“Wilderness,” says survival expert Paul Claus, “is the unexpected. We let nature lead us, not the other way around, so every day here is different.”
There is no itinerary. When you awaken and make your way to the grand room at the main lodge, the Claus family is already studying the skies. The Clauses and their experienced wilderness guides can help you discover the perfect activity to match your experience level and your interests.
“In these Piper Super Cubs we can land you anywhere,” says Paul, one of the most celebrated bush pilots in Alaska. “Anywhere. We can fly you up into a mountain valley, put you down on a sandbar at the edge of the forest, and guide you on a hike that literally no one has ever done before.”
Paul Claus served as the wilderness survival expert on the Discovery Chanel’s Alaska Experiment and was named the Best Adventure Guide on earth by Harpers Abroad.
One day, you may fly to explore an abandoned gold mine. Or kayak and fish for salmon in the river. Or hike in pursuit of Dall sheep across a mountain ridge.
Every Day is Unique
Or maybe Paul will take you flying over the pinnacle of Mount St. Elias, the largest vertical rock face on Earth. You’ll dust Elias’ snowy peak, then dive down over the glacier fields, breeze over the grassy plains, and glide out to the Pacific Ocean. Land on the beach and eat the gourmet picnic lunch Donna packed into the back of the plane. Sit on an iceberg in the sun and watch the glaciers calve.
“You could go to the Himalayas,” says Paul, who climbed Everest in 1989. “But everywhere you go in Nepal, you see signs of civilization. Tea houses. Villages. There’s so much history there. So many people. Not here. This is the last true wilderness on earth.”
“I love this place,” says innkeeper and championship skier Donna Claus. “And I love sharing it. This land will change your life if you let it.”
