usa: alaska 4, hatchers pass
sadly, our final day came in alaska. fittingly, we spent it on a hike. this time we went up to 'the valley' and spent a night with moriah's parents who were such delightful and generous hosts. truly a spiritual family and its easy to see where moriah got her spiritual focus from (this is the same sister who came and spent some months in uganda as a need-greater).
the area is called hatchers pass and though it is not so high in elevation (1,148m) as with all the rest of alaska it is awesomely beautiful and majestically uninhabited.
our hike started off well, with our intrepid leader moriah leading us the way.
it was a bit of a cloudy day, but occasionally the sun would shine and it was an absolutely pleasant hike.
we found a perfectly still lake up in the mountain - no wind so we sat around for a while just enjoying it. i even found a patch of ice nearby that hadnt yet melted from the previous winter. i know you canadians and alaskans will be thinking, 'so what?' but for me and sandi it was an exciting experience :)
oh, more perfect reflection pictures. (the reflection that is, not the picture). as usual i have to mention that these pictures and descriptions are just a poor imitation of the actual place....so if you ever get the chance to visit alaska - take it. its absolutely worth it.
maybe i have too many reflection pictures??? nah!
heres almost the whole group (moriahs mom and dad waited at the bottom)
heres a panoramic viewpoint (click on it to get a bigger picture). it gives an idea of how uninhabited it is, because as far as the eye can see there is no sign of humans - no roads, no houses, nothing.
after our hike, we had a delicious picnic lunch (why does food always taste better outdoors eaten out of paper serviettes?) and then since it was our last day, kevin and debbie drove us around to see a few last sights. it helped that the sun set at 10pm! so we managed to squeeze in a moose and bison sighting, a different glacier, the very pretty 'pioneer falls' and finally we ended up near the airport. i forgot to mention it earlier, but the airplane is integral to alaskas culture. there are many places that can only be reached by airplane. alaska has the highest per capita pilots of any state (1 in 78) and the seaplane base we were now visiting is in fact the busiest seaplane port in the world. and sure enough we saw a couple of seaplanes landing.
on a different note, i have been goofing around with some special effects and here is the end result...
our last alaska sunset was beautiful.
and so it was with heavy hearts we had to leave, and yet we both felt intensely privileged to have had the opportunity to travel to this beautiful place, to have experienced flying between ice capped mountain peaks, to have kayaked below glaciers, to have hiked through beautiful mountains, and perhaps what made all these things so special, to have spent time with our old friends and to have made new friends. a heartfelt thank you to all who took care of us and welcomed us during our stay. (you are all welcome to revenge here in kenya:)
the area is called hatchers pass and though it is not so high in elevation (1,148m) as with all the rest of alaska it is awesomely beautiful and majestically uninhabited.
our hike started off well, with our intrepid leader moriah leading us the way.
it was a bit of a cloudy day, but occasionally the sun would shine and it was an absolutely pleasant hike.
we found a perfectly still lake up in the mountain - no wind so we sat around for a while just enjoying it. i even found a patch of ice nearby that hadnt yet melted from the previous winter. i know you canadians and alaskans will be thinking, 'so what?' but for me and sandi it was an exciting experience :)
oh, more perfect reflection pictures. (the reflection that is, not the picture). as usual i have to mention that these pictures and descriptions are just a poor imitation of the actual place....so if you ever get the chance to visit alaska - take it. its absolutely worth it.
maybe i have too many reflection pictures??? nah!
heres almost the whole group (moriahs mom and dad waited at the bottom)
heres a panoramic viewpoint (click on it to get a bigger picture). it gives an idea of how uninhabited it is, because as far as the eye can see there is no sign of humans - no roads, no houses, nothing.
after our hike, we had a delicious picnic lunch (why does food always taste better outdoors eaten out of paper serviettes?) and then since it was our last day, kevin and debbie drove us around to see a few last sights. it helped that the sun set at 10pm! so we managed to squeeze in a moose and bison sighting, a different glacier, the very pretty 'pioneer falls' and finally we ended up near the airport. i forgot to mention it earlier, but the airplane is integral to alaskas culture. there are many places that can only be reached by airplane. alaska has the highest per capita pilots of any state (1 in 78) and the seaplane base we were now visiting is in fact the busiest seaplane port in the world. and sure enough we saw a couple of seaplanes landing.
on a different note, i have been goofing around with some special effects and here is the end result...
our last alaska sunset was beautiful.
and so it was with heavy hearts we had to leave, and yet we both felt intensely privileged to have had the opportunity to travel to this beautiful place, to have experienced flying between ice capped mountain peaks, to have kayaked below glaciers, to have hiked through beautiful mountains, and perhaps what made all these things so special, to have spent time with our old friends and to have made new friends. a heartfelt thank you to all who took care of us and welcomed us during our stay. (you are all welcome to revenge here in kenya:)
