Tours, hikes and other things to do in Alaska
Getting closer to the mountains ~ One day Onalea decided she was going to aimlessly drive until we were in the mountains, well after numerous dead ends, winding up in undesirable places, several Austin Powersesque U-turns, and plenty of road construction (it is said Alaska has two seasons, winter and road construction) Michael had enough. He pulled up All Trails to find a place where we could drive safely and be in the mountains. He led us to the Flattop Mountain area, Onalea had fun driving the switchbacks while Michael had a white knuckle grip on the “oh shit” handle, legend has it that this handle was once used for hanging suit jackets. Once we made it to the parking lot, uncovered the ancient secret of how to pay for parking, and used the facilities we were ready for adventure. We took a brief stroll down a trail that led to an overlook of Anchorage. It was jaw droppingly beautiful, we took so many pictures, but they really don’t do it justice. The panorama opening up before us allowed for an unhindered sight line out to the ocean, a birds eye view of the city of Anchorage, an endless expanse of mountains including the aptly named Flattop mountain itself. We talked about climbing Flattop before we left for Denver, but with the ever growing list of attractions and times with friends, we never made it back up the mountain. Michael did however make some time to climb a mountain, his account is below.
Michael climbed a Mountain. By Michael ~ I had the chance to climb the Gold Cord Lake Trail with Coby and Jennie and their dog Inka. We were chatting about hikes in the area and they brought up the cold lake trail saying that they thoroughly enjoyed it, so it seemed like it was worth looking into. I checked out the trails description on all trails and saw at the top there is an alpine lake nestled into a rocky bowl at the summit. I was bound and determined to take a swim in an Alaskan lake. So, with thoughts of the grandeur of climbing a mountain and taking a dip in an alpine lake I packed my swim trunks, a handful of fruit snacks, some bottled water and borrowed a towel. My rucksack packed and feeling ready for anything we set off on the 90-minute drive.
Winding through the countryside of Alaska was spectacular. Being chauffeured by wildlife photographers is something I can’t recommend enough, if ever in Alaska check out their City Moose Tour. They had their eyes peeled for wildlife knowing exactly where to look and it was so cool to hear stories of hikes and wildlife they had found during their years in Alaska. The landscape out here is lush and full of life and the herds of animals still travel in their many thousands. A call back to times that many of us can only dream about. In between breathtaking views out the window we got to catch up on old times we had spent in Tech school together, reminiscing about this or that story and musing about where our other classmates are now.
We arrived and because they had an annual park pass there was no charge to park our car and no apps to download or paper envelopes to stuff quarters into. It was an overcast day and very cool for what I thought an August day should feel like, it did not get over 64 F. What is this? the tundra! I was happy that I had a light jacket, jeans and hiking shoes on but I was still a little chilled until we started the climb. Then I found myself a little warmer than absolutely necessary.
The climb was a series of switchbacks along lichen covered slopes on a well-defined trail. You cross a river where we saw someone seated upon a chair, getting what appeared to be their senior photos taken with the expansive Alaskan landscape as their backdrop. Along the trail we came upon an old trapper cabin that used to be frequented by the infamous prospectors of yesteryear.
Then shit got real, the end of the tail suddenly gets quite steep and you find yourself in a position to start bouldering. If you are experienced this would be of no concern but for me, it was a heart pounding experience. After the scramble up the rocks, you see the lake nestled into a rocky bowl, looking back at you with an invitation of refreshment and cleanliness. I found a boulder large enough to hide behind and changed into my swim shorts and sandals determined to take the plunge. It was cold, how cold was it? So cold that my friend’s dog gave me a sideways glance after jumping in! Inka, you need to learn to live a little. The climb down was also scary on the rocky part but after that it was a nice stroll downhill. As we were descending we came upon two golden balls of fluff Coby identified as marmots and he managed to snap a few photos.
So many adventures in Alaska! ~ Our time in Alaska was so jam packed with adventures, beautiful scenery, and amazing locales that it would take a novel to cover them all. We’ve put together a detail of as many of them as we can though and if you have any questions, or would like us to elaborate about any of the places mentioned please leave us a comment and we’ll get in touch.
The Portage Glacier Tour ~ Onalea really wanted to see a glacier up close, she chose to have us take a day trip through Gray Line Alaska to go on the Portage Glacier tour boat and stop at Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The tour met at the Captain Cook hotel, we arrived early to have lunch in the hotel at Fletchers. Dining at this place you can’t help but wonder at the audacity and determination of Cook to push his men so far north into the ice, with very little supplies and insufficient winter clothing. You can easily understand why Fletcher Christian led his mutiny and sent the whole crew back to Hawaii and Cook’s untimely demise. After lunch we boarded the bus for the hour-long ride to the glacier. We were again on the road with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other, sandwiched between sea and sky and with the luxury of both being in the passenger seat, we relaxed and took in the beauty through the windows. Once we arrived at the dock, we had a few minutes to take in the beauty and of course pose for a few photos. We noticed the color of the water was like nothing we’d ever seen before, we learned on the boat ride that the lake was made from the glacier melting giving it this distinct polar blue color. On this 1 hour round trip ride we had the pleasure of learning so much information through the stories of a local member of the U.S. Forest Service. The most impactful fact was that hundreds of years ago the glacier filled the entire valley, 14 miles long, and was connected to what are now five separate glaciers, the distance of the glacier now is only 6 miles and it is receding more each year. Once the boat ride was complete, we again boarded the bus for our next stop, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The bus driver drove through the conservation center to drop us off at the back, we were greeted by a large gathering of animals staring up at us through the windows from behind a large fence. In one area there were a lot of sitka black tailed deer standing by the gate. We soon realized it was feeding time, it was such a delight to watch them go through their routine, crowding up to the workers and trying to be the first in line for their dinner. We eventually made it back to the bus and wound our way back along the coast to where we began.
Anchorage Trolley Tour ~ If you find yourself in Anchorage with an hour to spare, we highly recommend hopping aboard the Anchorage Trolley tour, though they offer tours of many different lengths, an hour provides you with enough time to really drink in the sites. The woman that drove our trolley was a retired schoolteacher and had many anecdotes and a wealth of information about the town itself. The tour starts out on the same street the Iditarod does, and our driver painted a picture of men and women perched upon the backs of wooden sleds, with teams of dogs barking and yelping, ready to race off into the frozen expanse of the surrounding country. Then you wind your way through the city as your driver highlights the important locations and dives into the history and lore of this beautiful town at the end of the world. There was a stop at the railroad depot to show us the “Moose Goosier” the job of this train was to go ahead of the larger trains to goose the moose on the track to make them move. This little train made Onalea laugh at the thougt of moose being goosed.
A road trip to the country fair ~ Coby mentioned that there was a county fair, in Kenai, Alaska, which was a few hours from Anchorage and that we might enjoy exploring. He sweetened the deal by offering us his vehicle to make the trip out and back, so without further ado we were on the road. The ride there was gorgeous, the road ran between the ocean and the mountains. It is the only road from Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula, so it is always very busy. The fair itself was a bust for us as it was a quaint affair, but as we have learned it is not always about the destination and this one pulled us along an amazing road. We walked around for a while to check out what we could, as much of the fair was already winding down for the day. On the way back we stopped for some food at a neat pizza joint, it was yummy! Back on the road to our place, with full bellies we decided a walk about would do us some good, especially after all that yummy food. So we decided to stop at a section of forest we saw on the way that had burnt down so we could get a closer look. It was interesting to see close up how nature was making its comeback in the area after the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area. Poking up through the ash and blackened earth new mushrooms were seeking the light, while grasses and saplings worked to find a place in this newly opened area. When the canopy is gone and the light finds its way to the forest floor once more, it isn’t long before plant life rushes in to take advantage of this new bounty.
The state fair ~ Our timing was fantastic as we just happened to be in town when the state fair was on, and being state fair aficionados we figured it was our duty to compare and contrast this one to the many others we’ve explored in the past. Onalea being from Iowa is used to butter cows and fried food on a stick, Michael showed animals at his local state fair. The Alaska State Fair had tons of food, exhibit halls, carnival rides and games, more food, a rodeo, a butterfly tent, more food, beer tents, animal showings, more food and all the other things you would expect, but enough differences from what you may be used to really get a feel for the community. Unfortunately, the animal showings were not happening on the day we visited, so no scratching goat and cow ears for us. The food was bountiful and delicious though, we ate as much as we could…and then some. Onalea had a great time taking pictures of all the food places, we laugh now looking at the pictures because Michael is either walking towards the place or returning with more food. We may have indulged just a little at this one.
Potter’s Marsh ~ We really wished we had binoculars here, it was such a pretty area full of life. The trails through the marsh are all very well maintained, with wide flat boardwalks and hard packed soil or gravel to make the majority of the park wheelchair accessible and inviting for those with mobility issues. There were places to sit along the way, to rest, drink in the view and marvel at the wonders of nature. We were really hoping to see a moose here, but sadly none graced us with their presence.
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail ~ A phenomenal trail for walking and cycling, read about our adventure on the trail here.
Sadly, one of the things we remember most about Anchorage is the enormous homeless population, most of them are indigenous to Alaska, when they no longer have a home within their community, they are sent to Anchorage with no way to return. If someone in a small community is sentenced to jail/prison they are taken to Anchorage where the jail/prison is and when they are let out there is no way for them to get home and they end up stranded on the streets of the city. There is a shelter, in an arena, for them to stay in if they so choose, but as often is the case these emergency stop gap measures don’t offer the things a human really needs to thrive and many would rather tough it out, out of doors. To the untrained eye it is easy to see many of them suffer from the dual challenges of mental illness and alcohol addiction. The laws surrounding alcohol are very different than we are used to, so we are inclined to believe what is said about the addictions. Some of the laws include the inability to discount alcohol, so no happy hour, after you have so many infractions with alcoholism your ID is printed with “do not sell alcohol” and if you are pulled over and have been drinking your car will be impounded for 30 days. Though they attempt to curb these problems with abstinence, it appears to not be working. Dr. Gabor Mate says the opposite of addiction isn’t abstinence, the opposite of addiction is community. Something we are both so grateful to have in our lives, both online and in person.
Alaska is a breathtaking place, ancient and pristine, yet full of all of the comforts and luxuries we are accustomed to further south. It is certainly geared towards a very outdoorsy crowd, which admittedly isn’t us but we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore its vast and beautiful landscape. If we were to go back to Alaska, we would make sure we went when we could see the Northern Lights, even if it was just for a few days. To stand beneath the dancing canopy of the luminescent rainbow is a dream of ours, one we are willing to throw parkas on to see.