Hiking

These are some of the items that should be in you backpack every time you go on a backcountry hiking trip.

FIRST AID
With a first aid kit in your pack you can feel a little bit safer maybe.

STRING
Don't forget to bring some string, you always find a use for it.

MOSQUITO PROTECTION
You need to bring a pack of mosquito coils, otherwise your trip will be quite miserable.

CAMPING SAW
A lot of people don't bring a camp saw when they go hiking, but they really should. It comes in very handy in an emergency to make a shelter or to cut some wood for a fire.

WATER
Water is much more important than food in an emergency, you can go for weeks without food but without water you could be dead in a couple of days.

BACKPACKING STOVE
If you look at almost every back packing stove on the market you will find that they all brag about their weight and their thermal output (how fast they can boil a quart of water). They're right about the weight, it's very important, but they never include the weight of the fuel you need to carry with you. If you include the fuel for a long trip your 3.5 ounce super light stove suddenly becomes a 2 pound monster. As far as the thermal output is concerned it makes absolutely no difference if it takes 3 minutes or 10 minutes to boil a quart of water. The perfect stove in my opinion is the Stratus Trailstove, it weighs a little bit less than 1 pound and it runs on wood. You pick the wood up yourself on site just like people did in the old days before fossil fuels so the total weight of the stove and the fuel you carry is always below a pound, no gas stove in the world can beat that. It takes about twice as long to boil a quart of water on it than on a gas stove but so what.

PICK A SPOT
You should build your igloo on a level surface where the snow is at least 3 feet deep. There should be enough hard snow for your igloo, if the surface snow is powdery there's probably hard packed snow a bit deeper. Large bumps on the surface of the snow it usually means that there is a large object below the snow such as a boulder or a large stomp, they can get in the way so it's better to pick as flat a spot as possible. Don't make your igloo bigger than it needs to be. Mark out in the snow where you plan to have the wall of your igloo.

CUT BLOCKS
Cut out blocks from the area which will be the inside of the igloo. The lower blocks should be about 1 foot thick, 3 feet long and 1.5 feet high, the higher blocks should be about 6 inches thick, 2 feet long, and 1 foot high. If you size the blocks as I have said above you will need approximately the following number of blocks:

Sleeping 1 person, 6 feet inner diameter: 30 blocks
Sleeping 2 people, 7 feet inner diameter: 40 blocks
Sleeping 3-4 people, 9 feet inner diameter: 60 blocks

Don't worry if you think you'll have trouble fitting, once the igloo is finished you can carve out a bit of space for your feet from the inner wall.
The hole resulting from your cutting will be the floor in the igloo so you want a sleeping area for each person as high up as possible, a general purpose area that should be a bit lower to allow for mobility, and a deep entrance hole that extends outside of the igloo. The entrance hole should be as narrow as possible while still allowing you to get in and out without too much discomfort. The deep entrance hole will absorb the cold air and release it to the outside while the warm air will rise and stay trapped inside the dome.

BUILD A SPIRAL CIRCLE
Place your largest and widest blocks in a circle around the hole where you have been cutting out your blocks, the blocks should be tilted in towards the center. Start with the block that goes on top of the entrance hole, the whole entrance hole must be traversed by one single block with plenty of support on both sides. Cut the blocks so they form a spiral, make sure that the block covering the entrance hole is the largest block.

BUILD WALL
Add blocks to the wall until you only have a small opening in the roof. Before you get to the point that it's hard to get in and out of the dome move any blocks not yet used to the inside of the dome so you can put them all up in one sweep from the inside.

TOP PIECE
When all the blocks are in place cut the final top piece to the right size. If you can wiggle it out from the inside and lower it down into position that's great, but if your hole is very circular this won't be possible, you'll have to put the block on top of the dome from the outside and then lower it down from the inside.

FINISHING
Fill any cracks with snow.
Make a little doorway over the entrance to keep snow out.
You have to make at least one air hole in the roof to ensure proper ventilation. Without good ventilation you could run out of oxygen, very dangerous.
Smoothen the inside of the dome to prevent water dripping.
Your igloo is now ready to be lived in, check your air hole periodically to make sure it's not blocked. If you've done everything right you will be quite comfortable.

Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is one of the most remote national park areas, located on the Seward Peninsula in northwest Alaska. The Preserve is a remnant of the land bridge that connected Asia with North America more than 13,000 years ago. The majority of this land bridge, once thousands of miles wide, now lies beneath the waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas.

During the glacial epoch this was part of a migration route for people, animals, and plants whenever ocean levels fell enough to expose the land bridge. Archeologists agree that it was across this Bering Land Bridge, also called Beringia, that humans first passed from Asia to populate the Americas. The Preserve's western boundary lies 42 miles from the Bering Strait and the fishing boundary between the United States and Russia.

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
The park is open year-round. Highest visitation is in June and July; lowest in December, January and February.

Getting There
PLANE - The Preserve is vast and access is limited. There are no roads that lead directly into it, and summer access is usually by bush planes and small boats. Winter access is mostly by small planes on skis, by snowmachine, or by dog sleds.

Weather & Climate
Summer temperatures on the coast are usually in the low 50's ° F, with mid 60's to 70's and an occasional 80's or 90's in the interior. Average January lows are -15 ° F on the coast and -50 ° F in the interior. Winds average 8 to 12 mph, but 50 to 70 mph winds commonly accompany storms and produce extremely low and dangerous chill factors. Averages are meaningless; summer can see snow, near freezing temperatures, and long periods of clouds, wind, and rain. Summer days are long, almost without darkness; winter days are short, with only a few hours of light.

Getting Around
Very often you are absolutely on your own in the Preserve, with few if any links to the outside world. Hiking can be difficult and strenuous, especially across tussock tundra. You must be prepared for varied and changing weather conditions. Use only durable tested equipment and be experienced in its use before you set out.

CAMPING

Cottonwood Shelter Cabin
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use

Ear Mountain Shelter Cabin
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use.

Goodhope
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use.

Grayling Creek
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use.

Kividlo Shelter Cabin
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use.

Nuluk
Open All Year
This cabin is primarily for emergency winter use.

Serpentine Hot Springs
Open All Year
A bunkhouse-style cabin at Serpentine Hot Springs sleeps 15 to 20 people in two sections. A wooden tub for bathing is enclosed in a small bathhouse which is fed by the waters of the hot spring. All cabins are unreserved and bush etiquette may require sharing space with strangers. Camping is relatively unrestricted, with no formal campsites and no developed water, power, or sanitation facilities.Serpentine Hot Springs is remote and potential dangers exist. The area is subject to abrupt and sometimes severe weather changes. Sudden storms can change the pastoral scene into a rugged and hostile environment. The temperature of the water can range from 140 - 170 ° F. Winter ice builds up around the bathhouse, making footing treacherous. Alcohol increases the danger of slipping on ice. It can impair the body's ability to respond appropriately to heat or cold, increasing the possibility of scalding or hypothermia. Remember, medical attention can be days, or even weeks away. Serpentine Hot Springs has always had a casual, relaxed, and sharing atmosphere. Each person shared responsibility of caring for the facilities and left the area in a condition which contributed to the next person's enjoyment. The National Park Service encourages newcomers to respect this tradition. The reward will be a truly unique and memorable experience.

FACILITIES

COTTONWOOD

FIRST AID	With a first aid kit in your pack you can feel a little bit safer maybe.
STRING	Don't forget to bring some string, you always find a use for it.
MOSQUITO PROTECTION	You need to bring a pack of mosquito coils, otherwise your trip will be quite miserable.
CAMPING SAW	A lot of people don't bring a camp saw when they go hiking, but they really should. It comes in very handy in an emergency to make a shelter or to cut some wood for a fire.
WATER	Water is much more important than food in an emergency, you can go for weeks without food but without water you could be dead in a couple of days.
BACKPACKING STOVE	If you look at almost every back packing stove on the market you will find that they all brag about their weight and their thermal output (how fast they can boil a quart of water). They're right about the weight, it's very important, but they never include the weight of the fuel you need to carry with you. If you include the fuel for a long trip your 3.5 ounce super light stove suddenly becomes a 2 pound monster. As far as the thermal output is concerned it makes absolutely no difference if it takes 3 minutes or 10 minutes to boil a quart of water. The perfect stove in my opinion is the Stratus Trailstove, it weighs a little bit less than 1 pound and it runs on wood. You pick the wood up yourself on site just like people did in the old days before fossil fuels so the total weight of the stove and the fuel you carry is always below a pound, no gas stove in the world can beat that. It takes about twice as long to boil a quart of water on it than on a gas stove but so what.