Flow to the Source
7 day rafting trip on the Upper Alsek River
August 7 - 13, 2008
Description
The Yukon´s Alsek River is one of Canada's wilderness gems. Flanked by the largest mountains in North America, it is a magnficent landscape and an ideal location for our journey.
We will travel by raft and on foot through the Alsek corridor. This is a powerful experience, dramatic because of its scale and evocative because it can challenge our sense of identity within the world. Beyond the physical, this is a journey of the spirit, an opportunity to explore nature's expansiveness and connect to that same feeling within ourselves. As we navigate our way down river we will slowly atune to the rythyms of the land, and still our busy minds.
In essence, we are undertaking a sojourn into the unknown, an exploration of body and spirit, and a stepping out of time as we know it. We invite you to come with an open mind, your creativity and a willingness to share your discoveries.
Jill Pangman, Sandy Bielenberg and Joanne Baines combine their vast array of skill, talent and experience to take you on this extraordinary journey to the edge of the planets largest non-polar icefield.
The Setting
There are few places left on Earth where the untouched beauty of the wilderness is as awe-inspiring as it is on the Alsek River. Travelling through this valley is an exploration into glacial and geological history. The river empties into Lowell Lake, carved out by the massive Lowell glacier. The eastern shores of the lake are windy, rocky and seemingly barren, and being here is like going back in time. Across the lake, the massive wall of glacier ice towers above the water, constantly calving turquoise icebergs with resounding booms. From the slopes of Goatherd Mountain, we get a birds' eye view of this river of ice leading into the heart of the St. Elias Mountains.
The Upper Alsek is also designated as a grizzly bear preserve within Kluane National Park. Kluane is part of the worlds largest protected area, traversing an international boundary, and incorporating three other parks - Alaska's Wrangell-St Elias and Glacier Bay National Parks, and British Columbia's Tatshenshini Provincial Park. Kluane has also been designated as a World Heritage Site.
The itinerary below helps to place you in the physical landscape and to give you a feeling for the country you will be travelling through. Retreat activities will be interspersed throughout the seven days. Timing will be determined by weather, location and group interests.
Trip Itinerary
This wilderness trip is an opportunity for exploration within yourself. To help maximize the experience and prepare you for this trip we are offering optional individual
sessions with
Joanne Baines the day before departure. Joanne can help identify the ease with which you can be centred physically and energetically, and can suggest centering techniques
specific to your needs to help move you towards optimal health. The healthier you are, in mind and body, the easier it will be to connect to yourself, and to the powerful
energy of the landscape we will be travelling through.
NOTE: participants from out of town need to arrive by August 5
Pre trip: August 5 (evening)
We will meet for the first time at Joanne's house to discuss the trip details, give an overview as to what to expect, go over personal equipment and address any last minute questions. Final details of this gathering will be sent to trip participants.
August 6:
Personal sessions with Joanne (for those who are interested). As well this is a day to unwind and acclimatize, for those participants who have travelled from afar.
Day 1 (August 7):
Our tour will begin at 7:30 am. After being picked up at our hotels by passenger van, we will depart for Haines Junction, 160 kms (110 mi) to the west along the fabled Alaska Highway. Haines Junction is the gateway into Kluane National Park and the put in location for our river trip. . A visit to the Park Interpretive Centre will provide us with an excellent introduction to the unique natural and cultural history of this area. Our put in site is on the nearby Dezadeash River. This section of river is narrow and meandering, and strong winds may affect our progress, determining where we spend our first night.
Days 2-6 (August 8-12):
On Day 2 we will reach or pass the confluence of the Dezadeash and Kaskawalsh Rivers. The river, now called Alsek, noticably picks up in speed and size. Along its shores
we'll visit an old lava flow, see an ancient volcano and scan the mountain sides and shorelines for wildlife. We can expect to see Dall's sheep, grizzly and black bears, and/or
moose during our passage down river. We plan to reach Goatherd Mountain by the third or fourth evening and camp on the shores of ice-studded Lowell Lake. A perfect vantage point for
observing the ever-changing face of the Lowell Glacier across the lake, and to listen to the thunder of calving ice. Behind us Goatherd rises dramatically, and we can scan for
mountain goats scrambling along precipitous rocky ledges with their sure-footed gait.
We'll have 2 to 3 days to explore this area, ample time to marvel at the textures and patterns of rocks and ice. We'll have a chance to hike up Goatherd Mountain, and luxeriate in her verdant tundra and wildflower-dotted slopes. From here we have an amazing view of turquoise-hued and bizarrely-shaped icebergs floating on Lowell Lake. And panoramic vistas lead our eyes up the long snaking course of the Lowell Glacier. On the afternoon of Day 5, we plan to raft through the 'bergs to our final camp at the far end of the lake. From here we can wander the shores of the Alsek as it empties out of Lowell Lake on its its route to the Gulf of Alaska.
Day 7 (August 13):
After a leisurely morning on the final day, we will be picked up by helicopter. It will take several loads to return us all back to Haines Junction. This spectacular half hour flight gives us an aerial view of the toe of the Lowell glacier and the tundra clad and snow capped peaks lining the Alsek valley. Our passenger van will be waiting for us all in Haines Junction to transport us back to Whitehorse by early evening.
Retreat activities over these 5 days will include focused discussions, yoga and stretching exercises, silent meditation, and creative writing techniques. Each day will
start with a specific theme, which will be some aspect of the natural world surrounding us. There will be opportunities throughout each day for contemplation on our own
inter-relationship with these aspects of the Alsek environment, as well as informal discussions in the evenings for those who wish to share their experiences and insights.
In addition, Jill and Sandy will be incorporating some of Joanna Macy's inspirational teachings and practices into the trip, outlined in 3 of Joanna's books
Thinking Like a Mountain, Coming Back to Life - Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World, and World as Lover World as Self (for more on Joanna's work
see www.joannamacy.net).
Your Yukon Guides
Jill Pangman has 25 years of experience as a wilderness guide, outdoor educator, naturalist, and conservationist. Her passion is exploring wild places and sharing
these experiences with others. She recognizes the capacity of wilderness sojourns to rejuvenate and inspire, and to deepen our connection to the natural world as well as to
ourselves. She expresses her own love of nature, and her commitment to the healing of our world through her guiding, writing, photography and conservation-oriented work. She
has immense gratitude for the beauty of nature as well as the human spirit, and she finds that leading journeys into the wilderness is an ideal venue to share this appreciation.
Sandy Bielenberg has been a raft guide and elementary art teacher for more than two decades. She has guided on many rivers throughout the Southwest United States. Her
time on the water and in wilderness feeds her soul and inspires her life and art. She is a student of Anusara yoga, an avid hiker and a concerned citizen of the planet. This
will be Sandy's first trip to the Yukon, sparked by her passion for wild places, a curiosity about her continent's north country, and an offer by a kindred spirit. Jill and
Sandy met in the fall of 2007 at a month long intensive training and retreat with renowned deep ecologist, environmental activist, author and teacher Joanna Macy. Like Jill,
Sandy is interested in incorporating Joanna's insights and re-connecting practices into her wilderness guiding and group work, and sees that Flow to the Source offers an
ideal opportunity for this.
Joanne Baines brings to this trip a knowledge of the intertwining of all aspects of our being. As an osteopath and physiotherapist she has been working with the body
for 20 years. She has observed the interconnectedness of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical and feels that blockages/imprints on these different levels prevent us
reaching our full potential; being free of these can activate our own capacity to heal and give clarity to our path in life. She claims that beyond the base knowledge of years
of schooling and post graduate training it is the surrounding wilderness of the environment and the inner wilderness of the body that give her the depth of understanding. As a
hiker and skier she has a great love of the raw wild beauty of the Yukon where it is easy to feel a connection to the land. Living consciously is something she believes we
choose and at any moment we can be there. Joanne operates a private practice in Whitehorse offering a holistic treatment approach to health. She also gives talks and
workshops that use common sense, depth and humour to inspire people to remove their own burdens and ignite their life within.
Price:
$2750 Can + 5% GST
What's included?
- all transportation from Whitehorse and return (including helicopter out of Lowell Lake)
- the services of 2 fully qualified Sila Sojourns guides and 1 group facilitator
- all rafting gear, including lifejackets and safety equipment
- all group equipment including tents, cooking gear, first aid supplies, and satellite phone
- all meals from lunch Day 1 to lunch Day 7
* pretrip session with Joanne Baines
What´s not?
- transportation to and from your home and Whitehorse
- personal belongings and equipment as per equipment list
- any accommodation or meals in Whitehorse
Topographical Information
We carry a full complement of maps with us but if you wish to have your own, the1:250,000 scale map you will want is called Dezadeash 115A, St. Elias 115B&C and the 1:50,000 one is Cottonwood Lakes 115A/5. In Whitehorse, maps can be purchased at Mac's Fireweed Books at 203 Main Street.
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