Alaskan Adventure
I wasn’t so keen on traveling during the pandemic, especially the airport and flying part, and to be honest, I didn’t like it so much. Thankfully, everyone was wearing a mask, people were courteous, and for the most part kept 6 feet from each other. Still, I kept the plane’s AC nozzle on and pointed at my face. But any travel woes were quickly made up for by the expansive beauty of Alaska. Seward, AK was an ideal place to be based because there are tons of activities nearby. The 2.5 hour drive to get there from Anchorage feels shorter when you take in the iconic scenery along the way - majestic mountains, bald eagles, rustic beaches! We had a cabin, but Orca Island Cabins, located relatively nearby, were already on my list of potential places to stay.
Seward in the summertime goes through rapid changes in weather and temperature, so think in layers: clothes that wick sweat, topped with a rain jacket. It never reached 70 degrees while I was there, dropped to 40 at night, and rained every day. I wanted to dress in cute flannels, tie dyes, and wooly sweaters, but I carried-on my suitcase, so I was forced to keep it edited down and had to rewear everything (we had a washer/dryer). I only put on jeans once! Maybe don’t even bring them? Jeans are not a good choice for hiking or wet weather, and we never ate in restaurants bc of Covid, so I really didn’t need them. I wore Lululemon hiking pants (sadly, they don’t make them anymore), a Knix sport tank, a Nike long sleeve top, and my very favorite Aquatalia boots pretty much everyday. I also brought cashmere joggers and shearling lined Birkenstock clogs for the evenings, and was super happy to slip into warm and comfy things at the end of a chilly, wet day. Shopping links below!
The best thing we did was Bear Glacier Iceberg kayaking with Liquid Adventures. It’s not super cheap, but definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience you will never forget. I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to be uncomfortable, or partake in activities that require too much exercise, and it wasn’t exceedingly strenuous, and as our guide said, “It’s not bad weather, it’s bad gear”. They give you fullbody drysuits, and honestly I wasn’t cold until we got on the boat to go back.
There was also a lot of hiking. Seward and the surrounding area is covered with trails for all terrain and elevation. Depending on what time of year you go, you can catch salmon jumping upstream at Russian River Falls, which was super fun. And definitely do the low tide hike to Tonsina Point/Caine’s Head. You can take a water taxi if you want to do everything and not have to walk 13 miles in one day. It’s worth researching which is best for you and doing it because there are so many options, and all of it is absolutely stunning. And be bear aware! We saw tracks but thankfully none IRL. We did, however, get the true Alaskan experience of seeing a moose cross the road.
