Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
goals. Under President Jimmy Carter, we went from 20 to 26 miles per gal-
lon, with a goal of 40 by 2001. When President George H. W. Bush left
office 12 years later, however, we were still at 26. Had we gone ahead as
planned, we could have eliminated 100 percent of all oil imports into the
United States by now.
Because there are no roads in the ANWR—just a gravel road passing next to the western
tip—it's best to go with an outfitter who can arrange a flight in on a small bush plane. Wade
Willis, a retired biologist, knows better than perhaps anyone where to go in the ANWR. He
has spent the past 15 years exploring the best camping spots, the best places to spot wildlife,
and the best places to kayak, raft, and hike. As the owner of Vision Quest Adventures, he
arranges weeklong trips to show off the what he's found.
Whether you want to hike, kayak, or raft, or do all three, Vision Quest will meet you in
Fairbanks or Anchorage or Juneau and take care of all the arrangements. The staff will bring
the tents, the food, and the knowledge—particularly useful are the secrets to avoiding bears.
All trips are led by biologists.
The sea-kayaking trip to the ANWR is perhaps the most adventurous way to see it. But
if you aren't already an experienced sea kayaker, it's probably best to choose one of Vision
Quest's other kayaking itineraries in, for example, Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords Na-
tional Park, or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. For the ANWR trip, you'll probably fly
by bush plane into Demarcation Bay, a protected spot that was favored by Native hunters as
well as turn-of-the-20th-century whalers. The rafting trips are usually launched on some of
the less explored rivers along the North Slope, including the Canning, the Hulahula, and the
Ivishak. There are also rafting trips along the famous Kongakut River, where herds of Porcu-
pine caribou congregate during migration. Suffice it to say, seeing 130,000 caribou thunder
across rushing rivers and tend to their young in greening tundra is one of the world's great
wildlife spectacles.
Trips that provide all tents, sleeping bags, and outdoor accessories, including Goretex
jackets and folding kayaks, start at $899 per person for 3 days up to $3,999 for the 12-day
ANWR tour.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Vision Quest Adventures,
P.O. Box 100965, Anchorage, AK 99510, 866-529-2525 or
907-258-7238, http://alaskavisionquest.com.
