On Top of the World

One of the most beautiful areas that I explored in Alaska was ironically done so while I sat as passenger in a SUV. The thing about the state's wilderness is that it's so vast that almost all of it can only be reached by chartering a private plane. The only road route into the Arctic and the Bush is via the Dalton Highway.

The Dalton is the northernmost highway on the continent. It was built to access oil at Prudhoe Bay and until a few years ago, private vehicles were not allowed use of it. Spanning over 400 miles, it's the roughest highway most people will ever drive, though most people will never drive it. With much of it being a weathered dirt and gravel road and with trucks driving at high speeds (they have the right of way), only two rental companies will even allow their vehicles to be driven on it. Chipped windshields and flat tires are too common, and few services are available along this isolated stretch of road. In fact along those 400+ miles between Fairbanks and the dead end of Deadhorse, there are only 3 places to refuel. Needless to say, careful planning is a must.But what a magical journey the Dalton took me on! The landscape was awashed in ever hue of the rainbow as I traveled from boreal forests to majestic mountains to marshy tundra to coastal plains. Grass roots carried the green which turned to oranges, reds, or yellows on their tips while lichen bounced back those same colors too. The blue and purple mountains climbed to the sky which glowed in magnificent shades, my favorite of which appeared at twilight.
The extra long days of the the northern summer were jammed full of sunlight once the rainclouds went away.
Muskoxen grazed the grasslands like the buffalo of the Midwest as did the reindeer-like caribou. Dall sheep with their big horns dotted the shale-sided mountains like little patches of snow.Even the rocks contained a mystical quality. Rocks broken down by ancient glaciers lined the riverbeds. Their array of colors and patterns spoke of their long journey. In the open areas of tundra sat large boulders not from mountain tops, but rather heaved up from beneath the ground by the permafrost.Along the Dalton it's easy to get lost in the beauty of Mother Nature; my pores were steeped in her. Despite this, I was often reminded why I was able to view this remote land whenever the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was in view, which seemed like more often than not. If it weren't for the oil fields, this road wouldn't exist. Yet, ironically, after traveling 414 miles, the oil companies cut off public access at the ugly base camp of Deadhorse, just 8 miles from the Arctic Ocean. The only way you can get to the Ocean is through a tour with the oil companies which requires at least 24 hours notice for security clearance. (I made sure to change my "Activist" t-shirt seen in the ANWR photo before entering Deadhorse.)


While I wasn't able to touch the Arctic Ocean, I did get a chance to step my foot (literally, that's all I did) into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, better known as "an-whar". The center of the major oil drilling debate, ANWR is for now protected. The area where drilling is being pushed happens to be a critical calving ground for a herd of 150,000 caribou. While the oil industry claims it can drill in sensitive areas without causing harm, for some reason I don't believe them.

After 4 days of exploring this remote land on top of the world, I returned to Fairbanks with the dirtiest vehicle I've ever seen. One run through the car wash was not enough to remove the all of the caked-on mud.