Wylder Field Trip: Alaska

Last Fall, we helped outfit our friends at Wylder as they journeyed into the wild landscape of Homer, Alaska. From glacial hiking to chartered salmon fishing, this field trip brought the group a greater appreciation and understanding of the Alaskan eco-system.

Emma Laukitis and Claire Neaton are on a mission to revitalize the dialogue around the importance of salmon. As Ambassadors for Wylder, the Salmon Sisters stand as an example of female leadership in the outdoor industry.

We wanted to offer something truly meaningful to our shared community, so together, we worked with them to co-craft an intimate retreat to their home base of Homer, Alaska, where they operate their family fishing business.

We knew that in order to truly understand this incredible ecosystem, we’d need to immerse ourselves into the landscape and learn directly from its diverse array of inhabitants.

Each day was curated for both adventure and learning. We hiked to Grewingk glacier, went fishing for Salmon from a private charter, practiced yoga in the morning, and went tide pooling around our basecamp, the Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge.

Our daily workshops were crafted to educate participants about the traditions and people of Homer and their expertise in cooking and harvesting wild foods. Having never been to Alaska, we were astonished at both the epic landscape, and the generosity and grit of its residents.

In our final workshop, we learned about the encroaching threat that the Pebble Mine and extractive development pose to this fragile ecosystem, and each person left with a potent understanding of the fact that nearly every form of life in this region revolves around the salmon runs.

- Words by Jainee Dial, Photography by Sashwa Burrous and Dawn Heumann

Saddle Ridge Trailhead

Day hiking in Kachemak State Park, to Grewingk Glacier in the Kenai Mountains, and learning the local flora and fauna along the way.

Lodge Puppy

Berry picking and enjoying lodge life in Kackemak Bay with the locals.

Homer Sunset

Fireweed at sunset looking out over Kackemak bay in Homer, Alaska as the birds fly over the changing tides.

Kachemak Bay - Grewingk

Our basecamp for the week,  on the edge of Kackemak Bay, looking up at Grewingk Glacier.

Mountain 600 Weatherized

Taking it easy around the lodge in our Mountain 600’s.

King Salmon Charter

Reeling in our catch during our King Salmon fishing excursion on Kachemak Bay.

King Salmon

The mascot of our trip -- the King Salmon, a keystone species of the ecosystem.

Filet Lessons

Learning how to filet our catch of wild King Salmon with the Salmon Sisters.

Danner Adrika Hiker Wool

From lodge life to day hikes and long travel days, the Adrika hiker is a favorite fall adventure boot.

Lodge View

Views from the lodge -- filled with eagles and tide pools to explore, and the boats we use to get to and from the mainland.

JAINEE DIAL and LINDSEY ELLIOTT are the cofounders of Wylder Goods, the women’s outdoor lifestyle marketplace. From jewelry to hiking boots, they curate and sell the best products from brands and artisans who take responsibility for their impact. They also have a content-rich blog, weekly newsletter, and yearly Field Trips focused on cultural ecology. Wylder is the first female-founded benefit corporation in the state of Utah and in addition to curating the best products for women, they use their platform to share campaigns and calls to action from their 3 non-profit partners. Wylder is working to create a new culture around consumerism—one that emphasizes community, diversity, ecological sustainability, and the re-framing of material value as an alternative to 'throw-away' culture.

Website: wyldergoods.com
Instagram: @wyldergoods