North to Alaska

Well, I lured my P's up here with stories of our bright and shining summer, and of course while they were here the sun was out maybe two days out of thirteen. Oops! But, it was still a lot of fun, and still beautiful even in the clouds.

I can't really chronicle their trip, as I wasn't with them the whole time and didn't take pics everywhere (I have already been to all the places we went together and posted pics). Overall, the trip (whether I was in tow or not) included Anchorage, Eagle River, Girdwood, Seward, Homer, Valdez, Cooper Landing, Denali, and places in between.

We went to Seward specifically to take a boat tour in Kenai Fjords National Park. It rained NONSTOP when we went to Seward. If you've seen my earlier Seward posts there are pics of whales, sea lions, glaciers, puffin, etc. This time, the seas were so rough, the boat tour we booked wasn't even going out. And not just one day - day after day!

But, a key aspect of being up here is being prepared. Rain gear is king, and opens up lot of opportunities even when the weather doesn't cooperate.

First up, Exit Glacier near Seward. Oddly enough, it's receding. Been doing so for a long, long time. I'm all about less pollution, but some of the global warming stuff is over the top. Not saying there's nothing to it, just a little bit too much 2+2=4. Anyway, there's Exit Glacier in the background, and all along the trail there are sign posts of where it was in different years. We stand were it was in 1926.



Luckily the P's had their matching "Frog Tog" rain gear. They're part of a Honda Goldwing motorcycle gang back in the Lower 48. Frog Togs are built for helmet wearin' with no real "brim" to block rain, thus the umbrella.


There are countless (and therefore many nameless) glaciers in Alaska, but this is a nice one you can drive/hike up to, and normally you can walk right up and touch it by walking up the banks of a river. But there was SO much rain both before and during our trip, the river, normally a classic Alaskan shallow "braided river" was so over its banks you couldn't reach the "toe" of the glacier where you can touch it! But you could still take the trail to the side for a closer look:

Check out a closer look at the hole in the glacier bleeding runoff water.

Exit Glacier is fed by the Harding Ice Field. It's a "strenuous" trail - 7.4 miles round trip with 1000 feet of elevation gain per mile, I'd really like to do it next summer. The Harding Ice Field is a remnant of the ice age, covers hundreds of square miles, and feeds around 35 glaciers.

I think my favorite thing when my P's were here was doing a 5-mile hike over in Kachemak Bay State Park, across the bay from Homer. You have to take a boat to get over there. It was a thru-hike, meaning the boat dropped us off at one point, and would pick us up hours later at another. Outside of that, you're on own. Don't let the umbrella make it look any less rugged (sorry mom!)

OK - the umbrella, and the PURSE! Nobody, including my mom, thought of it until we were on the boat. Why do you have purse on a hike? I've spent so much time building up my Alaska credibility, only to be dashed upon the rocks of a purse on a hike. Luckily, outside of one pair near the trailhead, we were the only people out there!

This was a spectacular hike. There were three distinct vegetative zones. First up, something which, if not rain forest, if very rain foresty:

I didn't want to admit it at the time, but (earmuffs for the kids) we were in the shit, although I didn't want to admit it so as not to alarm the P's. Not long after we hit the trail, we came across, right on the trail, some REALLY fresh bear scat. I mean REALLY fresh - freshest I've ever seen. It was the first of seven piles, five of them too fresh for comfort (wasn't that an 80's show?). We kept the bear spray and The Peacemaker close, made lots of noise, left the bear bells in the souvenir shops, and made it through. There was a "bear activity in area" warning posted on the trailhead at the end of the trail, but not at the start. Probably a good thing.

It was a real joy to introduce my P's to Alaskan hiking, and to play the part of the Sourdough (experienced Alaskan) even though I've been here a mere two years.

Trail part two - open ground, sparse, short trees, lots of flowers:

And Part III, the uphill toward the end of the trail:

Along the way, we hit a lake which is the product of Grewink Glacier. The glacier itself, though huge and dropping right down across the lake, was barely visible due to the wet, windy weather. But its icebergs were unmistakable.

Glaciers and icebergs are a beautiful blue, a trick of the eye, but when you get up close, it's just ice, as my dad proves:

Random shot of the post - an orange growth we found on a tree along the way. Just thought it looked kinda cool:

Considering we started at sea level or close to it, there was some uphill hiking at the end of an otherwise pretty flat trail, and happily the boat was down there waiting for us when we finished. I could find you a lot of people here in Anchorage who would waive off a five mile hike out there in bear country on a bluebird day, let alone in light rain. My parents are troopers!

Near Homer is Anchor Point, which you may remember from a series of pics I posted last year of probably the most amazing sunset I've ever seen. DO NOT zip past Anchor Point on the way to or from Homer without making the stop.

Anchor Point is the most Westerly highway point in North America. Did you know Alaska also has the most westerly, northerly, and easterly points in the United States? How is that possible? Hint - we're really close to Russia and have a lonnnggg island chain in the Aleutians.

Anchor Point, as evidenced by the sign, is famous for bald eagles. After much debate, it has been confirmed this is an "immature" bald eagle. It's BIGGER than a regular bald eagle, apparently because the young ones feast until they grow large, then have to be coaxed out into the world by their elders, by denial of food.

But still, plenty of adult bald eagles are always around at Anchor Point, in the trees, on the beach, and soaring over the surf:

Not too much question to me why they were chosen as a national symbol. They look tough as nails.

On the way back, we took a side road by some lakes, and were surprised to see a little blackie on the side of the road. It was funny, because there was a pullout just up the road with a tour group, and I walked back up and tapped the leader on the shoulder as he described rivers or glaciers or something, and he gave me a look of derision until I told his cheechako tour group there was a bear down the road. Suffice it to say, as one tourist said to the guide, "Why am I listening to you, I should me listening to him" (me). I liked that!

Side note - I took my P's to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which takes in injured wildlife with the aim to release them into the wild, if possible. My favorite part was a couple grizzlies in a large habitat, but luckily right up by the fence when we were there. They were orphaned (separately) too young to ever be released back into the world. But seeing the "enemy" up close was amazing to me, and a bit frightening. Check out those blades.

You know where we have bears? Denali. The only couple sunny days we had were in Denali. There's seventeen miles you can drive, the rest (the important part) you must take a bus. First night we were there, I ran my P's in to the part you can drive. Off the bat: LYNX!!!!!! I can't tell you how exhilarating it was to see a Lynx, the only wild cat in Alaska, crossing the road right in front of us. A dream for me. And rare. But no pics sorry - it was that fast.

Denali is beautiful, iconic for the road less traveled since you can only drive the first 17 miles of the 90+ mile road and need a bus for the rest.

A little more hikin' in Denali - so THAT'S where the sun was hiding!

And who knew my P's were rock hounds? Examining the goods at Savage River:

Lots of wildlife in Denali. Check out these ptarmigan and their heavily feathered legs - you know they're built for cold:

Caribou, of course:

We had the best tour bus operator I've ever seen. All they're paid for is to drive, but this guy educated himself (likely a retired professor) and really "guided" the tour. He had history, wildlife facts, funny stories - it was fantastic. Apparently, caribou rest on snow whenever possible for a respite from the bugs. (Although I should say, comparatively speaking, Denali is not buggy.)

Oh, and moose. I love seeing moose, but of course have plenty of opportunities to do so right here in ANC. We hadn't seen any in Denali, so I dragged my dad out AFTER we had already done the bus to go into the park one more time. My mom was "washing her hair." Literally!

Of course, we got lucky and say a momma and her calf. Wildlife sightings are a game of inches and minutes. A few minutes earlier or later, you see nothing.

I made more sport of my mom for missing it than a good son probably should. But I made up for it by taking her out to a trail here in Anchorage where I knew we'd find moose, and we did. But these two, to be honest, were more exhilarating to see, and closer up.

Coyote or wolf? Wolf or coyote? You be the judge. I say wolf.

There was not a single cloud in the sky when we headed out on the bus, but they started forming as the day progressed. Like the busdriver said, and I agree - Denali makes its own weather. Shortly after this, it was gone.

Always nice to have Denali out in full glory, and it doesn't happen that often in the summer. Wait, what's that down in the corner below?

Griz! A mom and two cubs! Not babies either - second or third year cubs.

Now, in the picture below.....THOSE are spring cubs - little brown ones, one lookin' right at you. They are born brown, then turn blonde like their moms. And they play the way you see in nature videos - rolling around, playing with their paws - awesome.

Oh, and speaking of grizzlies and caribou.......how about this scene? See, the bears know they don't have the wheels to catch an adult caribou. And the 'bou knows the same. Harmony in the face of conflict.

Overall, a spectacular trip. I got to show some sights, lead the charge thru bear territory, and provided a glimpse into my love of Alaska, and how important it is to me. And that was about important to me as anything.