Day 1: Prudhoe Bay to Atigun Pass
161 miles
Well, I’m finally here. I set off from the northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway at 6:00AM (GMT-8) on August 31, 2024. I was awash with emotions as this has been a long time coming. I am still nervous about what is to come, however, I am equally as excited and I know that I am ready for the challenge ahead. I started my journey south but was met with a fierce 20 mph headwind that would persist most of the day. It was about 38° when I started and it never got over 43° all day, but I managed to stay relatively warm. as long as it doesn’t rain a lot, I should be able to stay warm. Once I reach Fairbanks, I shouldn’t have to worry about the cold for too much longer. Immediately upon setting out, I left behind the oil fields and warehouses that comprise Prudhoe Bay and Dead Horse, Alaska. I soon found myself in a vast expanse of tundra grass as far as I could see in all directions. I rode my little ribbon of concrete slicing through the vast tundra. The first 500 miles of my journey are on the Dalton highway, which ends in Fairbanks, Alaska, the first 50 miles were paved which I was not expecting. The road wound around the Sag river following it south into the looming Brooks Range. Aside from the occasional flocks of geese and ptarmigan there wasn’t much to look at for most of the morning. Every couple of minutes, a semi truck loaded with drilling equipment would pass and every so often I would see some hunters scouting from the car. After 50 miles I reached my first hill and the pavement came to an end. The gravel road has just been graded and was soft and chunky much to my disdain. However, now that I was in the foothills of the Brooks range I finally had something to look at. The undulating hills were a wash with oranges, reds and yellows as the tundra foliage is in full fall color at the moment. The Alyeska oil pipeline paralleled the road for the remainder of the day. The pipeline follows the Dalton Highway and eventually reaches the coast at Valdez. Around midday, I spotted a herd of caribou cresting a ridge a couple miles away. unfortunately, for the caribou, a hunter had also spotted them. There were a surprising amount of hunters going back-and-forth on the road scouting their next kill. After almost 8 hours on the bike I finally entered into the Brooks range. I was struggling to average over 12 mph due to the, strong headwind and soft gravel however, I was just happy to be in the mountains finally. Between intermittent belts of snow and light rain I made my way through vast valleys with snow kept peaks on all sides. Even though it was cloudy and grim the beauty of the area I was biking through was not lost on me. I passed by Toolik Lake research center, which was very exciting for me as I have had professors who have conducted research at this station and I have read many ecology papers that have come out of the Toolik Lake research center. All day I gained elevation so the temperature did not change much even though I was going south and the day was getting warmer. Around 6 o’clock I finally got a small break in the clouds and my valley was illuminated with filtered sunlight. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen, and I am so privileged to have been able to ride my bike through this unbelievable display of beauty. I felt like I was in a Lord of the Rings movie. I decided to start looking for a place to sleep for the night around 7:15. I found a small pull off with a little dip in the tundra, so protect me from the wind, my campsite for the night is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I am a little worried about the temperature as it is already below freezing and snow is lightly coming down. The one upside of the cold temperature is that the mosquitoes are nowhere to be seen and it is my belief that the bears will be less active.
