A quick update from student Joey: We have just finished our third and final backpack. We spent six days in the Talkeetna Mountains, the longest backpack AT does. Our trip was a blast! The many river crossings and mud pits led to some fun mud fights. Actually, the mud became a major theme for our backpacking group because we kept getting stuck in it. At one point, we had to go digging for a lost shoe. We had to bushwhack through many parts of the trail, but the views were always stunning and the morale was always high. We saw two moose, whose trail we followed for much of the trek. The weather was nice and sunny, except when it was raining. We accidentally hiked too far on our third day, so we were a day ahead for the rest of the trip. Because of this, on day 5, we had a leisurely wake-up involving tea and a 30-minute solo sit by the river. All-in-all, it was an incredible trip that everyone enjoyed!
A quick update from student Ethan: Today is logistics day, as we have just finished our last and longest backpacking trip. We are now getting ready for our sea kayaking voyage. Many agree that our hike in the Talkeetnas was by far the best backpacking trip we’ve done this month. My group encountered marmots, a caribou, and crazy weather that would change from hot and sunny to cold and rainy in a few minutes. This backpacking trip was a great experience, even though we had gritty sand pasta one night due to our brown cooking water from the creek. I am very excited for our next kayaking trip because this is the activity I have been looking forward to the most!