+ Can I rent anything to save space in my luggage?

Yes! We can help you rent trekking poles and/or sleeping bags from UAF Outdoor Adventures. You can see their 2020 rental rates HERE (they said the 2021 rates will be about the same). You can notify us at any time if you wish to rent something and we'll make sure it is reserved and pick it up for you. We'll pay on your behalf and you can reimburse us whenever it is convenient.

They clean the sleeping bags regularly, but some people prefer to bring along a light-weight sleeping bag liner just because... you know.

+ Should I bring bug spray? What is the best kind?

Great one! Alaskan mosquitoes are pernicious. In the lower 48, you can get away with various alternatives, but in AK, the only thing that really helps is Deet. I don't recommend that you buy it at home, since liquids are always dicey in air travel and a bug-spray accident in your luggage would be terrible.

We'll provide you with a pocket-sized version of THIS in your welcome bag, and that will likely be all you'll need. Don't spray it on yourself! Apply a spritz or two to a cotton bandana and wipe a little on the back of your neck, or to the bill of your hat and you should be fine. If you're convinced you'll need more, then consider getting it once you arrive in Fairbanks (or ask me to bring you some). Definitely don't get anything perfumed.

+ What instrumentation will we be writing for?

The contemporary music ensemble of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is named Corvus. They are all top-drawer players - most from New York. This year, the full makeup of the group will be flute (doubling picc), clarinet (doubling bcl), alto/soprano saxophone, violin, cello, and percussion (vibes and others).

Each participant will be writing for a quartet of these instruments selected at random (from a hat) once the trip has begun. We ask that you NOT start writing music ahead of time since the central idea of Composing in the Wilderness is that you'll be writing music inspired by your experience.

+ Will our trip take us near the Arctic Circle?

Alas, no. The Arctic Circle is about a five hour drive north of Fairbanks on the Dalton Highway. In one of our past years, we gave participants the option of booking a flight-seeing trip up to Coldfoot (like THIS), but it doesn't appear we'll have the opportunity to do that this year. If you have some time before or after our activities, you might want to look into this. If it is something you strongly want to do, we can see if we can arrange it for sometime during our days in Fairbanks.

+ Since the field camp does not have hot water or heat, what happens if we get cold and wet?

We'll always be able to heat up some water and make coffee or hot chocolate, and there is a fire pit at our field camp. But the main way to keep warm is to always have some warm, dry clothes ready to change into back at camp. Temperatures vary widely in July, though, and we're just as likely to be shedding layers as adding them. Having really good rain gear is really helpful too.

+ At composing camp, are there safe places to run/walk on composing breaks?

Sure! I'll update this answer once we have decided which place we'll be going, but either way, it is certainly possible to get some exercise. Depending on the location, we may ask that people go in pairs rather than alone, and we usually have bear spray on hand and will train eveyone in how to use it.