Before I begin I would like to wish all my folks a happy Dussehra & Diwali!!
Hope you munch on loads of yummy sweets and delicacies so that you are ready to shed that extra weight with a new year's resolution ;)
Today, I am going to take you through a once in a lifetime vacation, to a magical place whose mention brings a glimmer into people's faces. To a place that hides numerous secrets, breathtaking sceneries, pristine wilderness & a place that is often referred to as the last frontier of the United states.Come with me & I will take you through this magical journey to this wonderland called Alaska!!!!
An Introduction to Alaska
In my other blogs I usually just provide highlights of a place. However, given the size & beauty the state of Alaska has to offer I would like to provide you an idea of what we are talking about so that you can fathom the sheer magnificence of this state for yourselves.
Be it the tallest mountain in North America, or be it the elegant but monstrous glaciers calving & feeding fresh water sources, or be it the huge Grizzly bear gorging on large King Salmon or be it the solar rays bouncing of the earth's surface and putting up a breathtaking light show to the mortals viewing it underneath,or be it the world's toughest motor-able passes, or be it the Polar bears high above the arctic circle fighting off climate change & learning new techniques to survive, or be it the Alpine trees trying to ward of the Arctic Tundra and scaling greater heights,Alaska has something for everybody!
Consider these facts for a moment.
- Alaska is the largest state in the USA
- Alaska gets no sunlight couple of months in summer & gets extended periods of darkness few months in winter.Given these facts the farmers in Alaska grow some of the biggest vegetables weighing 100s of pounds.
- Alaska has close to 100000 glaciers out of which 616 glaciers are officially named. There are 1000 glaciers in glacier national park alone
- Alaska has 3 million lakes and 44,000 miles of coastline
- The tallest peak in North America standing at 20310 feet, Mt Mckinley/Denali Mountain is situated in Alaska
- More than 50% of the land has been earmarked for wildlife in Alaska. Denali national park alone has a land area of 6 million acres!!!!can you beat that?
Given these circumstances wildlife thrives in Alaska & an ideal spot for scientists & researches to study wildlife.This huge population of wildlife also caters to 2 biggest industries in Alaska
1) Tourism
2) Hunting
Such is the abundance of wild life here that me with a great track record of bad luck in sighting wildlife, spotted 12 Grizzly bears gorging away at whatever they can find in preparation for their month's long hibernation in just 1 trip in Denali national park :)
Not just Grizzly, I happened to spot abundance of Moose, Caribou, Puffins, whales. Guess what? I even caught 3 big Salmons while fishing in Talkeetna ,Alaska.
However, where there is utopia in me about such great conservation efforts to sustain wild life there is also dystopia in me personally when I am presented the facts about legality of hunting of these magnificent creatures. I was also shocked and saddened when I witnessed a hunter shooting down a majestic Grizzly bear on the Dalton highway enroute to the Arctic circle. However, I learnt later that this was about the native Alaskan culture of "sustenance living". More about that in later part of the blog.
Frankly speaking I did not have an iota of clue as to what was in store for us & what secrets this great place was hiding from us. However, when Alaska slowly started unveiling its secrets to us we were just mesmerized & were left speechless.No wonder Alaska is considered a dream destination for many since not many people get to visit this wonderland in their lifetimes.
I feel very blessed to have been got a chance to be able to embark on this once in a lifetime journey.
The Plan
Alaska was long time in our must visit places once in a lifetime list. Our initial plan was to take the cruise as everyone else visiting Alaska prefer.However, when I dug deeper into the cruise plan i saw that the cruise was not covering some of the must visit places of Alaska like Denali national park, Arctic circle etc. Hence we dropped the cruise plan and started exploring the plan to fly to Alaska & then explore Alaska by road.
Our Trip was planned as below. Covering most of the must visit places of Alaska.
Day 1 - Land in Anchorage & take a Helicopter tour to explore glaciers in Chugach mountains
Day 2 - Glacier Boat tour of Prince William Sound & explore places around Anchorage
Day 3 - Glacier Boat Tour of Kenai Fjords National Park
Day 4 - Drive to Denali & hike in Denali
Day 5 - Full day bus tour of Denali National park
Day 6 - Drive to Fairbanks & tour of the Arctic circle & watch Aurora Borealis(Northern Lights)
Day 7 - Spend the day taking a dip at Chena hotsprings & visit places around
Day 8 - Boat ride & Salmon fishing in Talkeetna river
Day 9 - Back to Anchorage & back home
So the plan was laid out in a way that the 1st 3 days were spent exploring the glaciers.The next 2 days exploring the wildlife of Alaska.Then the last couple of days traveling up north where the Sun never sets(in the summer) and see the Aurora Borealis & finally top it off by going for some Salmon fishing and indulging in some Salmon delicacies that Alaska is known for.
We were planning to visit Alaska during the 1st week of September.There was a deal going on flights & we quickly booked the flights & then started the trip plan.Based on what we read on the internet it seemed that September was not a great time to visit Alaska.I started questioning my decision to visit the place that is a once in a lifetime trip in a month that is not preferred.Boy I was so wrong!! barring the 1st 2 days we got spectacular weather & also witnessed one of the most amazing Fall I have ever seen in the US.Also since the summer crowd receded during the last week of August the hotel prices become a bit bearable but still super expensive. Also the Autumn marked its beginning with the landscapes turning bright yellow.
Wild life sighting was at its peak as there were multiple things happening like the Bears preparing for hibernation, the Mosse Rut, the Salmon spawning etc.
So the 1st week of September was not a bad time to visit Alaska & don't always believe what you read on the internet, give chance a chance :)
Day 1 Helicopter Tour
After disembarking the flight at the Anchorage Airport we headed to Enterprise to get our rental car.
Voila the person at the counter was from NJ and he was more than happy to give us an awesome upgrade :) So we hopped on the luxurious SUV, dropped off our bags at the hotel & headed straight to the air strip from where we were supposed to take the chopper ride.
At the agency we had to sign some waiver forms like, they were not responsible if we die in this trip ;) After completing all the formalities we got the glimpse of our ride for the day.It was a small cozy chopper ! The chopper could accommodate 3 folks along with the pilot. For this tour it was just me, Wifey & the pilot.I hopped onto the front seat next to our Pilot, Tai. Tai walked us through the safety instructions and after which we were off to an awesome start to our once in a lifetime trip!!!
I have never taken a Helicopter ride & the experience was thrilling.We flew over couple of awesome glaciers.We felt like celebrities :)
Then the moment came. Tai slowly hovered atop a huge glacier & slowly descended towards it. The experience was thrilling :) Tai landed the chopper on top of the glacier which was 600 feet tall & after the blades came to a complete halt we disembarked the chopper.
It was freezing cold but an awesome experience. we walked around the slippery slopes & tasted some pure spring water. Tai gave us some trivia about glaciers & we clicked couple of pictures.
after spending 15 mins or so on the glacier we hopped on back to the chopper & this time it was wifey's turn to sit in front to experience the thrill of the take off & hovering of the Helicopter.
I was just clicking pics & taking videos of this super experience. I almost felt that my Phone's/ SLR's memory card will be over on day 1 itself :) After hearing the fact that this was our first day in Alaska & our first tour, Tai admitted that we had set a very high bar for him.
Fueling the guilt he showed us couple of additional places & also tried very very hard to spot wildlife. Thanks to which we spotted couple of Black bears, mountain goats, Moose in the Chugach forest from the air.So after 1.5 hrs of an awesome experience we were back at the hotel after visiting couple of small places en-route in Anchorage.That concluded day 1.
What can I say, you have to see it to experience it & believe it. This was an awesome start to our trip.
Day 2
After experiencing glaciers from up above & walking on them, it was time to experience these magnificent structures up close through a boat ride.
We had planned 2 boat trips to experience the Fjords & glaciers situated in Alaska.
Day 2 was dedicated to exploring the glaciers in Prince William Sound & Day 3 was dedicated to exploring Kenai Fjords national park.
Prince William Sound situated in the northern edge of gulf of Alaska is a marine ecosystem consisting of 100 glaciers which include 17 tide water glaciers. The ecosystem also boosts of over 30 different species of land mammals. The Chugach forest which is a rain forest surrounds the Prince William sound.So there are high changes you will encounter rain while in this tour.
We took the Phillips 26 Glacier cruise which was a 5 hour boat trip.The Cruise departed from the small port town called Whittier. Whittier is often referred to as the gateway to Prince William sound. Reaching Whittier is an experience in itself as a driver :) . While driving to Whittier you will pass through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel.
The 1 lane tunnel which is 2.5 miles long & passing through a mountain range is the longest highway tunnel in North America There is just one lane through which Cars as well as the train passes & hence there is a schedule to be followed. 30 mins for train, 30 minutes for vehicles east bound & then 30 mins for vehicles west bound. So if you miss the slot you need to wait for an hour to get a chance to cross the tunnel.
So after driving through this narrow 1 lane tunnel we reached the town of Whittier. our tour started at 12:30 & we visited some of the most amazing glaciers & Fjords. We also spotted multiple Sea Otters, bald eagles.My personal favorite was the surprise glacier which was calving at a very surprising rate & just like Alaska kept us mesmerized.
So all in all it was a great day 2
Day 3
A place where the ocean meets the mountains & forms Tide water glaciers.
Kenai Fjords national park as the name suggests is a National park comprising of multitude of glaciers & Fjords.lot of you must be wondering what the heck is a Fjord.
Fjord basically is an U shaped inlet/valley between 2 mountains filled with water. this U shaped valley was carved by Glaciers melting & scraping off the rocks from the mountains.
Hence you will see lot of rivers fed by glaciers are black in color. This is because of the silt that has been carved off from the mountains due to glaciation.Owing to this most of the Fjords are found in places like Greenland , Norway etc.
Fun fact - former US president Barack Obama visited Alaska for a 3 day trip and one the 1st day he happened to visit the Kenai Fjords National park. He learnt about the impact of climate change on places like the Kenai Fjords & happens to quote "this is a place that is worth protecting"
We took the 7.5 hours tour from Major Marine tours. The tour was set to begin from the town of Seward.We drove from Anchorage and reached Seward by 8AM & took the 8:30AM tour.
It was a fun filled tour we saw some spectacular glaciers and some amazing wild life.
The Bear Glacier was my favorite out of all the glaciers in this tour.
We spotted hump back whales, otters, Sea lions, Puffins, Harbor Seals & Steller Sea Lions.
This trip was turning out to be a walk through Alaskan documentary on National Geographic :)
Going up close to a mammoth glacier & feeling the chill on your face with your palms freezing brings in a feeling of how close & connected to nature we are.
The calving of huge chunks of these glaciers is a stark reminder for us to do our bit to save these beautiful structures so that future generations can experience what we just experienced.
This must be the same feeling that Mr. Obama must have experienced when he mentioned this needs to be protected for future generations.
We were back to the port by 5:30 PM & that concluded our day3. All in all a day well spent.
While driving back to Anchorage we saw Autumn cast its spell on the landscapes. There was a frail tint of yellow emanating from the foliage.
Day 4
This day was a kind off leisure day. We planned to drive to Denali National park through the scenic Alaska highway 3 north.We woke up late & headed off to Denali. Up north, Autumn had casted its full spell on the Alaskan Foliage.The landscape turned deep yellow & was a treat to drive through these landscapes.The highway was so beautiful we were driving 30 mins & then stopping & clicking pictures.
We reached Denali by 5PM & embarked on a short hike. We visited some wildlife in this hike.
Our hotel in Alaska was a surprise too. We weren't expecting it to be so beautiful.
The Mckinley Chaley resort was situated on the banks of Nenana river with the backdrop of the Denali mountain range.The hotel offered a nature walk on its property. It is there where I learnt about fire weed.All the way that I drove from Anchorage to Denali I witnessed mountains & sidewalks covered by bright red grass.I was mesmerized by it as I had never seen something in my lifetime like this & wondering what exactly was it.After the nature wasl we spent the evening at the river just gazing away at its beauty.So this concluded day 4 & we were looking forward to day 5 which was the highlight of our trip, visit to Denali National park.
Day 5
They say "Wild places do not stay wild by accident". Thanks to some visionaries & conservationists in the US, 6.2 million acres of pristine wilderness in Alaska was earmarked as a National Park.
What came to be known as Denali National park is one of the spectacular National Parks in USA.Some people also call it as a Yellowstone of Alaska. Having had visited Yellowstone just couple of months back I feel that this is an understatement considering the bustling wildlife and natural wonders Denali National park has to offer.Apart from the thriving wild life, Denali National Park also hosts the Denali Mountain/Mount McKinley.standing tall at 20310 feet the Mt McKinley is the tallest peak in North America.
The irony about this place is that it is easy to spot wildlife here. However, only 30% of the people get a chance to see the Mt Mckinley peak as it is covered by clouds most of the times.Apparently there is a 30% club too ;) Again, Ironically I was heartbroken & in the 70% club on this day. However, fate had different plans.While driving to Talkeetna from Fairbanks the clouds suddenly opened up & i got the full view of the Mt McKinley :)
Private vehicles are not allowed past mile 15 in the park & you need to take bus tour to explore the park.This is done to conserve the natural beauty of this National park and also to keep wildlife truly wild with minimal to no human interaction.
So we took the bus tour and spotted lot of wild life. As I had stated in the beginning of the blog we spotted 12 Grizzly bears :) Unlike their cousins situated near the coast & well fed by Salmon, the Grizzlies at Denali were out in large numbers looking for protein(ground squirrels).
They had to eat as much as possible & put on as much weight before the harsh winter of Alaska hits after which they have to hibernate without food & depend on their fat stores.At one point me & wifey got a jolt of our lives. we disembarked from the bus & took a short hike to get the glimpse of surrounding peaks & while walking we heard a bear growling.we turned around & voila a Grizzly ;) Me & wifey slowly backed off as the Bear was busy digging & looking for ground Squirrels.
Thank god the Bear was not desperate enough to consider us for dinner :)
So it was a memorable & a thrilling tour of Denali National Park. This completed the highlight of our Trip & we were ready to embark on the next highlight, the Aurora Borealis.
Day 6,7
Such was the excitement to visit the Arctic Circle & see the Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights that we woke up at 6 in the morning,checked out of Denali & drove straight to the bus tour company in Fairbanks without even checking in to the hotel. The Tour was scheduled at 8:30 AM. We had no clue about the significance of the highway that we were supposed to embark on.
We were supposed to drive on the Dalton highway which was one of the toughest motor-able roads in North America. This highway was also featured in one of the episodes of the Ice Road truckers.
The highway is mostly used to cater to the people working up north at the trans Alaskan pipeline.
Also we were aloof to the fact that there was zero existence of basic amenities like running water, toilet facilities etc ;) on this highway. There were just pit toilets in case you were too desperate. Given the fact that we were supposed to spend 16 hours on road in this trip there was no escape ;)
The Arctic Circle is one of the last great wilderness regions left on earth. In summer sun doesn't set in this place & in winters given the clear dark skies, the natural phenomenon called Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights cast a spell on us when the solar flames bounce off the earth's atmosphere.
So sharp at 8:30 AM we embarked on this epic journey. En-route we heard many stories about the Dalton highway and also learnt about the Arctic Tundra. Arctic Tundra is a place up north where the subsoil is permanently frozen. hence not many plants/ Trees grow in this region.
The soil is soft & Mushy. We stopped at a place & did the "Tundra Walk" and experienced first hand the soft & mushiness of the soil. Also figured why building any structure here was an engineering challenge.
Hence the Dalton Highway is not paved. This is because, when the Tundra thaws it takes the road along with it ;) This also makes the Dalton highway one of the most difficult motor-able roads in the world. The Tundra can thaw & your vehicle wheels can just plunge into the mushy soil. This is why only experienced drivers can drive through these roads & know how to maneuver these terrains.
This was one of the reasons the Trans Alaskan Pipeline took multiple times the initial estimated budget as the designers had discounted the facts about the Tundra.
Also the Fall was as its peak on the Dalton highway & we had great views of the landscapes en-route.
We learn't about the Yukon River & about the native Alaskan Tribes & how they depend upon hunting & wildlife for their day to day needs like food & clothing.This trip also opened up a different aspect of Alaska to us. We learnt about the terms "Sustenance Living", "Trapping" etc.
We also witnessed & were saddened to see a fresh hunt where the hunter was dragging a huge Grizzly bear that he just had just shot across the highway.However, we learnt that this is a way of life & way of sustenance living where the food, clothing & everything else comes from nature.
The fur from the dead animals & the meat from the Moose support the daily lives of people who practice sustenance living.
We learnt so much. We also learnt about the Trans Alaskan pipeline & the gold rush in Fair Banks.
We visited the pipeline structure and saw couple of gold mines enroute.
I wouldn't write a much about them & you can read up about them in your spare time if you are interested.
At around 6 PM we reached the Arctic circle. There was a small ceremony by our Tour Guide who made us feel special that we were part of few lucky people in the world who can ever visit the Arctic circle.We clicked some pics in front of the sign board marking the Arctic circle & there was a sense of achievement in couple of folks :)
so after spending an hour or so we headed back to Fairbanks. The Driver/Tourguide continued to provide us some trivia & also was looking through his windshield if he could spot Aurora Borealis.
At around 11PM he came to an abrupt halt and asked us to get off the bus ASAP.Most of us were in deep slumber. However, sensing our guide has spotted the Northern lights we all sprang out from our seats & were outside the bus in a whisker.
Behold, there was a gorgeous display of northern lights right above our bus!!!
There were thick bands of light & there were also bands of pink lights dancing across the atmosphere.
We were spell bound. This was Magical! it is very difficult to capture the Aurora Borealis & I could capture what I could capture. I did not feel like clicking pics. I was just gazing at the light show that was put up by mother nature for the 14 people on board this trip. The lights disappeared after 2 minutes & there was a huge smile in all of our faces.We witnessed what we had initially planned to do on this trip & the sense of satisfaction showed on all of us. Feeling blessed to have witnessed this elanorate light show put up by mother nature we hopped back on & reached the tour company in Fair Banks at 3AM.We checked into the hotel at 4AM ;) and hit the bed.
This was the most awesome experience of my life & I can never forget this day.
We were even given certificates showing we crossed the Arctic circle & witnessed the Aurora Borealis ;) That concluded Day 6.
The next day we visited the Chena Hot springs which was a hot spring & took a dip in the hot springs.After which we drove to Talkeetna which was our final destination in Alaska. Me & Wifey were depressed at this point that this once in a life time trip is soon coming to an end.So we sulked upon some Alaskan IPA ;)
Day 7
This was our last day exploring Alaska.The previous day we drove from Fairbanks to Talkeetna & had amazing sighting of the Mt Mckinley peak/Denali Mountain.We also took a stroll in the cute town of Talkeetna & indulged in some Rain Deer sandwiches ;)
Salmon Run
Salmon is one of the most important species in Alaska & one of the lifelines of Alaska.
Lot of things depend on the Salmon in Alaska. to name a few, the fishing industry, the tourism industry & last but not the least the Grizzley bears :) Salmon also brings lot of nutrients from the sea into inland & give up their lives nourishing the flora & fauna of Alaska.
There are 5 kinds of Salmon in Alaska namely King Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Coho Salmon, Pink Salmon & Chum Salmon
The life cycle of Salmon
Eggs to Fry - The Females Lay eggs in the fresh waters of Alaska.The females stay close to their egg nests & nourish the tiny offspring until they grow-up to be called as "Fry".
Fry to big fish - These Fry's spend lot of time in the fresh water feeding & growing up.
Seward journey - The Salmons then head to the ocean & spend a lot of time in the oceans, feeding growing up. At this time their body undergoes changes to adapt to saltwater.
Homesickness & Salmon Spawn - The Salmons after spending considerable amount of time in the oceans feel the urge to swim back to fresh water in Alaska to mate,spawn & nest their offspring.
This phase is called the Salmon run & while they make their way up there are Grizzlies waiting to feed on them and also there are fishermen with their fishing nets waiting to get their share of the Salmon.Once the Salmon are able to get past these hurdles they reach the fresh water, mate, spawn & nest. While at sea the Salmon's body had undergone vast changes to adapt to sea water these creatures are no longer able to live off fresh water. Their liver is not designed to adapt to fresh water anymore.
They then die & provide nutrients to the Flora & Fauna of Alaska.
This shows what crucial role Salmon plays for the well being of Alaska.
Getting to know so much about Salmon & their importance, how could I not experience it firsthand myself.We booked a fishing tour in Talkeetna river.We got our 1 day fishing license & our guide drove the boat to a spot where he thought we could catch some Salmon.
I tried my hand at fly fishing & caught some Chum Salmons.This was my first fishing experience in my life & an awesome experience to catch & release these beautiful creatures with such importance :)
Lot of firsts in this trip.we spent 4-5 hrs fishing in the Talkeetna river & ended up catching & releasing close to 10 huge Salmons. All in all a great experience and a day well spent.
This concluded our trip to this magical state called Alaska.I was frantically googling to check if I can find adjectives to describe this magical state. However, I couldn't find any that can do justice to this wonderland. I feel really blessed to have had an opportunity to visit Alaska & write about it as a passionate traveler.
I know this was a very big blog as big as the state of Alaska :)
Never the less I hope you enjoyed reading it & I really really wish that you get a chance to visit this wonderland at least once in your lifetime.
So until next time, ciao :)
