I got to explore the Fairbanks area and surrounding public lands, fly out with archaeologists on a helicopter survey in the alpine tundra of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, boat up and down the section of the Yukon River that lies in the preserve, go backpacking in the alpine tundra of the upper Charley River basin, hike up to a rocky summit in the middle of the night to shoot the aurora borealis, attempt to traverse a ridge in the Alaska Range but sadly got turned around by some pretty scummy weather, and all around had a wonderful, enlightening, and extremely fun wilderness, adventure, photography, and conservation experience.
On my last day at work, I didn't really have anything to do, so Josh and I decided to go hang out at Creamer's Field in Fairbanks and take some pictures. It was a beautiful, cool, relaxing, carefree day, and a wonderful way to end my time with Yukon-Charley and the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Fairbanks. Somehow, I got paid for it. I'm not really sure why. :)
So, to close out, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made my experience up here in the 49th state an unforgettable experience. Josh, we were sidekicks in the wilderness on a couple of great trips. You've taught me a lot about the wilderness, how to behave in it, and about gear and why my backpack is way too heavy... J.R., you're a true native Alaskan, and you've taught me a lot about this state and been extremely generous to me. Thanks, both of you, for teaching me the tricks of the trade in this wild state. To everyone else at APLIC and YUCH, thank you for what you contributed to the efforts that allowed me to experience things that I may never get the opportunity to experience again.
It's been a great time. Here are a bunch of pictures from Creamer's Field in late August, when the first tastes of fall are hitting Alaska. The weather's cooling off, and the plants are noticing. Winter is coming.
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