Alaska’s Tordrillo Mountain Lodge goes the extra mile with the addition of the state’s only via ferrata climbing route, and we were there to experience it last week. ~EK A relentless sun warmed the back of my neck as I worked carabiners along a stiff steel cable anchored into a stories-high slab of rock. Looking […]
Anchorage-based Alpha Aviation, LLC has long been a name to trust when it comes to helicopter flying around the 49th state. As you begin planning for 2019, read about the company’s newest offerings that appease a traveling family wanting a completely different Alaska outdoor experience. In Alaska, helicopters are often perceived as the aviation vehicles […]
AKontheGO made one final push toward road trip bliss over the Labor Day weekend with a traverse of the Denali Highway, spanning 134 miles between Paxson and Cantwell. We woke up morning before last to a film of frost covering anything not moving at the Brushkana Creek BLM campground 20 miles east of Cantwell. The […]
Home to 82,000 people and a wealth of outdoor recreation to whet the whistle of anyone with a sense of adventure, Bellingham reminds me again and again of why I like to visit. This Pacific Northwest city is home to Western Washington University, is the beginning of the Alaska Marine Highway System, and a gateway […]
Straight out of Merriam-Webster: bush·whack ˈbo͝oSHˌ(h)wak/ verb 1. NORTH AMERICANAUSTRALIAN/NZ live or travel in wild or uncultivated country. Un-Cruise Adventures does a pretty good job of describing their adventurous style of cruising. Small ships, tiny coves, and a loose itinerary that makes allowances for weather, wildlife, or whims. And it’s those whims of […]
The Great Alaska Sportsman Show was last weekend, and my friends at Kennicott Glacier Lodge were there talking up some springtime surprises for those willing to take an early-season road trip to this incredible area of our state. Kennicott Glacier Lodge is located in the heart of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, a 13 million-acre park […]
The first-ever Salmon Berry Tours — AKontheGO Ultimate Family Field Trip kicked off in fine style as our traveling explorers arrived from Maine to partake in Iditarod-themed winter fun. What we’ve done: Our first day was spent hiking a section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail near Winner Creek in Girdwood, where access was easy […]
This story originally appeared in the Anchorage Daily News on January 2, 2018. Publisher note: I had intended to jump headlong into 2018 with a comprehensive look at some early-booking deals for the upcoming spring and summer season. However, I was stymied in this effort, thanks to a concussion received after an epic skating fail […]
December is upon us and my refrigerator is full of lists for and by the people I love. AK Kid has stuck his handwritten itemized and alphabetized record of Christmas gift desires at adult eye level. I have records of niece and nephews gift ideas next to that; and further down, what my husband needs, […]
Explorer, photographer, and Alaska Range mapping pioneer Bradford Washburn said it thus: “It is a sight that one just has to see to understand – the magnificence of Alaska mountain scenery at its best.” For some who dream of visiting Alaska, the mountains, most notably Denali, are what draws them here. Even though the High […]
I woke up Sunday morning to the sounds of kids trying to be quiet. Clinks and clanks, coupled with “SHHHHHH” and a few thuds as firewood was loaded into the little wood stove of Manitoba Cabin and Yurts along the Seward Highway near Summit Lake. It was chilly, only about 30 F, and somebody had […]