Glaciers, Dog Sledding, & Musky Hotel Rooms - An Alaskan Adventure

Here we are in Seward, AK rocking Alaskan-Star Wars tourist shirts!
The first one says: Alaska, May the Forest be with you (with native Alaskan animals dressed like Star Wars characters)
The second one says: Return of the Sockeye (with storm troopers riding giant sockeye salmon... in space)

Our First night in Alaska

Light slipped around the shower curtain we haphazardly placed over the window; it was already 11 PM and this was our last attempt to darken our hotel room while we tried to get some shuteye. We laid fully clothed on top of our bedding, trying not to touch more "room" than we had to, trying to focus on sleeping through the night rather than the musky smell that surrounded us. We also tried to forget about the half open window that was the perfect invite for someone looking for refuge from the streets. We nervously laughed as we discussed the "we are not refundable" sign at the check in desk and were mildly comforted when we found no bedbugs... Even though we didn't have as much luck with other types of bugs.  "This will be fine, right? It's just one night." 

Our first night in Alaska proved an exciting start to our 10-year anniversary adventure. Going cheap on a hotel seemed like a good idea back in Arizona... It's amazing how nice things can look on a laptop. Luckily for us, starting our trip out at the Chelsea Inn in Anchorage just meant that we had nowhere to go but up. 

Luckily, we stayed at much nicer facilities the rest of the trip, including a family cabin in Cooper Landing and an Airbnb cabin in Girdwood. Below you will find snippets of our favorite Alaskan adventures. Enjoy! 

Helicopter ride & Dog Sledding

Our flying chariot

The headphones were heavy on my temples and my voice sounded funny when I talked into the mouth piece. I don't like to think about how my voice sounds to others, but using the headset in the Alaska Air helicopter made me rethink the idea of talking while we flew to our destination. Luckily, the beauty around us as we soared above the trees and around the mountain peaks was captivating enough that words were superfluous. 

As we rounded over a snow covered mountain peak, Punchbowl glacier came into view below us, it was a white blanket laid under the peak. It was vast and our destination appeared ant-like, like a spec of dirt on a wedding dress. As we neared, it grew bigger... Blurry edges became clear. Dots became structures and moving shapes became people. The landing was smooth and uneventful.

The dog kennels spread out before us. Mini igloos organized into rows with 1 husky per igloo. About 70 huskies were before us, obviously used to the helicopter noise as most laid restful, but with attentive eyes on the newcomers.

Professional Mushers... 

We were welcomed and given the  "courtesy reminders", as our guide called it, to basically ensure that we behaved appropriately around the dogs and by doing so, they would not bite us... Which seemed like something we could get behind. 

Soon enough 14 dogs were rounded up and hooked to our sled. I sat in front, our guide stood in the middle, and Austin stood in back with the GoPro strapped to his head.  He was a Cyclopes capturing every minute of our adventure. As we rode off I couldn't believe I was really in Alaska... on a glacier... dog sledding.  The swishing of the sled on the snow was very peaceful and quite surreal as we made our way around the glacier. A part of me wished to go faster but, with it being a tourist excursion, they had their limits. 

Iditarod, here we come!  

We continued our 2-mile loop adventure with a few stops where we met the dogs, took photos and switched places a couple of times. The dogs were great, the guide entertaining, and the view incredible.  We then pulled back in to base camp and the next group went on their ride while we snuggled with adorable 6-week old huskies. 

Our excursion ended with a historical tale about the token "goddess" Malamute that laid lazily before us and her ancestors. Apparently they are the F-350 of the Iditarod racing dogs because of their strength and endurance. Our guide told about how they became some of the first trained dogs that we know of in history... Pretty cool stuff.

Soon after that our flying red chariot arrived and we flew back to reality.  

Spencer Glacier - Kayaking & Hiking

Us with Spencer Glacier & the lake

Our train ride to Spencer Glacier was short but exciting as we gawked at the surrounding beauty with silly smiles and happy-go-lucky attitudes. It's amazing what a little vacation can do for the soul.

When we arrived I noticed that the grey clouds hung low as they hugged the snow dusted mountains above us. Spencer glacier sat nestled in between the two furthest peaks appearing like a bowl of melted ice cream. The ability to fathom the glacier's size was lost upon us as true perception seemed out of whack. Perhaps it was the height of the towering peaks or the distance of the lake between us and the glacier, but we didn't realize until we were closer how enormous it truly was. 

We precariously began our kayaking adventure with me in front and Austin bringing up the rear.  Tandem kayaking proved to be a good relationship builder as I learned to paddle consistently and communicate hazards ahead of us to Austin, my sternman, who would then navigate around them with the steering rudder. 

I found the lake water intriguing as the glacier run off had a grey-ish white hue that reminded me of coconut milk. The wind was light on my face and the water was glass that we cut through with every stroke. Pieces of the glacier, aka a glacier calve (or icebergs as I liked to call them), were floating about us, abstract sculptures created by natures hand.

"Iceberg, right ahead!" I shouted as I pointed to a calve just in front of us. Austin, too hot from being the main muscle behind our movement, gave me a short satisfying laugh and maneuvered us to safety. Luckily, our iceberg adventure was much more enjoyable than that of the great tragedy in 1912. 

We eventually made it to the glacier, beaching on the shore to the right of the mammoth white wall that hovered above us. 

Once we strapped on our crampons (not to be confused with tampons, which made me smile every time I said that in my head) we headed off to conquer our great white mountain. Luckily our guide, George, knew glacier safety and kept us alive during our journey.

On top of the highest peak we hiked to

Once on the glacier I realized that it held a secret. Periodically we'd see vibrant blue fractures coming from deep within. These blue moments only showed at certain angles, and took our breath away every time. I yearned to see more of them but as certain as the blue meant beauty, discovering it's true mystery also meant danger, as each deep blue fracture led to a crevasse or moulin who's depth was unknowable. So instead of making them into water slides, which seemed like the most exciting idea, we resorted to staying at a safe distance and taking pictures instead.

This is a Moulin... pretty cool, right?!  It's a much brigher blue in person!

Our Guide let us take a picture with his tools... oh ya!

The crowning moment of this excursion was when we both drank the sweet nectar of the glacier water... and did not die or contract any diseases... At least that we know of. (We got this on video!)

Overall, this 9-hour excursion was our favorite Alaskan adventure and will be one we reminisce about for years to come. 

Other fun stuff

- Due to the high bear population, hiking in Alaska requires a can of bear spray and lots of talking to ward them off. On one of our hikes, we ran out of things to say so we resorted to singing "the ants go marching one by one" and since our hike was pretty steep, our "singing" became more like "huffing". We were proud that we got up to 34 ants marching and enjoyed alternating verses.  We made it a challenge to make up new rhymes each time. Who knows, maybe we have a record for the longest duet while hiking in Alaska!

After our hike to the top we did yoga...

Or at least pretended to do yoga so my sisters would be proud

- I caught 2 Salmon... my father-in-law said that one of his favorite moments was my girly excitement when I was reeling them in.

- Austin did crossword puzzles.  Often times he'd find himself doing them past 11 PM without realizing it.  Since the sun doesn't officially set during the summer we lost track of time a lot!

- We kayaked on the lake right outside of the cabin.

- We did a fist bump... glacier style

- Austin acted like a statue in Seward... that was fun.  :)

- We also hung out with a bunch of Austin's family.  We played lots of card games, we laughed, we talked and we went on a few adventures with them.  We are so grateful for his Aunt and Uncle and Grandma who have opened that family cabin up for us to enjoy.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I am still in shock that our 10-year wedding anniversary is coming up in August but I am glad we were able to celebrate it a little early.  I am already feeling homesick for Alaska and I am sure this will not be our last adventure to this great state!  

Oh, one last item to mention, now that we're back we are planning on taking another foster placement!  We are very excited to have kids around again and can't wait for another adventure!