Alaska

September 2017

Adrienne and I went to Alaska to camp, hike, and see wildlife. We started with a trip in a seaplane to Katmai National park, where we saw a huge number of Brown Bears (the same species as Grizzly bears, but better fed) feasting on the last of the annual Salmon Run on the Brooks River.

Next, we camped at Wonder Lake, the most remote established campground in Denali National Park. We saw lots of the local wildlife, including Moose, Caribou, Black and Grizzly bears, Dall Sheep, and Ground Squirrels. We saw lots of birds: Spruce Grouse, Golden Eagles, Northern Harriers, Swans, Gray Jays, and Sand Hill Cranes, to name a few.

We stopped a while in Fairbanks, hoping to see the northern lights, but most of the nights were overcast and we only caught a glimpse. On the way back south, we stopped in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park for a hike, and walked on the Matanuska Glacier.

We ended the trip with a visit to Seward, with a boat tour to see Humpback Whales, Sea Lions, and Puffins in Kenai Fjords National Park, and a hike to Exit Glacier.