My work week began with a ferry ride across the Prince William Sound. A five hour boat ride amongst spruce and boulder covered islands with dramatic cliffs that dropped to the ocean below, intense blue icebergs bobbing in the waves, whales that lunged for food in the rich waters and sprayed into the sky in the distance, otters that napped on their backs floating through the seas and stellar sea lions that sunned themselves under the blue skies. I was traveling with a group of nine campers and together we lounged on the back deck of the boat, slathered in sunscreen, constantly rising to take photos of the glaciers and breathtaking mountains that created the backdrop of an already amazing paradise.
We arrived in Valdez in the evening and set up our tents on the green grass in front of the waterfall that flowed through our campsite. We gathered around the fire until almost midnight never exactly sure of the time as the sky was still light from the sun that lingers for most hours of the day.
The next morning I set the group off for a full day of sea kayaking, a little disappointed that I was unable to join them due to a full boat, but content knowing I would have future opportunities to paddle at sea and excited for them to have this experience on yet another beautiful day in Prince William Sound. I spent the afternoon doing a few camp chores, reading and napping in my hammock and catching up on some computer time in the library. I met the group in the evening and after dinner out we spent some time looking for bears and watching the thousands of salmon fighting their way up stream to spawn. The night ended around the campfire and then I climbed into my sleeping bag under the open sky next to the waterfall.
Day three we drove north on the Richardson hwy through steep canyons, past towering waterfalls and over a large pass stopping at glaciers and other beautiful sites for many photo opportunities. In the afternoon we walked across the bridge at the Copper river and began our 59 mile drive down the bumpy dirt road that dead ends in the very, very small town of McCarthy. McCarthy and the old copper mining town of Kennicott are set in the Wrangell St. Elias National Park, with over 13 million acres of pure wilderness only accessible via plane or the one dead end road that we were traveling . It is home to approx. 14 local residents in the winter and it my very favorite place in Alaska.
We set camp on the edge of the Kennecott river at the base of two glaciers and Mt. Blackburn which towers behind the glaciers at over 16,000 ft in elevation. The following day in McCarthy some of the group headed out on the glacier for exploring in crampons and ice climbing some of the sheer walls while others headed out to climb a mountain on a nine mile hike to an old mine site.
After the group were all on their way to the days activities I got to fulfill my dream of seeing the enormous wilderness that is Wrangell St. Elias national park from the air. As a guide I get the amazing perk of enjoying the activities in Alaska at little or no charge and more than anything I had wanted to go flight seeing in this breathtaking place. I boarded a small Cessna plane and flew with the pilot to the town of Chitna where we picked up four other passengers. We then returned to McCarthy where we proceeded to take the most mind blowing aerial tour of huge mountain peaks, enormous glaciers, ice falls and uninhabited forests that stretched far beyond where we could see. The trip brought me to tears of happiness and left me speechless. I am so incredibly grateful for each moment of my life, but the moments spent in the air over this wild place brought my gratitude to a new level.
I look forward to the rest of the week I will spend with this group as well as the rest of the summer I will spend guiding and playing in Alaska. I am sure I will have many more incredible moments but I imagine this experience will forever hold a special place in my heart.