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In July of 2021, I had the opportunity to travel to one of the last states in the US. After close to 18 hours of air travel, myself and two of my close friends landed under the midnight sun of Anchorage, Alaska. We had been planning this trip for months. Plane tickets, AirBnBs, rental cars, glacier tours, and miles of hiking awaited us on one of the soon to be bucket list-worthy adventures of a lifetime. Day one saw us marveling at the simplest things like the snow capped mountains towering over the Walmart parking lot, and the distinct lack of sales tax at said Walmart. Soon after, we hiked the “flat-top trail,” only to be greeted with a mildly unnerving boulder scramble to the summit and an aptly placed American flag that appropriately capped off the current holiday, the Fourth of July. Day one ended as we pulled the blackout curtains over the windows to block the direct sunlight cascading through at 11:45pm. Day two saw us visit the Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Fjord National Park. Today was glacier day. As we all are a group of east coast guys, the idea of a several hundred-thousand ton block of ice slowly creeping over the landscape seemed like something out of a sci-fi film. But sure enough, Exit Glacier did not disappoint. And I did as would anyone else would do when overlooking a large chunk of ice 4500 feet above sea level, I made a cup of coffee. I’d argue it was the best cup I’d ever had, but the occurring circumstances created a slight bias. And just as quickly as we reached the summit of the glacier, we equally found ourselves back at the bottom hiking through the glacial basin in a showering rain. Our sense of adventure was thoroughly satisfied. Day three was more of a time to rest after hiking 20 plus miles over the last two days. A leisurely stroll through the Anchorage Wildlife Conservation Center allowed us the opportunity to see the beautiful landscape that the Last Frontier had to offer coupled with the unique fauna that inhabit it. Moose, Bison, Bears, and Bald Eagles just to name a few. As hunger set into the evening, we found ourselves looking to indulge ourselves. Club Paris is the oldest steakhouse in the state, dating back to the 1950’s. It’s older than the state of Alaska itself, if that makes any sense. And to say we indulged in a meal that would have impressed the likes of Ron Swanson would be an understatement. As the food coma wore off into day four, we decided to work the calories off with the third hike of our trip, Eklutna Lake and the Twin Peaks. Just beyond the parking lot, the tree line opens into a glacier carved lake full of a cotton candy blue water unlike anything we had ever seen before. A seven to ten mile hike and 3500+ feet of elevation and that same cotton candy lake seemed like a small pool in the bowl of the mountains that cradled it. The sight of it could truly only be met with this feeling of reverence. This reverence was soon interrupted by a curious bear family likely wanting the apples we were eating, but they were soon coaxed away. Clouds had been drifting over the mountainside throughout the day bringing a mix of mild sprinkle to steady rain as well. As one could imagine, the weather had been less than ideal this entire trip, but we didn’t care… until today. The hike down was not truly a hike as much as it was a slide. Driving rain turned all the dirt to mud, which promptly slid down the hill, taking us with it. We were rather dirty on the drive home. Day 5 began with the first of our glacier tours. Thinking it would be a more commercial experience, we were shocked to find two alaskan back country hillbillies as our guides into the wilderness towards Knik Glacier. Riding along in the bed of a retired, Desert Storm era military truck as well as two metal skiff boats, we were led into the vast unknown. What we would see ahead would be a truly once in a lifetime experience. We brushed past icebergs that dwarfed our small vessel like an 18-wheeler would dwarf a bicycle. As we landed on the shore of an island we’d soon learn was solely owned and protected by these two gentleman tour guides, the sound of what could only be described as cannon fire echoed through the canyon. Massive chunks of ice, some as large as a three story house, were calving off of the glacier and into the water below, sending tsunami like waves across the channel. As we sat in silence, drinking cowboy coffee and feeding a squirrel named Jerry some trail mix, this calving of the glacier would continue unwavered. As we bid our new friends goodbye, per their suggestion we travelled to Hatcher Pass in search of a small A-frame village and a hiking trail a mile into the sky. We arrived to find what looked something out of the Swiss Alps. These mountain peaks were reminiscent of the mountains that an elementary child would draw in art class. Large triangles with snow covered peaks jutted into the sky around the entire landscape. The air was thin but clean, and the smile never left my face. As we took in the last of the views, prairie dogs darted about the hillside, squeaking with surprising intensity, all the way back to our awaiting car. As a last-second and last-ditch effort, our final day in Alaska brought us to a little town called Whittier. Only about 300-400 people live residentially in this tiny fishing town, and they all reside in one tall renovated hotel building. As tourist season brings more people to town, chartered tours leave from this port every day. We set off on a “26 Glacier cruise” in an effort to see 26 different glaciers and an assortment of wildlife in just over 3 hours. As the majority of the passengers stayed in the warmth below deck, I stayed topside in the freezing temperatures in an effort to capture any photos of the wildlife that I may see. Many different seabirds, seals, and otters swam along as we ventured through Prince William Sound. And while this tour felt much more commercialized and “touristy,” the opportunity to see such massive sheets of ice, spanning over a mile across, is unlike anything I have seen before. Docking back at Whittier brought the beginning of mourning the end of this incredible journey. The next 24 hours of travel back to home, including a blisteringly hot 15 hour layover in Phoenix, Arizona, was filled with sorrow for the end but a delight in what we accomplished. Over 40 miles of hiking, 28 glaciers, 4 mountains summited, 5500 ft of elevation gain, and close to 4200 photos taken were all accomplished in the span of a week with two of the best people I could have possibly went with. Now, time to plan the next visit…
Me and my buddies, Eklutna Lake Alaska
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It was 11:46pm when this photo was taken