Gates of the Arctic, Alaska: Update

**In case you are new to my blog, you can check out my initial post about our upcoming Alaska trip here**

I know, it’s been awhile since I’ve updated everyone with details on our Gates of the Arctic trip, but never fear—things haven’t been stagnant on our end!

First off, we had some changes in the crew that was coming along, and we had to say a bittersweet farewell to Katie of Adventure Inspired. As it turns out, Katie is far more responsible than the rest of the group and her real-world job simply couldn’t lose her for such an extended period of time. It was a bummer, but I understand—at the end of the day, we all have to pay our bills!

Fortunately, we found another gal that was willing and able to take Katie’s spot: Amy of The Gearcaster! If you’re not familiar with Amy, you truly should be because she is one of the most badass females that I have had the pleasure of knowing. I initially met her on last year’s Columbia OmniTen trip to Havasupai and we’ve somewhat kept in touch since then. Will has worked with Amy in various capacities over the past few years, so when we started to think of other gals that could fill Katie’s spot, Amy leapt to the top of the list. We extended the invitation and BAM! She accepted almost flipping immediately. See? I told you she was badass! (And before you start thinking we’re a sexist group, let me clarify: we had to find another female because we already submitted our total weight to the bush plane pilot. If a 6-foot tall guy took Katie’s spot, our weight would dramatically increase and we would have serious bush plane problems. Plus, I’d really love another gal along on the trip with me!)

In addition to sorting out the crew, we’ve also been getting our packraft logistics together. We were referred to a company called Northern Alaska Packrafts based in Fairbanks. I communicated with a man named Ed and we officially have our packrafts reserved and they will be waiting for us when we arrive! We booked three yaks and one alpaca raft, which initially sounded like a foreign language to me! As it turns out, the names of the rafts are merely representative of their respective sizes. Alpacas are the smallest rafts and are good for users who are 5’8” or less (guess which one of us gets that raft?!) The Yukon Yak rafts are the next size up and are good for users who are 5’8”-6’ tall.

The kicker? I still don’t know how to use these suckers! I’m familiar with rafting and canoeing and kayaking, but packrafting is still a foreign concept to both Will and me. Naturally, we decided that the Arctic Circle of Alaska was not the place to figure out these contraptions, so we have a mini adventure planned in a few weeks where packrafting will be a critical element. I don’t mean to keep you in suspense, but that is definitely a post for another day!

With that sorted, we’re setting our sights on our gear. While one may think that Gates of the Arctic will be frigid and snowy, that isn’t the case. In all actuality, it may be buckets full of rain that cause us the most discomfort! Having said that, we’re focusing our attention on acquiring the best three-season waterproof gear we can find. I recently tested the Mountain Hardwear Phantasia 15 sleeping bag for AJ’s Women’s Backpacking Gear Guide, and I’m confident that is the bag I will be taking. However, lots of the other gear is up in the air, and I’m looking forward to meeting with some companies over the next few weeks at Outdoor Retailer so that we can get this stuff locked down!

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The winner of the whitewater rafting giveaway with AVA is Chris from The Gearhouse! Chris, check your email!

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Any recs on must-have three season waterproof gear?