Imbedded In My Soul

This journal is my rendition of our time spent in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, the true essence of my experience is far beyond words and is forever blended with my spirit.

Sometimes I felt so overwhelmed by the beauty and magnificence of the land and it's creatures, that all I could do was absorb the scene with tears running down my face. Being able to have such an intimate experience of this special place was a blessing and an honor.
Words don't do justice
Heart, spirit, psyche feel deep
Talk is not my truth

Susan

Susan Delisa was a gift from Ramona - who didn't have another female river guide on her staff, so she asked her paddling buddy to fill in. Susan has a PhD in Biology and was very generous about sharing her knowledge of the various plants and flowers in the region.

She has developed the classes, 'Natural History of Alaska' and 'Marine Biology', which are taught through the Center for Distance Education at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Susan is also an accomplished bodywork practitioner, blending various disciplines - including neuromuscular therapy and myofascial work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tres Chic ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Generous teacher
Leaves gentle wave in her wake
Just keep on paddlin'

Carol

Carol Scott was our guide and our buddy on the backpacking portion of the trip. She moves naturally and comfortably in the wilderness and we always felt confident with her leadership.
During the school year, she teaches science to junior high school students in Fairbanks. Carol is originally from Britain, but you wouldn't guess it until she pronounces 'water'.... waw-tuh. ;-)

And she's a pilot too! Here she is with her own airplane - a Piper Pacer.
Pathfinder sister
Meets challenges with finesse
Packs a mean pantry

Ramona

Ramona Finnoff was highly recommended by others who have participated in her trips, and she has been the owner of ABEC's Alaska Adventures since 1980. The bush pilots who flew us in and out of the Arctic also had high praise for her, so we began our journey knowing that we had teamed up with the best.

When we asked Ramona the meaning of the letters ABEC, she smiled and said... 'Always Bring Extra Chocolate'. Good motto, Ramona!

Ramona is totally cool on the river and makes guiding the boat look effortless. She knows the Kongakut area well and led us on some incredible hikes.
Extraordinary
Trailblazer, rudder, chef, guide
That’s it, pretty much! (a favorite phrase of Ramona’s)

Our Fabulous Guides

A large part of the success and enjoyment of our journey was because of the wonderful women who guided us. We had requested that all our guides be women and Ramona was great about accommodating us.

Some of the Crones frequently made up haiku verses to describe experiences during the day. A verse was also written for each of the guides. The only haiku I composed is in my final entry for this trip.

The Crones of the Caribou

We feel strongly connected to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in spirit. We have all been politically active trying to save the refuge from the damage that would surely be caused by drilling for oil in this pristine and fragile ecosystem.

And we are adventurous women, ranging in age from late 50's to mid 60's. We trekked 23 difficult miles through the magnificent wilderness of the Brooks Range, each carrying a 45-50 pound backpack. We paddled 50 miles on the Kongakut River and hiked many more miles up and down the peaks near the Kongakut. The journey has touched us deeply and we are grateful for the priviledge of the experience.

Above: Joanie, Marilyn, Sue, Nony, Jenn
Below: Barbara

Joan Lohman is a practitioner of Rosen Method bodywork and specializes in elder massage . She's also an accomplished writer, and a musician who enjoys playing the cello - sometimes accompanying her partner, Jenn, who plays piano.

Marilyn Webb is co-owner of Bethel Heights Vineyard in Oregon, where they practice sustainable viticulture and are certified 'Salmon Safe' - meaning they adhere to farming practices that help keep Oregon's streams and rivers clean. Marilyn led us in Tai Chi everyday.

Sue Morgan is Education Director for Friends of Sausal Creek, a group of volunteers working together to improve the creek watershed in Oakland, CA. She teaches in the FOSC Environmental Education program.

Nony Morgan (yours truly) is a retired nurse and holistic chiropractor with sub-specialties in cranio-sacral therapy and nutrition, and has been traveling the North American continent in a van-camper for the past 4 years.

Jennifer Biehn teaches communication and computer classes at San Francisco City College. She does a solo backpack on the John Muir Trail every summer and also backpacks with her young nieces and nephews. Jenn's vision and dedication to her dream are what brought us to the Arctic.

Barbara Goldenberg is a retired banker and currently keeps busy with several volunteer positions. These include tutoring Native American students at junior high level, and doing civic projects through the Hillside Gardeners of Montclair group.

Boo Hoo

We wanted to have a farewell dinner with our dear guides and decided to cook at our condo rather than go to a restaurant. Susan and Ramona were the last to leave the Arctic and didn't return to Fairbanks until about an hour before dinner. Carol brought over some pictures of our backpacking week.

It was a lovely evening and we were so pleased that they spent 3 hours hanging out with us. Bittersweet because goodbyes are always bumpy for me. Ah well... I hope to return to Alaska sometime soon and get a chance to spend some playtime with these fun women.

Northern Alaska Environmental Center

This morning we met with Pam Miller, Arctic Coordinator for the Northern Alaska Environmental Center in Fairbanks. Each of us introduced ourselves and spoke a bit about our lives and our varied interests and environmental concerns. Pam talked with us about promoting an awareness of the need to protect the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling, and she gave us suggestions to take back to our own states of Oregon, California and Montana. We were each given a copy of 'Broken Promises - The Reality of Big Oil in America's Arctic', a booklet she developed for the Wilderness Society.

Pam said that beneath all the arguments for the development or protection of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (and the entire Arctic region) is the understanding that there are some places on the earth that are so special, we need to save them for future generations. She called this the Bottom Line argument. She suggested we talk about the refuge as critical to preserving an intact ecosystem. (from Joan Lohman's notes)

Pam received our earth blessing vessel as a gesture of solidarity from all those supporting our trip in spirit.

Fly Away

It took 3 airplane trips to get eight of us and all the gear back to Fairbanks; Barbara, Sue and I took the first flight. I got up early to wash my hair by the river so I would feel less grungy returning to civilization. Kirk picked us up at about 8:30 and provided interesting commentary on the way to Arctic Village where we would transfer to a larger plane.

After refueling, Kirk went back to the Kongakut to pick up Marilyn, Joanie and Jenn. As they were waiting for him, hundreds more caribou crossed the river and passed by their packed bags.

While we were at the Arctic Village airstrip waiting for the second plane to arrive, some of the Gwich'in people came out to show us jewelry and crafts they had for sale. We spoke with a couple of women who told us how important the caribou migration is to their subsistence and way of life. If oil drilling is allowed on the coastal plains of the Arctic Refuge, it will interfere with the calving grounds and change the migratory pattern of the herd. The Gwich'in depend on the Porcupine Caribou herd to meet the nutritional, cultural and spiritual needs of their people.

Arctic Blessings

Jennifer and Joanie had a small earthen pot that was crafted in northern Mexico. Over 200 friends and family members have 'spoken' prayers and blessings into the vessel... asking for protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling, global warming and other onslaughts threatened by the negligence, greed and short-sightedness of humanity.
At the top of the farthest peak, we had a ceremony. We spoke prayers and thoughts and blew the blessings out to the caribou nursery of the coastal plains - known to the Gwitch'in people as the sacred place where life begins.

When we returned to camp after more than 8 hours of hiking, we ate dinner then packed up the boats. We only paddled for about 15-20 minutes downstream to the airstrip where we will fly out early tomorrow morning. It was midnight by the time we set up camp again and went to bed.

A Perfect Last Day

Today was our last full day on the Kongakut and it was fabulous! Sue came to my tent at about 7:30 this morning to say there were hundreds of caribou streaming out of the hills and swimming the river upstream from our camp. Then we looked at the hills behind us and hundreds more were moving past... they just kept coming and coming.

The day was gorgeous, with a nice breeze to keep the mosquitos inactive. The wildflowers are beautiful and abundant, and we enjoyed the sweet scent of the lupines as we walked among their purple blooms.
We hiked for hours over several peaks and finally reached a place where we could see the Beaufort Sea, a part of the Arctic Ocean. Ramona checked her GPS and told us that our elevation gain hiking to this peak was 1,500 feet. We looked out over the coastal plains and saw the blue of the water and the white ice. The view of 'the end of the world' was magnificent, breathtaking, and deeply moving.

We kept seeing big herds of caribou on the move... running over the hills and crossing the Kongakut. Last month most of the females arrived at the calving grounds on the coastal plains. There are about 120,000 caribou in the Porcupine herd and they make this journey from Canada every year - several hundred miles. The vegetation on the plains is very nutritious for pregnant and lactating caribou cows and their calves, and the wide open space is safer for calving because there are fewer predators than in the mountains.

It's mostly the bull caribou arriving now, though we saw several females with young calves. They must have had to stop on the way to give birth before reaching the plains.

Today was a gift - being able to witness this awesome spectacle of thousands of migrating caribou!

The End of the World

Sue, Barbara, and I rode in Susan's boat today - me in back for a change. We stopped for lunch and Sue spotted 2 wolves running in the distance - a white one and a dark one. It looked like they were playing chase.

We stopped to set up camp on a sandy area next to a creek. The terrain is flatter - less mountains though still hilly. We're about 10 miles from the Arctic Ocean and can see the flatness of the northern horizon. Susan says, "The end of the world."

Today is Sue's birthday and we celebrated with gingerbread and cream birthday cake - complete with candles. We also presented her with a book on Denali since she will be going there after this river trip.

After dinner we took a short hike up the hill to a high knoll where we could look down to see the Kongakut spreading out into multiple channels.