Heff and Donald set out on an un-guided 12 day adventure in interior Alaska in September on a search for a great big Moose. Brian had been planning this trip for years - it was supposed to happen in September 2010 but Kat was due with Oliver in October so they pushed it back a year. Brian and Donald were SO excited and we were all at home happy to get the updates they were a little farther down the river everyday. Heff gets so much out of these trips in the wilderness - it was hard for us to let him go (especially since it ended up being 2 days after I opened Bumble!) but I am happy he gets to do things like this and he has a brother in law who loves it just as much.

Brian made a great video documenting the trip...

Alaska - 2011 from B Heff on Vimeo.

and here is the short version in photos!

They flew into Fairbanks, then drove to Tok, then flew these little planes into the wilderness! The service that dropped them off hadn't flown anyone out to this remote spot in 50+ years.

Fueling up -

and away they go

dropped them off here and said:
"see you in 9 days, 30 miles down river."

off to chase a Moose

excited for 9 days of nothing but walking, floating, spotting, dragging rafts, camping out and hunting

They were supposed to "float" the river but the first 6 miles there wasn't enough water to float so they did this:

They set up camp every night somewhere along the river and did their best to hide their scent from the bears

Onward!

Finally some floating water

camp on the river - sleeping on rocks? ouch!

it got COLD- well below freezing every night.

morning Four Barrel coffee (from Bumble :) early on the river

Donald thought he was going to strike it rich panning for gold with a dinner plate. Didn't "pan out" :)

Nap time on the river

Heff had a satellite phone to check in every night, 2 GPS devices, a satellite text GPS and a Spot locator. He texted me messages every once in awhile - I was pretty excited to see this one (half excited for them to get a moose and half excited that it means they might come home a day earlier :)

waiting

and there he is! 1800 pound HANK THE MOOSE

they shot him at 8:30pm and came back early to start the gutting process

I'll spare you the photos in between the shoot and the clean

packed up ready to take Hank home (at least a lot of meat, his antlers and cape - other meat went to the pilots and locals and the bears and wolves enjoyed a warm gut pile :)