Similar to the rating system on whitewater rivers, our "Challenge Levels" will give you some idea of the difficulty of our trips and the conditions that you might encounter.

These levels are a rough guideline only, please read the trip details carefully and ask questions to get a better idea of the challenges you may face. All of our trips include at least some camping. Most trips include camping in remote areas without bathroom facilities.

Our small group size, team selection process, and flexibility in trip planning, enable us to tailor each trip to meet the capabilities of the group.

Our trips do not require previous experience or excellent physical fitness but you should be living an active lifestyle and be reasonably fit. For some of our trips, mental toughness is as important as physical fitness. Use the details below to assess your own level of fitness.

Remember, most people can probably handle MUCH more than they would ever think possible. If you're up for the challenge, this will be a trip that you'll never forget.

Level 1 -- Lots of time riding in a van and just looking at things. We do not do these kind of trips.

Your Level of Fitness -- It is important that you try to assess your level of fitness accurately. On our trips, we must adjust the level of difficulty to suit the group. There are many ways to assess fitness, but one easy way to give you some idea is to measure out 2 miles and walk or run it. Use your car, mile markers on the road, a treadmill or a local track to measure the two miles.

You do not need to be a runner for our trips. The above is just a rough guide...but all of our trips involve some walking or hiking!

In addition, use the details below to help determine which trip is right for you:

Just about anyone who is healthy and reasonably active can enjoy a Level 2 trip.

Participants on Level 3 trips should already be enjoying a healthy and active lifestyle with regular exercise that includes walking, running, biking or hiking. You should be prepared to deal with Alaska weather for short periods of time but your days will usually end with warm, dry clothes and camp.

Level 4 trips require a fairly high level of fitness. You should, at a minimum, be able to walk or run 5 miles without taking a break and be prepared to endure a fair amount of adverse weather without whining. At a minimum, you should expect wet feet. At times you may be completely wet and possibly cold.

A Level 5 trip demands excellent physical and psychological condition. Just going to the gym 3 days per week probably won't cut it.
Depending on your base level of fitness, you should be exercising 5 - 6 days per week, with at least one long run, hike or bike on one of those days. By "long" we mean at least several hours. Anything that gets your legs moving and your heart pumping is good. Add "psychological" challenges once in a while; the extra half mile sprint at the end of a long run, a long hill climb, etc.