Interactive Journey through the Arctic Refuge - Waterman Expedition

Following the 50th anniversary expedition, Jonathan Waterman was joined by photographer John Burcham. The pair hiked west from Last Lake in the Sheenjek River Valley, over the Brooks Range to the headwaters of the Kongakut River.

They rafted north on the river’s deeper waters to Drain Creek, where their friend Mike Freeman waited with kayaks and supplies. The three then paddled 70 miles downriver to the Beaufort Sea and 50 miles west along the coast of the refuge. Their journey ended in the Inupiat village of Kaktovik.

As an adventurer, author, and filmmaker, Waterman has traveled the region many times over the past 25 years. His observations in the far north have convinced him that oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refugewould jeopardize the landscape and much of its wildlife. He has become a strong advocate for the preservation of the coastal plain and maintaining the entire refuge in its undisturbed state.

During the Arctic refuge journey, featured in September 2007 National Geographic Adventure magazine, photographer John Burcham (who had never kayaked before), capsized several times in the rapids, destroying one of his lenses. During the 16 day journey he shot over 5,000 digital images, carrying a solar panel and portable hard drive storage devices along with the camera equipment and expedition gear.