This summer I spent a month in the Alaskan wilderness AMA!

Bears? But seriously, what was it like? Memories?

It was awesome! A great bonding experience with lots of challenges along the way. I saw several bears while there. There was an incident where an instructor woke us up and told us to get out & ready for the day. About 5 minutes later he said never mind stay inside, there's a bear. We don't believe him at first but then we look outside and see it not to far from us. Eventually, we have to get out and start going even though the bear was still there. After some time it left but for some time there I pretty scared. BTW, bears run really fast. I was told this before but it didn't really click until I saw it.

Did you go to the bus in Denali Park?

Nope, but we did read Into The Wild.

How did you afford all of your gear?

My parents paid for most it, which I am extremely grateful for.

What was the daylight/night situation like for you? How many hours of light did you have that time of year? Was it difficult to adjust?

It was pretty much light the entire time I was awake except for the last few days.

1.) How much money were the expenses? 2.) Did you see any moose? (In my best Sarah Palin voice)

1. About $6k all together
   
2. Yes, and one time we saw a baby moose. I was terrified the mother would come out and get aggressive. I also saw Russia from my tent.

NOLS?

Nope, Adventure Treks.

How did you pay for your trip?

My parents paid for most of it.

What is your favorite kind of bird?

The Amurican Bird

How was the food??

Pretty good considering.

Were some of these photos shot on a disposable camera or were they edited? This is a trip that I've always wanted to do, but do it more primitively.

Yeah, I only had disposable cameras. The good pictures were taken by other group members.

How much experience did you have prior to the adventure with that type of weather and terrain?

The only experience really comparable to that would have my three weeks in NoCal the summer before that. However I do go backpacking and such on a regular basis.

How did you get involved with the group? I'm 16 now and would love to get involved in something like that. What's the best group to join? How much, with gear and expenses, did the whole trip cost?

Well a couple years ago I was looking at some summer camp jobs for teens online. Long story short I stumbled upon this company and decided to go on the California trip. I loved it so much and wanted an even bigger challenge that I decided to go to Alaska this past summer. It was around $6k for everything all together.

Was it with friends of your or random people? What is the most memorable memory you have from the camp? What was the camp like? What was there to do at the camp?

About half of the people I knew from my trip the year before in NoCal. Some great memories include: glacial plunge, wag bags, ice climbing in a GORE-TEX® hotdog suit and seeing some amazing wildlife. We did backpacking, ice climbing, sea kayaking and white water rafting.

What was the coolest/most unique animal you saw during your trip? Also, what parts of Alaska did you stay in/hike? Any favorite spots/sights to check out if I ever manage to go there (hoping too one day)?

I'd say the coolest was seals and sea otters. We we're in south central AK (PWS, Denali, Matanuska, Talkeetnas, Chugach). You should definetley check out the Talkeetnas and Denali if you can see. IIRC only 1/4 get to actually see Denali because of the weather.

What sort of amenities did you take? Was this a 'livin off the fat of the land' trip or a comfortable camping experience?

It wasn't living off the land. Amenities included a sleeping bad, a sleeping pad and a tent. I would say it was comfortable, but then again I'm comfortable with the bare minimum.

Being an Alaskan myself, tents are for pussies. Kidding, I sleep on an air mat. How many gallons of deet did you go through on your trip?

I personally only sprayed deet once. I'd rather have bites than some well, less pleasant stuff. Anyhoot I did use this herbal lotion stuff that was just as effective if not more effective than the deet.

Did you have issues with mosquitos? They are visible from 20 feet. I hate Alaskan mosquitos.

Meh, they really weren't that bad most of the time.

What did you learn on your journey?

Don't let shit get you down. When it's pouring rain and you're freezing cold get on your feet and yell "I LOVE ALASKA!"

What is your favorite color?

Orange

What was the worst problem you faced?

Cold weather

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Nope