Saturday, June 19, 2027-Thursday, July 8, 2027 (starts/ends at Eagle’s Nest Camp)
For participants completing grades 8th through 12th grade in Spring 2027
Cost: $6,575 plus Airfare
Hante Alaska invites participants to co-create their adventure experience together. After gathering together at Eagle’s Nest, the group will fly northwest, land in Fairbanks, and follow a north to south route from the interior to the coast – all by train, foot, and paddle.
Alaska is the ideal landscape for both connecting with the natural world and deepening an understanding of climate changes, public land management, and life close to the polar circle. While travelling this expansive area, participants will choose an area of interest to explore and plan a personally unique experience within the broader context of the trip. Perhaps it’s a research project, a documentation, an artistic endeavor – or a combination of all three. There will be plentiful resources for student-driven, place-based learning along the way, such as ecological resources from universities and anthropological investigations of art, story, and wisdom from local museums.
This trip balances opportunities for the group to guide their own experience intellectually, creatively, and physically. Come build a meaningful experience with us in Summer 2027!
Register for Hante Alaska
Register and pay online securely using CampDoc. Once you complete the initial application in CampDoc, you will receive an email from CampDoc. Please follow the link and instructions in the CampDoc email to complete your participant’s Camp Application and Parent/Guardian Questionnaire as well as have your participant complete the online Participant Questionnaire by December 30th to be considered for a Hante Adventure. After December 30th, applications are considered on a rolling basis if spots are still available. Your participant’s application is not complete for the selected program until you receive an email from the Camp Registrar at molly@enf.org confirming receipt of your participant’s full application.
REGISTRATION OPENS AUGUST 1ST
Trip Highlights
- Appreciate the diverse landscape of nearly the entire state, as you travel from the vast interior to the scenic coast, all by train
- Backpack in Denali National Park
- Sea kayak in the Prince William Sound
- Complete a personal endeavor of your choosing over the course of the trip
- Learn about uniquely Alaskan topics and studies in ecology, anthropology, climate, landscape, art, and stories.
- Sharpen leadership skills and form long lasting bonds through traveling as a group
- Develop competence in remote travel, backpacking, paddling, navigation, backcountry cooking and more!
Alaska Tentative Itinerary
- June 19: Arrive at Camp and prepare for the trip. Welcome! This first day will be full of nerves and excitement: you will arrive on Opening Day along with the rest of Camp, take part in similar communal activities as a Hante group while also busily organizing your gear and food, and you will wrap up your preparation in the comfort of the Sun Lodge, the original accommodations of Hante Adventures.
- June 20-21: Depart for Fairbanks and begin exploration of land history. After a full day of travel by plane and settling in, you will visit the Museum of the North by University of Alaska Fairbanks. This intentional time spent learning within the community aims to develop an understanding about the importance of land history, as well as an appreciation for where you are and for those who have been here before you. These two days will also be additional preparation for your areas of study and for your travels southward.
- June 22-26: Travel and trekking through Denali National Park. Arrive by train to the third largest national park in the country! Your group will select a route to explore and work together to navigate wide-open and wild terrain. Evenings will be spent camping under the stars, preparing delicious food, debriefing the day’s adventures, practicing leadership skills, and enjoying time together.
- June 27-28: Depart for Anchorage and continue personal deep work into creative and intellectual pursuits. Hop back on the train down to Anchorage, the state capital, and spend time in the renowned Anchorage Museum. Your foundation of land conservation and exploration form Denali National Park will be well served as you sift through stories, art, and scientific studies of local researchers and community members.
- June 29-July 3: Depart for the coast of Prince William Sound and sea kayak amongst the surrounding fjords. The train will bring you further south to the town of Whittier, where you will transition to another unique form of travel in sea kayaking. Guides will assist in developing this new skill with your close group, and provide a pleasant change of traveling pace than what you are used to. This last adventure will strengthen trust, bonds, and communication amongst your group, as well as a final investigation in understanding Alaska from the aquatic perspective.
- July 4-8: Final day in Anchorage, return to Camp, de-issue gear and debrief the trip. You will spend one more full day in Anchorage before flying home to share your learnings with the rest of Camp. When you arrive to campus, you will engage with Camp closing activities like Giving Day, as well as your own group’s wrap up of the three week long experience. This ending will consist of a lot of reflection, hopefully building gratitude and confidence that can be taken into new experiences beyond the Nest.
Packing List
Coming soon…
To apply for a Hante Adventure:
All Hante participants and their caregivers must complete a Parent/Guardian Questionnaire in CampDoc and a Participant Questionnaire before being considered for acceptance. (*) Select Hantes have an application deadline of November 15th and are not eligible for the Early Bird Discount. Rolling admittance pending availability after November 15th for (*)Hantes.
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ for what you and Eagle’s Nest give to Evan. The letter we received from Evan was amazing. You simply can not imagine how great it feels to hear him tell me how he has grown emotionally and then list specific skills that have strengthened him physically. He said he feels so proud of himself and what he has accomplished. He described how he found each of his Hante instructors helpful to him in different ways. I wanted to say how grateful I am to the Eagle’s Nest staff for the gift you are to Evan.”
To learn more about what is gained on a Hante Adventure, visit our Vision and Curriculum page:
REGISTRATION OPENS AUGUST 1ST
All Hante Adventures, and Junior Counselor participants and their parents or guardians must complete all questionnaires before being considered for the program. Questionnaires are available with registration on CampDoc.
Questions about your application or having trouble getting started? Please email us at register@enf.org or call us at 336-761-1040.