Living Alaska — What I Found in Alaska

Following the Trail of Adventure

I had a few hours of daylight left, and the clouds were lifting off the mountains. I laced my hiking boots and headed for the beach; a trailhead loomed in the distance. The area is new to me, yet it is a familiar terrain for Alaska.

I had no destination; I was looking for adventure and wanted to burn a few calories. I headed to the beach with a few locals warning me about bears. I scanned the mud puddles for signs of bears. The big brown ones would be looking for a last meal before hibernation. I took the warnings seriously because what they said was true. The seasons had changed, and snow dusted the peaks.

It would be another week before sea-level temperatures would dip below freezing. The brown bears would be hungry. I found my first signs of wildlife near the river’s edge. Nope, this was not a bear.

The second set of tracks did not worry me either. They had claws, but these claws were tiny compared to a brown bear. I kept walking as it started to rain lightly on my outing.

I hiked inland, away from the beach. The scenery changed, and soon I found myself walking through a gold mining operation. I saw large earth-moving equipment, a rock crusher, and a large self-sustaining sluice. I could be wrong about the gold, but it looked like a good sight to prospect. You see quartz near a river in Alaska, and chances are better than none that there is gold to be found.

I continued uphill. I kept scouting for signs of bears and came across Caribou tracks. Caribou had been here recently which meant I was safe from getting eaten. Grizzlys like caribou much more than humans, with more meat on their bones.

I saw another Magpie bounce out of the bush and land on a tree nearby. It said hello by staring at me as I walked by.

I was surprised by the lack of activity in the forest. The forest is alive in the summer with birds, bees, and small critters. They had gathered their nuts and flown south for the winter already. It was quiet, and I enjoyed the silence.

My footsteps crunched on the rocks, and a small stream could be heard off to the left. I took a few more pictures and headed back to the shipyard. I approached the stern and saw several Sea Otters napping by the wayside.

I hiked about three miles and saw many new things to entertain me. It wasn’t the most exciting adventure, but it gave me the opportunity to explore an area I had never seen before. From Seward, Alaska, with love and adventure.