Alaska — the name conjures up images of a cold remote region, of totem poles, icebergs, glaciers, snowy mountains, salmon bear, moose and whales.
By Dhruv Bhogra
Alaska — the name conjures up images of a cold remote region, of totem poles, icebergs, glaciers, snowy mountains, salmon bear, moose and whales. From salmon fishing to kayaking, to watching bear and flying in a sea plane to a remote lake, Alaska offered a rich array of exciting opportunities to immerse oneself. Of all these an exciting range, close to Anchorage seemed to offer it all — the Chugach Mountains.
Day one began with a march towards the entry into the Chugach State Park, which is the second largest in the US, and thereafter began a vertical and tough steep ascent which had us struggling with our heavy backpacks. After 4 hours of climbing and traversing cliffs and sheer drops we began our descent to the valley below – to Black Lake. The descent was in thick fog, over sliding stones and loose mud and a steep slope, with nothing but our trekking poles to rely on. As we cleared the mist, we set our eyes on a sheer ice lake, flanked by snowy craggy peaks. It was like a protected pearl. Majestic and strange, at the same time, foreboding because its frozen waters were not white but dark grey because of the light I presume. We camped by the lake and refilled our bottles from its pristine waters. In fact, throughout the four days of trekking, we drank off from creeks gushing with melting snow, delicious cold water. Of course, our guide (Haley) insisted on further sterilising the water.
The first night was cold and damp as the sky was overcast though it remained lit till 3am. Our tents were pitched on soft moss and lichen of the tundra that provided great cushioning. The kitchen tent was erected simply on our trekking poles and some great food was made by our guides on the stove, from the specially dehydrated foods they were carrying. In the days to come, we would also see the grand Golden Eagle, and the exotic Harlequin Duck.
On the second day, we were greeted by a beautiful warm sun. Post a hearty breakfast of porridge we were off for the day. We trekked from craggy cliff tops to overpowering and massive mountain mastiffs, standing tall at 3000 mts. I am wonderstruck at treading on acres of the soft, spongy and crackly moss and lichen, interspersed with lovely flowers such as the crow berries (like wine coloured berries), alpine lily, wild celery, shrubby cinquefoil (small pretty yellow flowers) and looked forward to walking along them after long stretches of trekking on rocks and stones by the creeks. After climbing and traversing on steep mountainsides, and descending a sheep trail that was downright scary, we reached a mesmerising and beautiful lake called Long Lake at the base of Mt. Williwaw. An uninspring name but nonetheless breathtakingly scenic. We set up camp here, amidst an awesome view of snowy peaks and a lake that glinted like gold in the long rays of the sun. Much like most US parks, the Chugach State Park allows no campfires and most professional outfits have processes that strictly follow the Leave No Trace principle. No wrappings, cans, or toilet paper or food of any kind can be left behind. These practices make the experience even more real, as there really was no trace of humans on any of the days we were trekking, except for a military observation post.
On day three, we trudged and climbed on boulders, rocks and stones for more than an hour, along the lake, and then climbed a short ridge, to begin our tough 2 hour long traverse by the mountain side, turning right to climb a steep slope to a pass that would enable us to reach the next valley. On reaching the ridge, our guides set off to find a suitable path to descend to the valley below. We were off the trail and it was sheer excitement. They returned in some time, only to tell us that the only way down was the 60 degree slope right in front of us. We looked down in disbelief. "That way? No way!" That was the first natural response. There was no path, just a sheer steep rocky slope, and for the first time, my legs felt a bit shaky with fear. It felt crazy to even attempt to do this with an overloaded and ungainly backpack, but there was something magical about the group energy and the quiet reassurance and competence of our guides. Within a few minutes of planning, we were well on our way down, sliding a few metres each time with rocks and stones slipping below us, digging our trekking poles into the ground firmly with each nervous step. An hour later, after side hilling the steep descent and foot deep snow stretches, we had descended and traversed 1000 ft to the wide open Snowhawk valley of snow, moss campion flowers and all varieties of tundra lichen. It took us another hour of trekking to reach our campsite – Lake Tanaina at the base of Tanaina Peak. The lake is surreal and like a mirror. Camping by its side was a dream come true, and it was still and silent. In the silence, one could only hear the soft wind and the songs of distant birds. The lake had a small flock of Harlequin ducks. Majestic and endowed with deep colours of gray and blue with white strip and it looked hauntingly beautiful with each passing hour. The sun which was now to our south, stayed in the evening sky for a long time, its ray glinting off the snow and the peaks, that reflected with clarity of a diamond on the lake. This was then to be the end of our trek through some of the most majestic landscapes in southwest Alaska, with a long climb and the final descent back to Anchorage planned for the following day. Memories of towering snow covered mountains, glinting frozen lakes, crackling lichen and alpine berries, singing birds, gurgling creeks and moose and bear droppings along their banks, and some exhilarating climbs and descents remain etched in my mind.
There is no better way to describe Alaska as in the words of Richard Nelson a cultural anthropologist, "The beauty, wilderness, and biological richness of Alaska are a gift not just to those who live here, but to all of mankind."
Spellbinding view of Kenai Lake on the rail road journey from Anchorage to Seward
Pristine view of Lake Tanaina in the Snowhawk valley of the Chugach Mountain Range
(Dhruv Bhogra, the author, is an ET-Travel reader.)
