OFF THE GRID – OUR ARCTIC ADVENTURE

Audrey and I always look forward to the Alaskan summers.  All residents and visitors, typically, have many plans revolving around outdoor activities – fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, gardening, berry picking, etc., etc.

One trip we especially look forward to is an annual trek up the “Haul Road” or Dalton Highway (as it reads on a map) to hunt caribou.  We, recently, departed from our home in Wasilla and drove north on the Parks Highway to Fairbanks then continued north past the Arctic Circle, stopping just 50 miles south of Deadhorse (and the arctic coast) to meet our friends, Randy and Heather Quincy, at the “boat launch.”

Randy and Heather have owned and operated Alaska Gold Rush Adventures (www.airboatfishing.com ) for almost 20 years.  We first met while producing our outdoor adventure series, North to Alaska.  Randy guided me on several successful hunts and some memorable fishing trips as well.  Over the years, we’ve become good friends with them and their family.  Great folks!

Randy Quincy and me in camp

At the boat launch, we loaded our gear in to their not-so-average airboat for a week at caribou camp.  We traveled the Ivishak River until we reached their remote location, watching for wildlife along the way.  We made this trip not to just harvest a caribou but to enjoy the magic of camping in the Alaskan arctic wilderness.  I did harvest a small meat bull for the freezer but we also enjoyed watching muskox across the river from camp, a northern lights show, a wolf sighting, double rainbows and several nights around the campfire with the Quincy family and new friends, Dan Alch of Anchorage and Anthony Williams on his first trip to Alaska from North Carolina.  Thanks for the cigars and entertaining stories!

Arctic airboat built by Randy

Dan harvested a trophy caribou, Audrey landed a 30” arctic char and Anthony put the killer stalk on a couple of trophy caribou with his bow but turned them down.  

It was a memorable trip.  Of course we have too many pics to post in this blog but we’ll follow up next week with a full photo album of our Arctic Adventure.

We’ll be back!

ZONK