ALASKA II: MY LITTLE LOOP THROUGH THE LAST FRONTIER
- coupkovasvatava
- Jun 27, 2018
- 6 min read
I can´t say that I crossed Alaska from north to south and from west to east. But I hiked Flat Top Mountain in Anchorage, watched bears, moose and caribou in Denali, played in the Kid´s Museum in Fairbanks, kayaked in Wranggler and St. Elias National Park… and I also was “in” North Pole.
With my “caa caa” in Seward I got new travel mates for two days as well. Joan and Hannah were driving our car for us all the way from Vancouver to Alaska and they stayed with mum and I for a day in Seward where we rented an awesome cabin with an amazing Alaskan husky, his name was Kruger. We went for a walk to the Exit Glacier and in the morning went to see salmon run up Bear Creek. At first it looked like there was one dead fish floating in the water but when you looked properly you could see the grey rocks were not rocks but hundreds of fish fighting with the stream. Pretty cool!
The next day my new friends drove us to Anchorage and then it was time to say bye again. I don´t know why they didn´t stay with us longer: mum says they had to catch their flight but I think there was just not enough space for all of us in the car. Anchorage is the biggest Alaskan city and on the main street there were a lot of tourists but also homeless people like in Vancouver. The next day I went to have a look at it from above but it was so windy that we were almost blown away from Flat Top Mountain.
We spent the night at beautiful Eklutna Lake and the next day set off for an awesome side trip to Matanuska Glacier. We saw the glacier from the road so I didn´t really get why we had to scramble up slippery and muddy Lion´s Head Track but once we stood up there I understood. Well, first I had to wake up from my little afternoon nap.
Mum thought everybody was going to wait for us and have things ready for us once we arrive to Denali. So we took our time and spent a nice morning in crazy chilled hippie Talkeetna, the mountaineering base for Mount Denali, had a nice brunch, watched our first moose along the way, even stopped for a hike in Denali State Park… When we arrived to Riley Creek at the entrance of Denali National Park of course no one was waiting for us. The campsite was full. That night we slept at the only parking lot where there was no “no camping” sign and in the morning tried it again. Still full.
It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to climb Mount Healy and get some nice views. The maintained track finished quickly but one could continue along the ridge forever so we did (not forever thought but for a little bit) and it was beautiful. I didn´t spot any bears but got to see a lot of arctic ground squirrels that look like marmots but they are not. In the afternoon I went to see sled doggies that help to take care of the park. When we returned to the campsite to bother the stuff some more… we got the spot! Not for one but for two nights! Someone just cancelled so they thought they could save it for us. Yay, I don´t have to sleep by the road anymore. Mum was so happy that she instantly bought me pretzels in yoghurt that I was trying to get since yesterday.
In Denali National Park there is just one road and people can drive only first 15 miles of it in their private cars. Who wants to go further, must take a shuttle bus. And we wanted to go further. So the next morning I had to get up at 6.30 and at 7.30 I was already sitting on the bus headed to Eielson Visitor Centre (Mile 66). Mum was ready to stop the driver and get us off the bus once I start to cry, yell, throw tantrums… but it never happened and when 4 hours later we were leaving the bus it was at out final destination. There we climbed Mount Thorofare and - despite being really windy again - spent an hour exploring the beautiful ridge with amazing views towards “The Great One” and the snowy mountains around. On the way back I took a nap… and we survived again with no need to leave the bus where we didn’t want to. The bus ride in Denali is not only about getting from point A to point B, it is itself the experience. Not only because of the views that I didn´t care much about but especially because of the wildlife you get to spot along the way. And the wildlife I spotted. I saw a moose eating willows by the road. Then there was a huge grizzly bear following the bus in front of us. I saw a lone caribou and then I saw a huge herd. I saw a marmot and a lot of ground squirrels. And then I saw a caribou again. And a mamma bear and her two cubs.
The third day in Denali was our last day. We drove all the way to Savage River and took a walk along it and then a bit up Primrose Ridge. It was for the first time in my life when I was walking with no tracks or marked routes. At first it was a bit scary but then I realized I could go wherever I wanted and that walking in soft spongy tundra was so quiet and relaxing and it felt amazing. You were nice to me, Denali, and I enjoyed you very much.
Fairbanks is the second biggest Alaskan city and it was the northernmost point of the country where I went. There is an awesome Kid´s Museum and a huge university where they breed musk ox and elk and do a very interesting research on them. In Fairbanks I also celebrated Summer Solstice. I forgot to tell you that there are no nights in Alaska. I only go to sleep because at some stage of the day my body betrays me and gets tired and my eyes close against my will. Normally it is at about 10 pm. Otherwise I would stay up forever. When I go to sleep it is light and when I wake up in the morning it is light. Sometimes I wake up for a bit in between these two points and it is… light! The sun doesn´t go to sleep in Alaska at all and I love it. So much time for exploring and playing around!
Wranggler and St. Elias National Park is the largest one not only in Alaska, but in the whole United States. Despite not being exactly on our way to Yukon, we decided to go there and check this amazing piece of land out. Just past Fairbanks there is a small village where there is nothing apart from the Santa Claus House and the fact that it is called North Pole. So if you don´t have time to go the real North Pole, go there and you can shop for Christmas decorations all year round and also send a card via a “real” Santa mail. Good fun but a bit silly as well.
Wranggler and St. Elias was not silly at all and sometimes it got quite serious as well. Like when on the way to a cool old mine at the very end of the rough unsealed 42-mile-long Nabesna Road we got stuck at mile 31, where the Lost Creek was crossing it. Generally it is dry but it was not the case when we got there: it was running high and super fast and we had to turn around. And we did it again the next day and the day after. I wanted to give it a try but mum said we were still going to need our car so we couldn´t just drown it and walk away. Instead of walking to the mine and up Skookum Volcano we had a lot of fun exploring amazing tundra along Caribou and Trail Creeks. When kayaking on our small lake by the campsite we were attacked by an aggressive seagull so for our next kayaking adventure we rather chose Long Lake. Sometimes you just can´t get what you want even if you want it really badly. Especially if it comes to nature… and toy shops!
And then a long drive came and we drove all the way to Tok and from Tok we took Taylor Highway, crossed the border and the Yukon River… and back in Canada we were.
Your Annie
Some facts: When: 15. – 28. 6. 2018 Where: Seward – Anchorage – Eklutna Lake - Matanuska Glacier – Talkeetna – Denali National Park – Fairbanks – Wranggler and St. Elias National Park (Nabesna Road) – Tok (Alaska, US) – Dawson City (Canada) How long: 14 days How far: 1 794 km
