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This was our first trip to Alaska but won't be our last. We had a fantastic time backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias (Goat Trail) and dayhiking in the Seward area. Thanks to those of you who gave me advice a year ago. It was helpful! I have a zillion photos and will try to limit myself...
On our first full day, we drove the gorgeous road from Anchorage to Seward and stopped along the way to hike Bird Ridge. So many beautiful views of the water and mountains! Plus lots of interesting plants to enjoy.
At low tide, ground was exposed that would be covered up later.
Devil's Club
At Kenai Fjords NP, we had arranged ahead of time to do a guided glacier trek at Exit Glacier, and we lucked out to have the guide all to ourselves. We had a great time on the glacier and then continued without the guide up to the Harding Icefield Overlook which was magnificent at the top as well as every minute along the way.
I love fireweed, and because it stands up taller than plants around it, it's easy to get nice pictures with scenery in the background.
On Exit Glacier
Looking at Exit Glacier as we headed up to Harding Icefield Overlook
Lots of lupine on the hillsides
Harding Icefield - well, just a tiny part of it. It's enormous, apparently 700 sq mi!
The next day we did a boat ride to Aialik Bay and then did sea kayaking to Aialik Glacier. We saw many different kinds of birds, plus a few whales, seals, and other animals, but I don't have good photos of those. We got to see Aialik Glacier calve several times, and it was fascinating to hear all the noise from the calving (big pieces as well as small) plus the resultant waves.
Common Murre
Aialik Bay with a little bit of the glacier visible
Lots of calving from those spots in the middle
The next day, on our drive back to Anchorage, we hiked the lovely Lost Lake trail. The weather was much moodier that day (harbinger of things to come...) and we enjoyed watching the mountains play hide-and-seek with us.
We hadn't expected to see moss like this.
Lovely gentian
Lots of cotton grass in the swampy areas
Beautiful dwarf fireweed - we saw lots of this not only on this hike but also while backpacking
We drove back to Anchorage and met up with our friend who would be joining us on the backpacking part of the trip. The next morning our fabulous guide, Garrett, picked up the 3 of us plus another group member, and we drove all day to McCarthy, a tiny town in Wrangell-St. Elias NP. We had decided to go with the company Expeditions Alaska, and we thought they were great, both before and during the trip. In McCarthy, we ate multiple meals at The Potato, which we enjoyed.
The next morning - Day 1 - was cloudy and rainy, but our transportation to the start wasn't messed up - we got to fly in a little bush plane, and that was so fun. Great views!
How thick is that glacier down below?
We landed at Skolai Airstrip and set up camp. Then we hiked to the nearby Hole in the Wall glacier and saw a tiny part of it. There were lots of flowers, lichen, and fungi along the way.
Galls on the willow leaves
This ptarmigan was all puffed up to protect its chicks, which were hiding underneath.
Day 2 - The morning started off cloudy, but skies cleared over the course of the day. We could have gone toward the Goat Trail that day but instead went toward Russell Glacier, and I'm so glad we did. Great scenery! There was a lot of thrashing through willows, which I found quite tiring, and there were a couple of COLD stream crossings, but it was still a great day.
Castle Mtn
The moss!!!
Russell Glacier!
Close up (from the next morning) showing the shapes and textures of the glacier
Great sunset
Day 3 - We said goodbye to Russell Glacier and made our way up Skolai Pass and then around to a pre-Goat Trail campsite. There were intermittent clouds and rain in the morning and then skies cleared, a common theme.
When it rains, look for rainbows.
The sunlight glinting off the wet rocks looked great
So much great scenery while heading up the pass
The wind was fierce as we approached and walked around this lake. We took shelter in the big rocks at the far end (behind me, not shown in the picture).
The source of the Chitistone River
Day 4 - This was a big day!
During the night, it rained where we were, but up high there was snow. I loved the powdered sugar coating!
BEST PILE OF BEAR POOP EVER!!!
We did see a lot of evidence of bears (tracks, scat) and saw a few grizzlies off in the distance, including a mom & cub. Our only close encounter was while hiking this day. We were taking our packs off for a break when all of a sudden we saw a grizzly (probably a juvenile) running in our direction, perhaps 50 yards away (not sure). We quickly gathered into a group and started backing away, with our guide in front - bear spray at the ready - but fortunately the bear wasn't interested in us. We were probably downwind of it and once it saw us it took off as fast as it could. Regarding other wildlife sightings, I have no good pictures but we saw a wolverine, lots of Dall sheep, a fox, and lots of birds. We were super careful in camp, with our tents far away from cooking/eating, which was far away from bear canister and ursack storage.
Our guide knew ahead of time that we'd have a potentially challenging stream crossing this day, and he made sure to have us do that early in the morning before the glacier would warm up, melt, and swell the stream even more. We got across safely, but it was COLD and when I was putting my socks and boots on afterwards the rain picked up and I got wet and chilled. Temps only got up to the high 30s that day. Brrrr. When I was moving I was ok, but once we stopped at the end of the day I was freezing and had to get into dry clothes and warm up in the sleeping bag for a bit. But it was worth it for such an awesome day!
After this crossing, it was time for the Goat Trail. Most of this backpacking trip had no trail at all, but on the ledgy sidehilling parts there was a trail that we followed that at some point was made by an animal (we're guessing Dall Sheep rather than goat, though). Some people find this part challenging, but I'm lucky that this sort of thing doesn't bother me. (Other things bother me, though.) Here are some scenes from the Goat Trail.
Looking back at the trail
Looking down and across the river valley - throughout the afternoon, we heard and saw lots of rocks falling along the right of these two cascades
We camped at a glorious spot that evening.
Day 5 - This was a gorgeous day, with blue skies, sunshine, and big views. No need for pack cover, rain gear, or numerous layers! As we hiked up we saw more and more of the mountains we'd been eyeing for several days (Mt. Bona, Churchill, Grand Parapet, etc). Glorious scenery off in the distance and close-up.
The previous night, we had camped where those 4 guys are. Then we went down down down, saw them at the stream crossing, and they and we went up up up our separate ways.
Fascinating patch of snow and ice - apparently it's an "aufeis" (German word) - a large, sheet-like mass of layered ice that forms from natural spring flows in arctic and cold climates
Hello Mr. or Mrs. Grizzly
I loved all these fluffies!
Jacob's Ladder
I'm not high tech, but I love the Peakfinder app.
Lots of Monkshood here and on our dayhikes
Dall Sheep in the foreground (zoomed in a lot)
Sooooo many fabulous rocks up here, including lots of these with beautiful crystals
Lots of these bellflowers
So nice when stream crossings can be done with boots on. Some of the guys dunked here, but not me - I am a total wimp when it comes to cold water.
Looking back as we approached that night's camp
Day 6 - to Wolverine Airstrip for our final night's camp - another gorgeous day
We camped below this saddle, and before putting on heavy packs to continue on our route we hiked up and explored a bit.
Gorgeous new view!
Forget-me-not, the Alaska state flower
Dall sheep fur
Wolverine Airstrip and our final campsite are up on that grassy area
These hamburger bun rocks fascinated us. There were a bunch of them in this one spot, including some that had just barely poked above ground. But we never saw them anywhere else.
Great place to spend the night
Day 7 - If conditions hadn't been ok to fly, we would have stayed an extra day up there. But the clouds weren't a problem. I loved the plane and flight!
After we returned to McCarthy and ate at The Potato again, we explored the old copper mining town of Kennicott, which is in the midst of being restored as an historic landmark.
Then we walked to Root Glacier and went onto the glacier. That was fun!
You can see people exploring the glacier. And I loved all the fluffies (yellow dryas, I later learned) that were covering the hillsides adjacent the glacier.
So many fluffies!
The next day we were sad to leave.
It was a cloudy, rainy day - similar to the day we drove to McCarthy - so I don't have any photos of Mt. Wrangell and other big peaks that Peakfinder showed would have bene visible. But I was intrigued by these black spruce that grow so skinny, apparently because the sun is so high overhead during their limited growing season that the branches don't grow out the way they would further south. So interesting!
This was an outstanding trip in all ways. We'll be back and will have a hard time deciding if we'll backpack again in Wrangell-St. Elias or if we'll head to Denali. I'm guessing Denali; Expeditions Alaska has a "Decadent Denali" trip that they've recently developed, and I think that would be really cool. Time will tell!
On our first full day, we drove the gorgeous road from Anchorage to Seward and stopped along the way to hike Bird Ridge. So many beautiful views of the water and mountains! Plus lots of interesting plants to enjoy.
At low tide, ground was exposed that would be covered up later.
Devil's Club
At Kenai Fjords NP, we had arranged ahead of time to do a guided glacier trek at Exit Glacier, and we lucked out to have the guide all to ourselves. We had a great time on the glacier and then continued without the guide up to the Harding Icefield Overlook which was magnificent at the top as well as every minute along the way.
I love fireweed, and because it stands up taller than plants around it, it's easy to get nice pictures with scenery in the background.
On Exit Glacier
Looking at Exit Glacier as we headed up to Harding Icefield Overlook
Lots of lupine on the hillsides
Harding Icefield - well, just a tiny part of it. It's enormous, apparently 700 sq mi!
The next day we did a boat ride to Aialik Bay and then did sea kayaking to Aialik Glacier. We saw many different kinds of birds, plus a few whales, seals, and other animals, but I don't have good photos of those. We got to see Aialik Glacier calve several times, and it was fascinating to hear all the noise from the calving (big pieces as well as small) plus the resultant waves.
Common Murre
Aialik Bay with a little bit of the glacier visible
Lots of calving from those spots in the middle
The next day, on our drive back to Anchorage, we hiked the lovely Lost Lake trail. The weather was much moodier that day (harbinger of things to come...) and we enjoyed watching the mountains play hide-and-seek with us.
We hadn't expected to see moss like this.
Lovely gentian
Lots of cotton grass in the swampy areas
Beautiful dwarf fireweed - we saw lots of this not only on this hike but also while backpacking
We drove back to Anchorage and met up with our friend who would be joining us on the backpacking part of the trip. The next morning our fabulous guide, Garrett, picked up the 3 of us plus another group member, and we drove all day to McCarthy, a tiny town in Wrangell-St. Elias NP. We had decided to go with the company Expeditions Alaska, and we thought they were great, both before and during the trip. In McCarthy, we ate multiple meals at The Potato, which we enjoyed.
The next morning - Day 1 - was cloudy and rainy, but our transportation to the start wasn't messed up - we got to fly in a little bush plane, and that was so fun. Great views!
How thick is that glacier down below?
We landed at Skolai Airstrip and set up camp. Then we hiked to the nearby Hole in the Wall glacier and saw a tiny part of it. There were lots of flowers, lichen, and fungi along the way.
Galls on the willow leaves
This ptarmigan was all puffed up to protect its chicks, which were hiding underneath.
Day 2 - The morning started off cloudy, but skies cleared over the course of the day. We could have gone toward the Goat Trail that day but instead went toward Russell Glacier, and I'm so glad we did. Great scenery! There was a lot of thrashing through willows, which I found quite tiring, and there were a couple of COLD stream crossings, but it was still a great day.
Castle Mtn
The moss!!!
Russell Glacier!
Close up (from the next morning) showing the shapes and textures of the glacier
Great sunset
Day 3 - We said goodbye to Russell Glacier and made our way up Skolai Pass and then around to a pre-Goat Trail campsite. There were intermittent clouds and rain in the morning and then skies cleared, a common theme.
When it rains, look for rainbows.
The sunlight glinting off the wet rocks looked great
So much great scenery while heading up the pass
The wind was fierce as we approached and walked around this lake. We took shelter in the big rocks at the far end (behind me, not shown in the picture).
The source of the Chitistone River
Day 4 - This was a big day!
During the night, it rained where we were, but up high there was snow. I loved the powdered sugar coating!
BEST PILE OF BEAR POOP EVER!!!
We did see a lot of evidence of bears (tracks, scat) and saw a few grizzlies off in the distance, including a mom & cub. Our only close encounter was while hiking this day. We were taking our packs off for a break when all of a sudden we saw a grizzly (probably a juvenile) running in our direction, perhaps 50 yards away (not sure). We quickly gathered into a group and started backing away, with our guide in front - bear spray at the ready - but fortunately the bear wasn't interested in us. We were probably downwind of it and once it saw us it took off as fast as it could. Regarding other wildlife sightings, I have no good pictures but we saw a wolverine, lots of Dall sheep, a fox, and lots of birds. We were super careful in camp, with our tents far away from cooking/eating, which was far away from bear canister and ursack storage.
Our guide knew ahead of time that we'd have a potentially challenging stream crossing this day, and he made sure to have us do that early in the morning before the glacier would warm up, melt, and swell the stream even more. We got across safely, but it was COLD and when I was putting my socks and boots on afterwards the rain picked up and I got wet and chilled. Temps only got up to the high 30s that day. Brrrr. When I was moving I was ok, but once we stopped at the end of the day I was freezing and had to get into dry clothes and warm up in the sleeping bag for a bit. But it was worth it for such an awesome day!
After this crossing, it was time for the Goat Trail. Most of this backpacking trip had no trail at all, but on the ledgy sidehilling parts there was a trail that we followed that at some point was made by an animal (we're guessing Dall Sheep rather than goat, though). Some people find this part challenging, but I'm lucky that this sort of thing doesn't bother me. (Other things bother me, though.) Here are some scenes from the Goat Trail.
Looking back at the trail
Looking down and across the river valley - throughout the afternoon, we heard and saw lots of rocks falling along the right of these two cascades
We camped at a glorious spot that evening.
Day 5 - This was a gorgeous day, with blue skies, sunshine, and big views. No need for pack cover, rain gear, or numerous layers! As we hiked up we saw more and more of the mountains we'd been eyeing for several days (Mt. Bona, Churchill, Grand Parapet, etc). Glorious scenery off in the distance and close-up.
The previous night, we had camped where those 4 guys are. Then we went down down down, saw them at the stream crossing, and they and we went up up up our separate ways.
Fascinating patch of snow and ice - apparently it's an "aufeis" (German word) - a large, sheet-like mass of layered ice that forms from natural spring flows in arctic and cold climates
Hello Mr. or Mrs. Grizzly
I loved all these fluffies!
Jacob's Ladder
I'm not high tech, but I love the Peakfinder app.
Lots of Monkshood here and on our dayhikes
Dall Sheep in the foreground (zoomed in a lot)
Sooooo many fabulous rocks up here, including lots of these with beautiful crystals
Lots of these bellflowers
So nice when stream crossings can be done with boots on. Some of the guys dunked here, but not me - I am a total wimp when it comes to cold water.
Looking back as we approached that night's camp
Day 6 - to Wolverine Airstrip for our final night's camp - another gorgeous day
We camped below this saddle, and before putting on heavy packs to continue on our route we hiked up and explored a bit.
Gorgeous new view!
Forget-me-not, the Alaska state flower
Dall sheep fur
Wolverine Airstrip and our final campsite are up on that grassy area
These hamburger bun rocks fascinated us. There were a bunch of them in this one spot, including some that had just barely poked above ground. But we never saw them anywhere else.
Great place to spend the night
Day 7 - If conditions hadn't been ok to fly, we would have stayed an extra day up there. But the clouds weren't a problem. I loved the plane and flight!
After we returned to McCarthy and ate at The Potato again, we explored the old copper mining town of Kennicott, which is in the midst of being restored as an historic landmark.
Then we walked to Root Glacier and went onto the glacier. That was fun!
You can see people exploring the glacier. And I loved all the fluffies (yellow dryas, I later learned) that were covering the hillsides adjacent the glacier.
So many fluffies!
The next day we were sad to leave.
It was a cloudy, rainy day - similar to the day we drove to McCarthy - so I don't have any photos of Mt. Wrangell and other big peaks that Peakfinder showed would have bene visible. But I was intrigued by these black spruce that grow so skinny, apparently because the sun is so high overhead during their limited growing season that the branches don't grow out the way they would further south. So interesting!
This was an outstanding trip in all ways. We'll be back and will have a hard time deciding if we'll backpack again in Wrangell-St. Elias or if we'll head to Denali. I'm guessing Denali; Expeditions Alaska has a "Decadent Denali" trip that they've recently developed, and I think that would be really cool. Time will tell!
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