Day 1     The adventure begins at 8AM, meeting in downtown Anchorage at your B&B or a previously arranged location. From here we'll quickly dispatch with "the city" and head north by way of Palmer, through the agricultural bread basket of Alaska formed by the valleys of two great rivers, the Matanuska and the Susitna. We'll follow the Little Susitna river a bit before quickly climbing up the winding road of the west flank of the Talkeetna Mountains, arriving at the tundra above treeline for a visit to the Independence Mine State Historical Park. It's our first taste of the industry responsible in great part for the whys and wheres of settlement all across Alaska. From the roads and trails we travel to the ends of the road that they access, mineral bounty was and is inextricably part of the northern fabric of human presence. Wandering the buildings and remains of the then isolated operation of the 30's and 40's, gives one insight into the faces in the old photos on the walls, all while taking in the same hundred-mile views of Cook Inlet that they did. The same panorama fills the window of our nearby lunch spot at the delightfully funky Hatcher Pass Lodge. From here we descend to track east along the churning Matanuska River towards its birthplace, the glacier of the same name, both in struggle to wear down the mountains that are still growing. On a portion of the terminal moraine, we'll don our crampons, and talk about their operation, as the gleaming white and deep blue of the glacier loom ahead. With a properly requisite waddle, our cleated feet will allow us to safely wander the fantastic forms and tortured shapes of the constantly changing, river of ice. Icefalls, crevasses, couloirs, moulins --it's a world unlike any other, and we're sure you'll agree. Driving away from the current terminal moraine, gives obvious story to the steady development of life that recolonizes the rock and soils progressively released from beneath the ice, as the glacier recedes up the valley. Dinner is appropriately overlooking the glacier at the Long Rifle Lodge, before a few more road miles to our well deserved snooze at the cozy Nelchina Cabins.

Day 2     Breakfast will have the Chugach Mountains and Nelchina Glacier as a backdrop, before dispatching with the 50 miles of road to Glennallen, the crossroads community where one decides whether to go north towards Canada or south towards Valdez. Looming ahead for the drive, has been the startlingly prominent snow-covered form of the volcano Mt. Sanford. Just south, still steaming, comes into view Mt. Blackburn. A short distance yields the new Visitor's Center for our nation's largest National Park, Wrangell-St. Elias. The center gives a fitting introduction to a magnificent park that most never actually visit, due to its challenge of access. Its contrast with Denali is quite apparent in the lack of crowds and regimentation, though it is two and one half times larger. An undeveloped jewel, the Park coupled with the adjoining Kluane National Park of Canada, is the largest piece of protected wilderness on the planet. Lunch will be a picnic next to the thundering water of Liberty Falls. In Chitina, we'll pick up the one-lane abandoned railroad grade at the confluence of the Copper and Chitina Rivers, that leads us 60 miles into the center of the Park and the near ghost towns of McCarthy and Kennicott. The road ends at the Kennicott River, with public access to McCarthy limited to a footbridge. We though, will utilize a private vehicle bridge to access our own private facility on the island between the Kennicott River and McCarthy Creek. It's truly a fantastic spot with views in all directions, from the towering icefalls up high, to the glacial creek tumbling just out front. Legs and palates will no doubt demand a short walk to the tiny ghost town of McCarthy (possibly wetting whistles at their unique tavern/watering hole) followed by an "untrailed" hike over the glacial moraine below where the Kennicott and Root glaciers join. It's an eery landscape seemingly of another planet, and darned beautiful. Working our way back along one fork of the Kennicott river to the confluence with McCarthy Creek, leads us back to camp for dinner and surely an evening fire on the gravel bar right in front of our tents.

Day 3     A post breakfast van trip up the remainder of the road four miles to the abandoned company town of Kennicott overlooking its glacier namesake, allows an almost unbelievable exploration of an entire town sitting much the way it was when the mines closed in 1938. The Park Service has been busy for the last several years, renovating, shoring up, and adding interpretive displays to the historic buildings, as well as the incredible 14-story mill building itself. Kennicott is truly a ghost town without equal, with its remoteness dictating that many things were not worth transporting out, coupled with a fortunate lack of vandalism. We'll continue onward by foot paralleling the glacial moraine to reach the face of the Root Glacier itself. Skirting along the glacier's residue lateral moraine (kind of like the high water mark of its former self), we'll follow what remains of the old wagon road that accessed the ore of the Erie Mine farther "upstream". Perched high above, seemingly without discernable anchor, is the mine's most improbably located massive bunkhouse, particularly astounding to those that view it from eye level flightseeing. Heading back and steadily down, brings us back to McCarthy for a visit to their small but quite informative museum. From there it's but a few paces to the famous local watering hole for refreshment and dinner. The contrast between the two towns is now very apparent, with Kennicott the regimented company town, and McCarthy, the nearby free wheeling outlet for all of the those lonely miners . . . Camp is back on our "island", a creekside fire with views all about definitely in order.

Day 4     Today has several possibilities, from just hanging out leisure-like in camp, optional flightseeing (some of the best anywhere, as you're amongst marvels from the moment you take off --cost approx. $100-200/person depending on flight time), to the option of a day rafting trip down the Kennicott River to join the braided Nizina, with a pick up by bush plane ($285/person). It's class II and III water, and a concentrated dose of another means of exploring these lands. For those looking to keep their feet active, there is the delightful hike up the western lateral moraine of the Kennicott Glacier, on the opposite side of the valley from the now seemingly tiny town of Kennicott. From here too, one can better understand the complex of mines and tram lines still visible in the hills far above the town. The magnitude of this combined glacial complex is quite evident, with the icefalls of both the Root and Kennicott pouring from the hidden icefields above, to flow down and join a few miles above our perch. All along our "goat trail", the unceasing nature of the glacier's evolution is evident in the continual clatter of rocks yielding to gravity and temperatures as the ice melts from below, falling into the ever changing pools of meltwater. It's an environment unlike any other. Whatever you've chosen for your day's activity, dinner will be a hearty one, followed by a stroll from the fire pit down along McCarthy Creek to its nearby entry into the roaring Kennicott River. Sounds of both will once again lull one to a fine slumber . .

Day 5     Breakfast will find us reluctantly leaving our island home, headed back the only road, to stop part way for a hike in the Crystalline Hills. Farther removed from glacial activity, the area feels palpably different with taller trees and a much more developed forest than our last few days. Enroute on the loop, we'll pass a "pour-off", a thunderous waterfall with sufficient precipitation (hopefully not today). Afterwards we'll be winding out of the park and back to pavement for the beautiful trip to Valdez, up and over the Chugach Range, stopping at Worthington Glacier along the way. Crossing dramatic Thompson Pass (974 inches of snow one winter!) , we descend to follow a roadbed carved out to the ocean, through the long impenetrable Keystone Canyon, whose shear cliff walls kept the route from even being discovered for many years. Valdez, situated in beautiful surroundings, feels a bit different than many of the old Alaska places we've seen, in that it was "moved" after the near complete devastation of its former, geologically unstable location during the great 1964 earthquake (9.2 Richter!). Though the urban planning "grid" ideals of the mid-60's is quite apparent, all's you have to do is turn in any direction to see the mountains meeting the sea. There's also a great museum. Dinner will be on the town in Valdez, with bed & breakfast accommodations nearby.

Day 6     This morning we will board the state ferry for the beautiful trip across Prince William Sound. It's a wonderful contrast to all of the land lubbing we've been doing so far, and we should see many local creatures including murres, puffins, and sea otters, with a good chance of humpback and maybe even orcas or killer whales, as we weave amongst the many islands of the Sound before reaching Whittier. Here we will climb back into our van and drive 2.5 miles through the Whittier Tunnel, the longest highway tunnel and the only one combining both rail and vehicle use in North America, connecting Whittier with the road system at the site of the '64 earthquake-destroyed community of Portage. Turning off the main road and following along the south side of Turnagain Arm leads to the little end-of-the-road community of Hope. The second oldest gold rush town in Alaska, Hope is still predominately built of log, from the tiny church to the old Social Hall, still hosting weddings, dances and community functions. It's a very special place and it is here that we'll lodge for the next two nights in cozy log cabins overlooking Bear Creek.

Day 7     Blueberry pancakes for breakfast should give a good start, before heading out on our hike. We'll leave right from our cabin door, heading up the valley to high alpine country, taking our picnic lunch along. It's quite unique to be above treeline, sitting in tundra, looking at the ocean below. You'll have earned dinner by the time we return, and a leisurely barbecue is planned on the deck overlooking our cabins. Afterwards, if you still feel spry, you might be inclined to sample a bit of the "wildlife" at the local watering hole down by the ocean at the Seaview Bar. They have some great music, and the setting can't be beat.

Day 8     Leaving the Kenai Mountains and skirting the Chugach while winding back around Turnagain Arm brings us to Girdwood, home to the Alyeska Ski Resort situated here due to a much higher level of precipitation than even the adjacent valleys. It is a microclimate that gives rise to a temperate rainforest with flora quite different from Hope, just a few dozen miles away. Lush ferns and undergrowth along with large spruce and hemlock trees are dominate on the trail up Winner Creek to its beautiful little gorge and hand tram. It might be a late lunch but worth it at The Bake Shop upon return. And then it's on back to Anchorage in the late afternoon, each of us probably just a bit different than when we left, and most likely figuring out just when we can return and find out what's over one of those ridges spied earlier . . .