Location: Icy Bay
Icy Bay is an extremely remote fly-in location formed by the retreat of the Guyot, Yahtse and Tyndall glaciers over the past 95 years. Several active glaciers, including the largest in North America, the 50-mild-wide Malaspina Glacier, continue to feed into this 30-mile-long, multi-armed bay strewn with giant chunks of ice.
Hiking away from the water is an ambitious task, but provides incredible views of the surrounding landscape. With the 18,000-foot Mount Saint Elias providing the backdrop it’s easy to see why Icy Bay has been called one of the most spectacular areas in the world.
Winter in Icy Bay provides very real challenges, including temperature drops between 10 and 30 degrees, dwindling daylight (four to five hours a day in December), and furious storms with horizontal rain and sleet driven by winds up to 150 mph.
Camp: Riou Point
Sediment-laden water from the mainland surrounding Icy Bay has built the thick, soggy sands of Riou Point's beaches. The sand is littered with hundreds of uprooted trees and driftwood, ideal for firewood or making furniture. A freshwater stream, which can provide water year-round, is about a half-mile down the beach.
An old fish shack located near the mouth of the bay will be home to the Wise family. The shack is near a pristine beach that will take the brunt of the vicious Icy Bay storms.
Dennis Wise
After spending 30 years working for General Motors, mostly on the assembly line, Dennis, 51, now works part time in the camping and canoeing department of Bass Pro Shops in Olathe, Kan. He regularly puts on kayak and canoe demonstrations, and is also an experienced fisherman. As an avid outdoorsman, Dennis has always encouraged his two daughters to be adventurers as well. Dennis and his wife Christine have also taught the girls to reach beyond stereotypes. Dennis says, "I always told them if they wanted to be in medicine, be a doctor, not a nurse."
As the Wise family sets off on their journey, Dennis is excited to have this experience with his daughters, to see all of their knowledge and strengths and to work with them as partners, rather than as children.
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Jennifer Wise
Jennifer, 21, is only a few months away from getting married and she sees this experience as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cement her family bonds. Her fiancé is not an outdoors enthusiast, so this could be her last chance for this type of adventure.
Jennifer believes that after three months alone with her father and sister, they will either be the strongest family in the world or ready to kill each other. Still, she is confident that her experience with the outdoors growing up has given her the knowledge necessary to survive the Alaskan wilderness.
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Carolyn Wise
Carolyn, 23, is on the verge of finishing college at Wichita State University and she feels that this is the perfect time to put her outdoor experience to the test. She is currently working temporarily as an administrative assistant at a lawyer's office, so going to Alaska will be a drastic departure from her typical daily life.
Carolyn believes that together with her sister and father, they will have a very capable and strong team because they know each other so well, including their strengths and weaknesses. Carolyn thinks that reading each other's emotions will be essential to living out the winter at Icy Bay.
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Camp: Back Bay
At the back of Icy Bay sits what's known as a "wall tent," a classic shelter used for decades in the Alaskan wilderness. This sturdy, 200-square-foot tent is built on a wooden platform and outfitted with a wood-burning stove to battle Icy Bay's cold, wet conditions. Jeff Frederick and Elizabeth Widmeyer will live in this wall tent.
Jeff Frederick
Jeff, 35, is a former mountain rescue volunteer and has assisted in the rescue of injured hikers and campers from remote locations and dangerous situations. He now works as a hydrogeologist and does environmental consulting in the New York City area.
Jeff feels confident that his current career knowledge and prior outdoors experience will serve him well in Alaska's wilderness. He is also very confident in Elizabeth's toughness, and he believes that their combined love of adventure and individual skills will carry them through.
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Elizabeth Widmeyer
As a New York process wastewater engineer, Elizabeth, 23, is passionate about the environment and really loves the idea of getting back to basics. Prior to this experience, she spent 75 days hiking, camping and surviving in the Australian outback. She is excited by the challenges of purifying water, storing food and living off the land.
Elizabeth describes herself as "vegetarian-ish," so hunting is likely to be a source of anxiety. Although she has only been dating Jeff for a few months, she believes that their similarities will provide a solid foundation.
Jeff and Elizabeth both have environmental careers and adventurous spirits, and are united in their belief that people have a responsibility to leave the environment the way they found it. Elizabeth believes this will be a particularly difficult challenge in Alaska since she knows that at times she will have to put her survival needs first.
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Location: Upper Chitina River Valley
Almost 90 miles inland from Icy Bay is the Upper Chitina River Valley, an area that has been formed by millions of years of glacial activity. This deep valley is walled by looming mountain peaks with steep elevations, and active glaciers continue to feed the river today.
The food supply in this extremely remote, heavily forested environment is much more limited than Icy Bay. Trapping is commonly practiced here due to the fact that game, like moose and goat, and salmon disappear by late November. This is mostly due to the extreme cold; during winter, temperatures drop below minus 40 degrees F. It gets so cold that rivers freeze and trees explode.
Camp: Flower Lake
Roughly two miles from the river in a densely forested area lies Flower Lake. A log cabin overlooks the pristine lake and will be home to Tim, Allan and Jasmine. This area is a favorite hangout of a herd of wild buffalo as well as grizzly bears, moose and wolves.
Tim Wagner
Tim, 36, is an IT technician for Hewlett-Packard and manages two offices for a Los Angeles investment bank, but he finds his fulfillment living life to the fullest far away from the computer screen. He says, "If there is something in life that I find myself afraid of, I immediately go out and do it."
Tim has been skydiving, bungee jumping, surfing and adventure racing. He is the quiet one on his team who always takes a levelheaded approach. Having been in perilous outdoor situations before, Tim is excited to face the challenge of surviving in Alaska.
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Allan Aujero
Allan, 40, is a former computer executive on Wall Street who is now an independent entrepreneur in New Jersey that uses his newfound freedom to experience life outdoors. He is the classic Type A personality with tons of energy as he negotiates challenges throughout daily life.
As an adventure sports aficionado, Allan spends considerable time kayaking, surfing and engaging in mixed martial arts. Although he is typically very focused, Allan says that he knows how to relax and believes that having a good attitude will be essential to managing the tough situations they are sure to face in Alaska.
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Jasmine Kung
Jasmine, 26, is a San Diego "real estate diva" and is known as a master adventure organizer. In the past year she has planned many different events, including wake boarding, skydiving and extreme camping.
Jasmine describes herself as a free spirit who is all about experiencing life and conquering every outdoor activity possible. She is confident that her time in Alaska will create everlasting memories and she is excited about this unique opportunity to challenge herself.
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Camp: Hawkins Glacier
Three thousand feet above the river valley is a trapper's cabin built in the 1950s near Hawkins Glacier; this will be home to Bernice and Greg Pierson. This area is full of rocky terrain, breathtaking views and unique landscapes. The proximity of the glacier will allow Greg and Bernice to use it as a freezer as well as a freshwater source.
Bernice Pierson
Bernice, 34, works as a personal clothier, but her true passion lies with adventure racing and the outdoors. At the age of 28, she made the decision to get rid of her "indoor lifestyle" and become an adventure racer. She is hoping that this experience will give her the opportunity to “be an ambassador for regular women who decide to change their lives to do something out of the ordinary.”
Bernice is passionate about the environment and challenging herself. Now, after 12 years of marriage, she is looking forward to having her husband, Greg, accompany her and share in this Alaskan adventure.
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Greg Pierson
Greg, 36, is a self-employed concrete mason and avid golfer. While Greg certainly enjoys the outdoors, surviving in Alaska is completely outside of his comfort zone, and he is hoping this will give him the chance to share in Bernice's passion for adventure and wilderness.
He feels sure that his experience with construction will be an asset around the cabin, but it is clear that Bernice will be the leader in Alaska. Greg believes that living off the land will teach them how to live more responsibly and do their part to help the environment.
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