On a long hike in the Arctic, you learn to savor each bug-free moment
An insect biologist once said that extreme cold and biting flies maintain the circumpolar north’s low human population. I agree.
Light-filled days (and nights) bring the far north wilderness to life
It's high summer and life is abundant along the path of the trans-Alaska pipeline.
A walk along Alaska’s oil pipeline reveals a changed landscape
Whether over the course of a single season or a few decades, travel by foot highlights how places change.
In the place where the trans-Alaska pipeline runs farthest from roads, quiet reigns
At Gold Run Creek, the trans-Alaska pipeline is 9 miles from the nearest road as the crow flies. The stillness is noticeable.
An Alaska roadhouse holds a century of history — but faces an uncertain future
Founded in 1904, and now a museum, Rika's Roadhouse has witnessed generations of Alaska changes. But state budget cuts may soon mean it's closed to the public.
With tough 10-year-olds on pipeline hike, there's no 'suffering in silence'
With 40 mph winds, rain, snow and graupel pellets, this isn't the easiest nine days of hiking through the Alaska Range. But my daughter and her friend were impressive.
A trans-Alaska walk shows just how much outdoor gear has changed in 20 years
Repeating a walk along the trans-Alaska pipeline 20 years later means carrying a lot less weight — and being far more connected to the outside world.
Finding old friends in the 'Big Lonely'
The country between Valdez and Glennallen is an emptier place than it was 20 years ago. But it's still home to good neighbors who show up when you need them.
Outside Valdez, the mountains are full of snow — and filling with birds
A trans-Alaska hike is slowed by snow but enlivened by the songs of returning birds.
A slow trip across Alaska begins
A walk along the length of Alaska's pipeline begins with a snowy climb through the rainforests outside Valdez.
Revisiting a walk along Alaska's pipeline, 20 years later
UAF's Ned Rozell walked the length of the Alaska pipeline, from Valdez to Prudhoe Bay, in 1997. Twenty years later, he's about to make the trip again.
Huge tundra swans take 2 distinct routes to Alaska for summer
Swans that summer north of the Brooks Range are East Coast birds in winter, while swans that breed in the wetlands of western Alaska are West Coast birds.