Lodg
ing: I attempted to save myself some money by staying at a hostel. That was the biggest mistake of the trip. The people were very odd and I was completely uncomfortable with the clean-factor. Since I made the reservation I figured that I owed them a night and I stayed for the first night, but I called Soo, the owner of the B&B Amanda and I stayed in, and she gave me a room for the next night. I resigned myself to the extra cost of the B&B knowing that it would be a luxurious
night. As with the whole trip though, luck was on my side. Soo knocked on my door at 9:30 and told me that she made a mistake - she forgot to write down a reservation so I was kicked out of my room! She put me up in the loft, which was amazing, and told me that my stay was free! If anyone makes it to Seward please visit Soo, she is one of the true gems I found on my Alaskan adventure.
ing: I attempted to save myself some money by staying at a hostel. That was the biggest mistake of the trip. The people were very odd and I was completely uncomfortable with the clean-factor. Since I made the reservation I figured that I owed them a night and I stayed for the first night, but I called Soo, the owner of the B&B Amanda and I stayed in, and she gave me a room for the next night. I resigned myself to the extra cost of the B&B knowing that it would be a luxurious
night. As with the whole trip though, luck was on my side. Soo knocked on my door at 9:30 and told me that she made a mistake - she forgot to write down a reservation so I was kicked out of my room! She put me up in the loft, which was amazing, and told me that my stay was free! If anyone makes it to Seward please visit Soo, she is one of the true gems I found on my Alaskan adventure.Mount Marathon: A 3.1 mile hike with an elevation gain of 3022 feet, M
ount Marathon is a difficult trek that is also a race every 4th of July weekend. Last year's winner did it in about 43 minutes. I was up on the Mountain for about 4 hours and I made it to the top of the lower patch of snow decided not to go any further. Thanks Mom -I heard you say "be safe" and I made the right decision! The first part of the hike was through forested area over a muddy path, above the tree line the terrain was all loose shale. The view from the top was absolutely amazing and I'm proud to say that I did it.
ount Marathon is a difficult trek that is also a race every 4th of July weekend. Last year's winner did it in about 43 minutes. I was up on the Mountain for about 4 hours and I made it to the top of the lower patch of snow decided not to go any further. Thanks Mom -I heard you say "be safe" and I made the right decision! The first part of the hike was through forested area over a muddy path, above the tree line the terrain was all loose shale. The view from the top was absolutely amazing and I'm proud to say that I did it. I started the hike with 3 other groups of hikers. The first group was a Mother and her Son, the Mom quit after the first rock scramble and h
er Son went ahead with an older German gentleman who appeared from what seemed like thin air. The second group consisted of 3 guys from South Carolina who grew up together and 2 of them were up visiting the third who was stationed at the Anchorage m
ilitary base. I traveled down the Mountain with Chad, one of the Carolina boys and the German gentleman, who again, appeared out of nowhere. The descent was much faster than the ascent because we slid down loose shale most of the way, and I really could have used my rock shoes (and maybe a harness?) at a few points, but we made it down in one p
iece. The third group I started the hike with was a guy and a girl, I couldn't quite tell what their relationship was, but they seemed nice enough.
er Son went ahead with an older German gentleman who appeared from what seemed like thin air. The second group consisted of 3 guys from South Carolina who grew up together and 2 of them were up visiting the third who was stationed at the Anchorage m
ilitary base. I traveled down the Mountain with Chad, one of the Carolina boys and the German gentleman, who again, appeared out of nowhere. The descent was much faster than the ascent because we slid down loose shale most of the way, and I really could have used my rock shoes (and maybe a harness?) at a few points, but we made it down in one p
iece. The third group I started the hike with was a guy and a girl, I couldn't quite tell what their relationship was, but they seemed nice enough.The girl from the third group was really struggling up the Mountain. She had a walking stick and was taking a ton of breaks. I buzzed up ahead on my own, and they caught up to me at the point where I decided to turn around. They decided to go on (she said something about "Woman v
s. Wild"), but I could see that it was going to be a tough journey for them - I was right. After I had gotten off the Mountain and showered, I called Josh from the porch of the hostel which has a great view of Mt. Marathon. As we were chatting, a rescue helicopter came over the Mountain and tried landing near the top. As it turned out, the girl had taken the wrong path back and had slipped down a very steep incline of loose shale. 
She wasn't injured but she was stuck, and the helicopter had to rescue her. When I found out who was stuck on the Mountain, I was pretty shaken up. It took about four hours for the rescuers to get her down, and aside from being very cold the girl was alright. I had a blast up on Mt. Marathon but it was a very sobering experience.
s. Wild"), but I could see that it was going to be a tough journey for them - I was right. After I had gotten off the Mountain and showered, I called Josh from the porch of the hostel which has a great view of Mt. Marathon. As we were chatting, a rescue helicopter came over the Mountain and tried landing near the top. As it turned out, the girl had taken the wrong path back and had slipped down a very steep incline of loose shale. 
She wasn't injured but she was stuck, and the helicopter had to rescue her. When I found out who was stuck on the Mountain, I was pretty shaken up. It took about four hours for the rescuers to get her down, and aside from being very cold the girl was alright. I had a blast up on Mt. Marathon but it was a very sobering experience.
SeaLife Center: Seward is home to a facility that conducts research and rehabilitation, and has a zoo for Marine animals. I knew that I wanted to visit the Center and I had this crazy thought that I could get behind the scenes by calling the rehab department, telling them I used to volunteer for Sarvey Wildlife, and asking. It worked! 
They let me in the Center free of charge and they gave me a private tour in the quarantine area where they rehabilitate the rescued animals. As I told Josh, "It's like Sarvey, with money". It was super neat to see how marine mammals are cared for, and to see how a facility can operate with proper funding. The director of the Center was great, he took the time to show me around and he answered all of my questions - and he gave me a t-shirt.
They let me in the Center free of charge and they gave me a private tour in the quarantine area where they rehabilitate the rescued animals. As I told Josh, "It's like Sarvey, with money". It was super neat to see how marine mammals are cared for, and to see how a facility can operate with proper funding. The director of the Center was great, he took the time to show me around and he answered all of my questions - and he gave me a t-shirt.Kayaking: I had such a fantastic time with Kayak Adventures Worldwide last time, that I decided to go again. I had a great kayaking partner, we moto
red along and we did everything that the guide could think of on Resurrection Bay. We hiked to the fort and had lunch, visited the waterfall, and stopped at a river with a salmon run. Beautiful scenery, great company, and an amazing sport - what else could a girl ask for?
Homeward Bound: At this point I am packing up to head home. I had a fantastic trip and I can't wait to come back!
No comments:
Post a Comment