Alaska Attraction
Flying to Chicago, then to Anchorage. This place is well known – yet not the capital of Alaska. That’s Juneau, more to the south. We check in in the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage.
Anchorage is the place to start/end your visit to Alaska. Few people come to visit Anchorage alone. The passing-through character resembles a place like Ushuaia (Argentina, where people start/end their trip to Antarctica).
Point 1 is Chitina Airport and point 2 is McCarthy Airport.
Lots of souvenir shops in Anchorage. This hotel is really crowded with people. Most tourists are doing the whale-watching cruises. At breakfast time it’s so busy we move over to a small café where they serve a nice combo of eggs, yogurt, tea and toast.
Our driver arrives. He is a Filipino, named Michael (after Michael Jackson). On our way we see many cars with Moose corpses in the back. We also hear rifles fired. You wonder if there are any animals left…
In the afternoon Michael drops us at a very small airport called Chitina. This airport is relatively close to the lodge.We wait for some time. Two other couples of guests arrive. And then a small plane arrives.
Ultima Thule Lodge
We fly to Wrangell-St.Elias National Park. Already we have a good view of the several landscapes before arriving in our lodge, Ultima Thule. Pilot Paul and his family run this place. There are 6 guesthouses, a central restaurant and view point, a sauna and a small airstrip. At dinner we get acquainted with the family. Paul saved a few hikers some years ago. He likes to talk about that. Besides this he experienced a lot of adventures. He talks a lot and really is the Alpha male here.
The first full day. We enter a very small plane. A Piper Super Cub. My wife in the back, a long pillow acting like a buffer, then me and before me the pilot in his chair. If you’re even a little claustrophobic this is not your plane. Off we go. We see mountains, glaciers, lots of ice. We land on a glacier. Walk a little. Beautiful. And not a soul around.
And later we land close to a blue lake. What kind of blue? Well, there are all kinds of blue here. A lunch here. And a hike around the lake. On our way back we spot a bear below us.
Next day at breakfast Paul recites a long poem about a certain Sam Mcgee. After that his daughter tells what lunch we will take with us this day. The pilots, who must have heard this more than once always react most enthusiastic.
Tundra in Alaska
Our pilot Arturo takes us to Moose Valley. We see some reindeers. Then a short stop on top of a mountain. Next is a Tundra landscape. No trees here. Large stretches of bare ground and rock. Low vegetation like mosses, lichens and herbs. All kind of colors. Very nice. You have to look carefully at all the details.
Dinner again. The pilots and Paul all wear a cap. They put it on when they rise and wear it all day. So even at dinner. The conversation, led by Paul covers politics and the way the state should be governed.
Later while having coffee with fellow guests Cathy and John the latter says ‘the way they talk politics discouraged me to say I’m a democrat from Chicago.’
River Rafting in Alaska
Today we are rafting the river. Two younger family guys accompany us. This is a relaxed trip. The views are overwhelming and the conversation is nice. For lunch a fire is made on which we warm the hot dogs. The river is sometimes very wide. Later in the afternoon we cross a wild section. We traveled several hours. By plane we fly back in a manner of minutes. Everything is relative.
While enjoying our aperitif we meet a German guy named Florian. He comes to explore the lodge for a German travel agency. At dinnertime we notice also two new guests at a separate table. Later I talk to them. Even though this park is an animal protected place these guys are here to hunt. That’s why they had dinner separately I think. Well, this place being so secluded, no one will ever notice.
Starting the new day in ‘Fox Hill’. A bit of a hill in a big valley. On both sides big mountains. We explore the area. It’s like we are the first humans to walk here. At this moment we wouldn’t be surprised to see a dinosaur in the distance. We fly to Timney Mountain. There are a dozen of waterfalls here. We look around. Picture time.
Short time after this we spot a big beaver dam below. We land and try to reach the beaver area. We succeed. This is really one of the highlights of this trip. Flying back to base we spot several reindeer, bears and even a bison.
Back to Anchorage
Our last breakfast here. This morning Paul treats us with a story about dog sledding. Then, without a chance to say goodbye to everyone Paul takes us by plane to a nearby small airport in McCarthy. From here we will fly back to Anchorage. When he flies away he gives us a ‘wing tip’.
Our next pilot is an American called Bill, he’s from Washington, US state close to Vancouver. Most of the summer he lives in McCarthy. Bill checks the weather and we fly. After two hours we touch down in Anchorage. Transfer to Captain Cook Hotel. We stay in exact the same room as before. Coincidence?
A sandwich at Moose a la mode. Then Oomingmak Musk Ox producers shop where my wife buys a scarf. This shop is owned by approximately 250 native Alaskan women from remote coastal villages of Alaska who knit each item by hand. All things are made of qiviut, the soft wool from the Artic Musk Ox.
At the waterside, during sundown we dine at ‘Simon & Seafort’s’. We sleep well. Partly due to the nice dinner.
But mostly because we experienced such a splendid time in the beautiful and wild nature of Alaska!
This trip was made in 2016.
If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to leave a comment!
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