This boutique backcountry adventure was offered by REI a few years ago for $7,200 per person (without CME) and with an 8 hour bus ride from Anchorage to McCarthy instead of the private flight we’ll charter.

Mountains and Medicine is thrilled to offer this boutique CME experience at cost for $4,900 for physicians & non medical partners & friends.

We know that you have less expensive backcountry CME options. This expedition is designed for those who want to experience the vast wilderness of Alaska. While McCarthy is one of the most costly places to get to and operate an expedition, the location is so incredible that we opted not to pay ourselves for facilitating, so it’s more feasible for you.

We can say with certainty that this will be the least expensive McCarthy expedition we’ll ever be able to offer. I hope you can join us! With questions, feel free to call or email us!

Your $4900 pays for your CME, 2 private charter caravan flights from Anchorage to McCarthy, 2 bush flights to the backcountry, profession guides & educators, all gear rentals for backpacking, packrafting, and ice climbing, nutritious backcountry meals, shared cabin lodging for our last night (with great beds and hot showers), McCarthy breakfast before our private return flight to Anchorage.

Participants are responsible for booking flights to and from Anchorage as well as their own travel insurance. Additionally all participants are encouraged to tip our subcontracted, McCarthy-based guide as they see fit.

For our McCarthy Alaska expedition July 2024, the policies regarding deposits, payments and refunds are as follows:

Expedition deposit of $500 will be collected upon registration. This amount will reserve a dedicated place on this 6-10 person team.

Due to the boutique nature of this expedition offered at cost, with privately chartered aircraft, subcontracted guides, equipment etc., there will be NO REFUNDS available under any circumstance. Please ensure that if you make a deposit and or pay in full that you are fully committed to joining us as we will not be able to refund you if your circumstances change.

This expedition cost is not eligible for refund.

Absolutely. We can offer a variety of dates and CME topic options for a McCarthy Expedition. To discuss a custom trip email us at

info@mountainsandmedicine.com

or call (406) 220-6009.

If pushing yourself in beautiful terrain excites you, than this trip may be exactly what you’re craving.

This expedition is physically challenging with a ‘medium to hard’ difficulty rating from the guiding company. Point to Point trips are committing and this path weaves through difficult mountainous and glaciated landscapes. People with a solid baseline of fitness and experience carrying heavy packs on multiday backpacking trips, will be well prepared for this expedition. While experience isn’t required we do ask anyone that’s unsure about their readiness to give us a call or shoot us an email so we can help you decide which trip is a good fit.

Ultimately it’s your responsibility to choos and experience you’ll get the most out of.

If you’re feeling stagnant and itching for adventure, wanting a way to discharge some energy and recharge your outlook, than this trip may be for you!

If you’re running on empty, physiologically or psychologically, if you feel like you’re constantly striving and can’t catch your breath, you may get way more out of joining us at the Shire in Washington.

This experience will be high tempo. Among the objective hazards is a traverse that’s a few hundred meters long and ‘drops off’ on either side. No less than a meter wide at any given sections it can be a debilitating challenge for the with a severe fear of heights. We also encourage participants to really think about what their body needs most.

For any question about choosing a trip that is right for you feel free to call us.

Ultimately it is your responsibility to choose an experience you’ll get the most out of.

Arrival: please book flights to Anchorage no later than the evening prior to our flight to McCarthy. The next day will start early with 2 shorts flights depositing us in the Alaskan' wilderness. A good night’s sleep will set you up for and incredible day. If you miss this flight you won’t be able to join us in the field and there will be no refunds. So please, please, please make sure you budget enough time to be physically and mentally ready to arrive early and hike hard.

Departure: We are scheduled to return to Anchorage via our privately chartered aircraft at noon. If you intend to fly home that day we recommend booking flights departing no earlier than 4 pm so as to ensure there is plenty of room for flexibility should our flight delay.

Please note that while we are going during the best seasonal window to get in and out of the backcountry with relative ease, Alaska’s weather does what wants. Flight delays due to weather, seismic activity and other natural causes are always possible.

Both the Shire Retreat and the Alaska Expedition are built to provide holistic immersion learning experiences for physicians and their loved ones. Where they differ is in their tempo and approach. The Shire is a healing focused restorative retreat with playful and creative activities, heart opening communal conversation, and mindfulness modalities at the center of the experience. This could be loosely described as the mellower, gentler, more accessible of the two experiences.

The Alaska expedition is an activation, offering the shared challenge of demanding terrain, hands on remote and emergency medicine education, resilience education, as well as structured and organic opportunities for open hearted and mindful group activities.

How to put it in terms that might resonate best, at the shire we’re honoring diastole, and on expedition we’re going for blood pumping systole. Yeah, we’re nerds.

Valid. Our guides are all trained and experienced travelers in bear country in Alaska and will teach you how we manage that risk with camping and travel practices. The bears in the Wrangells are still wild and generally not interested in people. We will carry bear spray and we camp and travel according to guidelines laid out by Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

We recommend looking into travel insurance to protect your trip especially for package or backcountry trips. Travel insurance varies depending on plans but most cover trip cancellations, interruptions, changes, lost luggage, and some emergency medical coverage.

We’re working on a comprehensive list for you. Coming shortly!

It’s with great intention that we offer the following community agreement to protect this experience as both a learning and healing environment.

Confidentiality:

With the intention of crafting a healing environment within which providers can speak to their struggles, failures, attempts to cope etc. without fear of harm to their medical reputation or capacity to practice, we require everyone to sign a legally binding agreement to protect the confidentiality of all expedition members, including facilitators and staff. Providers are asked to approach this experience as participants, and if any concerns you have for a fellow participant should be expressed to a Mountain and Medicine LLC staff member. Our staff will consider the information, an determine the appropriate response.

No Alcohol

While managing the risks we choose to take as a company, we evaluate predictable potential threats by three criteria:

-How likely is it to go wrong?

-How catastrophic can it be?

-How essential is that risk to the execution of our mission?

With that criteria and our mission to provide a unique, adventurous, intentional space for learning and healing, alcohol is simply a no. If you are navigating an alcohol dependency disorder and would like to discuss a harm reduction exception, we’re open to having a conversation, just reach out. A conversation is not a guarantee that an exception will be granted that is up to our sole discretion. Regardless of our determination your confidentiality will be protected.

No Substance Misuse or Illicit Drug Consumption

All expedition participants will be required to complete a medical disclosure form. This allows us to provide appropriate care in case of a medical emergency. Participants will be asked to disclose any and all medications, OTCs and otherwise mind-altering substances they intend to take on expedition. Daily use of medicines such as THC products and while on expedition, as prescribed by your physician, is not inherently disqualifying. However how and when these medications are taken will need to be discussed with our expedition medical director. It it the sole responsibility of each individual to ensure that their medications are transported and administered in accordance with Federal and State law.

We know a component of Mountains and Medicine LLC’s ‘vibe’ is ‘hippie dippie’ wellness. However, please don’t mistake our expeditions or retreats as good opportunity to take mushrooms or any other entheogenic or otherwise illicit mind altering substances.

It’s just not that kind of party.