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About Your Hosts In the following 30 years Fitzgerald's quests took him to the far corners of the great state of Alaska and many sojourns "outside". His experiences include trips to the eastern Brooks Range, all across the full arc of the Alaska Range, Kodiak Island, the entire length of the Alaska Peninsula, a brief stint in Prince William Sound and southeast Alaska as well as the Seward Peninsula outside Nome. Mr. FitzGerald spent eight years commercial fishing, ten years guiding sport fishermen and he's been a Registered Guide in Alaska for 21 years. A glutton for adventure, while in his early 20's, he spent 3 winters living in the heart of the Alaska Range with his team of sled dogs traveling throughout some inhospitable country during severe weather conditions. Billy's adventures include a solo attempt on Denali in 1978 after a month-long job operating base camp for the mountaineering expeditions being flown in from Talkeetna. At this capacity he was introduced to a society of adventurous spirits that can only be appreciated by joining their company. Outside of Alaska his travels include hiking trips along the Appalachian Trail in New England, Yosemite National Park, Baja California, Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park, Poly Poly Park on the island of Maui and a few day trips in the Rockies. European hikes include wandering in the Swiss Alps, a foray in the Dolomites, trekking in the Pyrenees and hill-walking in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Mr. FitzGerald is a commercial pilot with over 2500 hours of flying in the Denali Region. He owns and flies a Piper Super Cub with floats, wheels and skis. Billy's idea of the perfect day is to kick back on the top of some knob it took all day to climb, uncork a bottle of wine, cuddle up with his wife of 22 years, watch the sun setting behind distant mountains and spot a bird he's never seen before! Oh Yeah! His binoculars are handy and his camera still has a few shots left in it. Ute (Menzel) FitzGerald was born in a small village in southern Germany. She graduated nursing school and began full time employment with The University Clinic in Freiburg in 1974. A devout patron of traveling, Ute had journeyed to the far corners of Europe, Africa and South America before being snared by her husband while wintering in Talkeetna on her way to Central America via motorcycle. Together they boogied up the Ruth Glacier by dogsled, skied and "mushed" all over the Talkeetna Mountains, built a cabin in the woods, commercial fished together and then traveled to Baja California where their love was bonded forever. Ute's back country experiences include tons of day trips in the Black Forest where she grew up, hikes in both the French and Swiss Alps, traversing the Pyrenees, a variety of hikes in the Andes during a six week adventure and she accompanied Billy on hikes, treks and walks all over Alaska, the Colorado Rockies, the British Isles and Hawaii. Ute has extensive experience in the medical field. She is currently an EMT III and an officer for the local Emergency Medical Services in Talkeetna. She has worked in the emergency room, the neurological ward and served as a nurse for anesthesiologists during her tenurship in Germany. My kids want me to also say that Ute is "The World's Greatest Mom". Book your trip today! Phone: (907) 733-2566 Email:
info@alaskahiking.com |
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Billy
FitzGerald is a native Bostonian who migrated to Alaska in the early
70's seeking adventure and the "wildlife". If it wasn't for school sports,
particularly Soccer, Mr. Fitzgerald's education would have been short
circuited and, more than likely, included a tour of Southeast Asia.
As it turned out, two years of Junior College was enough time for his
yearning for open spaces to ripen. A year later he arrived in Alaska
with six bucks and a smile. |
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