Brooks Range Voices: Mary Glaves

November 15, 2024 by Bjorn Dihle

Mary Glaves moved to Alaska in 2016 to pursue her dream of hunting and exploring the wildest lands left in the country. She and her husband chose to get married in the Brooks Range on a caribou hunt. That trip, and many since, have solidified Glaves’s understanding of how special a place the Brooks Range is and why it’s important to maintain its wild character.

Glaves believes that hunters and anglers have everything to lose and nothing to gain if the proposed Ambler Road is permitted. If built, the 211-mile private road would cut across the southern flanks of the Brooks Range to support the development of an unknown number of foreign-owned mines. She points out that the project would not create more access but, on the contrary, rob hunters and anglers of outdoor opportunities.

Here is her story.

Describe the types of activities you’ve enjoyed in the Brooks Range.

My first trip to the Brooks Range was to marry my best friend on a float hunt for caribou. Since then, I’ve hunted Dall sheep, caribou, and moose there. No trip has been quite like that first one, but all have been memorable and rewarding.

Please share a favorite hunting or fishing memory or story from your time in the Brooks Range.

My favorite memory from the Brooks was from a Dall sheep hunt to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. We had incredible weather for most of that hunt. Despite having favorable conditions, we were getting toward the end without having taken a sheep. I was mentally preparing myself for not having success and trying to let go of circumstances I couldn’t control. On the last day, we finally spotted a legal ram. I’d never hiked so fast in my life! After a long day of field dressing, caping, and hiking the ram back to camp, we retrieved a bottle of champagne we had stashed at the air strip. I’ll never forget that feeling of exhausting hard work and celebration on top of a mountain with no one else around for miles.

If you could come back, what would you love to do there next?

During our wedding float hunt, we planned to fish for Arctic char and grayling but never got an opportunity due to extreme weather conditions and high water. It’s on my list to do a Brooks Range float trip dedicated to fishing. We’re considering the Kobuk, so we also have a chance to catch sheefish.

Think of your first trip to the Brooks – what was different than you expected?

Everything. The beauty and expansiveness were more vast and the challenges wilder. Some of the most arduous challenges I’ve faced in the backcountry occurred during our wedding float hunt. It was incredibly rainy and windy. The river we floated was the highest it’d been in over a decade. We had to bail out our rafts every mile or so with plastic stemless wine glasses.

One day we were only able to float four miles before we were hit with 40 to 50 mph wind gusts. We watched the river rise three feet that evening and had to move camp twice. My husband and I like to say that if we could survive that trip, we can survive our marriage. Our first trip to the Brooks ended on a high note with sunny weather and us harvesting two caribou.

Unpredictability and wild adventure are part of the allure of the Brooks Range. If you are prepared for the unexpected, you’ll enjoy even the most challenging conditions, form deep bonds with your adventure partners, and grow as an individual.

What is most special about this place?

The Brooks Range is the largest tract of wildlands left in the country — and arguably the planet. It allows for natural resources to self-sustain with an abundance of fish and wildlife, which face enough challenges without the Ambler Road.

Share at least one piece of essential gear you’d recommend packing or advice you’d share with someone going to the Brooks for the first time.

Good rain gear and flexibility. You never know what you’ll encounter in the Brooks. But you can almost guarantee that you will encounter rain and that your plans will change at least once, if not many more times.

How do you think your experience in the Brooks would change if the Ambler Road was built? What do hunters and anglers stand to lose?

The building of the Ambler Road would not create more access and opportunity but, on the contrary, rob us of it. The east-west trajectory of the road is unlike the Dalton Highway in that it bisects hundreds of rivers and streams and caribou migration routes. It’ll require 2900+ culverts, which will need to be maintained in extreme and rapidly changing climate conditions. It would jeopardize food security for remote villages and limit opportunities for visiting hunters and anglers.

What’s the biggest misconception you’ve heard about the project?

Many people think the road will lead to better hunting and fishing access. If built, the Ambler Road will likely remain private, unlike the Dalton Highway. The proposed Ambler Road would cause significant financial challenges for the state and would not be feasible to maintain.

“Roads don’t bother caribou” is another common misconception. Studies following collared caribou in the Western Arctic Caribou Herd show that the Red Dog mine’s access road significantly delays a lot of the herd’s winter migration. Even the scientists who conducted the study were surprised by the extent of the impact. Data shows that it takes caribou multiple attempts before they cross the road. On average, the road stalled caribou for 33 days. Most would bounce off the road retreat a hundred miles. Some never crossed the road, instead going all the way around it.

Why is it important that hunters and anglers across the nation speak up against the proposed Ambler Road?

Hunters and anglers across the nation need to come together around common values to conserve our heritage. Even if I never visit the Minnesota Boundary Waters, I understand their value. I think they should remain intact for those that live near them and visitors who want to experience them. For some, the Brooks Range is a once-in-a-lifetime hunting dream. For others, it’s their backyard and provides their annual food supply. For me, it’s adventure, solitude, food, and a place to recharge. With the range of experiences it offers outdoorsmen and women, the Brooks Range is invaluable.

Header Image: Mary Glaves