We flew into Anchorage, spent a night there and then quickly headed to the woods. The first stop was the Eagle River in the Chugach Mountains State Park. Most of the state parks seemed to have cabins or yurts to rent. This one was a mile and a half from the parking lot and perfect for our family.
The trail starts at the Eagle River Nature Center, which is a fantastic interpretive centre staffed with super-helpful volunteers. Here is a model of the Eagle River made with wood and metal. Really beautiful.
James checking his wing span.
Cassia loved the taxidermied bears (grizzly on the right, black bear on the left). She spent a good half hour petting them both.
The hike was short, so we didn't bother to try packing light. (This ones for you ABB.)
The hike in was on a section of the Iditarod Trail. I learned that this long-distance dog-sled race was based on a 1925 serum run from Seward to Nome. There was a diphtheria epidemic in Nome and the antitoxin was in Seward. It was taken by train up to Nenana and then passed onto a dog-mushing team. The serum was relayed 1,085km to Nome by 20 mushers and over 100 dogs.
The cabin was cozy, rustic and had a fabulous porch.
Cassia got really into picking and eating berries. We had to watch her constantly and I was really glad to have my plant guide with me to identify things as she'd eat anything - tasty or not. Here she has just discovered a patch of bunch berries (Cornus canadensis). I love that she knows that food comes from wild plants.
Pretty excited to have mom in her pea-pod tent.
A tasty porter. Though my new favourite beer is definitely the Alaskan Raspberry Wheat Ale. Oh my god tasty.
Spawning sockeye salmon in the Eagle River.
The following day we hiked out, hiked up Mount Baldy without our camera (the alpine starts at the end of paved residential roads up here - oh yeah) and then headed to Eklutna Lake to camp. The campsite was meh, but the following morning we walked 100m through the trees and were greeted with this view.
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