UPDATES!!!

Hello all!

Sorry its been so far between blog entries, we spent the last 4 days in the backcountry of Denali!

So here is a summary of the last week or so:


We spent an awesome couple days in Banff and Jasper and found a replacement for Jeremy: we picked up a hitchhiker. We had an experience and made a new friend.

We have seen many grizzlies off the side of the road, herds of buffalo blocking our way.

We were re-united with Jeremy in Fairbanks and headed off to Denali National Park.
Because of our group size we only had a few options on where we could camp in the backcountry. We opted to take the shuttle 90 miles in to the end of the road at Kantishna. On the way up the road, we saw numerous wildlife including a grizzly only 30 ft off the road snacking on the ribcage of a fellow Denali Park mammal (moose calf?). When we arrived at the end of the road we hiked in 7 miles to an epic campsite with Mt. McKinley as the backdrop. The mountain slowly revealed itself throughout the day and when we finished setting up camp we had a completely unobstructed view of the massive peak. They say that only 1 in 3 visitors to the park gets to see it. It was an unforgettable experience for all of us.

We made it to Jake's mom's house in Palmer last night. This morning she cooked us an amazing breakfast that we had all been imagining during our backcountry trip. Today we will recharge our batteries, do some laundry and hopefully rid ourselves of our stench from days with no showers.

The Big Blue Alaska Crew

Glad you made it

Jeremy, that sounds like a cool trip, glad you made it up there, I know you guys are all there now. Lots of wildlife it sounds like. Everything in FL is fine, just storming lots. Dad is back in town from FCA camp, going to pick up now, take care and be safe.
FL momm a

Alive and tramping on my own!

After my disappointing visit to the Canadian border I swiftly hitched a ride from the last stop of the Glacier shuttle and hopped on the Amtrak to Seattle. A few days there and I managed to find a cheap flight to AK via the infamous Craigslist. I love CL! I arrived in Anchorage Tuesday night and was picked up by a good samaritan who offered me her spare room for the night. In the morning she took me to REI and then to the 42nd and Spenard hostel.

I took the bus downtown and met a girl named Julie on the way. We had coffee and then parted ways to explore downtown Anchorage. We met up later for dinner and checked out the World famous bar "Chilkoot Charlie's". We decided to rent a car the next day to explore the area further. We drove south along the Seward Highway to Beluga Point. We saw a pod of whales in the distance and plenty of other wildlife. We explored a bit more and then had dinner in Anchorage again and went for a walk along the Coastal Trail where we encountered a moose and a calf along the way. We also ran across a local couple walking there dog. They were very kind and were trying to convince me to move to AK. It wouldn't take much convincing for me to do so. This place is amazing!

In the mean time I managed to find a ride, once again via Craigslist, to Fairbanks. A group of triathletes were taking a motorhome up for the Sourdough 1/2 Ironman Triathlon. I gave them some advice on training and they gave me a ride for $50 which included meals. The train from Anchorage to Fairbanks is $112 so I thought it to be a great deal.

The group dropped me at the GoNorth Hostel on the West side of Fairbanks. The Hostel was unique and had numerous cabins scattered about with 5-6 beds in each. It even had a Tipi in the middle of camp for an added touch. Hitched a ride to the laundromat and made it downtown a couple hours ago. I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the Big Blue crew and can't wait to get on with the rest of our trip.

Adventure Bound,
Jeremy
P.S. Pics to follow

Canadians are tough!

Well, we are one person light now through Canada...Grev could not get through the border because of something that happened 5 years ago...bad boy! We have often wondered what he was doing, and I am pretty sure it is NOT seeing a bear today on the highway like we did! couple more days until we get into AK and hopefully meet up with him! Peace out, we are tramping now!

Vegas odds

jeremy having a moose even look at him...... 25-1
josh getting a mustache..... 10-1
shannon not whining..... 2-1
lauren losing something.... pick "em
jake cutting himself......... 12-5
scott doing something really dumb..... pick "em
abby raising her voice..... 74-1
anyone that i missed wondering what the heck they are doing with this group.... pick "em
shannon's and jake's dogs dying while they are on the trip...no line

cost of the trip

big blue-3000 bucks
cheap hiking boots- 50 bucks
camping on someone elses land- free ( unless you get shot at)
experiences you will not forget- priceless

this is NOT your mom

haiku abby style

pile in the van
how many miles to go?
alaska awaits

a love affair starts
jake caught with his pants greasy
one man and one van