Above the Arctic Circle: Packrafting the Alatna was a 3 week expedition in the Northern Alaska wilderness funded by a Ritt Kellog Expedition Grant. The summer after graduating from Colorado College, Lia Kelly, Jack Griffith, Sam Asher, and I took off into Gates of the Arctic National Park--only accessible by bush plane--to begin our 200+ mile Journey down the Alatna River. We floated the river in Packrafts from its headwaters in the Brooks Range to its mouth near a small indigenous village called Allakaket. We passed through the open tundra--tree line in Northern Alaska is only 2000ft--and moved our way down through the glacial landscape until we ended up surrounded by dense thickets of black spruce forest. Along the way, we left our boats for a few days for a side excursion up Arrigetch Creek for a chance to see the epic Arrigetch peaks loom over us. Though the tops of the peaks hid themselves among low clouds for the duration of our time there, the views were still some of the most phenomenal, and traveling most treacherous, of our trip. Intense rains raised the river significantly, making it hard to find safe, dry campsites for the final third of our trip. Freezing rain and sharp winds replaced the beautiful weather we'd lucked out with at the beginning of our travels, making the long days of flat water paddling feel even longer. I didn't bring my camera out much in those final days. On our last night and final day, Gaia blessed us with clear skies and sunshine. We paddled our final miles to Allakeket leisurely, with smiles and the sense of leaving behind something big and life-altering.