Alaska Walks
It was a cruise that brought us to Alaska. As we planned the trip we talked about whale watching, seeing glaciers and the fun offered by a cruise ship. We didn’t talk about walking. Yet when I look through the photos from that trip and reflect back on that vacation, the best memories are from the walks we took. As the cruise line moved from port to port it served the important role of delivering us to new walking areas. Well, almost. We often had to take a second form of transportation such as a bus, smaller boat, canoe, or even a helicopter. But most destinations eventually involved taking a walk. And, the walks in Alaska have a lot to offer. The picture to the left was taken in Skagway shortly after arrival. The main street area is small and the mountains are in constant view. While walking in this area it doesn’t take long to realize that nearly every other person walking arrived by cruise ship. It’s also clear that you are very close to some great natural scenery.
One walk started after we traveled by bus, then by a boat to a nearby island. From there we split into small groups and walked along the coast for a while. Following our guide, we turned onto a trail and proceeded into the woods. The area became hilly but not challenging. We were ascending and it wasn’t long before scenery appeared. It started with a mountain view with a river below. Our trail followed the river. The trail then began a slow decline.
From the bottom of the hill we could see much more of the river. Mountains were now in sight in front of us and across the river. The river seemed to be flowing into the mountains. Not far from this spot we were led into a small lodge where we were issued a paddle and a life jacket. Our plan was to then take a Kayak to a glacier at the end of the walk. As we arrived at the bottom edge of river, we could see our kayaks waiting. We could also see part of the glacier. We were able to see the rest of it by kayak. Once we were satisfied with our glacier view, we returned to the river bank and turned in our gear. It was time to get back to the walk.
We took many other walks in Alaska and all were interesting and offered great scenery. I would have to say that The Best Walk was the walk we took on a glacier in Juneau. Why was this the best? I would have to say because of the uniqueness of it. It took a helicopter to get there and once on the glacier, it felt like we were on another planet!
Filed under: Alaska on March 4th, 2007 | No Comments »
