safari? Go in the off-season. On Wilderness Safaris’ new Summer Spectacular trip, guests visit iconic sites like Victoria Falls and Botswana’s Okavango Delta while staying in camps where plunge pools come standard. But the draw is your first stop, the Kalahari Desert. In the wet summer, from November to April, areas like Deception Valley teem with herds of springbok, which come to drink standing water. Lions and cheetahs aren’t far behind. Trips leave between December and April; .

The post Go Farther, Spend Less appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Neil Darish was up on the roof shoveling a heavy snow off his McCarthy Lodge when he saw the two well-worn pickups coming down the road. It was a frigid January afternoon in 2002, a time of year when even a single unfamiliar vehicle is a strange sight in McCarthy; almost nobody visits in wintertime, when the 60-mile dirt route to town becomes a continuous, treacherous sheet of ice and the sun rises above the Wrangell Mountains for only a few hours each day.

But there they were: two trucks, drifting slowly up the road. As the vehicles drew closer, Darish noticed people riding in the open beds, huddled against the 20-below-zero air. 鈥榃ho the hell rides in the back of a pickup in the dead of the Alaskan winter?鈥櫶齢e thought as the trucks pulled to a stop in front of the lodge and one of the hunched figures, a young man, sprang out.

鈥淧apa! Papa!鈥澨鼶arish heard him shout. 鈥淭his is what we thought Fairbanks was gonna be like!鈥�

The others poured out after him: ten or so young men and women, ranging from their teens to late twenties, all clad in rough flannel shirts or flowing homespun dresses, many wearing buckskin holsters carrying Bibles.

They called the one driving the first truck Papa. He was older, but his weathered brow made it difficult to tell exactly how old; he seemed tired and world-weary, and had piercing blue eyes, a long white beard, and long white hair spilling from beneath a wide-brimmed hat. When Darish climbed down from the roof to invite the strangers into his lodge鈥檚 dining room, the man introduced himself as Pilgrim. He said that he and his children had come to McCarthy looking for a new home.

The potential addition of so many new residents was big news for a town of 50 that doesn鈥檛 often get big news. A seven-hour drive east from Anchorage, McCarthy lies smack in the middle of America's largest wilderness area, 13-million-acre Wrangell St. Elias National Park. It鈥檚 the kind of place where the homeschool curriculum still includes trapping and tanning, and where opinions on a subject like religion are shaped by the kind of gratitude toward a creator that one feels after recently miraculously escaping from the jaws of a grizzly bear. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area was home to nearly a thousand people and one of the largest copper operations in the world, the McCarthy-Kennecott mine. But after the mine鈥檚 Depression-era closure, the town languished until 1980, when the creation of Wrangell St. Elias transformed McCarthy into a minor tourist destination. Today it鈥檚 about as far away from civilization as one can get by road in North America.

Papa Pilgrim explained that, after a few decades of living off the land and by the Lord in New Mexico鈥檚 Sangre de Cristo Mountains, his family had come to Alaska to re-create their pious frontier life. They鈥檇 lived in Fairbanks and Homer, he said, only to find both too overrun with the sins and vices of ordinary America. But remote and empty McCarthy鈥攏ow, this was the spot they鈥檇 been looking for. Why, they liked it so much that Pilgrim's wife, Country Rose, and the rest of their children would certainly join them.

As a gesture of goodwill, Pilgrim sent his children back out to the trucks for their instruments鈥攆iddles, guitars, a mandolin鈥攁nd soon the sounds of an impromptu bluegrass concert filled the mountain air. Darish made a few phone calls, and about a dozen McCarthyites showed up on snowmobiles to meet the new arrivals. The whole display was a little odd, but those kids sure could play.

Most of the residents in attendance that night were taken with the beautiful family, their musical talents, and their reverent, godly manner. No one seemed to notice that the kids didn鈥檛 make eye contact with strangers or that they spoke only when their father asked them to. No one had any inkling that Papa Pilgrim wasn't exactly who he said he was or that he was even remotely capable of the heinous deeds his family would later accuse him of. Almost no one, that is.

鈥淚t was a fun night,鈥澨齬emembers Darish, 鈥渂ut my partner Doug well, he thought all along, from that very first night, that Papa Pilgrim seemed like an obvious con man.鈥�

Alaska has always been a famous last redoubt for seekers, dreamers, hustlers, and ne鈥檈r-do-wells, and the man who appeared in McCarthy as Pilgrim certainly deserved his place among them. Born Robert Allan Hale to an affluent and well-connected Fort Worth, Texas, family in 1941, he arrived in Alaska trailing a lifelong reputation as a mystical and adaptable Svengali who had followed an improbable tour through American political and celebrity culture. His bizarre rap sheet of alleged misdeeds included the murder of his first wife, the daughter of former Texas governor John Connally; a conspiracy to blackmail President John F. Kennedy; and the rumored abduction of a woman he held captive on a New Mexico ranch belonging to the actor Jack Nicholson.

It was places like McCarthy鈥攑laces where the rules of the civilized world gave way to the freedoms of wilderness鈥攖hat Hale had always sought. He鈥檇 frequented San Francisco鈥檚 Haight-Ashbury district in the late sixties and had run in the same Los Angeles circles as Charles Manson and his Family; he鈥檇 taught transcendental meditation on an Oregon commune and had embarked on a vision quest in South America. He thrived wherever people were seeking answers and willing to listen to the ones he offered. Friends, neighbors, and family remember Hale as a master manipulator, possessed of a mesmerizing charisma.

鈥淏ob could鈥檝e done anything with my life if he wanted to,鈥澨齭ays Priscilla Wilbourn, who followed Hale鈥檚 meditation teachings in the early seventies and clearly remains transfixed by his charm. 鈥淚 swear, once I did see him levitate!鈥�

Given this history, it鈥檚 hard to believe that Hale didn鈥檛 know exactly what he was doing that first night in McCarthy when he paraded his children into Darish鈥檚 lodge: He wanted the gathered residents to trust him, to assume that his huge family鈥檚 effect on the tiny community would be benign. It had worked. By the end of the evening, Darish and his neighbors had politely encouraged Hale to buy property in the area.

A few months later, he did just that, returning to McCarthy with Country Rose and their 15 children, aged from just a few months to nearly 30, with biblical names like Jerusalem, Psalms, Lamb, and Hosanna. They bought an old mine 14 miles outside of town, up the abandoned McCarthy Green Butte Road, and christened it Hillbilly Heaven. The sale price for 420 acres and a few weather-worn cabins was $450,000, and Hale made a $30,000 down payment with cash obtained from the Alaska Permanent Fund. (The fund pays dividends to all Alaska residents with proceeds from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; some years, it amounts to more than $2,000 per person, children included.) Because the McCarthy Green Butte Road was impassable by truck, Hale arranged for horses and bush pilots to shuttle in his family and deliver supplies.

At first, the abundance of Alaska welcomed the Hales. They had 20 years鈥櫶齪ractice subsistence living in New Mexico, but here they had fish and game to supplement their chickens, sheep, and goats. The middle children helped Country Rose care for the youngest, while the older sons and daughters attended to chores: chopping wood, tending the garden, maintaining pieces of machinery鈥攖ractors, a bulldozer that had come with the property. To earn cash to help pay the mortgage, the eldest sons Joseph, 25, Joshua, 22, and David, 20, began offering McCarthy鈥檚 summertime tourists guided horseback rides up to their property. The Hales also donated their time and energy to community projects, helping rebuild a church shed that had burned in a small fire and constructing a tourist-information kiosk.

In the fall of 2002, when the family ran short on money to pay for delivering supplies, Hale used the bulldozer to clear the old road to town. The route crossed through Wrangell St. Elias National Park, and when rangers discovered Hale鈥檚 work the following spring, after the snow颅melt, they began surveying damage in preparation for a lawsuit. Rumors began swirling in the Alaska press that the Hales were armed and unpredictable and that things might go the way of . So Hale invited a television crew from an Anchorage station, to let Alaskans see the family鈥檚 God-fearing lifestyle for themselves.

What the cameras, and the newspaper reporters that followed them, found at Hillbilly Heaven was a time capsule from America鈥檚 romanticized frontier days. The TV segment, which aired in June 2003, opened with a panning shot of the Wrangell Mountains as Hale鈥檚 voice, sweet and high, intoned the chorus of a traditional bluegrass song: 鈥淚n dreams of yesterday I wandered back to my little cabin door…鈥澨齌he homestead had a telephone and a generator, but modern amenities ended there. The family never watched television or listened to the radio, and they read only two books: the Holy Bible and John Bunyan鈥檚 1678 Christian allegory, The Pilgrim鈥檚 Progress. When the children bathed in the washtub, they did so with their undergarments on, for, as Hale boasted, none of his children had ever seen a naked human body. Not even their own.

Hale came across as wise and serene, speaking in a gentle, distant voice, while Joseph and Joshua inspected Park Service survey stakes. Hale told reporters that none of his children had ever left home to marry. His eldest daughter, Elishaba, 28, explained why. 鈥淣owadays, everybody鈥檚 trying everybody else on like a new pair of blue jeans,鈥澨齭he said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 not the way we do it. My favorite thing in life is to work and serve my brothers and sisters. I don鈥檛 know how I could be any happier. I ain鈥檛 looking for anything else.鈥�

Soon, the story of the backwoods 鈥淧ilgrims鈥澨齭pread to national and international outlets鈥�, , the BBC, and CNN. And while reporters uncovered mysterious details about Hale's past, the patriarch seemed to revel in the attention. In the fall of 2003, a group in McCarthy organized a 鈥淏erlin airlift鈥�: Volunteer bush pilots flew in supplies donated by concerned citizens from across the nation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just beautiful,鈥澨鼿ale remarked to one AP reporter, describing the airlift. 鈥淸People have] poured out their hearts.鈥�

McCarthy-Green Butte Road leaves McCarthy at Neil Darish鈥檚 lodge, traveling through an evergreen forest before breaking into a clearing and descending to the gravelly banks of McCarthy Creek. From there, you have a view up the valley to the imposing 6,000-foot peaks that line the valley鈥檚 sides: Green Butte and Porphyry Mountain and Bonanza. Hillbilly Heaven lies about 12 miles farther up the road a day's hike, more than an hour by horseback, or, if you鈥檙e riding a snowmobile, as I was during the winter of 2006, about 40 minutes.

Visiting Hillbilly Heaven was something I鈥檇 planned on ever since 2003, when, during a trip to Alaska, I鈥檇 heard about the Hales on the local radio and found myself taken in by the story of their simple life. I鈥檇 begun obsessively following the local news coverage of their standoff with the Park Service, and when I got home to New York, I purchased a copy of their bluegrass album, Put My Name Down, from a website created by land-use advocates. On another site hosted by the family鈥檚 supporters in McCarthy, I scrolled through photos of their pioneer existence dinner at the homestead, band practice, even a ladies鈥� bighorn-sheep-hunting excursion.

Over the next two years, as the fight with the Park Service began crawling through state and eventually federal courts, I twice postponed visits to Hillbilly Heaven. And by the time I did make it, the popular Swiss Family Robinson image of the Hales had been revealed as a charade. In October 2005, Alaska state troopers on 30 counts of physical and sexual assault, coercion, and incest.

Hale鈥檚 arrest left me wondering how his children鈥攕eemingly brainwashed their entire lives鈥攈ad managed to break their father鈥檚 spell. That fall, I made the first of five visits to Alaska to piece together what had really gone on at Hillbilly Heaven. Over three years, I tracked down individuals who knew Hale at earlier stages of his life: relatives and in-laws from Texas, fellow hippies from the Oregon commune, neighbors from the family鈥檚 time in New Mexico. At first, Hale鈥檚 wife and children refused to talk to the media, a stand that softened as the case worked its way through the courts. I would eventually meet and become familiar with the Hales, especially Joseph, the eldest son, who offered to serve as the family鈥檚 spokesman at their father鈥檚 sentencing hearing in Anchorage in 2007. At that hearing, I explained to Joshua Hale how I鈥檇 initially been captivated by his family鈥檚 seemingly idyllic life.

鈥淭hat's what everyone says,鈥澨齢e responded. 鈥淓veryone was always so in love with what they thought we represented鈥攖he wilderness family, the communion with nature鈥攖hat they never bothered to find out about all the horrible things really going on.鈥�

When I made that January 2006 trip to Hillbilly Heaven, Country Rose and the children were living near Anchorage with another large Christian family, but John Adams, a longtime McCarthy resident and friend of the Hales, offered to show me their vacant homestead. We鈥檇 be joined by Kurt Stenehjem, an Anchorage real estate broker who鈥檇 crashed his Cessna during the 2003 airlift and ended up spending eight days as a guest of the Hales.

We set out from Adams鈥檚 house by snowmobile in near-total blackness, speeding through McCarthy and onto McCarthy-Green Butte Road. The road closely follows the course of the creek, and we crossed the frozen water 13 times, stopping at a few points along the way. After several hours, we arrived at a small rise set back from the banks, where there was a cluster of wooden structures: Hillbilly Heaven. It was around noon, but the sun was barely higher than the surrounding peaks; the long winter in those cramped cabins must鈥檝e been nearly unbearable sub-zero temperatures, almost no direct light, miles and miles of waist-deep snow to the nearest neighbor in one direction, hundreds of square miles of forbidding rock and ice in the other.

As we parked our machines, Stenehjem described his stay with Hale and the family. Each night, the patriarch had taken a bath prepared for him by his children, who hauled water to fill the tub and chopped wood to stoke the fire. The children were allowed to bathe every third or fourth night, in their father鈥檚 dirty water. At mealtime, Hale was always served first by the sturdy and headstrong Elishaba and was the only one to eat fresh vegetables. Because of the standoff with the Park Service, the mood at Hillbilly Heaven had been tense. One evening, Hale gathered the family in prayer. 鈥淟ord,鈥澨齢e said, 鈥渋f they come at us with guns, we pray that they would have a bullet for each one of us.鈥�

But what struck him most was the control Hale had over his children. 鈥淧ilgrim didn't want me to have my computer screen facing into the room for fear that they would become enraptured,鈥澨齢e said as we approached the main cabin. 鈥淗e told them to ignore me, no eye contact.鈥�

On the eighth night of Stenehjem鈥檚 stay, Hale got a gleam in his eyes. He wanted his children to play music and dance about. He told his visitor stories about his wild days in San Francisco. 鈥淧apa let his hair down. I could see the old hippie,鈥澨齬ecalled Stenehjem. The next morning, Hale demanded that Stenehjem leave. 鈥淗e seemed threatened, as if I鈥檇 seen a part of him he didn鈥檛 want me to.鈥澨鼳s Stenehjem waited for one of the airlift planes to retrieve him, he asked Hale why the sudden change of heart. 鈥淵ou and I have seen a lot in this world,鈥澨鼿ale responded curtly, 鈥渂ut my children haven鈥檛. They're pure. I don鈥檛 want them violated or corrupted.鈥�

Once we鈥檇 made our way back to town, I found that many McCar颅thyites who had strongly supported the family were reevaluating their impressions. 鈥淎ll those bumps and bruises? I just figured that they were a part of the family鈥檚 hardy frontier life,鈥澨齭aid Neil Darish. 鈥淚 feel like an idiot for not noticing sooner.鈥�

Rick and Bonnie Kenyon, co-pastors of the McCarthy-Kennicott Community Chuch, had at first been close with the Hale children, who would occasionally stop by the Kenyons鈥櫶齦og cabin for tea without their father鈥檚 supervision. But in the fall of 2004, Kenyon found himself in a disagreement with Hale over some of the family鈥檚 business practices. 鈥淚t was typical for him to avoid arguments by just leaving,鈥澨齂en颅yon told me, 鈥渂ut that time, he raised his voice and became irrational before storming off. When next we saw the younger children, they averted their eyes. The older children would call us evil to our faces.鈥澨鼳t one point, Joseph told Kenyon to rot in hell, though he later apologized.

鈥淏ob had convinced the kids that God doesn鈥檛 love everyone,鈥澨齭aid Kenyon, 鈥渁nd he was God鈥檚 mouthpiece on who deserved love.鈥�

To his wife and children, Hale was a violent and unpredictable monster, a tyrant who delighted in sadistic manifestations of his own power. And while the remoteness of the family鈥檚 homesteads in New Mexico and Alaska gave his perverse inclinations room to fester, there were signs all along that something was wrong with him.

Hale鈥檚 own father was I.B. Hale, a larger-than-life figure who, after a prolific college-football career, turned down an offer to play for the Washington Redskins and later joined the FBI. In the early 1940s he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he raised his twin sons, Robert and William, and became a fixture on the local country-club scene. I.B. Hale was a dominating man, and his sons grew up with something to prove. From his earliest years, Robert was known for his explosive temper, his capable fists, and his willingness to slug it out with anyone. 鈥淭he only way to win a fight against Bobby,鈥澨齏illiam told a college acquaintance, 鈥渨as to grab a heavy object and hit him until he blacked out. If you didn鈥檛 knock him out quickly, it was best to run.鈥�

At 17, Hale ran away with his high school sweetheart, 16-year-old Kathleen Connally, the daughter of local attorney John Connally, who would later become governor of Texas and ride with John F. Kennedy through Dallas the day the president was shot. (The governor suffered serious injuries in the shooting.) The couple eloped to Tallahassee, Florida, where Connally found out that she was pregnant. Soon, they began fighting. On the night of Monday, April 27, 1959, one argument became so heated that Connally spent the night with their apartment building鈥檚 landlady. The following morning, she went to the local police station, where, according to Palmer Newton, who was on the Tallahassee police force at the time, she asked to be sent home to Texas. But before the officers could do anything, she returned to the apartment. She was found dead there a few hours later, the back of her head blown off by a 20-gauge shotgun.

To this day, it鈥檚 not clear what happened. The morning after Connally鈥檚 death, Hale told a coroner鈥檚 jury that he鈥檇 come home to discover his wife lying on the sofa with a loaded shotgun, threatening to kill herself. He鈥檇 pleaded with her to put the gun down, but she refused, and when he lunged for the weapon it went off. The death was eventually ruled an accident, despite conflicting evidence including the fact that, according to Newton, the gun was absent any of Connally鈥檚 fingerprints.

After Connally鈥檚 death, Hale went home to Fort Worth, where he got his GED and attended Texas Christian University for a short time. He then made his way to Los Angeles, where he was spotted by the FBI breaking into the apartment of one of President Kennedy鈥檚 mistresses, Judith Campbell Exner. No one has ever confirmed exactly what Hale was doing in Exner鈥檚 apartment, but, as reported by Seymour Hersh in his 1997 book , there鈥檚 reason to suspect blackmail: Around that same time, the federal government awarded I.B. Hale鈥檚 new employer, General Dynamics, one of the largest military contract in U.S. history. (In an angry letter he sent to me earlier this year, Hale issued a rambling denial of both the break-in and any wrongdoing in Kathleen Connally鈥檚 death. He鈥檚 given similar blanket denials to reporters investigating many aspects of his life presented here.)

After L.A. came Houston, where Hale worked as a gigolo for society ladies, and then Lake Tahoe, where he spent a winter as a ski bum and served three months in jail for marijuana possession. By the mid-sixties he鈥檇 wandered back to California, where he went by the name Bob Sunstar and traveled in the same circles as Charles Manson. By the end of the decade, he鈥檇 had four children in Texas, Oregon, and California by three different women.

It was while resting near a waterfall in the San Bernardino Mountains that Hale met 16-year-old Kurina Rose Bresler, who would become Country Rose. Bresler was the runaway daughter of Hollywood actress ; according to Freeman, Hale, then 33, spirited her daughter away. 鈥淗e trapped her with sex and drugs,鈥澨齭he would tell an Anchorage Daily News reporter in 2003.

Bresler and Hale had their firstborn, Butterfly Sunstar now Eli颅shaba in 1975. And approximately every two years for the next 30, Bresler would bear Hale another child, all far from medical care. For more than two decades, the family raised sheep and goats and grew vegetables on a small parcel of a northern New Mexico ranch owned by Jack Nicholson, an arrangement worked out by Freeman with the actor鈥檚 business manager.

Throughout his wanderings, Hale had dabbled with New Age tracts such as The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, but it wasn鈥檛 until 1979, while living on Nicholson鈥檚 ranch, that he converted his family to his home-brewed Christianity. He took the name Preacher Bob and then Pilgrim and, over time, became adept at spreading his version of the Lord鈥檚 word. In the early nineties, he convinced his twin brother, William, a successful Fort Worth veterinarian, to give up his material possessions and come to New Mexico. William's wife, Patsy, remembers coming home from work before he left to discover that her clothing was missing. 鈥淏ob convinced Billy that my wardrobe was the work of the devil,鈥澨齭he says. 鈥淗e said they burned it.鈥�

The New Mexico ranch was so remote, and Hale鈥檚 rules about leaving so strict, that Country Rose and the children would sometimes go six months without interacting with anyone outside the family. Absent anything resembling normal social mores, strange things happened: The older sons would later recount an episode in which several of them, confused teenagers forced to share a single bed, experimented sexually with one another. Hale鈥檚 commandments were to be followed at all times, and when someone disobeyed, he would administer a 鈥渃orrection.鈥澨齋uch punishments could be unbelievably barbaric. When Hale found out about his sons鈥櫶齞eviance, he lashed them over a whipping barrel. Country Rose, 17 years Hale鈥檚 junior and deeply afraid of him, suffered terribly. Once, after Hale dragged her outside by her hair to administer a beating, he nailed clumps of her hair to a post as a warning. Around the time Elishaba turned 18, he started forcing her to satisfy his sexual desires.

As the years went on, neighbors began building homes closer and closer to the ranch and started taking a concerned interest in the backwoods family, especially after law-enforcement officers came looking for a woman Hale had allegedly brainwashed and convinced to run away from her husband, along with their daughter. In the late 1990s, the neighbors notified Hale that they were drafting a letter to Nicholson asking that the family be evicted from the ranch.

Alaska beckoned. It was there, Hale imagined, that he would create a holy, untainted community populated by him and his children. And from the outside, that was just what it seemed.

Ironically, Hale found it even more difficult to keep his family secluded in the Last Frontier. In part, this was because the elements were so much harsher; he needed more assistance from outsiders to keep his clan warm, healthy, and fed. But his biggest problem was money. In purchasing Hillbilly Heaven, Hale had saddled himself with substantial debt. So, beginning in 2003, he allowed Joseph, Joshua, David, and Moses to work for a hunting guide several hours north of McCarthy.

Free from their father鈥檚 control, his oldest sons began violating his prohibition against attending church with other families. At one service, they met Jim Buckingham, a born-again former U.S. Army officer from Palmer, Alaska, who introduced them to his nine children. Friendships quickly developed, and in the summer of 2004 the Hale family went to Palmer to meet the Buckinghams. The gathering, in general, was positive. But during a later, smaller gathering, Buckingham noticed bruises on Elishaba and grew suspicious. He confronted Hale about them, but Hale denied that anything was going on. Buckingham then began speaking openly, in front of Joseph and Joshua, about the right relationship between a father and his children, and not long after, Hale forbade his family from talking with the Buckinghams again, claiming they weren鈥檛 truly saved.

鈥淭hat was always the way it worked,鈥澨齁oseph told me. 鈥淛ust when we鈥檇 start getting close to another family, my dad would find something wrong with their doctrine and prevent us from seeing them again.鈥�

Meanwhile, McCarthy was slowly falling out of love with the Hales. At the beginning of the 2004 summer tourist season, Hale stationed some of his youngest children at a popular footbridge, where, dressed in ragged outfits, they sold tickets for a shuttle between McCarthy and the Kennecott mine, a service already provided by other area families. Before long, there was growing sentiment that the Hales were everywhere stealing business, grazing their horses next to the airport鈥檚 gravel runway. Worst of all, the family had set up a squatter鈥檚 camp down the street from the McCarthy Lodge to sell their tourist services, and their livestock and detritus were spilling out into the public right of way.

By September, the town was fed up. On a Saturday afternoon, Stevens Harper, a park ranger whose driveway had been partially blocked by the family鈥檚 operation, arrived with a bulldozer to remove the camp, and two dozen residents gathered to support him. Hale backed down, and later that fall, he acquired a parcel at the end of the McCarthy Road, near John Adams鈥檚 house. He erected a few small structures, but the camp lacked plumbing, electricity, and a phone, so the family frequently turned to Adams to borrow tools or make a phone call to Hillbilly Heaven.

Winter鈥檚 short daylight hours came to McCarthy, making one hazy day bleed into the next. Things were quiet until the morning of January 10, 2005, when Joseph and Joshua showed up at Adams鈥檚 door looking concerned. They said that their father was not feeling well and that they were going to head out to Hillbilly Heaven.

After they left, Adams walked over to the shed to see if everything was all right. It was silent as he approached, and when he knocked on the door, Hale invited him in. The drab, unfurnished space was dimly lit and cluttered with supplies. Elishaba was standing in one corner with her arms crossed. Hale was in the other, leaning on his cane, glowering. Adams asked if everything was all right; both muttered yes. Adams was suspicious, but didn鈥檛 feel it was his place to intervene, so he returned home.

Elishaba would later describe that what was happening was a 鈥渃orrection鈥澨齜rought about by her questioning if it was right for Hale to have sexual relations with his own daughter in an Anchorage courtroom: 鈥淵ou punched me with those trained fists,鈥澨齭he said, addressing Hale. 鈥淵ou nailed and wired the door shut so I could not get out… If I cried out, you would tear me to pieces, those were your words.鈥�

After two days of severe physical and sexual abuse, Hale escorted Elishaba back to Hillbilly Heaven, where he made her wear a ski mask to hide her wounds. By now, Jim Buckingham鈥檚 example had begun to sink in among Elishaba鈥檚 older brothers. When Elishaba showed them her bruises, they confronted Hale in front of the family, demanding that he admit to his sinful behavior, repent, and vow never to touch their sister again. Hale went berserk. He punched Joshua in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold.

Not long after, Joseph, Joshua, and three of their younger brothers slipped away in the night, escaping to the town of Glennallen, where they took shelter with the Hoffmans, a family they鈥檇 met while guiding. Elishaba and the others remained trapped partially by fear, but mostly by a conviction that betraying their father would cost them their souls.

Hale became even more violent after his sons left, and Elishaba feared that he might soon take her life. So on a frosty morning in late March 2005, after Hale left the homestead early with two of his youngest sons to gather supplies in town, she decided to make her break.

As soon as Hale departed, she hurriedly gathered food, sleeping bags, and two white sheets鈥攐ne for her and one for Jerusalem, at 16 Hale鈥檚 second-oldest daughter鈥攖hat the sisters could use to camouflage themselves in the snow. Elishaba talked with Joseph by phone, and the two made a hasty plan to meet in McCarthy, where they could then all return to Glennallen. But getting to McCarthy meant that Elishaba and Jerusalem would have to make it down the McCarthy Green Butte Road before their father began his return. They would have a few hours, but there was no way of knowing exactly how many. And once in town, they would have to hide until their brothers arrived.

Elishaba and Jerusalem said goodbye to Country Rose and their remaining brothers and sisters, then loaded a snowmobile. But when they turned the ignition, nothing happened鈥擧ale had removed the spark plug. Jerusalem ran to the toolshed and scrounged up a spare, and after a little banging around inside the engine housing, they made it about a half-mile down the road to a snowy meadow. Then the engine belt snapped. Jerusalem plodded back up the trail with the spark plug to fetch another machine, while Elishaba hunched over the engine, desperately trying to repair the belt with bailing wire and a pair of pliers.

鈥淚t was like a dream where you run for your life and nothing鈥檚 working,鈥澨齭he later told reporter , in the only interview she鈥檚 given on her escape. 鈥淲here you try to run and can鈥檛 run.鈥�

Elishaba knew her father could be starting up the road any minute, and even if she gave up and returned to the homestead, he鈥檇 notice the snowmobile in the meadow and realize she鈥檇 tried to get away. There was no turning back. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, Jeru颅salem returned on a second snowmobile, and the sisters set off again for McCarthy.

Meanwhile, in town, Hale and John Adams had spent the morning loading sleds. When they finished, Hale hitched a sled to his snowmobile and set out for the homestead with his two sons riding along. Adams, who agreed to shuttle out another load, told Hale that he had an errand to run but would catch up. Some 20 minutes later, when Adams made the turn onto McCarthy Green Butte Road, he was surprised to see two female riders speed past him in the opposite direction.

Adams caught up with Hale at the edge of the homestead, where he was debating with his sons about whether any snowmobiles were missing. Hale seemed agitated and soon mounted his own snowmobile and headed back to McCarthy alone. Adams followed a few minutes later.

鈥淚 could tell that something had gotten to him,鈥澨齬ecalls Adams. 鈥淗e鈥檚 usually careful on a snowmobile, but as I followed his tracks, I could see that he was going as fast as he could.鈥澨鼳 few times, Hale鈥檚 course veered off the trail. Footprints revealed that on several occasions, Hale had marshaled the strength to push his 500-pound machine out of deep snow.

When Adams arrived back in McCarthy, Hale was at his in-town camp. Hale mentioned something about Elishaba and Jerusalem going missing, and Adams realized the women he鈥檇 seen must have been the sisters. He鈥檇 later learn that they had pulled off the road, into the forest between Hillbilly Heaven and McCarthy, where they鈥檇 waited, concealed, until Hale passed.

Still, the escape plan was falling apart. By the time Joseph and Joshua made it to McCarthy, Hale was there, too. There鈥檇 been some confusion on the phone about the hastily arranged meeting place, and the girls, not trusting anyone to provide shelter, decided to hide in the woods outside town. Joseph and Joshua knew their sisters were somewhere nearby, but none of the children wanted another violent confrontation with their father, so the brothers returned to Glennallen to await word from them. Elishaba and Jerusalem remained in the woods for two days, wrapping themselves in the sleeping bags and white sheets while their father patrolled nearby roads and trails.

On the third day, once the sound of their father鈥檚 snowmobile engine had stopped reverberating through the forest, the girls went to Adams鈥檚 house and called their brothers in Glennallen; Joseph and Joshua picked them up that night. Six months later, after much coaching by Jim Buckingham and a few more acts of violence inflicted by Hale on the younger children, the siblings went to the police.

Hale was arrested outside Anchorage on October 6. The next day, when the arraigning judge asked Hale to state his profession, he said simply, 鈥淚 am a father.鈥�

Joseph Hale, now 31, lives outside Palmer, Alaska, with his wife, Lolly, Jim Buckingham鈥檚 second-eldest daughter, and their two young sons. Their post-and-beam home lies high up on Lazy Mountain and looks out over a rolling pasture that tumbles down to the Matanuska River, a braided glacial outflow that unfurls along a road that travels a hundred miles to Glennallen and farther still to McCarthy.

Like his other siblings, Joseph doesn鈥檛 go back to McCarthy much; the family homestead has been sold, and the children鈥檚 lives are firmly planted in the Palmer area, where the wilderness is a bit closer to the rest of the world. His mother and younger brothers and sisters live not far off, with the Buckinghams. Joshua and his wife, Sharia, also a Buckingham daughter, and Elishaba and her husband, Matthew Speckels, are just up the road.

In November 2007, I sat in an Anchorage courtroom for Hale鈥檚 sentencing hearing, watching as Country Rose and the children catalogued his abuse and deceit. For the adult children, there was self-recrimination as well born of a painful frustration that they had not intervened earlier. 鈥淚 want to ask forgiveness that I ever let the things go on that went on in our house,鈥澨齁oshua cried from the witness stand. 鈥淚 don't know what possessed me, in all my life, to deal with it and let it happen. I beat my chest and weep that this family undertook… There is so much to undo, there is so much that can鈥檛 be undone.鈥澨齌he entire Hale family sobbed along with him.

The family continues to embrace a virtuous and simple life. They go to a local church and pay their bills by working in the trades they learned while living off the grid: construction, carpentry, caring for livestock. They read the Bible and support one another in their various projects. But the children face a long recovery and many enduring challenges. They were all poorly schooled. Joshua, Joseph, and Elishaba share a strong sense of having had half their lives stolen from them. And they all have a lingering wariness about the outside world.

One chilly day this past March, I drove out from Anchorage to have dinner with Joseph and Lolly. When I arrived, Joseph welcomed me with a beaming grin and the shake of a hand nearly twice as thick as my own. 鈥淐鈥檓on in,鈥澨齢e said. Remembering Alaskan custom in mud season, I pulled off my shoes at the door.

Lolly had made a pot roast with carrots and potatoes, and we sat in their sparse kitchen and talked as we ate. All of the Hales remain very religious, so most of the conversation concerned my own salvation: Had I felt Jesus in my life? Did I have a girlfriend? If so, when would I marry? When Joseph spoke about his own upbringing, he did so through a haze of doubt and bewilderment as if he was still sorting out which parts had really happened. 鈥淚鈥檒l never be able to understand why my father did the things he did,鈥澨齢e said. Both Joseph and Lolly were incredibly gracious, responding to my inquiries long after I could sense they were ready for bed.

鈥淭he strangest thing about it,鈥澨齃ee Ann Kreig, a close friend of the family, told me later, 鈥渋s that for all the evil in Bob, his kids certainly came out all right.鈥�

Hale was sentenced to 14 years in prison, and in May he died of complications from diabetes. Soon after, I emailed Joseph to express my condolences.

鈥淚t has been both sad and liberating,鈥澨齢e responded. 鈥淏ut more liberating. God has been good to us.鈥�

The post Papa Pilgrim鈥檚 Progress: The Dark Tale of an Alaskan Frontiersman appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Try summiting one of Southeast Alaska’s 16,000-foot peaks and you’ll run into a few potholes聴literally. Thousands of pits (or moulins), up to 300 feet deep, scar 3.2 million glaciated acres of Wrangell聳St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and more and more visitors are trading in a summit bid to rappel down one of the frozen gorges. Last July, I hooked up with St. Elias Alpine Guides to try out “moulineering.” Equipped with ice axes and crampons, I was belayed into the mouth of Big Mama, a 150-foot-deep cavity leading to otherworldly caves and passages. Inside, eerily lit ice sculptures radiated various shades of blue as a waterfall crashed down the chamber’s shaft, forming giant pools below. Before descending, I’d reviewed ice-climbing techniques and knots with the SEAG crew, so I was comfortable enough to plunge 100 feet into the cave (some moulineers are known to drop all the way down and scuba-dive the icy depths) before digging my crampons in, climbing from the abyss, and heading back to the wood-fired sauna reserved for customers on SEAG’s multi-day trips. Full-day lesson, $350; full-day group lesson (up to six), $120; ; doubles at Kennicott Glacier Lodge from $295, including meals; .

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If you want to know what it’s like to transport a buffalo carcass through the Alaskan bush in mid-October, imagine disassembling the appliances in your kitchen聴refrigerator, range, microwave聴then carrying them on your back down a snow-covered mountainside. When that’s done, stack the parts on a piece of inflatable rubber and float them through three miles of whitewater canyon while suffering the initial stages of hypothermia. Then load the ice-covered parts into a large raft and paddle them down a 13-mile maze of braided river. Oh, and one last thing: A couple of thugs want the appliances, and they outweigh you by 300 pounds and have five knives strapped to each hand.

The “thugs” that wanted my buffalo meat were a pair of grizzly bears. I’d seen them a couple of days before, browsing rose hips on a nearby hillside. They left paw prints on top of my boot tracks and scratched the ground where I’d earlier sat. I was alone in the wilderness of south-central Alaska and not in a place where I could easily escape the bears’ attention. Seven miles to the west was the Richardson Highway, running between Valdez and Fairbanks. The highway was on the opposite side of the Copper River, a massive flow of glacial runoff loaded with deep, swirling rapids. To the east, when the clouds lifted, I could see the distant peaks of the Wrangell Mountains, like paperweights of rock and ice anchoring the center of the 13-million-acre Wrangell聳St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The park holds nine of the United States’ 16 highest mountain peaks and is home to arguably the most free-ranging buffalo, or American bison, herd in the country.

A simple piece of paper had led me to this place: a buffalo-hunting permit. I was one of 1,304 people who entered the permit lottery and one of only 24 who landed an opportunity to hunt a truly wild buffalo. I’d been through seven days of hell trying to find one, and now, with a half-ton carcass at my feet, along with dozens of grizzly tracks, I felt more like I’d landed a rare opportunity to have my face removed in claw-size tatters. The smart thing would be to leave, I thought, but leaving at that point was like wanting back into the plane after you’re halfway into a skydive.

NEVER MIND HOT DOGS and apple pie; the true American meal is buffalo meat. When I was a kid in western Michigan, I was obsessed with old stories about the nomadic Native American hunters of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, who traveled constantly in search of the animals, which numbered somewhere between 30 million and 60 million in the early 19th century. The hunters roasted buffalo tongues over burning buffalo chips, styled their hair with buffalo marrow, waterproofed their moccasins with buffalo fat, sipped the digestive fluids from buffalo stomachs out of buffalo-horn ladles, and sat in buffalo-hide lodges while sewing undergarments from the skins of buffalo calves. I spent my childhood days in the woods, making desperate attempts to replicate that life. I built “buffalo hide” tents out of twigs and leaves, and cooked chipmunks on spits over open fires while pretending I was roasting a rack of buffalo ribs. That I was born after the passing of America’s wild buffalo herds felt like some cosmic error, a mistake of the gods.

In 1996, when I finished college, I moved to Missoula, Montana. For someone who prefers free-range wild game to the hormone-injected, factory-slaughtered creatures sold in grocery stores, the place was paradise. I hunted mule deer, elk, antelope, and black bear and taught myself how to turn game meat into just about any product you can buy from a high-end delicatessen. I spent several months each year in the wild, often embarking into the mountains on meat-hunting trips that my girlfriend considered insane. To me, there was nothing more fulfilling than testing my skills in a wilderness setting that could provide sustenance to those who were willing to go all the way. But I could never shake my childhood longing to hunt a buffalo.

The past 125 years notwithstanding, humans have stalked wild buffalo upon the North American landscape for the past dozen or so millennia. But in the years following the Civil War, when there was an insatiable market for buffalo hides, the animals were slaughtered by European-American and indig-enous hunters with astonishing swiftness. By 1885, fewer than a thousand remained. Thanks听to听captive breeding programs听on听private ranches and federal parklands, nearly 500,000 buffalo now live in North America. While the buffalo survived extinction, these days it faces the grim fate of domestication. About 96 percent of modern buffalo are domesticated animals living on private ranches and game farms. Wannabe hunters, eager to live out the ancient ritual of a buffalo hunt, pay to kill these animals on fenced pastures (taking down a mature bull at Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch, in southwestern Montana, costs about $4,000), but these guaranteed-success hunts require the skill it takes to gun down a dairy cow. The bulk of the remaining 4 percent, fewer than 20,000 buffalo, live on parkland in the western U.S. and Canada.

As a hunter who adheres to a fair-chase ethic, I always assumed that my chances of hunting a truly wild buffalo were, well, extinct. But a couple of years ago, I learned that I was simply looking in the wrong place. My brother Danny, a 34-year-old freshwater ecologist, moved from Alabama to Anchorage for a job at the University of Alaska. As he explored his new home state, he reported rumors about a wild herd of buffalo living in the Wrangell聳St. Elias.

In 1950, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relocated 17 semi-tame buffalo from the town of Delta Junction, Alaska, to a remote area in the heavily forested valley of the upper Copper River, where there would be no human influence on their movements and migrations. The herd ranged across hundreds of square miles of wilderness. The population expanded, and though it fluctuates periodically, it now stands at around 125 wild and free individuals聴enough to allow the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to institute a limited hunt.

When I drew a permit, it was like getting my own dream in the mail.

ALASKA PRESENTS A PECULIAR dilemma: The wilderness makes it hard to get into the wilderness. In most of the United States, you can get almost anywhere by car. But in Alaska, cars are sometimes no more helpful than plug-in hair dryers. As Danny, who agreed to come with me, and I pondered ways to get into the Copper River buffalo country, we weighed the relative merits of bush planes, riverboats, walking, and even a cockamamie idea involving rappelling equipment.

In the end, we decided that a raft was our best bet for getting in and getting the meat and hide out (a bull can weigh 1,600 pounds). We had promised a load of meat to a couple of Danny’s friends in Anchorage, Jeff Jessen, 34, and Matt Rafferty, 35, who just happened to co-own a 14-foot Sotar raft. Jeff is a hospital administrator who looks like a Russian hockey player聴short, tough, with crooked front teeth. Matt works for the Alaska Conservation Foundation, an organization that coordinates the efforts of various Alaskan environmental groups. He’s tall and lean and known for his cheery, unwavering optimism. Jeff and Matt spend so much time in the wilderness that they’ve become impervious to hardships and freak occurrences. They were primed for a buffalo hunt.

On a cold October morning, the four of us launched the raft into the Klutina River, a Copper tributary flowing beneath the Richardson Highway. Within minutes, the Klutina dumped us into the braided valley of the Copper. Our plan was to travel downstream to a network of ridges running north and south between the Dadina and Chetaslina rivers, two small Copper tributaries that drain glaciers in the Wrangell Mountains. A local bush pilot had suggested the area to me, because the buffalo use the ridges as migration corridors between their summer range in the high country and their winter range in the willow flats of the Copper Valley.

When we reached the Dadina River, almost immediately I saw the horizontal lines of buffalo paths cut into the hillsides like dirt rings in a bathtub, some wide enough to handle a full-size pickup. Tracks and buffalo chips were plastered every which way. “Damn, it looks like a herd of buffalo took laxatives and then had a hoedown up here,” I said.

“Any minute now,” said Matt, who suggested we set up camp and sit tight, “we’ll be overrun by buffalo.”

“Matt and I are in charge of being camp bitches,” Jeff said to Danny and me. “Go get us some buffalo steaks while we get a fire going.”

Danny and I climbed a mound of drift logs to get a better look around. We’d been sitting in slow drizzle long enough to be thoroughly soaked when four massive shapes lumbered across the face of a bluff about a mile away. The shapes were oblong and chocolate brown. I stared at the animals for several seconds before I could say, “Oh, my God! Buffalo!”

“Grab your packs, grab your knife聴we’re going up to butcher us a buffalo!” I yelled to Matt and Jeff. The four of us plowed into the alder thickets along the river. But after an hour of struggling, we’d gone about as far as you’d get if you decided to take a stroll through the halls of San Quentin. Even if we got to a buffalo, we’d never get the animal out of there. We retreated.

Over the next four days, again and again we had adventures like this: See buffalo way out there; head off on a wild chase through swampy tangles of alder and spruce; get there too late or not at all.

On the fifth morning, the moment I’d been dreading finally arrived: Matt, Jeff, and Danny all had to head back to work. We’d moved our camp down to the mouth of the Chetaslina. Jeff agreed to meet me there in five days.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I pity the hell out of you right now,” Danny said as they shoved off. There were no illusions about what I was up against: too much ground, too many obstacles, subfreezing temperatures. I was only half joking when I waved goodbye and said, “It’s been nice knowing y’all.”

I CAME DOWN WITH A FEVER my first day alone. Chills and nausea worked their way through my body. I didn’t know what was wrong, so I settled on calling it buffalo fever. At one point, I was walking along the Chetaslina, soaking wet from having just fallen into it, when a black wolf cut across my path. Before trotting off, he actually looked me in the eye and licked his lips.

One night, I wandered about four miles away from my main camp. Carrying a buffalo that distance alone would be a backbreaking nightmare, but I was feeling desperate about my prospects of ever finding an animal. I’d seen some buffalo in the area a couple of days before, and I thought I’d return to look for them again. Toward dusk it started snowing like a bastard. Visibility was nil, so I climbed to the crest of a small ridge and found a buffalo wallow sheltered by an overhanging spruce where I could get out of the weather. Buffalo use the wallows, which look like shallow-sided bowls ten feet in diameter, to coat themselves in dust and mud. I could smell a buffalo; it had been here, but it was gone now. I spread out my tarp and sleeping bag, then stoked a small fire using dry buffalo chips. The chips emitted a bluish smoke that smelled like a bathroom after someone had smoked a joint. I dipped my face into the heat of the smoke, as though it might metaphysically convey information concerning the whereabouts of the herd, and dozed off as the snow fell.

There’s a Comanche legend that the earth replenishes buffalo by spitting them from the ground. I became a believer when I woke up in the snowy wallow and peered over the crest of the ridge. A herd of buffalo was there, not 30 yards away. They were traveling below me in a long broken line, maybe 20 in all. Excitement does a hunter no good, and when your quarry arrives you’ve got to focus on the pure mechanics of making a clean kill. I picked a large cow, centered my scope’s crosshairs on the rib behind its shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. A fury of hooves and fur followed. A buffalo fell from the fleeing herd and slid down the mountainside.

The momentary joy I felt about killing a wild buffalo was dulled almost immediately by the massive amount of work I had in store. I’ve butchered more than 100 big-game animals in the field, but the immensity of the buffalo made an elk seem like child’s play. The carcass had come to rest in a stand of aspens. Usually I start by gutting an animal, but the only part of the buffalo that I could roll from the tangle was a front leg. I skinned the leg and cut it free of the body. With the severed knee joint resting on the ground, the leg reached up to my chest.

For three days, I worked on butchering the carcass and hauling the meat down to my makeshift camp on the Chetaslina. That’s when the grizzlies began showing up. Every morning, I’d notice more and more tracks. I tried to enhance my human presence, thinking that I could keep the animals at bay. I pissed on trees, then drank bladdersful of creek water and pissed some more; I draped dirty clothes over the meat and constructed a scarecrow out of long johns. Finally I was ready to head to my main camp at the Chetaslina’s mouth, about three miles downstream. When I walked up, I was thrilled to see Jeff waiting for me.

He had brought along one of his most trusted mountaineering partners, Hardcore Jeffy. Hardcore looks like the actor Willem Dafoe and is about the same age, 47. True to his nickname, he was amped to go up the Chetaslina. “We’ve got to retrieve that meat before those bears do it for us,” he said.

“And we’ve got to get the hide out, too,” I said. “I’m going to make a queen-size comforter for my bed out of this.”

“We’ll tie it to the top of the load,” Hardcore said.

“What about the skull?” It weighed as much as a small child and had a sharp, raft-poking horn coming out each side.

“We’ll tie it up front, like a Viking ship,” Jeff said.

Jeff and Hardcore had each brought along their portable 70-inch Alpacka rafts. Jeff thought we could fit all the meat in the rafts and then float it down to camp. When I looked at the mound of buffalo next to the dinky little rafts, the plan seemed as reasonable as floating out 500 pounds of meat on a pair of water wings. But we loaded them up and pushed out at dusk.

Jeff and I donned drysuits, figuring that we’d guide the rafts downstream with ropes while Hardcore followed on the bank with a headlamp. A good idea in theory, but the overloaded rafts quickly took on water and floated like pieces of wet bread. I was damn happy to put the grizzlies behind me and leave them with whatever buffalo guts and bones they could scrounge from the kill site, but I immediately discovered a new nemesis: My alleged drysuit was filling fast, and my legs were going numb. They quickly stopped working properly, so I just lay in the water, hanging on to the load of meat as if I were holding a life ring.

The river got faster and rougher as we went downstream. I knew I was hitting the early stages of hypothermia. I was obsessed with the idea of how thirsty I was, but I couldn’t think straight enough to do anything about it. I’d lost track of Hardcore on the bank, and I knew only that Jeff was out in front of me somewhere. Earlier, Jeff and I had discussed what might happen if we blasted out of the mouth of the Chetaslina and into the Copper. We joked about how they wouldn’t find our bodies until we floated down to Prince William Sound and got snagged in a salmon net. This image was stuck in my mind as I became aware of a great rushing noise, like two rivers colliding. From somewhere in the dark, Jeff was yelling at me to get over to the bank. I focused all my energy on my legs, but they banged lifelessly against the rocks, like two pieces of firewood suspended from my torso.

Then, suddenly, the sound of the colliding rivers vanished. It was pure darkness. “Man in the Copper! Man coming down!” Jeff screamed. I thought, That’s me! That’s why everything’s so quiet. I’m in the middle of the goddamn Copper! Jeff’s voice receded. I had this strange sensation, not altogether unpleasant, that I was almost done living. I was so busy thinking about how thirsty I was that it took me a minute to remember I still had two arms. I started paddling with one while I held on to the raft with the other.

And then a miracle happened. I felt a dull thud on my feet聴thump, thump, thump聴and I stopped, beached on a gravel bar. The silence was broken by Jeff laughing and splashing his way into the river to help me out. “What a ride, man. You looked like you were going to die. We should come back here and try to kayak that thing. You all right?”

“You guys didn’t bring any beer down, did you?” I asked.

THAT NIGHT IN MY SLEEPING BAG, I endured the slow, painful thawing of my legs. We were still a day’s trip upstream from our take-out, but there was no stopping us now. In the morning, we loaded the big raft and launched into the same river that had nearly killed me the night before. As we made our way down the Copper, I found myself glancing again and again at the frozen cargo. For obvious reasons, floating down a remote river with a buffalo skull onboard conjured the feeling of a bygone era.

Months later, after packing away meal after meal of delicious buffalo steaks and burgers, I’d mostly forgotten about the hardships of the trip. But I did spend a lot of time dreaming about the buffalo still up in the Wrangell聳St. Elias. One afternoon, I phoned Becky Kelleyhouse, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, to find out how the animals were doing. Kelleyhouse grew up in Alaska, and her father was also a biologist for Fish and Game. She told me that only three other hunters out of the 24 permit holders had managed to get a buffalo. The future of the herd, said Kelleyhouse, is wide open. “The herd could expand and stay where it is,” she said, “or it could split, and an offshoot herd might move away and establish itself in an unknown area. Or the herd could shrink. There’s no way to know. We just wait and watch.”

Later that evening, lying beneath my buffalo-hide comforter, my feet still faintly tingling from frost damage, I let myself imagine the wild American buffalo living as gloriously as it had in the past. Dozing off, I said a prayer I’d been repeating lately: Let the buffalo roam.

The post Come Herd or High Water appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There’s more than one way to take in the adventure and splendor of America’s national parks. So we’re serving up a prize package of SECRET TRIPS—locals’ no-tell favorites, from Acadia to Yellowstone to wildest Alaska—along with a roundup of DREAM TOWNS nearby, the places to eat, drink, and dance after a day or three in backcountry heaven. Throw away the guidebook: These trips are just between us

national parks

Bass Harbor lighthouse, in Maine’s Acadia National Park

Slide into Utah’s Canyon Wonderland




Trek Alaska’s Monster Backcountry




Splash in St. John’s Wide-Open Waters




Ride Tall in Washington’s Wildest Range




Paddle Wyoming’s Secret Sea




Wheel Through Endless Texas Backlands




Set Sail on Maine’s Rocky Coast




Crawl and Canoe in Kentucky’s Multisport 国产吃瓜黑料land




Hike to Sweet Solitude in the Sierra


PLUS: Josh Shaffer—a man hell-bent on exploring every one of America’s national parks— and eight great guides who .

Capitol Reef National Park

Slide into Utah’s Canyon Wonderland

National Park: Capitol Reef National Park

Acres: 241,904 Contact: 435-425-3791



CAPITOL REEF is the perfect place to find the type of free-form adventures that abound in U.S. national parks. Slickrock junkies will love the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile-long lopsided wrinkle of earth that offers one of the best backcountry playscapes in the Southwest. Satisfy your cravings on the park’s south end, where canyons have sliced the Fold with narrows that require swimming through blackwater holes, scrambling over chockstones, and negotiating the odd rappel.


This trip’s main event is a 21.9-mile backpacking loop that takes you from Halls Creek Overlook to Halls Creek Narrows. From the Brimhall Bridge trailhead at the Halls Creek Overlook, off Notom-Bullfrog Road, descend 800 feet to Halls Creek. Flanked by the Fold’s red- and buff-colored cliffs, you’ll hike seven and a half miles down a dry wash to the narrows, where you can set up base camp on a grassy bench.

Spend day two snaking through the three-mile-long slot canyon, whose tight walls will funnel you through pretzel twists and perpetually shaded pools. Head back to camp by going up Halls Divide, east of the narrows. The next day, retrace your footprints to Halls Creek Overlook. Throw your pack in the car and drive north on Notom-Bullfrog Road; crash at the park’s Cedar Mesa Campground or sleep roadside near the mouth of Burro Wash, your destination for day four.

Burro is one of several drainages that penetrate the Fold, and—depending on how far you scramble—it may require technical canyoneering skills. Burro offers two sets of narrows with deep pools sandwiched between smooth, fluted walls that almost touch in some places. After four miles you’ll come to an impossible pour-over. Turn around and head for more slots in nearby Five Mile and Cottonwood washes before calling it a day.


GETTING THERE: For guided trips in Capitol Reef, contact Wild Hare Expeditions (888-304-4273, ). A free permit is required for backcountry camping, and even when it’s hot, bring a wetsuit for the canyons’ cold pools.


WHEN TO GO: Anytime but winter; and beware of summer flash floods.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Trek Alaska’s Monster Backcountry

National Park: Wrangell-St. Elias

Acres: 13,175,901 Contact: 907-822-5234



PLANNING AN ALASKA WILDERNESS trip can be daunting—especially if you’re heading into the vast glacier- and grizzly-filled Wrangell–St. Elias. But this park is surprisingly user-friendly, compared with some parts of big, bad Alaska. It’s home to St. Elias Alpine Guides, one of the most experienced outfitters in the state, and it’s relatively accessible via a 60-mile gravel road—no bush plane required. At road’s end you’ll find the town of McCarthy—and, four miles beyond that, Kennicott, your stepping-off point for a four-day expedition to Wrangell’s Donoho Peak.


To get started, you’ll hoist your pack and hike toward Donoho and the Root Glacier. St. Elias Alpine Guides’ trips are small (no more than six people), and they’re tailored to fit your group’s skill level, with instruction available on everything from ice climbing to alpine mountaineering. Because Wrangell is one of the most glaciated parks in the U.S., the Donoho trek is the perfect setting for learning the rudiments of glacier exploration. Before breaking camp at the base of the Root, your guide will give you pointers on crampon use and safe route-finding. Then you’ll start the traverse, planting your feet on an undulating sea of ice. Once you arrive at the west side of the glacier, you’ll set up camp and mull your many options. You could make the nontechnical scramble up 6,698-foot Donoho for views of 16,390-foot Mount Blackburn and 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias, the second-tallest peak in the U.S. You could rope up and go ice climbing on the Kennicott or Root glaciers, or hike across the tundra to an alpine lake. Or you could just do it all.


GETTING THERE: St. Elias Alpine Guides’ four-day Donoho Peak Trek is $699 per person, assuming a group of six. A variety of other options are also available, including custom expeditions and first ascents (888-933-5427, ).


WHEN TO GO: July through September.

Virgin Islands National Park

Splash in St. John’s Wide-Open Waters

National parks: Virgin Islands National Park

Acres: 14,689 Contact: 340-776-6201



VIRGIN ISLANDS IS ONE of the tiniest parks in the system, located entirely on and around St. John, the smallest of the three major U.S. Virgin Islands. But if idyllic Caribbean beaches are what you’re after, this park—which occupies approximately 30 square miles of land and sea—is plenty big. St. John is home to some 40 sheltered bays, each with its own fluffy carpet of sand and many with a coral reef not far offshore. You can hit them all by circumnavigating the island in a sea kayak, covering roughly 35 miles in five days.

From Cruz Bay, paddle two miles to Henley Cay (a good snorkeling spot), and then on for two more miles to Cinnamon Bay and the park’s only official campground. Several hiking trails lead from the camp to 18th-century sugar-factory ruins and into a tropical forest. On day two, a leisurely one-and-a-half-mile voyage takes you to the Maho Bay Camps, a managed eco-resort with cabin-tents perched on a hillside, a dive shop, and snorkeling. Start early the next morning for the island’s primitive East End, paddling upwind along the north shore, eventually reaching Hansen Bay and a private beachfront campground run by Violet “Vie” Mahabir. Collapse in the sand beneath 100-year-old palm trees, or you can amble over to Vie’s Snack Shack to refuel on fried chicken.


On day four you’ll paddle five and a half miles to Ram Head peninsula and the island’s wild, roadless southeastern coast. Hike to the top of the Head for crow’s-nest views of the ocean. You’ll spend your final night in Little Lameshur Bay at the nonprofit Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (888-647-2501, ), home to rustic cabins, hiking trails, and more great beaches. Complete the circle on day five, stroking four and a half miles back to Cruz Bay—it’s downwind all the way.


GETTING THERE: For an outfitted loop around St. John, contact Arawak Expeditions (from $995 per person; 800-238-8687, ). Experienced open-water kayakers can rent from Crabby’s Watersports, in Coral Bay (340-714-2415, ).


WHEN TO GO: Year-round. But beware: Hurricane season runs from June through November.

North Cascades National Park

Ride Tall in Washington’s Wildest Range

national park: North Cascades National Park

Acres: 684,302 Contact: 360-856-5700

THE NORTH CASCADES LOOK A LOT LIKE the Alps, with razorback peaks, alpine meadows, and plenty of glaciers. But the similarities to Europe end there: The park is almost all wilderness, and there are few roads in. Since backpacking on this steep terrain can be slow going at best, the smart way to see it is on horseback. The Courtney family, based in the hamlet of Stehekin, has been running pack trips in the region for two generations, with a low-key style that emphasizes good food, minimal impact, and stunning scenery.

Just getting to the Courtneys’ Cascade Corrals is an adventure. As a private inholding in the park, Stehekin has no road access and must be reached by ferry—a 50-mile trip up Lake Chelan, through a glacial trough that’s more than 8,500 feet deep. Once you’ve hooked up with the Courtneys, you’ll ride on a surefooted Norwegian fjord horse, heading up the Stehekin River Valley to your base camp at Bridge Creek.

Your routine each day will be blessedly simple: Wake up; stuff yourself with pancakes, eggs, and bacon; ride the park trail of your choice; then go on a hike to burn off the grub. You’ll travel to amazing spots like Buckner Meadows, Mount Logan, and McAlester Lake; while you’re soaking in the views, don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to yodel.

GETTING THERE: Cascade Corrals (509-682-7742, ) offers scheduled horsepacking trips ($995, six days) and custom outings for a minimum of six riders. There’s also a hiking option: You carry a daypack; the horse carries the rest ($750, six days).

WHEN TO GO: July through September.

Yellowstone National Park

Paddle Wyoming’s Secret Sea

national park: Yellowstone National Park

Acres: 2,219,791 Contact: 307-344-7381

COVERING 137 SQUARE MILES and perched above 7,700 feet, Yellowstone Lake is a formidable barrier between the tourist circus on the lake’s north shore and the roadless expanse to the south. To get to this wild heart of the park, you can hike for days carrying a heavy pack, or you can take a wet shortcut and arrive in a few hours without breaking a sweat. The easy way starts at Bridge Bay Marina, on the lake’s north end. Load your sea kayak on the Yellowstone Lake Shuttle ($124; 307-344-7311), hitch a ride to the top of Yellowstone Lake脗鈥檚 southeast arm, unload, and drift into a huge no-motors zone.

Approximately seven miles long, the southeast arm deserves at least four days of exploration. You’re likely to see grizzly bears, moose, and elk, and hear wolves howling at night. From your drop-off point, set up camp at Columbine Creek or paddle down to Terrace Point, where you can hike up to stunning views of the upper Yellowstone River valley. The next day, continue to the bottom of the arm, camping at Trail Point or Trail Bay along the headwaters of the Yellowstone River. Grab your fly rod and head upriver or hike a network of remote trails (like Thorofare and Two Oceans Plateau) to overlooks and wildflower-filled meadows. Eventually, make your way back to the top of the arm, completing a horseshoe-shaped, 18-mile route. The ferry will return you to civilization.

GETTING THERE: Snake River Kayak and Canoe, in Jackson, Wyoming, rents sea kayaks and offers guided four-day trips into the Yellowstone Lake arms ($755 per person; 800-529-2501, ). Advance reservations for backcountry campsites are recommended. Buy them at the park’s trip-planner page.

WHEN TO GO: August and September. Early summer camping is restricted because of bear activity.

Big Bend National Park

Wheel Through Endless Texas Badlands

national park: Big Bend National Park

Acres: 801,000 Contact: 432-477-2251

NATIONAL PARKS AND MOUNTAIN BIKES usually don’t mix—bikes are illegal on most park trails, and designated bike paths are often a bore. But there’s one major exception: Big Bend. This West Texas park’s desert terrain is laced with 160 miles of dirt roads, where mountain bikes are not only allowed but welcomed. Since Big Bend receives just 300,000 visitors a year, many of whom arrive in lumbering RVs, riding the ghost roads that once served turn-of-the-century mining and river towns is a cool and private way to experience this sprawling Chihuahuan Desert landscape.

To cover the most territory, hire Desert Sports (contact below) to shuttle your vehicle from site to site. (On some parts of this trip, you’ll want four-wheel drive to carry your bikes from place to place.) Begin your ramble with a one-way, 35-mile downhill bike ride on the Old Ore Road from Dagger Flat to the Rio Grande. You’ll start atop an alluvial plain, with jagged Mexican mountains rippling on the southern horizon. Flanked by ocotillo and prickly pear, you’ll make an easy half-day ride to the Telephone Canyon backcountry campsite. If you have enough oomph and water, take a sunset hike on the first few miles of the 17-mile Telephone Canyon Trail up into the Deadhorse Mountains.

The next day, head down steep grades through Ernst Basin to the Rio Grande and the U.S.-Mexico border, soaking at Langford Hot Springs. Now it’s time for your next big roll: a two-day, 29-mile ride combining the Glenn Spring, Black Gap, and River roads. To get started, drive north on the paved park highway from Rio Grande Village to the Glenn Spring turnoff, just beyond Dugout Wells; keep going approximately 13 bumpy miles to Glenn Spring, where you’ll pitch your tent next to a village that was raided by Pancho Villa’s men in 1916. From the ruins, pedal south on Black Gap Road, and then east at the fork, past the Mariscal Mine site on River Road down to the river. Get your feet wet and head northeast on River Road, then take a left on Glenn Spring Road to complete the loop.

GETTING THERE: Desert Sports, in Terlingua, rents mountain bikes, provides shuttles, and offers guided rides (888-989-6900, ). Free backcountry camping permits are available at the park’s Panther Junction visitor center. There’s no reliable water along these routes, so carry plenty or cache it in advance.

WHEN TO GO: October through mid-April.

Acadia National Park

Set Sail on Maine’s Rocky Coast

national park: Acadia National Park

Acres: 47,000 Contact: 207-288-3338

WITH ITS GRANITE-DOMED MOUNTAINS and sea-sprayed coastline, Acadia attracts summertime tourists like a backwater pond draws blackflies. Luckily, the park’s modest acreage is spread out over several islands along Maine’s northern coast, which means you can avoid human swarms simply by sailing around them—giving you a chance to explore the park’s more remote spots.

For this two- to three-day voyage, experienced sailors can rent a boat in the Deer Isle boating hub of Stonington. Newbies can charter a 37-foot cutter with Captain Bill Baker, of Old Quarry Ocean 国产吃瓜黑料s; pushing off from Stonington, you’ll sail eight miles to Acadia’s isolated Isle au Haut. Once you hit land, unload your mountain bike and stretch your legs with a 12-mile ride around the island, stopping to gorge on blueberries and watch golden eagles soar past cliffs overhead.

The next day you’ll venture deeper into the mostly uninhabited Deer Isle archipelago and catch wind toward Mount Desert Island, where most of the park is situated. Follow the Maine Island Trail—a marked route connecting dozens of coastal islands—or chart a 20-mile course around rocky inlets where seals, puffins, and ospreys will be your only company. You’ll find a quiet anchorage spot on Mount Desert Island at the village of Northeast Harbor. Break out the bike and pedal a 57-mile network of carriage roads, or hike to the top of 1,373-foot Sargent Mountain for ocean views. Back at the dock, load up on lobster and crash on the boat; the next day you can sail the 15 or so miles back to Stonington via a different route.

GETTING THERE: A two-day sailboat charter with Old Quarry costs $1,200 for four. You can also rent mountain bikes, sea kayaks, and 14-foot sailboats (207-367-8977, ). Other sailboat outlets include Downeast Friendship Sloop Charters (207-266-5210, www.downeastfriendshipsloop.com) and Hinckley Crewed Charters (207-244-0122, ).

WHEN TO GO: June through September.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Crawl and Canoe in Kentucky’s Multisport 国产吃瓜黑料land

national park: Mammoth Cave National Park

Darkness Illuminated: Shedding light on Mammoth Cave National Park

national park: Mammoth Cave National Park

Acres: 52,830 Contact: 270-758-2180

YOU PROBABLY KNOW MAMMOTH CAVE for what lies beneath. This park, tucked away in the hills and hollows of central Kentucky, protects the longest cave system in the world, a five-level labyrinth with more than 365 miles of tunnels. Up where the sun shines, the park is home to a 70-mile network of hiking trails, biking paths, camping spots, and 27 miles of prime canoeing river.

Begin your four-day Mammoth marathon with the ranger-led Wild Cave Tour. This six-hour, five-mile crawl is not for the claustrophobic—or anyone with a chest or hip measurement greater than 42 inches. You’ll free-climb cave walls and shine your headlamp on bizarre limestone formations like Rainbow Dome and Cathedral Dome.Take it up top the next morning, renting a canoe and paddling the gentle, scenic Green River. Put in at Dennison Ferry, on the park’s eastern boundary, and snake your way ten miles past forested bluffs, islands, and sandbars to circuitous Turnhole Bend. There’s good backcountry beach camping along the north bank and easy access to the park’s most isolated hiking paths via Turnhole Bend Trail.

Start day three with a ramble through terrain that hasn’t changed much since it was first seen by American explorers in the 18th century. Then paddle nine miles to Houchins Ferry, just inside the park’s western boundary, your take-out spot and campground for the night. The next morning, give your legs a workout with a ten-mile hike on the hilly, oak-forested McCoy Hollow loop.

GETTING THERE: The Wild Cave Tour costs $45; reserve through the park. For canoe rentals, contact Green River Canoeing (800-651-9909, ) or Mammoth Cave Canoe and Kayak (877-592-2663, ).

WHEN TO GO: March through November.

Yosemite National Park

Hike to Sweet Solitude in the Sierra

national park: Yosemite National Park

Acres: 761,266 Contact: 209-372-0200

YOSEMITE IS FAMOUSLY crowded—it draws 3.5 million visitors a year, more than the population of Mississippi—but it’s easy to shake the mob if you walk in the right direction. This five-day, 45-mile loop offers premium Sierra scenery (meadows, waterfalls, lakes, and peaks) but few people. Best of all, you can get permits the same day you start your trip, even in the height of summer.

Your trek begins at the Mono Meadow Trailhead, near the end of Glacier Point Road. Hike down to Illilouette Creek, wade the stream, and continue up the Illilouette drainage through an old burn area. After about nine miles, you’ll reach smooth granite slabs that make for excellent waterslides, and there’s good camping and classic views of Yosemite’s rock domes nearby. The next day, continue up the drainage toward the Clark Range and Red Peak Pass. Climb the pass and then drop down to a natural array of tarns and rock benches that create a rustically furnished campsite.

On day three, follow the switchbacking trail down the Triple Peak Fork drainage and make a steep two-mile climb to an alpine meadow just below Post Peak and Isberg Peak. Press on to the granite slabs tucked under the wall at the top of the canyon. From this campsite, you’ll have a front-row seat for some of the best panoramic views in Yosemite. The wow factor continues the next day as you trek four miles across the high country, gazing at the Minarets and other famous Sierra peaks. Tag a walk-up before descending through the forested valley of Post Creek and climbing Fernandez Pass.

Your last full day of hiking is an easy six-mile jaunt through forests and meadows and a gentle climb over Merced Pass. In short order you’ll rejoin the Illilouette drainage. Spend the night a few miles from the trailhead, where the path crosses the stream. You’ll be out the next morning in time for coffee and doughnuts in Yosemite Village.

GETTING THERE: A wilderness permit is required. You can reserve in advance, for $5 a day, through Yosemite’s Wilderness Center (209-372-0740, ).

WHEN TO GO: July through September.

Been There, Seen That

Josh Shaffer is a man with a mission: to explore every one of America’s national parks. (To date, it’s 20 down, 37 to go.) The 34-year-old from Wilmington, North Carolina, talks about the best places he’s seen so far.

Elephant Canyon

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, UTAH
Getting there requires a tough hike, about 11 miles round-trip from the Squaw Flat trailhead, in the Needles section of the park. But it’s worth the effort: Elephant Canyon is a harsh, beautiful landscape with a forest of 200-foot sandstone spires and no other people for miles.


Brown Mountain Trail

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, VIRGINIA
When the tourists pour in to see the autumn leaves, traffic on Skyline Drive can be a bit much. This 11-mile out-and-back trail from Skyline into Big Run Valley scares most people away, so hikers have the deep forest of oaks, hickories, and maples all to themselves.


Box Canyon Campsite

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, COLORADO
Getting here requires about a six-mile hike on the Colorado River Trail. It’s fairly gentle until the last mile, when it goes almost straight up. I topped out at 10,480 feet, in the middle of a meadow, where I camped among elk and could look up to see bighorn sheep on the 12,000-foot peaks above.


Riley Creek

DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA
I didn’t want to see the park by bus, so I hiked south from the Denali visitor center and spent two days bushwhacking along deep, fast Riley Creek. I camped in a small clearing, where the ground was covered with moss so thick and spongy that I could hardly walk.


Guadalupe Peak

GUADALUPE PEAK NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS
The four-mile hike up 8,749-foot Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, can be brutal in winter. It was about 35 degrees, and the winds were unreal. But at the top, I had uninterrupted views for more than 100 miles in every direction.

Lead On Me

Want to know where the pros go? Meet eight great guides who will take you to the heart of their favorite parks.

CHRIS CONWAY
Founder, Wild Basin Outfitters
Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
Conway is a crack high-country fishing guide who learned his craft as a kid growing up on Alaska’s Kenai River. The 45-year-old mountain man will plop you on a horse and lead you six miles to Lawn Lake, at 10,789-feet, in search of the elusive greenback cutthroat trout. Come dinnertime, he’ll also dish up a tasty tortellini and pour the chardonnay.
CONTACT: 877-525-7373, chris@wildbasinoutfitters.com
PRICE: $150 per person per half-day

RORY WEST
Island Guide
National Park of American Samoa
West came to Samoa’s five-island archipelago 24 years ago to start a plant nursery, met a Samoan woman, and never left. Bunk with the West family, in their cozy home on the island of Tutuila, and you’ll snorkel among 200 coral species in the 9,000-acre park, take an octopus-spearing lesson, and learn from the master as he rattles off amazing facts about local flora.
CONTACT: 011-684-258-3527, rorywest@yahoo.com
Price: from $35 per person for snorkeling and kayaking, $25 per person for a rental house with kitchen

ROLF PETERSON
Wildlife Biologist
Isle Royale National Park, MI
A self-described “old moose,” Peterson works at Michigan Technical University, where for more than 30 years he’s studied wolves and their impact on moose populations in the 850-square-mile park. Earthwatch, a field-research institute, offers guided multi-day backpacking trips with the 55-year-old biologist, who will take you moose watching on rugged trails like Minong Ridge.
CONTACT: Earthwatch, 800-776-0188,
PRICE: $895 per person per week

MARK BOWLING,
Founder, Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School
Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Bowling, 45, has been monkeying around on J-Tree’s Flintstones-esque mounds of quartz monzonite for nearly three decades and can guide you up any kind of route you care to tackle. One of his favorites: the labyrinthine Wonderland of Rocks—with routes like 5.11b Poodle Smasher. “Seeing people learn to climb,” he says, “rekindles my own love of the sport.”
CONTACT: Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School, 800-890-4745, climb@telis.org
PRICE: $110 per person per day

RANDY GAYNER
Founder, Glacier Wilderness Guides
Glacier National Park, MT
Gayner founded Glacier’s only hiking-guide service 21 years ago, so the former backcountry ranger is plenty intimate with the 700-mile trail network, the grizzlies that ply it, and other dangers, like a falling apartment-size ice slab that Gayner saw crash into a lake back in 1989. Gayner’s favorite march: the eight-mile hike through Many Glacier Valley.
CONTACT: Glacier Wilderness Guides, 800-521-7238,
PRICE: $487 for the three-day hut trip; $70 for a custom day hike

DAN OBERLATZ
Co-Owner, Alaska Alpine 国产吃瓜黑料s
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, AK
Instead of flaunting his feats on big peaks like Denali, 35-year-old Oberlatz would rather show you around the backcountry: You’ll spend five days hiking and kayaking in the remote Twin Lakes basin, where you’ll paddle beneath the snowcapped Chigmit Mountains. “That moment when the plane leaves you and there’s total silence—that’s what it’s all about,” he says. CONTACT: Alaska Alpine 国产吃瓜黑料s, 877-525-2577,
PRICE: from $2,900 per week per person

JIM CAMERON
Head Guide, Olympic Mountaineering
Olympic National Park, WA
Cameron has topped out on 7,965-foot Mount Olympus a mere 88 times. This summer he’s shooting for his 100th summit. Meet up with the gangly 47-year-old guide at Glacier Meadows base camp and he’ll help you cross crevasse- littered Blue Glacier en route to views of Rainier, Baker, and the Pacific.
CONTACT: Olympic Mountaineering, 360-452-0240,
PRICE: $295 per person

TIM AND DIANNE SHEW Owners, Balch Park Pack Station
Sequoia National Park, CA
These two Tennessee-born wranglers have spent the past 20 years riding the southern Sierra. Travel with them and their steeds to the deer-filled alpine meadows of Hockett Plateau, where 46-year-old Dianne, a published photographer, will drawl instructions on how best to capture the alpenglow off Vandever Mountain’s 11,947-foot summit.
CONTACT: Balch Park Pack Station, 559-539-2227,
PRICE: from $175 per person per day

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