HOW IT CAME TO BE This new version Arctic Brotherhood began in August 2005, when three middle-aged best friends (who were former college roommates) went far out of our comfort zones by committing to backpack the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska. We collectively had no experience with backcountry camping prior to this.
The Chilkoot Trail was originally established by the native Tlingit people as a trade route into the interior of Alaska and later became a major route during Klondike gold rush from 1897-1899. This 33-mile trail was the difficult land-portion of a 600-mile adventure taken by an estimated 50,000 fortune-seeking Americans attempting to reach the Yukon gold fields. The trail head begins a few miles outside of Skagway, Alaska and ends at Lake Bennett, British Columbia. The famous landmark on this historical route is the extremely steep Chilkoot Pass which marks the international border. The popular trail is now part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and is managed by the National Park Service.
THE TREK THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING Despite our best attempts to be in shape for this 5-day hike, our training program of jogging in flat Florida and two short camping trips to Smoky Mountains simply did not fully prepare us for the challenge we were about to undertake. On day 1, we ignorantly delayed our start from Skagway due to some light rain. We later found out that it rains everyday in southeast Alaska and no one ever delays anything because of it. After an entertaining ride to the trailhead by the semi-famous “Dyea” Dave, the 8-mile hike to the Canyon Citycampsite was uneventful other than arriving late in camp because of our dumb decision to wait out the rain. The second day went fairly well too as we pushed through the coastal rain forest and settled in at Sheep Camp. Everything was leading up to day 3 and getting over the wickedly-steep Chilkoot Pass. It took everything we had to get over the pass and to make matters worse, the weather was absolutely miserable with freezing rain drilling us sideways. We finally collapsed at Happy Camp to recharge. On day 4, we were one of the last groups to arrive in camp at Bare Loon Lake, but we lucked into an incredibly scenic campsite, which was a hidden granite slab with a stunning view of the lake. That evening, our slab became quite the popular party place as the word got out that we had packed in single-malt whisky over the 33-mile trek (we wrongly assumed that everyone did that). On day 5, our trek ended at the trail terminus at Lake Bennett, and we returned to Skagway on the famous WP&YR train (in a rail car specially reserved for the smelly backpackers) on the scenic journey over the White Pass.
THE OLD & NEW ARCTIC BROTHERHOOD After 5-days of rough, soggy backpacking and eating dehydrated meals & damp GORP, we celebrated on the warf at the Skagway Fish Company with 2 of our new trail mates, over a delicious dinner of fried halibut & chips along with plenty of refreshing malt-based beverages. Feeling quite satisfied with the ample portions of great food & indigenous Alaskan Pale Ale, we made our way up Broadway Street back towards our room at Sgt. Preston’s Hotel. Halfway back we stopped at the famous Arctic Brotherhood Hall building and reflected on what great challenges those original gold rush stampeders faced, and admired that they had the foresight to join together, in an act of fellowship, to help each other through a grueling & dangerous journey. It was then that we decided that we should begin our own chapter of the Arctic Brotherhood both to celebrate our small achievement and to hopefully capture some of that adventurous spirit of those brave “sourdoughs.”
We discovered that the original Arctic Brotherhood was formed as a fraternal organization in 1899 in Skagway by gold-seeking stampeders headed for the Klondike. It wasn’t long before every northern frontier town, settlement and mining camp of any importance boasted its own Arctic Brotherhood chapter. Eventually 32 original “Camps” were established (Skagway was Camp #1); and at its height, the Arctic Brotherhood boasted some 10,000 members. Although this fraternal club’s history was short-lived (it fizzled along with the gold rush, with the last chapter closing in the early 1930s), a few of their meeting halls have survived. In Skagway, the A-B left behind an impressive historical building with a driftwood facade that is today is called the most photographed structure in the State of Alaska. It was obvious to us that this long-defunct fraternity of adventurous men needed to be resurrected…….and we were just the guys to do it.
Windermere Camp No. 33 “Induction Ceremony” in Skagway (note the small & bewildered audience to the left)
If our new Camp was to succeed, we would need a great slogan to describe what we were all about. The motto for the original Arctic Brotherhood was “No Boundary Line Here”, which was a now-obscure reference to a longstanding Canadian-American border dispute in the Pacific West that was not officially resolved until 1914. Since international border skirmishes lack relevancy with our new chapter, we decided we needed to come up with our own inspiring tag line. In a very collaborative effort, we unanimously agreed on the adopting the following motto: “Ordinary men on extraordinary adventures since 1899”
THE TRUE FELLOWSHIP, MANHOOD & FINDING OUR INNER WARRIOR Over the years, Camp Windermere’s roster has grown to 9 active members, 1 on injured reserved, and 1 semi-retired, and an impressive list of honorary members. Initially it seemed as though the appeal of going on our Arctic Brotherhood trips was simply to experience the exotic destinations. But when you dig deeper, the cool places that we go to are only part of the pleasure. The other elements at play are the satisfaction of the physical hard work and the sense of true fellowship that comes with being part of a real team of guys. One of our brethren explained that the level of sustained physical effort required to complete our exhausting trips brings on a state of catharsis for him that does not exist in our soft, white-collar lifestyles. Perhaps we have accidentally tapped into something that could be deeply wired into our male DNA; circuits that have not been used since we stopped teaming up with our tribal homeboys to bring down large, angry mastodons using only 5-foot spears, tipped with Clovis points. This element of gathering a true team of men to accomplish an 
important physical goal, in very close proximity with each other, and while overcoming common hardships, is a profound activity that has become non-existent in a modern culture which promotes the use of social media & Zoom as the primary method to connect with people.Could there be something to that “mythopoetic men’s movement” of the late eighties that promoted therapeutic workshops featuring drumming, chanting and sweat lodges? Before you laugh, consider this. In his book, Iron John: A book about Men, author & poet Robert Bly examines modern masculinity and what we can learn about “manhood” from myths & stories of cultures around the world. He proposes that “men” in modern society have a lot less of a foundation and context in which to grow and find strength than they did in prior generations, and there are lessons to be learned from the way more “primitive” cultures esperience male initiation rituals and stories.
According to Bly, the mythology of manhood and development of the “inner warrior” has been documented in every ancient culture throughout the ages, yet it is missing in modern times. It seems that the ever-advancing domestication & feminization of our culture has suppressed this important part of our male subconscious structure. Today’s men have been “wussified” into our modern selves, just as that ancient loaf of nourishing bread has been “Wonderized” down into a bland & nutrient-free puff of starch that comes in a plastic baggie with a twist tie.
Yes, the obvious appeal of our little club is the opportunity to travel to these extraordinary destinations, but this thing goes much deeper than that. It seems that these Arctic Brotherhood trip experiences bring forth something that awakens our inner warrior and allows us to experience the true sense of fellowship and masculinity……..even if for just one week a year.
Now, repeat after me……“Mecca Lecca High Mecca Hiney Ho.”