ANWR Next June!

I'm very excited about my recently made plans to join a few other women for a trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge next June. This is very dear to my heart because the refuge is under threat from the current administration to start oil drilling there - which will of course negatively impact the ecosystem. I've written many letters of protest over the past several years to keep this from happening, so I feel very honored to be able to experience this special place. We will spend the first eight days backpacking the Brooks Range during the caribou migration, then the next 10 days will be rafting the Kongakut River. It is only a Class III river, which is fine because we can focus more on viewing wildlife.

Since I don't have the same stamina I had when I was younger, I'm planning ways to lighten my usual 45-50 pound pack to about 30-35 pounds. I need to replace some of my older, heavier equipment so I've been researching gear on the internet and spending hours in REI and other camping stores (Yes, I'm a gear-head).

Gail and I went hiking on Mt. Tam recently and I borrowed her partner's hiking poles to try out on the steep, uneven trail. I was amazed how much easier it is to hike with two poles (I usually use a single pole.) and can see how my knees will also be less impacted while backpacking, especially when traveling downhill. I stopped at the REI sale on the way home and bought the same pair of poles - the Leki Super Makalu.