PRESS RELEASE: Across the Arctic, 1000 km in 20 Days

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Bozeman, Mont. - On June 11, 2006, Roman Dial, Ryan Jordan, and Jason Geck will begin an attempt of the first and longest ever unsupported trekking traverse of America’s most remote, roadless, uninhabited wilderness, a distance of 1000 km (600 mi).

Expedition Goals. This expedition is being undertaken by three adventurers who simply want to answer the question:

How far can a man walk in a remote wilderness without resupply, outside support, and dependence upon foraging, hunting, or fishing?

The primary goals of the trek are thus

1. To complete the longest wilderness traverse in the U.S. by fair means, and
2. To be the first party to visit the most remote location in the U.S. by fair means.

Unsupported, Ultralight, and by Fair Means. They will carry all of their gear, food, and supplies for the entirety of the trek in backpacks. They will not forage, hunt, or fish. They will not resupply. They will not access roads or habitations for support. They will travel entirely on foot.

• Read more about the expedition's goals and objectives.

About The Route. The route will traverse the most remote (westernmost) region of Alaska's Brooks Range, starting at the Chukchi Sea near Point Hope and ending at either the indigenous habitation of Anaktuvuk Pass or the Alaskan Oil Pipeline Highway ("Haul Road") near Wiseman. This region is notable for two key characteristics: it is the largest contiguous roadless and uninhabited wilderness in America, and it contains America's remotest spot (defined by its distance from the nearest roads or habitations) in an area that is more than 15 times the area of the remotest spot in the contiguous U.S., SE of Yellowstone National Park.

The expedition intends not only to traverse the entire wilderness, but also traverse America's remotest spot en route. Total distance covered will be approximately 550-625 miles (~900-1000 km), depending on route conditions and the party's availability of remaining food towards the end of the trek.

• Read more about the expedition's route or view an interactive map to follow the expedition's progress, live via satellite.

Challenges & Risks. Mosquitoes. Polar and grizzly bears. Unpredictable terrain. Wading - and sometimes swimming - deep, swift rivers. Wet feet. Cold winds. Rain, fog, and snow. Staying warm with minimal clothing, sleep gear, and shelter. Taking enough food (but not too much) - and exercising the discipline to ration it. Managing the consumption of body fat as a calorie source. And of course, managing foot pain (a lot of it).

They will travel in ultralight style, sleep under tarps made with the lightest racing sailcloth materials, carry backpacks that weigh only 24 ounces but will carry 50 lbs (mostly food), and cook over bush fires. They will wear trail running shoes. They will travel at night, and sleep during the day - minimizing the amount of insulating gear they will have to carry. They will walk nearly 50 miles a day in the final third of the trek. And they will go ultralight: not including food and water, they will carry less than twenty pounds of gear - combined (< 7 lb/person).

Expedition member Ryan Jordan, Publisher of Backpacking Light Magazine and the BackpackingLight.com website, says "This expedition will be a serious test of ultralight trekking technique - it's absolutely mandatory that gear weight be ruthlessly eliminated so we can carry enough food to provide the caloric needs to complete this distance."

• Read more about the expedition's gear and why it has been carefully selected to face these challenges.

The People. Roman Dial is a Professor of Biology and Mathematics at Alaska Pacific University, an expedition adventure racer, and has trekked, skied, biked, and paddled some of the longest wilderness routes ever attempted in Alaska. Ryan Jordan is the publisher of Backpacking Light Magazine, pioneer of some of the longest unsupported long distance routes in the Northern Rockies and Yellowstone Ecosystems, and leading practitioner and educator about ultralight trekking style and technique. Jason Geck is an Instructor of GIS, Mathematics, and Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, reknowned wilderness athlete, and record-holder and 2005 champion of the Alaskan Mountain Wilderness Classic, considered to be the toughest adventure race in the world.

• Read expedition biographies.

Expedition Sponsors. The expedition's title sponsor is BackpackingLight.com, the leading source of information and education about ultralight backpacking technique, gear, and style.

Other key sponsors include: ULA-Equipment (www.ula-equipment.com), Smartwool (www.smartwool.com), GoLite (www.golite.com), Pacific Outdoor Equipment (www.pacoutdoor.com), Cuben Fiber (www.cubenfiber.com), and Alaska Pacific University (www.alaskapacific.edu).

• View the entire sponsor list for the expedition and read about how they are supporting Arctic1000.

Tune in to Arctic1000.com or BackpackingLIGHT.com for expedition information, gear notes, photography, route progress, and live dispatches sent via an satellite.

Be sure to sign up for the RSS feed to receive immediate notification of new postings.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Caitlin Magbee
O'Berry-Cavanaugh Public Relations | Bozeman, MT USA
+1.406.522.8075
EMAIL

Comments

[Jim]

The rss feed does not work, and I can't find the file on the web to open it. Can you help? Thanks!

[Ryan]

Jim: it does work, but requires an RSS reader. You can download these for free, Google "RSS Reader", or, use the built-in one in Mozilla Firefox or similar browsers that support RSS.

[Bill]

Are polar bears a huge threat? Aren't they more aggresive than grizzlies?

[Russ; MT; AK visitor 5x]

Starting June 11,Tvl @ nite! They will sleep 20 hours a day,walk 4 hrs at nite if I read this right.

[Ginger Golsan]

Wishing you a great, successful adventure with much energy and speed. I look forward to hearing about exciting memories but always, a safe return!

[Jim]

How will they deal with the micro-grizzlies, otherwise known as mosquitos? Even if you stop them from biting, with a Deet force field, they swarm just outside the field, pressing nearer as the field collapses, keening maddeningly, inches from your ears--or at least that was what was like when I was once caught in a hatch the local rangers described as "of biblical proportions".

[Roman Dial]

..."micro grizzlies"...."maddenlingly inches from the ears" -- that is sheer poetry about something so bad you can onky make light of it -- or run like a mad caribou from snow patch to snowpatch to water.

Bugs are a real problem and can not be exaggerated.

We are leaving very early, we are walking fast, we are walking at "night" (sometimes worse bugs but moe dramatic lighting -- sun will not go down!), and we are walking east, hopefully into Polar Easteries, the predominant wind in the spring.

[Steven Shore]

Pretty exciting. When there are articles written about your trek, I'll be able to tell everyone (again) that I work with famous celebrities. Can't wait to see the pictures.

[jeffrey caldwell]

very excited about attending a school where the professors are doing a trek like this!cant wait to meet you guys.

[Grandma Anderson]

Jason, will any of you be doing any scientific studies or research on the trip? or are you just feeding the misquitos.

[Donnie Bodron]

Jason,

Best of luck on your trek. Sounds like a blast! Would love to see you and your family again sometime soon.

Donnie Bodron
Pearland, TX

[Trent Pool]

Jason, Will u wear a libertarian bumpersticker on ur backpack? haha jk

[Jack & Joy Geck]

Jason,
Your mom and dad will be anxious for the 20 days to pass fast!! We love you very much and please take care of yourself.
Tell Roman we are thinking about him also and both of you need to get back to Anchorage quickly.
mom & dad
Loomis, California

[geckogonzo]

The exploration undertaken by these men is remarkable in many ways. For those whose journey may not be as adventurous, it serves as a reminder that we each are stewards of the earth.

I have had the privilege of knowing Jason Geck for many years, and look forward to (vicariously) traveling on this expedition with him, Ryan Jordan, and Roman Dial.

Godspeed,

Fran and Family

[Grant Carey]

Ryan - I was looking you up on the web today to ask you some questions about doing a Ph.D., and saw what you guys are up to in the arctic.

You are amazing and a true inspiration for living life to the fullest!! Best of luck to you and your mates, Eh! Enjoy, Grant.

[Ryan Jordan]

grant - roman and I both have phd's and jason's on his way. look where it got us - point hope, ak! ergo...

Jason,
i hope you stay safe and put on a lot of mosquito repellant on. I read you had an encounter with a bear Boy, I bet that was scary. God bless you and hope the rest of your trip is safe.

Alicia Gonzalez

[linda and gary christensen]

Jason,take care of yourself and watch out for those bears. We will see you in CA in August. Love, The Christensen Family

[Randi Williams]

Hi Jason-
I am following the trek and each day is riveting. Please take care and I can't wait to hear about it in person in Vancouver in July!

Randi

[Craig and Linda Williams]

Jason,
We are following you from Iowa each day and keeping all three of you in our thoughts and prayers. Stay safe! -Craig & Linda Williams

[Pat and Steve Reale]

Hey you guys, sounds like lots of fun..setting a goal, one that asks so much of you (endurance to preparation) but gives back way more than you could ever ask for. We live in Kiana (30 miles above the AC) and look out our window to the foothills of a range that may be part of Brooks Range...we have hiked some "mountains" but nothing like what you are doing...however, at 61 I guess my goals are a little bit mellowed. I have to agree with most, that the mosquito is your worst enemy up there, that is unless you come upon a sow with cubs. Eat that garlic. Hope you brought lots of chunks with you...a friend here eats cloves at a time..he jokingly said that he mistakenly took a shower the other day and they attacked him. The best and will be looking forward to the book and/or documentary. Pat

[The Myers Family]

Jason --

We're following your trek daily on the web site. Sounds exhausting, exhilerating, and scary (all at the same time!)!! Your mom, dad and Joel came over last Saturday night -- it was fun seeing them. Wishing you all God's speed (and praying for your safety). See you soon.

[Chase]

Dear Dad,

Hope your ankle is feeling better. Mom and I are praying for you. We love you!

Love,
Chase & Mommy

[Bruce Freifeld]

Hi Roman, Jason, Ryan
I can relate to those tussocks!
I worked out of Ambler Summer '79 doing Native Claims surveys. Right before I left UAF for the summer Garvey sold me a pair of "Smokejumper" boots-those with the big heel.

Needless to say I developed a Neuroma on my right forefoot that took a good five years to finally resolve. It's hard to stay off a forefoot to allow nerve damage to heal!

The only tussocks bigger (if they can be technically called that in the Aleutians) are out in the Aleutian Islands-Specifically Buldir Island-the fall off was waist and/or shoulder deep in places-totally "otherwordly". For us though-we only had to hike a mile two-quite different from your extraordinary challenge!

Keep up the great work guys!
Bruce Freifeld
NYC

[Scott Woolums]

Hello Roman! Been a long time. Good on ya for the trip! In Oregon now. Still climbing mountains. Stay in touch! Scott