Garland

I'm a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Medieval History. I love everything to do with the outdoors, especially backpacking.

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Hiking the South Fork Eagle River & Cantata Peak

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The colors were amazing, brilliant oranges and yellows, worthy of a painting but instead only captured by cameras. It was with that brilliant light that I fell in love with the wilderness. This was my first time truly outside. Not just in the woods, or a few miles from a road. I’d been backpacking in West Virginia and North Carolina before this, but never had I stepped foot in true wilderness.

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exit glacier alaska

Hiking the Exit Glacier and the Harding Ice Field

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When we saw a few small shelters and signs, we knew we had reached the end of the trail. This was the observation point for the Ice Field. The view from this area was… other-worldly. The way the pure ice and snow stretched out before us. Three hundred square miles of ice. That’s about a quarter of the size of Rhode Island, and we stood there in awe of this. Formations like this once covered much of North America.

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Golden Hour - Savage River Denali Alaska

Golden Hour Hiking at Savage River, Denali National Park

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Officially, Denali National Park claims to have no trails in the wilderness. There are official, marked trails in some places, notably the park entrance and Eielson, but when asked, Rangers will never mention other trails. But there is a trail beside the Savage. It begins about half a mile south of the camp, when an unmissable bluff rises on the west side of the river. It’s a flat, smooth game trail which continues up to the point where the river enters the mountains.

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bear safety

Essential Bear Safety Tips for Staying Safe in Bear Country

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Don’t mess with the wildlife and the wildlife won’t mess with you. I have never had a single bad run in with a bear, though I have been very close to them. Never once have I felt threatened, because I use proper precautions. I’ve never surprised a bear, never stored food in my tent. And, unlike some tourists in videos gone viral, I don’t feed the wildlife. Bear safety begins with respect for nature and some simple skills to help keep you safe.

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The beauty of a late winter thaw

Essential Backcountry Map Skills in Alaska

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There was still plenty of snow, not enough to be trouble, but more than enough to be beautiful. The wind was strong and it howled its way through the valley. The tundra was still a deep brown color, as winter had not yet truly ended, and the overcast skies gave the place a beautifully desolate feel. Naturally, we were the only ones there and we took our time on the way down. There was no reason to rush.

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Crashed Airplane in Alaska at Bomber Glacier

Hiking the Bomber Glacier, Alaska

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The cockpit, indeed the entire front half of the plane was gone, ripped from the rest of the plane. What seemed to be the front half was separate, crushed on the ice quite far from the rear of the plane. The most recognizable pieces were the tail section, the four gigantic engines, the unused landing gear. One of the wings lay separate from the rest, ripped from its body. The bomber glacier hike has so much in store, read on to learn more!

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