Stories
Review: Alaska Rail Explorer - Robin
Anchorage
Exploring the streets of Anchorage is almost like being in any other city in North America. The familiar box store names litter the city and busy streets and tall buildings surround you. However, there is a hint of something wilder in the air. Signs with slogans reminiscing the gold rush and references to the surrounding abundant wildlife are a reminder of the State’s uniqueness. Upon arrival, I decided to visit the Anchorage market. I dined on my first Alaska Salmon in the form of a Salmon Quesadilla, smothered in hot sauce. I browsed the various booths and snooped through the merchandise including thick furs, ornate ulu knives, and epic photos of the Alaskan landscapes. To return to my airport hotel, I decided to walk via the Tony Knowles coastal trail. Many rent bikes to do this route and it is quite a trek back to the outskirts of town. Although it took me two hours of constant walking to return, I was able to follow Cook Inlet for quite some time and begin to taste the gems of Alaska. Upon my late return to the hotel, the sun still hung high in the sky. The constant sun at seemingly all hours of the day was to act as a reminder throughout my trip that I was in the high north and the land of the midnight sun.
Kenai Peninsula
The road winding away from Anchorage South down Turnagain arm is a drive not to be missed when visiting Alaska. Snowy peaks and rocky cliffs harboring Dall Sheep surround on one side with ocean on the other. In addition to the surrounding mountains, the peninsula is lush with forest and intricate waterways. Not more than an hour or two into our adventure, we had the opportunity to eat lunch along a glacier lake, and hike up to the receding glacier that was feeding it. It did not take long to put ourselves into the quintessential scenes of the state. That evening we pitched our tents beside Skilak lake, which is fed from both the Kenai River and the Skilak glacier. As a result of being glacier-fed, Skilak Lake, the Kenai River and Kenai Lake are all a gorgeous and eerie shade of silty blue. The hiking in the area was plentiful, and we were able to view Skilak Lake from a bird’s eye view. A popular activity along the Kenai River is fishing, and I was not going to miss out on the experience. We journeyed by drift boat down the river, reeling in numerous trout and releasing them all due to the tight regulations. We caught a glimpse of the madness of the approaching Salmon fishing season with fly fisherman already beginning to line the shores. We were told of the height of the madness when fishermen flock to the shores of the river in droves casting their flies into the waterway hoping for their trophy King Salmon, even if it means a hook or two caught from a fellow fisherman
Seward
After a couple nights in the wilderness, we drove back to civilization for a night in a bed. Seward is a feel-good little tourist town, famous for Halibut fishing. The best activity in Seward is a glacier cruise, which I unfortunately missed out on due to my determination to go Sea Kayaking. The rest of my group was able to cruise throughout the fjords to see a number of hanging glaciers illustrated by mini-icebergs floating throughout the sea below. They also saw prominent wildlife including humpback whales, pods of orcas, sea lions, otters, puffins and more. The Sea Kayaking, although by no means known to be the best in Alaska, had some great advantages. One in particular being when a curious seal followed us for some minutes during the voyage.
Denali National Park
No traveler should venture to Alaska without experiencing Denali National Park and Mt McKinley. Private vehicles are not permitted to enter the park, and the main option available for exploration of the area is by shuttle bus. The driver narrates the experience as the wildlife dashes through the surrounding woods. We spotted moose, caribou, hares, ptarmigans, and various other creatures nearly instantly upon entering the park. Although both black bears and grizzlies live in the park in alarming numbers, we were unable to glimpse them on our venture. The driver was surprised by this, and commented that a day without a bear spotting was more infrequent than the opposite. As we progressed into the park, we noticed the spruce trees -although some hundreds of years old- were of an oddly miniature height due to the permafrost below their roots. Eventually in the depths of the park, they disappear and tundra takes over. The shuttles comes every fifteen minutes, and it is possible (and encouraged) to get off of the bus and explore. We hiked to the top of a rolling hill in the midst of the tundra, where two Dall Sheep allowed us to get unnaturally close and gave us the opportunity take advantage of their photogenic facade. We were unable to spot mighty Mount McKinley towering above the rest of the Alaska Range on that day in the park. However, on our departure day back to Anchoarge the clouds parted from its peak and we were able to marvel at its enormity as a bit of a farewell gift.
Review: Seward Glacier Rafting - Sarah
I had been anticipating this rafting trip as a highlight of my overland Alaska minivan tour. The day of the excursion, the rafts are loaded onto the train and the guides find the passengers on the train in advance to give out rubber boots and waterproof gear (if this is needed). I found that two pairs of socks is a very good ideas as your feet get freezing cold wading about in the water. At the put-in point, we got our energy up with a deli style lunch of meats, cheeses, salad, warm soup, bread & brownies. The excitement built throughout the group as we paid close attention to a safety talk. The Seward Glacier Rafting trip is a leisurely 3-mile float down the river rather than rafting the rapids, which are at most a Grade 2. It’s a relaxing way to see the scenery. The guides paddle through a maze of stunning blue icebergs in front of Spencer Glacier and then head down the river. We waded to shore at one shallow point and found bear prints in the sand. After the 3-miles, we pulled the rafts ashore, content in the peaceful surroundings.
