An Alaska convert - a first timer's trip report on Kenai Peninsula and Denali National Park
Sep 10th, 2008, 12:47 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
An Alaska convert - a first timer's trip report on Kenai Peninsula and Denali National Park
Hello Fodorites!
First of all, thanks to all of you who unknowingly helped me plan this trip. Alaska has been at the top of my husband's trip list for years, but for various reasons we've had to delay it, and instead have taken more exotic international trips. Finally, I told him it was his turn to pick the fall trip this year and Alaska it was!
Sadly, we read all the books, wrote a ton of stuff down way in advance, but on July 20, 1 day before I left for a 2+ week business trip to Europe, I realized we had nothing booked. NOTHING. Enter panic mode. The travel gods were looking upon us and blessed us, because it was one of THE MOST amazing trips ever.
We flew into Anchorage, and arrived after 1am. Yawwn. I was stupid, and booked us a nice hotel in the center of town. We stayed at the Copper Whale Inn. Stupid, because we arrived around 230am and took off the next day around 830am, so we didn't enjoy it. We could've stayed at a Days Inn on the highway and it wouldn't have made a difference, except saving a hundred bucks. Anyway, our first real day we headed south towards Homer. We made all sorts of stops just south of Anchorage, seeing Dall Sheep on the side of the road, seeing Orca whales - the scenery was just wonderful. We also stopped at the Wildlife Sanctuary and said hello to some animals. We took our time with the drive, stopping a ton, and we finally arrived in Homer around 3ish. We went straight to the Spit to check in with Bald Mountain Air for our bear viewing the following day. I originally booked Emerald Air, but the hubby took it upon himself and booked Bald Mountain. He then kicked himself because every single thing he read raved and raved about Emerald, etc. So we were a little nervous about the quality of Bald Mountain. More on that later. After we checked in, we of course had to pop into the Salty Dawg Saloon for a couple pints. We then checked into our hotel - we stayed at the Beach House Inn for 2 nights. Cute place, nautical decor, right on the water. We went out for dinner at Fat Olives and turned in pretty early. We stopped at Sourdough Bakery before dinner though, to put in our order for lunch for us to pick up early the next morning.
Woke up, checked in with Bald Mountain around 7am, got fitted with our hip boots, went through the bear safety tips and hopped aboard our 10seater plane. The views were awesome as we flew above the volcanos and landed on the water at Katmai. There were a few other people plopped down already for the day, and the 9 of us (pilot had other plans to fish for the day), including our copilot, parked our tushies in the brush for the next 4ish hours. I was thrilled to see there were no guns with us - that made me feel safer, because the company knows what they're doing in terms of safety measures. I know we had bear spray but that was the extent of precautionary measures. For the next 4 hours, we watched as about a dozen or so bears hunted and fished for salmon. They were anywhere from 15-50 feet away from us, it was awesome! It started raining on us for a bit, and it got chilly, but even that didn't dampen our spirits. Had a great day. Took a little boat back to the plane and on our way back, we spotted 4-5 huuuuuuuuge humpback whales beneath us. It was so cool to see them from this vantage point! We returned to Homer about 6pm. Went to the room to shower up and we went to dinner at Cafe Cups. Definitely made reservations here. We tried to go the first night, but it was so packed, I stood there for 15mins and I couldn't even get the hostess' attention. WOW, this place blew me away. I loved the atmosphere, and the food was some of the best I've ever had. Yum. I'd like to go back now please!
The next day we slept in a bit, and then checked out and made our way over to Seward. I don't remember much of this day, I don't think the drive was anything to write home about. I do remember pulling off a couple times and seeing some ginormous salmon swimming up some creeks but that's about it.
We arrived in Seward and checked in with Kayak Adventures Worldwide, in preparation for the next day. We originally wanted to go with Liquid Adventures, but they were full that day, so we went with the other highly recommended place. They were so friendly! We then checked into our cabin at Angel's Rest. Wow. The best place of the trip. Awesome little cabin RIGHT on the water at Miller's Landing. We settled in, and I grabbed the binoculars that were on the table and watched sea otters playing for a while. Then we went to the Sealife Center (I can't remember what its exact name is), which was expensive, but a great place to visit. Then we walked around town which didn't take too long, and popped into the Seward Alehouse for a couple pints. Walked across the street and had dinner at Yoly's Bistro. It was good, but not spectacular. Rented a couple movies from SafeWay, stocked up on some food and hit the hay.
Got up early again, met at Kayak Adventures Worldwide to begin our day. Drove to Lowell Point where we hopped on our water taxi down Resurrection Bay and up Ailaik Bay. Found out little island, and the two of us plus our guide hopped out and started paddling. It was amazing - we had the entire bay to ourselves, save for a couple of tour boats, which would only come in to view the glacier for 10-15minutes, tops. We paddled for a couple hours, and then it started raining on us and again it got pretty chilly. Found a spot to pull off, and walked through the brush and crossed ICY glacier creeks - 4 times - to reach a spot for lunch. It was BEYOND painful, but so worth it. The views of the glacier and watching it calve while we ate our lunches was incredible. Beyond words! Then we grabbed our garbage, prepared to wade through the 36 degree water again back to our kayaks. Paddled closer to the glacier, took a ton of pictures, then made our way back to the spot where the kayaks are stored. I forgot to mention the wildlife - we saw sea otters, sea lions, TONS of puffins, a black bear, and the best part was the dall porpoises that were swimming in our wake - they're like mini orcas. Waited for our water taxi to come pick us up, where I promptly downed half a Coke and passed out on one of the benches. Got back around 6ish, went to the Alehouse for a couple pints and ordered a pizza to go from Christo's. Brought it back to the cabin and went to bed early again. Pattern anyone?
We slept in later than we wanted to the next day. Got our gear together and headed to Exit Glacier. We did the little 1+mile loop on our arrival day, and this day was the Harding Icefields Day. We got lucky with the weather, it didn't rain at all and the views throughout the hike were tremendous. It's a tough hike, and well worth it. It's 8 miles, and it took us 6 hours, which says a lot. We heard from a local ranger at the Glacier that for normal National Park hiking guidelines, the incline/slope of their hikes average 10-15%. This one is 65-70%. Holy crap. Wish I didn't hear that JUST as we started the hike haha! So yeah, it was rough, but fantastic and so worth it. Had lunch at the top and prayed the descent would be quick and painless. Well, I can say it was quickER, but not quick and definitely not painless. Tough going on the knees, that's for sure.
We decided to congratulate ourselves by doing a little bear viewing on the way out of the Glacier road. Mama and cub. We were very thirsty by this point, and we were recommended to go to the Salmon Bake. Best place of the trip! Not for food, that award still goes to Cafe Cups, but for atmosphere. Loved it there, and want to go back again and again. Had a few beers, inhaled some dinner, then went back to the cabin for some R&R.
Got up early the next day. Long day of driving ahead of us. We departed Seward and drove up to Denali. Stopped a bunch, and I think we arrived around 4-5ish. We checked into Carlo Creek and found our cozy, adorable cabin awaiting us. There were a couple restaurants/bars right across the street, but the weather was beautiful and we wanted to get up to Denali.
Went to the Wilderness Access Center where we checked in for the following day, then drove as far as we were allowed to go down the National Park Road, mile 15. It was fall at this point, and the foliage was exploding. So gorgeous! Saw a bunch of wildlife including monster moose! On our way back, we stopped at Denali Mountain Works to rent a bunch of gear, since we didn't feel like lugging it all on the plane. We really wanted to go to the Overlook Bar and Grill, but we get there, and everything but burgers is crossed off on the menu. Me? I don't eat read meat. So, we ended up at the "infamous" Denali Salmon Bake. It's not related to the one in Seward. It was good, but nowhere near as good as the first one we went to. I got a grilled cheese and tomato soup - YUM - and I think hubby got a burger after all. More local brews. Then it was back to the cabin, we had lots of work to do - repacking, reorganizing, etc..
VERY early wake up call the next day. I think we got up before 5. We checked out of the cabin and drove to Riley Creek Campground overflow parking lot and hopped on the 7am camper bus out to Wonder Lake. We had a hilarious, fun bus driver to make those 5 hours fly by. The weather was awesome, but not clear enough to see Denali peek out. Saw tons of wildlife and my jaw hung on the floor at the stunning colors of the tundra's foliage. Got to Wonder Lake campground around 1ish, we found a fabulous site and pitched our tent. No more than 10 minutes after we pitch our tent, mean black clouds come creeping in. We set off to do the McKinley Bar Trail. We thought it was going to be a quick 3mile hike. After an hour or so in the pouring rain and we still haven't reached the turnaround point, we figured we might as well go the whole way. Along the route, we came across 2 caribou munching on some grass. Sat and watched them for a bit. They were the only wildlife we saw on the hike. Maybe it's because the temp dropped a good 10-15 degrees and it was an absolute monsoon for a while. By this point we were freezing and sopping wet, but we had made it to McKinley River! Turned around and hoofed it back really quickly. Dried out a lit, warmed up, and ate some dinner. Of course, the rain stopped once we were under shelter and the sun came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous evening. Again, not even close enough to being clear enough for Denali to show. I was bummed - I really wanted to get to the Reflection Pond, but what's the point if there's nothing to see in it?!! Went for a little walk down to Wonder Lake, wandered around the tundra, snacked on the thousands of blueberries you find everywhere, then headed back to settle in. Wishing we brought beer with us, we hung out and played cards for a bit. Sun was setting, and it was getting chilly, so we crawled into our tent, read for a bit and we were both well asleep by 11.
I set my watch alarm for 515am just in case sunrise would be pretty. I heard rain pelting the tent, so I turned the watch off and we slept till 9. Picked some blueberries and put them in our oatmeal for breakfast. yum. Walked up to the water tower and it started raining again, so we turned around and started to pack up. No need to stay all the way out at mile 85 if it's just going to be a crappy day.
We prayed that the 1215 shuttle bus had room for us, and lucky for us, a few people got out at Wonder Lake, so we scored some of the last seats. yay! Got back to the Wilderness Access Center around 6pm, and we headed north of the park to check into EarthSong Lodge for our last night in Alaska. Settled in, took a long hot shower, and drove back south to return our rented gear and grab dinner. We were too lazy to pick a new place, so back to the Salmon Bake it was! Got out of there around 10, and we went back to relax in our cabin.
Set the alarm again, and this time, it was a beautiful morning! Drove down Stampede Trail - any of you who are Into the Wild fans, this was the last road Chris McCandless ever saw - and ended up at 8Mile Lake for some amazing picture opportunities. On the way back down the bumpy road to the lodge, we came across a cow moose and her calf, wandering down the road. So cute! Rested a bit, repacked again and went next door to Henry's Coffeehouse for breakfast. Great place! I really wanted to meet all the dogs (they do dog mushing at EarthSong) at 930am, but we had to get on the road about an hour earlier. Boohoo.
We hightailed it out of there, went back down the Denali Park Road to stop at the Denali Visitor Center - which blew us away, by the way, it's a must visit, as is the nearby bookstore! - and out to mile 9 for the very very very slim chance that Denali might be out. Lo and behold, it was! I was jumping up and down I was so excited. Took some pictures, then raced down the road. We had to make it to Talkeetna in a flash, and we made it just in time.
We took a flight around McKinley with a glacier landing, and I was the lucky one chosen to be copilot. Wahoo! The hubby was jealous, but happy that at least one of us got a good spot for pictures. The weather was perfect - warm, sunny, clear - and I still can't get over the views we saw up there. We circled around McKinley, and landed where this year's base camp was. Base camp had to be moved due to crevasses, but it was still cool to see the holes that were dug for the climbers to shelter their tents. Hung out on the glacier for a bit before heading back to Talkeetna. Drove into town - wish I had known how cute it was before getting there, it would be a fantastic place to stay! Walked around, had a very late lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie, sitting in their outdoor beer garden enjoying the gorgeous afternoon. Wish I had also read about the Roadhouse in advance,I keep hearing how great it is! Oh well, next time.
Then it was time to mosey on down to Anchorage. We got there around 7pm, and went into Humpy's for our last Alaskan meal. It was there we found out that McCain picked Palin the night before. Hung out there for a bit, then set off for the airport as we weren't sure what else there was to do at 9pm in Anchorage.
Returned our car and hopped on the very late redeye back to Boston.
All in all, an AMAZING trip. I cannot recommend Alaska enough - whether you're a camper, hiker, kayaker, fisher, photographer, or just like nature and seeing natural beauty. JUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!
First of all, thanks to all of you who unknowingly helped me plan this trip. Alaska has been at the top of my husband's trip list for years, but for various reasons we've had to delay it, and instead have taken more exotic international trips. Finally, I told him it was his turn to pick the fall trip this year and Alaska it was!
Sadly, we read all the books, wrote a ton of stuff down way in advance, but on July 20, 1 day before I left for a 2+ week business trip to Europe, I realized we had nothing booked. NOTHING. Enter panic mode. The travel gods were looking upon us and blessed us, because it was one of THE MOST amazing trips ever.
We flew into Anchorage, and arrived after 1am. Yawwn. I was stupid, and booked us a nice hotel in the center of town. We stayed at the Copper Whale Inn. Stupid, because we arrived around 230am and took off the next day around 830am, so we didn't enjoy it. We could've stayed at a Days Inn on the highway and it wouldn't have made a difference, except saving a hundred bucks. Anyway, our first real day we headed south towards Homer. We made all sorts of stops just south of Anchorage, seeing Dall Sheep on the side of the road, seeing Orca whales - the scenery was just wonderful. We also stopped at the Wildlife Sanctuary and said hello to some animals. We took our time with the drive, stopping a ton, and we finally arrived in Homer around 3ish. We went straight to the Spit to check in with Bald Mountain Air for our bear viewing the following day. I originally booked Emerald Air, but the hubby took it upon himself and booked Bald Mountain. He then kicked himself because every single thing he read raved and raved about Emerald, etc. So we were a little nervous about the quality of Bald Mountain. More on that later. After we checked in, we of course had to pop into the Salty Dawg Saloon for a couple pints. We then checked into our hotel - we stayed at the Beach House Inn for 2 nights. Cute place, nautical decor, right on the water. We went out for dinner at Fat Olives and turned in pretty early. We stopped at Sourdough Bakery before dinner though, to put in our order for lunch for us to pick up early the next morning.
Woke up, checked in with Bald Mountain around 7am, got fitted with our hip boots, went through the bear safety tips and hopped aboard our 10seater plane. The views were awesome as we flew above the volcanos and landed on the water at Katmai. There were a few other people plopped down already for the day, and the 9 of us (pilot had other plans to fish for the day), including our copilot, parked our tushies in the brush for the next 4ish hours. I was thrilled to see there were no guns with us - that made me feel safer, because the company knows what they're doing in terms of safety measures. I know we had bear spray but that was the extent of precautionary measures. For the next 4 hours, we watched as about a dozen or so bears hunted and fished for salmon. They were anywhere from 15-50 feet away from us, it was awesome! It started raining on us for a bit, and it got chilly, but even that didn't dampen our spirits. Had a great day. Took a little boat back to the plane and on our way back, we spotted 4-5 huuuuuuuuge humpback whales beneath us. It was so cool to see them from this vantage point! We returned to Homer about 6pm. Went to the room to shower up and we went to dinner at Cafe Cups. Definitely made reservations here. We tried to go the first night, but it was so packed, I stood there for 15mins and I couldn't even get the hostess' attention. WOW, this place blew me away. I loved the atmosphere, and the food was some of the best I've ever had. Yum. I'd like to go back now please!
The next day we slept in a bit, and then checked out and made our way over to Seward. I don't remember much of this day, I don't think the drive was anything to write home about. I do remember pulling off a couple times and seeing some ginormous salmon swimming up some creeks but that's about it.
We arrived in Seward and checked in with Kayak Adventures Worldwide, in preparation for the next day. We originally wanted to go with Liquid Adventures, but they were full that day, so we went with the other highly recommended place. They were so friendly! We then checked into our cabin at Angel's Rest. Wow. The best place of the trip. Awesome little cabin RIGHT on the water at Miller's Landing. We settled in, and I grabbed the binoculars that were on the table and watched sea otters playing for a while. Then we went to the Sealife Center (I can't remember what its exact name is), which was expensive, but a great place to visit. Then we walked around town which didn't take too long, and popped into the Seward Alehouse for a couple pints. Walked across the street and had dinner at Yoly's Bistro. It was good, but not spectacular. Rented a couple movies from SafeWay, stocked up on some food and hit the hay.
Got up early again, met at Kayak Adventures Worldwide to begin our day. Drove to Lowell Point where we hopped on our water taxi down Resurrection Bay and up Ailaik Bay. Found out little island, and the two of us plus our guide hopped out and started paddling. It was amazing - we had the entire bay to ourselves, save for a couple of tour boats, which would only come in to view the glacier for 10-15minutes, tops. We paddled for a couple hours, and then it started raining on us and again it got pretty chilly. Found a spot to pull off, and walked through the brush and crossed ICY glacier creeks - 4 times - to reach a spot for lunch. It was BEYOND painful, but so worth it. The views of the glacier and watching it calve while we ate our lunches was incredible. Beyond words! Then we grabbed our garbage, prepared to wade through the 36 degree water again back to our kayaks. Paddled closer to the glacier, took a ton of pictures, then made our way back to the spot where the kayaks are stored. I forgot to mention the wildlife - we saw sea otters, sea lions, TONS of puffins, a black bear, and the best part was the dall porpoises that were swimming in our wake - they're like mini orcas. Waited for our water taxi to come pick us up, where I promptly downed half a Coke and passed out on one of the benches. Got back around 6ish, went to the Alehouse for a couple pints and ordered a pizza to go from Christo's. Brought it back to the cabin and went to bed early again. Pattern anyone?
We slept in later than we wanted to the next day. Got our gear together and headed to Exit Glacier. We did the little 1+mile loop on our arrival day, and this day was the Harding Icefields Day. We got lucky with the weather, it didn't rain at all and the views throughout the hike were tremendous. It's a tough hike, and well worth it. It's 8 miles, and it took us 6 hours, which says a lot. We heard from a local ranger at the Glacier that for normal National Park hiking guidelines, the incline/slope of their hikes average 10-15%. This one is 65-70%. Holy crap. Wish I didn't hear that JUST as we started the hike haha! So yeah, it was rough, but fantastic and so worth it. Had lunch at the top and prayed the descent would be quick and painless. Well, I can say it was quickER, but not quick and definitely not painless. Tough going on the knees, that's for sure.
We decided to congratulate ourselves by doing a little bear viewing on the way out of the Glacier road. Mama and cub. We were very thirsty by this point, and we were recommended to go to the Salmon Bake. Best place of the trip! Not for food, that award still goes to Cafe Cups, but for atmosphere. Loved it there, and want to go back again and again. Had a few beers, inhaled some dinner, then went back to the cabin for some R&R.
Got up early the next day. Long day of driving ahead of us. We departed Seward and drove up to Denali. Stopped a bunch, and I think we arrived around 4-5ish. We checked into Carlo Creek and found our cozy, adorable cabin awaiting us. There were a couple restaurants/bars right across the street, but the weather was beautiful and we wanted to get up to Denali.
Went to the Wilderness Access Center where we checked in for the following day, then drove as far as we were allowed to go down the National Park Road, mile 15. It was fall at this point, and the foliage was exploding. So gorgeous! Saw a bunch of wildlife including monster moose! On our way back, we stopped at Denali Mountain Works to rent a bunch of gear, since we didn't feel like lugging it all on the plane. We really wanted to go to the Overlook Bar and Grill, but we get there, and everything but burgers is crossed off on the menu. Me? I don't eat read meat. So, we ended up at the "infamous" Denali Salmon Bake. It's not related to the one in Seward. It was good, but nowhere near as good as the first one we went to. I got a grilled cheese and tomato soup - YUM - and I think hubby got a burger after all. More local brews. Then it was back to the cabin, we had lots of work to do - repacking, reorganizing, etc..
VERY early wake up call the next day. I think we got up before 5. We checked out of the cabin and drove to Riley Creek Campground overflow parking lot and hopped on the 7am camper bus out to Wonder Lake. We had a hilarious, fun bus driver to make those 5 hours fly by. The weather was awesome, but not clear enough to see Denali peek out. Saw tons of wildlife and my jaw hung on the floor at the stunning colors of the tundra's foliage. Got to Wonder Lake campground around 1ish, we found a fabulous site and pitched our tent. No more than 10 minutes after we pitch our tent, mean black clouds come creeping in. We set off to do the McKinley Bar Trail. We thought it was going to be a quick 3mile hike. After an hour or so in the pouring rain and we still haven't reached the turnaround point, we figured we might as well go the whole way. Along the route, we came across 2 caribou munching on some grass. Sat and watched them for a bit. They were the only wildlife we saw on the hike. Maybe it's because the temp dropped a good 10-15 degrees and it was an absolute monsoon for a while. By this point we were freezing and sopping wet, but we had made it to McKinley River! Turned around and hoofed it back really quickly. Dried out a lit, warmed up, and ate some dinner. Of course, the rain stopped once we were under shelter and the sun came out and it turned out to be a gorgeous evening. Again, not even close enough to being clear enough for Denali to show. I was bummed - I really wanted to get to the Reflection Pond, but what's the point if there's nothing to see in it?!! Went for a little walk down to Wonder Lake, wandered around the tundra, snacked on the thousands of blueberries you find everywhere, then headed back to settle in. Wishing we brought beer with us, we hung out and played cards for a bit. Sun was setting, and it was getting chilly, so we crawled into our tent, read for a bit and we were both well asleep by 11.
I set my watch alarm for 515am just in case sunrise would be pretty. I heard rain pelting the tent, so I turned the watch off and we slept till 9. Picked some blueberries and put them in our oatmeal for breakfast. yum. Walked up to the water tower and it started raining again, so we turned around and started to pack up. No need to stay all the way out at mile 85 if it's just going to be a crappy day.
We prayed that the 1215 shuttle bus had room for us, and lucky for us, a few people got out at Wonder Lake, so we scored some of the last seats. yay! Got back to the Wilderness Access Center around 6pm, and we headed north of the park to check into EarthSong Lodge for our last night in Alaska. Settled in, took a long hot shower, and drove back south to return our rented gear and grab dinner. We were too lazy to pick a new place, so back to the Salmon Bake it was! Got out of there around 10, and we went back to relax in our cabin.
Set the alarm again, and this time, it was a beautiful morning! Drove down Stampede Trail - any of you who are Into the Wild fans, this was the last road Chris McCandless ever saw - and ended up at 8Mile Lake for some amazing picture opportunities. On the way back down the bumpy road to the lodge, we came across a cow moose and her calf, wandering down the road. So cute! Rested a bit, repacked again and went next door to Henry's Coffeehouse for breakfast. Great place! I really wanted to meet all the dogs (they do dog mushing at EarthSong) at 930am, but we had to get on the road about an hour earlier. Boohoo.
We hightailed it out of there, went back down the Denali Park Road to stop at the Denali Visitor Center - which blew us away, by the way, it's a must visit, as is the nearby bookstore! - and out to mile 9 for the very very very slim chance that Denali might be out. Lo and behold, it was! I was jumping up and down I was so excited. Took some pictures, then raced down the road. We had to make it to Talkeetna in a flash, and we made it just in time.
We took a flight around McKinley with a glacier landing, and I was the lucky one chosen to be copilot. Wahoo! The hubby was jealous, but happy that at least one of us got a good spot for pictures. The weather was perfect - warm, sunny, clear - and I still can't get over the views we saw up there. We circled around McKinley, and landed where this year's base camp was. Base camp had to be moved due to crevasses, but it was still cool to see the holes that were dug for the climbers to shelter their tents. Hung out on the glacier for a bit before heading back to Talkeetna. Drove into town - wish I had known how cute it was before getting there, it would be a fantastic place to stay! Walked around, had a very late lunch at Mountain High Pizza Pie, sitting in their outdoor beer garden enjoying the gorgeous afternoon. Wish I had also read about the Roadhouse in advance,I keep hearing how great it is! Oh well, next time.
Then it was time to mosey on down to Anchorage. We got there around 7pm, and went into Humpy's for our last Alaskan meal. It was there we found out that McCain picked Palin the night before. Hung out there for a bit, then set off for the airport as we weren't sure what else there was to do at 9pm in Anchorage.
Returned our car and hopped on the very late redeye back to Boston.
All in all, an AMAZING trip. I cannot recommend Alaska enough - whether you're a camper, hiker, kayaker, fisher, photographer, or just like nature and seeing natural beauty. JUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!
Sep 10th, 2008, 02:45 PM
#5
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,810
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Excellent report BG
I admire you for doing the Harding Icefield hike.. my lower back cannot endure that one, so we opt for the shorter one twice a summer.
Cafe Cups is a great Homer spot to recommend. I love it as well.
I admire you for doing the Harding Icefield hike.. my lower back cannot endure that one, so we opt for the shorter one twice a summer.
Cafe Cups is a great Homer spot to recommend. I love it as well.
Sep 10th, 2008, 03:46 PM
#7
Boy did you guys fit alot in. Who says you can't have fun on an Alaskan whirlwind, LOL!! You brought back many memories of our late Aug 2007 trip hitting the same cities and doing similar adventures, except for the kayaking and camping. Welcome home!
Sep 15th, 2008, 09:05 AM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Wolfy was not our guide, sorry!
And haha dfnh - we rented 3 movies (there was some sort of deal going) but we only had time to watch 1.
and jetset1 - I have a HORRIBLE back. Disc Degenerative Disease, 3 torn discs, blahblahblah, but was set on doing this hike, so I spend hours researching and trying on daypacks that would work best for me. It's amazing the difference I felt with a proper one, compared to the nonsupportive ones I've been using for the past 10-15yrs!
And haha dfnh - we rented 3 movies (there was some sort of deal going) but we only had time to watch 1.
and jetset1 - I have a HORRIBLE back. Disc Degenerative Disease, 3 torn discs, blahblahblah, but was set on doing this hike, so I spend hours researching and trying on daypacks that would work best for me. It's amazing the difference I felt with a proper one, compared to the nonsupportive ones I've been using for the past 10-15yrs!
Sep 16th, 2008, 07:34 PM
#10
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 611
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks so much for the detailed trip report. My BF and I (late 30s/early 40s) are thinking of going to Kenai/Denali next summer. We're also interested in a lot of hiking and kayaking (and local brews!)
Can I ask you about some details? How many days were you in Alaska total? WHat where the exact dates that you were there? How much were the hotels that you stayed at? We're thinking of going in late June but I haven't done any research yet at all. I gotta get through this year's vacation next month before thinking about 2009!
Thanks!
Can I ask you about some details? How many days were you in Alaska total? WHat where the exact dates that you were there? How much were the hotels that you stayed at? We're thinking of going in late June but I haven't done any research yet at all. I gotta get through this year's vacation next month before thinking about 2009!
Thanks!
Sep 23rd, 2008, 07:16 AM
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 513
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
hikrchick -
Including the 1 night in Anchorage, we were there 9 night, and then flew home on the redeye on the 10th night.
We were there the 3rd week of August.
All the places we were looking at for lodging seemed to run anywhere from $200-300 per night.
Good luck planning the trip!
Including the 1 night in Anchorage, we were there 9 night, and then flew home on the redeye on the 10th night.
We were there the 3rd week of August.
All the places we were looking at for lodging seemed to run anywhere from $200-300 per night.
Good luck planning the trip!
Sep 24th, 2008, 07:27 AM
#12
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BG - I enjoyed your report. We were there in July and also camped out at Wonder Lake (we brought our gear with us), and hiked the Harding IceField.
I laughed when you mentioned your knees after the Icefield! We also did it in about 6 hours, and I have a bad right knee - I thought it was going to buckle with every step the last mile or so. But, we did it and it was a definite highlight of our trip.
It was great to relive my trip through reading about yours!
I laughed when you mentioned your knees after the Icefield! We also did it in about 6 hours, and I have a bad right knee - I thought it was going to buckle with every step the last mile or so. But, we did it and it was a definite highlight of our trip.
It was great to relive my trip through reading about yours!
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Katie_H
United States
11
Sep 30th, 2008 05:50 PM
lynnalan
United States
4
Sep 18th, 2008 07:13 AM
