It was a dream of mine to visit Alaska. Ever since some family moved up there about 5 years ago, I have wanted to visit. My wife and I, along with our 1-year-old toddler, flew to Anchorage from Phoenix on a hot summer August day. The weather in Alaska was forecasted to be chilly and rainy. My sister picked us up around midnight in Anchorage and we drove to her home near Palmer. The weather was indeed chilly and felt to be a refreshing change. Our plan was to get out for hikes and tour the area. There is no way to know how the weather would end up being because the locals say, “you never know”. Our baby got me up early for the first morning, so I walked with him around the neighborhood and enjoyed the foggy meadow scenes backdropped by purple jagged mountains. Later, we packed a picnic lunch and drove up to Hather’s Pass for a hike at April Bowl. The views were stunning! As we drove up, we got out of the valley and above the tree line for endless views of majestic mountains. The mountain slopes were covered in splendid greens! As we hiked up a ridge, clouds rolled blew in giving us new views. The clouds lingered and no rain came. After our hike, we drove a little more to check the Independence Mine. Historic old buildings were toured, and old mining equipment lay strewn about. Later, we picked wild blueberries in the warm sun. Our next day was a series of hikes to Thunderbird Falls and then up the Butte Trail for panoramic views. Most notable was seeing the Knik Glacier further up the valley, which is impassable in the summer but many venture to it in the winter months when the river is frozen. A cold wind sent us back down the trail and clouds settled in threatening rain. The next day, our niece drove us to Whittier, one of the rainiest places in Alaska. Palmer averages around 16 inches of annual precipitation, whereas Whittier experiences 196 inches. The drive is about 3 hours away, backtracking back to Anchorage and following the ocean bay around to a single lane tunnel to Whittier. It was rainy! We grabbed lunch and walked around, finally deciding to hike the Byron Glacier on the other side of the tunnel. The rain let up and it stayed cloudy and chilly. The clouds cleared enough for a view of glaciers up higher in the mountains and we checked out the lower glacier ice caves. The views on the drive wowed us with more mountains upon mountains. The next day we were surprised with clear weather and took the opportunity to do more sightseeing, this time to Eklunta Lake. We met family there for a nice hike and amazingly views of clear lake waters and tall blue mountains. Afterwards, my niece explained this area has a high density of bears, luckily, we did not have a run in. The next couple days were rainy, and we visited family and friends before flying back home. The trip was well worth the trek, and we hope to make it back soon. I kept thinking of the drive and time at Hatcher’s Pass, wishing I had my paints with!
Enjoy a slide show of photos from this memorable trip:
