Alaska - Pure, Beautiful and Wild

In 1999, for 37 days, my brother, his family, and I had the opportunity to zigzag the central and western part of Alaska by car. We returned home with memories to be treasured for a lifetime. Ten years later we added my husband for a second Alaskan adventure. This time we started in the city of Anchorage, where 40 percent of Alaska’s 626,932 residents live.

On day two of our Alaskan adventure, we took a small single-engine plane from Denali National Park toward Ruth Glacier. Ruth Glacier is a 4,000 foot thick glacier. It is located near the base camp for climbers who take on Mount McKinley, which is the tallest mountain in North America, reaching 20,320 feet at its highest point.

That little plane trip crystallized for us the beauty of Alaska. The clouds were brooding over the snow-covered mountains, while low-flying wisps of fog added to the mystery of the white moonscape with deep crevasses. It became a moment of revelation! We savored the scenery first-hand, and up close, with great enjoyment. Besides the few tents at the base camp, there was nobody else but the six of us, and the brilliant Grandiose Mountain with McKinley’s peak partially hidden in the clouds. We felt so small and fragile, yet uplifted spiritually and physically.

This is Alaska - so much scenery and so few people - wild and pure. In fact 99 percent of the 586,412 square miles Alaskan territory is uninhabited. Geographically speaking the state is the largest in the Union - a fifth the size of all lower 48. More than 20,000 square miles of it are splashed with water. There are over three million lakes of 20 acres and up, as well as 39 separate mountain ranges, including 17 of America’s top 20 highest peaks. Alaska’s list of natural splendors seems endless – 3,000 rivers; 1,800 islands; 100,000 glaciers; and 9 national preserves. It is the last, vast frontier, and the land of a wondrous 2.3 million-acre wilderness.

The wildlife in Alaska roams as freely and in staggering numbers. The state has 600,000 caribou, for instance. Additionally, unbelievable numbers of grizzly bears, polar bears, musk-ox, moose, deer, whales, otters, seals, falcons, puffins roam freely and well, the list goes on.

Natives obviously didn’t call this state “Alyeska” – meaning the Great Land – for nothing. It looms larger than life. Alaska’s sights and sounds are splendid and spectacular. One must visit it at least once.

Our main destination of this second visit to Alaska was the Kodiak Archipelago. Every spring and summer, a glory of vibrant green and velvet hills wrap this gem. Kodiak is not only the name of the archipelago, but also of the biggest island and the biggest town in it. Kodiak town used to be the first capital of Russian America, now graced by the domes of a historic Russian Orthodox Church.

About 20,000 years ago, most of the 5,000 square miles of the Kodiak Archipelago was covered by glaciers that actually carved most of the spectacular landscape of the island. Jagged peaks, fjord-like bays, and wide U-shaped valleys were left by the glacial retreats. The magnificent scenic beauty and wilderness is ideally suited for abundant land and marine life. Salmon, halibut, and rockfish populate most of the streams, rivers, and seas. Whales breech the surface far off the coastline. Wild berries and herbal blossoms border along the roads and trails.

On Kodiak, nature is in its purest, untainted form. The silence here is punctuated only by the sound of waves breaking on the shore, or by the songs of nearby birds. Here you find the authentic Alaska. It is a true paradise on Earth.

Two-thirds of the islands are a protected area of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge; where about 4,000 of the famous Kodiak brown bears have coexisted with people for the past 8,000 years. Kodiak bears are a distinct subspecies of the grizzly bear. On the island, there are nearly two bears for every resident. They are the largest bears in the world and many grow to over 10 feet tall and weigh over 1,000 pounds. Bear hunting on the island has a long history which continues today, but hunting regulations maintain appropriate levels for the health and welfare of the species. Although the best time to see the famous bears is in the summer months, we unfortunately did not see any.

On the other hand, we were much more fortunate with marine mammals and other land mammals, along with many of the 240 species of birds inhabiting Alaska. Eagles are in abundance in Alaska; around 800 nesting pairs have been recorded. One of the goals for this destination at this time was salmon fishing. We had a great success, especially with the lake-locked Silver Salmon, as well as the Pink Salmon - all of them were caught with simple lures. After they were caught, we grilled them on the hot coals of the campfire built conveniently just feet from the lake or ocean.

Kodiak is one of the country’s top fishing regions. It is home to more than 1,000 fishing vessels, from Alaska’s commercial fishing boats and massive 150 foot crabbers to pint-sized gill-netters and small pleasure boats. While we were in Kodiak, Tuesday night’s “Deadliest Catch” and its crew from “Incentive” were in the harbor. No red carpets, bright lights, crowds, cameras or microphones just the guys with their friends. Everybody talked about those brave fishermen of the Bering Sea, yet nobody encroached upon their perimeter uninvited.
That reminds me….. After quite an “exciting” four wheel drive on a logging road we stopped at an undisturbed location. We found a remote spot on Monashka Bay, and while fishing, another car approached. The moment they noticed we were there, they took off, obeying the rule of privacy; a very important rule for Americans. A rule obviously strictly self enforced in Alaska. At the same time, it seemed Alaskans did not mind a friendly approach. The locals are great hosts, happy to give you all kinds of information, and directions that travelers may want. They take extra steps to make you happy, as our hosts at B&B “Channel View” (http://www.kodiakchannelview.com/ ) did, and who became our instant family for the time we were there.

The last day in Kodiak we had lunch in the “Monks Rock” café, operated by Saint Innocent’s academy. I expressed some interest in their alternative education program for “at risk“ high schoolers, and only two days after we returned home, I received a big priority mail envelope from Father Paisius (Director of the Academy) with very interesting materials, along with a few issues of “The Eagle” - their monthly magazine.

All the experiences during our 2009 trip to Alaska are so special and vivid... I can go on, and on about them. I want to share everything we learned, the impressions and feelings from Homer, Soldotna, Kachemak Bay, Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park and its 32 grand glaciers....

Everything in Alaska is impressive, fresh, beautiful, crisp, and colorful....should I use the thesaurus for more synonyms?! I doubt there are enough superlatives to express a fraction of the Alaskan beauty. There is one thing I know for sure: next time I go to see Alaska, I’ll be sure to savor every sight, every breath of air, and every sound of the Alaskan purity and wild beauty.

Daphne Karcheva-Orris