Thayer Hut Via Castner Glacier

Service Description

This 6-day course is designed to empower women to build on prior outdoor skills with an epic 20+miles of glacier travel, big rocky mountains, and a cute hut on a beautiful tundra outcropping. This course intends to get you (yes, you!) navigating glacier terrain confidently, learning new skills, and having a fun time. You will learn how to read glaciers, how to choose paths of least resistance while bushwacking, and how to travel on terrain that can be tricky. Expect glacier travel to be slow (think ~1 mile or less an hour). But despite this, it is very rewarding and worthwhile! The Thayer Hut is nestled on a tundra cropping on the side of a mountain in the Delta Range (AKA Eastern Alaska Range). We will follow a trail for about 1.5 miles before navigating onto the Castner Glacier, and then travel on moraine, do some bushwacking, followed by ascending steep mountains to get to our goal. And that’s just the beginning! The Thayer Hut is small, making for a great place to cook with our group, but we will be sleeping in tents. This trip is designed for folks who have experience backpacking and is an intermediate-advance level course. Pre-requisites: ● Can hike 8-10 miles a day with a backpack weighing between 40-50 pounds. ● Prior backpacking experience ● Comfortable hiking on uneven terrain, no trail What’s Included: ● Professional instruction before, during, and after the course ● Rentals available (i.e., tents, cooking stoves, crampons) ● Maps ● Cooking shelters ● Water filtration system ● Glitter And a bonus perk: 10% discount at Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking if you mention you’re signed up to participate in Tessa's course! What’s not included: ● Personal gear (i.e., sleeping bags, pad, backpack, personal bowl/spoon, food, etc.) We will have a meeting in person or via Zoom about meal prepping & cooking for backcountry trips, and make menus together. A complete gear list will be provided upon registration. Please note that a 50% deposit is required to reserve your spot in this course. The balance will be due 30 days prior to the course start date. This trip is being instructed by Tessa Hill, please reach out to her for a daily course syllabus or with any questions: hilltessa1997@gmail.com