Alaska: Wild and Free

On my flight to Anchorage to meet Molly, there was a medical emergency two rows ahead. A flight attendant asked if there were any nurses or doctors on the plane for a man around my age whose lips were blue and he was passed out in his seat. His fiance was in a full out panic. Two doctors tended to him, the flight attendants brought him juice, and the flight continued. I took a cab from the airport to The Hyatt Place and met Molly in the lobby at 7pm. We walked to Moose’s for wine and pizza. Our server either hated us, or his job, or maybe both. It was busy but the food was good. It didn’t get dark until 11pm so the mountains were still visible from our hotel room when we returned.

After our continental breakfast the following morning, we took an Uber and a handful of bacon to the Alaska Railroad for our eight-hour train ride to Denali. Even though it was raining, it was beautiful. Molly was very concerned that people weren’t wearing masks, so she airdropped a photo of someone wearing one to people around us on the train. We laughed when one person rejected the message and when another sent something back. We saw three moose to the right that no other passengers seemed to notice. We enjoyed the view and delicious cocktails before arriving in Denali at 5pm.

After checking into the Denali Cabins, we ate dinner at their restaurant, The Prey. Our server was very nice until Molly mentioned Cocoa Beach. Unbeknownst to us, his ex-wife was from there and he went off on a long tangent. We ate quickly and left. Molly thought it was absurd that I was going to pack a bikini for Alaska until we realized there was a hot tub and sauna outside of our room. We ended up in our underwear in front of complete strangers. While I was showering in the trickle of water that was either freezing cold or scorching hot, Molly had the cover to the heater off while video chatting with her dad to help troubleshoot our problem. Denali was cold and damp and so was the cabin until the heater was fixed.  

At the neighboring coffee house, we had a light breakfast and caffeine before taking the shuttle to Denali National Park. It was raining again so we decided to start with the shorter three-mile Horseshoe Lake hike, which was breathtakingly beautiful. When the rain briefly let up, we took pictures of the trees and mountains in the reflection of the glassy water. We adapted to the rain and decided to continue to the Mount Healy Overlook which was a steep, tough hike. Molly suggested I climb a tree for a photo. The way I got up there wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. I did a running bear hug leap and inched my way up the trunk like a caterpillar. We watched the video back and heard a loud thump and lots of laughter when I made contact with the tree. After hiking, we made our way to the Gulch (town) for lunch. There were limited options, so we settled on the Doghouse. Molly aptly ordered a hotdog, and I had a veggie burger that crumbled when I picked it up. The bathroom was out of order, and the door was locked, so the cook gave me a knife to open it. It was yet another interesting find. While hiking, we crossed paths with a creepy man who walked into the Doghouse. Out of all of the empty seats, he sat directly next to me. We chose to forgo our food and went shopping instead. A man tried selling me a shirt and when I politely declined, he told me to “Go get bitch slapped by a bear.” Shopping ended as quickly as lunch and we avoided another encounter with Dennis, our Cocoa Beach hating server. What a place. We went back to the cabin for a bit before getting dinner at The Crow’s Nest. We were craving French onion soup all week and it happened to be their only soup of the day. We finally had a good server named Booster. Like everyone else we met, they only work in Alaska seasonally. Winters in Alaska are long, cold, and dark. Most people go back home during winter and those that are from there, don’t leave theirs. 

Our shuttle driver Mel dropped us off in the park again the following day. We hiked the Triple Lakes hike before having to turn around for our glacier flight. A woman from Fly Denali picked us up for our 3:15pm flight. Our pilot, Eric, gave us a safety briefing before assigning us to our seats based on weight. He told a girl my size to go to the back of the plane because that’s where the cool kids sit. Then he asked, “Who’s Molly?” Followed by, “Who’s Amy?” He said, “You’re not a pilot, are you?” I laughed and said, “actually yes.” He stared at me for a few seconds and said, “You aren’t going to talk about planes, are you?” I laughed and he put me in the copilot seat. He said he usually seats pilots in the back. The flight was about an hour each way. When we climbed to 12,500 feet, Eric said we were homesick angels. He pointed out sheep that he said looked like popcorn and three bears. When we were all looking for them, we realized he was talking about the restaurant. He told us not to post pictures of him because he didn’t want his parole officer to know where he was. Due to poor weather conditions, the flight before ours was not able to land on the glacier. Eric said he had good news and bad news. He said the good news was we were going to land. I asked what the bad news was and he said, “There isn’t any.” We flew into inner Denali and landed on Kahiltna Glacier. Before landing, we were able to see Denali from the sky which is usually covered in clouds. The glacier was huge and beautiful. We pranced through the snow and made snow angels. We felt so small being surrounded by so many large white snow-covered mountains. On the flight back, Eric asked me how my flight training went and about what animals I worked with. Flying over snow covered glaciers and through the mountains was insanely beautiful. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Molly saw the connection Eric and I made on the plane and encouraged us to exchange information. He gave us his brochure before we parted ways. Later that night, Eric asked if I would meet him for dinner. Because I didn’t have transportation, and he was far away, we weren’t able to make it work. He told me to visit him in Arizona, and he would teach me how to fly a tail dragger. We made plans to meet up in November. Some connections take a matter of moments to form while others take years. This one was formed instantly.

On our hike around the Savage River Loop trail, we saw several tracks from bears and moose. Molly unintentionally pissed off the bus driver by calling the trail the wrong name. He made an announcement telling people to call the trails by their real names to avoid confusion. He should have taken his own advice because the trail was indeed called the Savage River Loop. We walked around the Karsten area shops and had a drink. We found a Christmas store and Molly was in heaven. She bought several ornaments and I couldn’t decide who liked Christmas more, Molly, the store owner, or Kris Kringle himself. Back at the cabin, we went back in the sauna for as long as we could take the heat. In Denali, we were either freezing cold or burning hot. 

Both Molly and I argued about which one of us knew each other better. To prove which one did, we made bingo cards with things we thought the other person would say or do on the trip. Molly won and I had to buy the drinks on the train back to Anchorage. The ride back was only slightly less rainy than the ride there. Still beautiful, nonetheless. This time, we sat on top to get a better view of the surroundings. Back at The Hyatt Place, we had dinner with one of Molly’s friends who happened to be there at the same time we were. She bought us dinner and gave us a book with photos of the Northern Lights. Molly stayed with her and I went back to the room to chat with Eric.

Molly picked up our rental car from Avis while I ate breakfast and sat by the fire. Our next stop on the journey was Seward. We made several scenic stops along the drive. The first was to Virgin Creek Falls in Girdwood. It was a beautiful rainforest right off the side of the road with leaves bigger than our heads. There was a waterfall just a short walk into the forest. We backtracked to a pizza place we passed because we didn’t know when we would see a place for food again. I got up to get us some napkins. They were next to a group of guys around our age. When I got close, I realized they weren’t napkins and made an awkward loop around their table. Molly and I had a laughing fit when I sat back down and they were wondering what just happened. We continued onto Byron Glacier Trailhead. The rain became a daily theme but we weren’t bothered by it. We had rain coats and positive attitudes. There could have been a monsoon and we would have still enjoyed ourselves. We were in search of ice caves that we were advised to go to. We climbed over and under boulders to no avail. Even though we didn’t find them, it was still a nice hike. 

 After a few more pit stops, we made it to Seward Windsong Lodge where we would be staying the next few nights. Thor was a nice young man who was working at the front desk upon our arrival. He was very informative but a bit too chatty. He talked more with his hands than his mouth which is saying a lot, because that man could talk. He warned us that a grizzly bear mom and cub were spotted on the property within the last couple weeks. We were hoping to see them. As we drove into town, we missed a turn which led us to a mom and moose calf crossing the road with an incredible glacier backdrop. The mom was bitten by a wolf on her hind leg and was limping. There were flies all over the wound. The zookeeper in me wanted to get out and help but I knew there was nothing I could have done for her. We watched as she stripped leaves off of the tree branches. Staffing was minimal at all of the restaurants we tried to go to, so they weren’t taking anymore reservations. We went back to our cabin and had dinner at the bar. 

Molly and I both love kayaking so we were ecstatic for our Aialik Glacier Kayaking Tour in Kenai National Park. Our guide Murphy asked if anyone gets seasick before getting on the boat. When I raised my hand, he pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and said, “I gotcha covered.” He also had one lone Band-Aid in his first aid kit. We were in good hands. I took the pill he gave me with no questions asked. It wasn’t until after I took it that I questioned if I should have taken a pill from a complete stranger, but it worked like a charm. The boat took us from Resurrection Bay in the Gulf of Alaska to Aialik Bay where our kayaks were docked on an island. Sea otters swam alongside us, Pacific harbor seals hauled out in the sun, a humpback whale surfaced for air, and we saw several puffins from our boat. A bald eagle was majestically perched on a tree and mountain goats peppered the mountains. We shared the boat with a hilarious doctor from Vermont. He was with a different group, but we were happy to be on the same boat. We thought he was part of the staff or at least knew them with how chatty he was with everyone. He told our guide that he had the best guide. Murphy was laughing as hard as we were. 

We were paired into groups based on ability. I had never been sea kayaking before so they had us in the inexperienced group. Boy was that a mistake. We were paired with two older ladies who were kayaking in circles and in the opposite direction. Murphy tried giving them a quick lesson, but nothing was working. He had to resort to pulling them along with a rope. They took this opportunity to kick their legs up and not even attempt to help. He asked them to paddle but they refused and enjoyed the ride at Murphy’s expense. He was a trooper though even as we watched him quickly fatigue. Molly and I paddled ahead and made it to the glacier. A sea otter jumped between us and swam alongside us. We watched and listened to the thundering sound of glacier ice plummeting into the ocean. After several hours of traversing through the fjords, we kayaked to an island for lunch and saw about 20 stellar sea lions bathing on the rocks. If we thought our arms were sore after the trip, we couldn’t imagine Murphy’s. 

Everywhere we went in Alaska was short staffed. We ate at the eighth restaurant we entered. When we arrived, two men in front of us said they were seating tables based on the honor system. We were to tell the next people in line the same. Molly completely went with it and told everyone who entered the restaurant the system to the point where people thought she worked there. She even handed out menus and told them how long the wait would be. The men were in stitches and the servers loved her. I was on board with both assessments. 

We enjoyed delicious cheddar biscuits at a charming breakfast spot called Resurrection Cafe accompanied by the first good cup of coffee I had in Alaska. When we were full and awake, we went back to Kenai National Park to hike Exit Glacier Trail. It was quick and easy so we spoke to a ranger about Harding Ice Trail. She advised us that we didn’t have enough water or time in the day to finish it. When she said it was worth the difficulty of the hike we thought the risk was worth the reward and we were up for the challenge. We ran into more people Molly knew on the hike. They were former coworkers on a work hiking trip. Apparently Molly is a celebrity in Alaska. After they caught up, Molly caught up to me. The hike was as challenging as the ranger warned, more beautiful than we imagined, and totally worth it. We saw signs where the glacier used to be over the years and how much it has receded over time. As breathtaking as the glacier was, it was heartbreaking seeing how the warming of the planet made such an impact on where it is now located. On the way down, Molly tripped and we both heard a snap. It was accompanied by excruciating pain and she winced with each step. She didn’t complain once during the next three miles we had down the mountain. My driving scared Molly but she let me drive her to the closest urgent care for x-rays. They confirmed the brake, sent her off with crutches, and she demanded she drive the rest of the way even in a boot. 

Homer was our next destination and one of my favorite places I have ever visited. It was a quaint town with shops on either side of the “Spit.” Our Airbnb was a seaside yurt. Due to circumstances, we stayed in with a bottle of wine and cheese while watching our favorite show. We were disappointed that we hadn’t seen any bears yet, so we searched for a company that could take us to them.

J Bear tours returned our phone call early the next morning. They had an opening at 3:15, so we booked the bear viewing tour. Molly disclosed that she had a broken ankle and was wondering if they would still accommodate us. We were told they would check with our guide and get back to us. Chris called back and asked for more details. Molly told him she was still able to walk, better than most. He told us we may have to walk up to five miles on the beach to find the bears but Molly was unphased. He was concerned about his other clients so he moved his current tour to the next day to take us on it. We had our own private tour.

I once again sat in the copilot seat and when Chris heard I was a pilot, he let me fly the plane. Over the radio, another pilot asked Chris if there were any single ladies on his flight. Molly and I rolled our eyes and informed him, he had two. Chris asked if we ever landed on a beach before. When we said ne, he said, “Me either.” He took the controls and we landed on the beach at Lake Clark National Park. Only a half mile walk down the beach we found six brown bears fishing for salmon. We watched them for a few hours while they played, fished, and dug for clams. We even witnessed a mom teach her cubs how to fish. We had a close call when a cub ran up to us maintaining eye contact as it got way too close for comfort. Chris sternly told us to get down to show submission. The bear ran off to the side and fished for salmon with the others. Two adults walked by us so closely I could see the blood on their mouths and hear their breathing. Being only 10 feet away from a brown bear makes you happy to be alive.

We continued walking and approached a river. Chris carried Molly across it, so her cast didn’t get wet. He was taking us to his friend Joe, the one who was searching for single ladies. Without realizing who it was, I took a photo of a bear in front of his group. I asked if he wanted the photo and we exchanged numbers. Chris told me that was a smooth move. I cringed when I realized that it was Joe. He seemed super cool but kept wanting to show me pictures of animals on his phone after Chris told him I was a zookeeper. I ignored him to watch the bears. We heard there was another bear sighting not too far away. We flew to their location and watched a mom with her cub. It was approaching dusk, so their bodies were silhouetted by the sun. The cub stood up to see over the grass to watch us watch him. He looked like a teddy bear with his fluffy fur and sweet face. Chris called the rangers to bring a wheelchair for Molly so she could be more comfortable. He pushed her through the sand and carried her when we reached water. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide. When she was able to walk, he carried the wheelchair. He was faster than us with all of his props than we were with none. He was starting to get tired, so I jokingly pushed him in the wheelchair, losing control, sending him straight down a hill for the river. Chris let me fly us back to Homer and all of the restaurants were closed by the time we landed. Molly and I expressed our gratitude to Chris and hugged him good-bye.

While at a grocery store getting food for dinner, Joe texted me to meet up with him and his friend Macklemore. We debated going out but thought it might be fun to hang out with some locals. Dinner turned into drinks and drinks turned into bar close. Joe asked me if I worked with Alex the orangutan at the zoo. He certainly did his homework. They tried to get us to change our flights, but we were airborne a couple hours later. 

On my flight home, I texted Molly about an attractive guy I was sitting next to on the plane. She suggested I get a third number on the trip. When I introduced myself, he put on his headphones. You can’t win them all.

We traveled by plane, train, bus, boat, kayak and car and met some incredible people and animals along the way. We hiked over 40 miles through rainforests, up mountains, over glaciers, to bears, and breathtaking overlooks. Not only did we see three national parks, I got to fly to one of them. I don’t know if I’m more sore from all the hiking or from laughing. I’ll never forget this trip and I’m so grateful to have been on it. What a beautiful state and we only scratched the surface. This is what I live for, and I couldn’t have felt more alive.