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Frommer s Alaska 2006 Frommer s Complete Charles P.
Wohlforth Digital Instant Download
Author(s): Charles P. Wohlforth
ISBN(s): 9780764596612, 0764596616
Edition: Pap/Map
File Details: PDF, 5.24 MB
Year: 2005
Language: english
 Alaska
2006
by Charles Wohlforth

with Cruising Alaska’s Coast

by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden

Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:

“Amazingly easy to use. Very portable, very complete.”
—Booklist

“Detailed, accurate, and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”

—Glamour Magazine

“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”

—Des Moines Sunday Register

“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
 Alaska
2006
by Charles Wohlforth

with Cruising Alaska’s Coast

by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden

Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:

“Amazingly easy to use. Very portable, very complete.”
—Booklist

“Detailed, accurate, and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”

—Glamour Magazine

“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”

—Des Moines Sunday Register

“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
About the Author
Charles Wohlforth is a lifelong Alaskan who has been a writer and journalist since 1986.
Wohlforth lives in Anchorage with his wife, Barbara, sons Robin and Joseph, and daugh-
ters Julia and Rebecca. In 2004, Farrar, Straus and Giroux published his book about Eski-
mos experiencing warming in the Arctic, titled The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the
Northern Front of Climate Change. Wohlforth welcomes reader questions and comments
through his website, www.wohlforth.net.
Published by:

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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5 4 3 2 1
 Contents
List of Maps vii

What’s New in Alaska 1

1 The Best of Alaska 4

1 The Best Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 8 The Best Marine Mammal
2 The Best Alaska Cruises . . . . . . . . . .5 Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
3 The Best Glaciers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 9 The Best Encounters with
Native Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
4 The Most Beautiful Drives
& Train Rides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 10 The Best Museums
& Historic Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
5 The Best Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
11 The Best Winter Destinations . . . . .12
6 The Best Tips for Cooking
Salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 12 The Strangest Community Events . . . .13
7 The Best Bear Viewing . . . . . . . . . .10 13 The Best Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
14 The Best Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

2 Planning Your Trip to Alaska 15

1 The Regions in Brief . . . . . . . . . . . .15 5 Travel & Rental Car Insurance . . . . .27
Alaska by the Numbers . . . . . . . . .16 Using the Internet on the Road . . . .28
2 Visitor Information . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 6 Health & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Native Art: Finding 7 Escorted Tour or Do-It-Yourself? . . . .33
the Real Thing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 8 Planning an Outdoor Vacation . . . . .37
3 Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 A Salmon Primer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
4 When to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 9 Specialized Travel Resources . . . . . .44
Only-in-Alaska Events . . . . . . . . . .24 10 Getting There & Getting Around . . .47
Alaska Calendar of Events . . . . . . .24 Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

3 For International Visitors 53

1 Preparing for Your Trip . . . . . . . . . .53 Fast Facts: For the
2 Getting to the United States . . . . . .57 International Traveler . . . . . . . . . . .57
iv CONTENTS

4 Suggested Alaska Itineraries 61

1 Southeast Alaska in a Week . . . . . .62 3 A 2-Week Grand Loop . . . . . . . . . .65
2 Two National Parks in a Week . . . . .63 4 A Week in Alaska with Children . . .68
Itinerary Add-Ons . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 5 A Week of Alaska Winter Sports . . .70

5 Cruising Alaska’s Coast 72

by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden
1 Weighing Your Cruise Options . . . . .73 Shopping for Shore Tours . . . . . . . .78
2 The Best Cruise Experiences 4 The Small-Ship Cruise Lines . . . . . .81
in Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 5 The Big-Ship Cruise Lines . . . . . . . .86
3 Booking Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . .78

6 Southeast Alaska 93
1 Exploring Southeast Alaska . . . . . . .94 Fast Facts: Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . .153
2 Ketchikan: On the Waterfront . . . .101 Walking Tour: Juneau . . . . . . . . .156
Fast Facts: Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . .105 Remote Cabins on Foot . . . . . . . .165
Majestic Misty Fjords . . . . . . . . . .114 A Day Trip to Tracy Arm . . . . . . . .167
3 Wrangell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117 Quick Bites in Juneau . . . . . . . . . .175
Fast Facts: Wrangell . . . . . . . . . . .118 7 Glacier Bay National Park . . . . . . .177
4 Petersburg: Unvarnished 8 Gustavus: Country Inns
Threshold to the Outdoors . . . . . .126 & Quiet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Fast Facts: Petersburg . . . . . . . . .128 9 Haines: Eagles &
5 Sitka: Rich Prize of Russian the Unexpected . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Conquest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 Fast Facts: Haines . . . . . . . . . . . .188
Fast Facts: Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138 10 Skagway: After the Gold Rush . . . .194
Rent a Floathouse . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Fast Facts: Skagway . . . . . . . . . . .197
6 Juneau: Forest Capital . . . . . . . . .150

7 Anchorage & Environs 205

1 Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209 Walking Tour: Downtown
Fast Facts: Anchorage . . . . . . . . .213 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
2 Where to Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213 5 Getting Outside . . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
Four Exceptional 6 Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Downtown B&Bs . . . . . . . . . . . . .216 7 Anchorage Nightlife . . . . . . . . . . .245
3 Where to Dine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221 8 Out from Anchorage: Turnagain
4 What to See & Do . . . . . . . . . . . .227 Arm & Portage Glacier . . . . . . . . .246
 CONTENTS v

Tidal Wave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248 10 Out from Anchorage: The

9 Out from Anchorage: Girdwood & Matanuska & Susitna Valleys . . . . .254
Mount Alyeska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250

8 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince William Sound 257

1 Exploring the Kenai Peninsula 8 Kenai/Soldotna & Sterling:
& Prince William Sound . . . . . . . .258 Giant Salmon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
State Parks Cabin Reservations . . . .261 Fast Facts: Kenai & Soldotna . . . . .293
2 The Seward Highway: 9 Kenai National Wildlife Refuge . . . .299
A Road Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261 10 Homer & Kachemak Bay:
3 Chugach National Forest: Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea . . . . . .301
Do-It-Yourself Wilderness . . . . . . .264 Fast Facts: Homer . . . . . . . . . . . .304
4 Whittier: Dock on the Sound . . . . .269 A Day Trip to Halibut Cove . . . . . .310
5 Seward: Gateway to Getting Your Fish Home . . . . . . . .311
Resurrection Bay &
11 Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
Kenai Fjords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274
Fast Facts: Seward . . . . . . . . . . . .277 Fast Facts: Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . .323
12 Cordova: Hidden Treasure . . . . . . .328
6 Kenai Fjords National Park . . . . . .283
7 Cooper Landing: Road Fast Facts: Cordova . . . . . . . . . . .330
Meets River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

9 The Denali National Park Region 337

Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338 5 Activities within the Park . . . . . . .358
1 Planning a Visit to the Park . . . . . .339 First to the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360
The Denali Highway: 6 Attractions & Activities
The Drivable Denali . . . . . . . . . . .342 outside the Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . .362
2 Park Essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344 7 Where to Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Train Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346 8 Where to Dine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .368
Fast Facts: Denali National Park . . . .348 9 Denali Nightlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . .370
3 Denali by Shuttle Bus . . . . . . . . . .349 10 Talkeetna: Back Door to Denali . . .371
The Alaska-Ohio Name Game, Fast Facts: Talkeetna . . . . . . . . . .372
Round 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .354 11 Denali Wilderness Lodges . . . . . . .375
4 Denali on Foot: Day Hiking
& Backpacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .356
vi CONTENTS

10 The Alaskan Interior 378

1 Exploring the Interior . . . . . . . . . .379 5 The Alaska Highway . . . . . . . . . . .414

Alaska’s Highways a la Carte . . . .380 Dawson City & Eagle:
2 Fairbanks: Alaska Heartland . . . . .382 Detour into History . . . . . . . . . . . .416
Fast Facts: Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . .385 Fast Facts: Tok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417
Seeing the Aurora Borealis . . . . . .388 Fast Facts: Delta Junction . . . . . . .419
The Roster of Rural Roads . . . . . .404 6 The Glenn Highway . . . . . . . . . . .421
3 Chena Hot Springs Road . . . . . . . .405 7 The Richardson Highway
& Copper Center . . . . . . . . . . . . .423
The Steese Highway:
Drive into the Wild . . . . . . . . . . . .408 8 Wrangell–St. Elias National
Park & Kennecott . . . . . . . . . . . . .424
4 The Dalton Highway . . . . . . . . . . .410

11 The Bush 431

1 Exploring the Bush . . . . . . . . . . . .432 5 The Pribilof Islands:
2 Kodiak: Wild Island . . . . . . . . . . . .434 Birder’s Paradise . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Fast Facts: Kodiak . . . . . . . . . . . .436 6 Nome: Arctic Frontier Town . . . . . .450
3 Katmai National Park . . . . . . . . . .440 Fast Facts: Nome . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Fast Facts: Katmai . . . . . . . . . . . .442 7 Kotzebue: Big Village . . . . . . . . . .455
4 Unalaska/Dutch Harbor: Fast Facts: Kotzebue . . . . . . . . . .457
Aleutian Boomtown . . . . . . . . . . .443 8 Barrow: Way North . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Fast Facts: Unalaska/ Fast Facts: Barrow . . . . . . . . . . . .460
Dutch Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .445 9 Prudhoe Bay: Arctic Industry . . . . .463
The Aleutians: The Quiet
after War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .446

Appendix: Alaska in Depth 465

1 Natural History: Rough Dateline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .474
Drafts & Erasures . . . . . . . . . . . . .466 3 The People: Three Ways to
2 Politics & History: Living Win an Argument in Alaska . . . . .479
a Frontier Myth . . . . . . . . . . . . . .473 The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .481

Index 487
 List of Maps

Alaska 6 Downtown Anchorage 215

Southeast Alaska 95 Downtown Anchorage
Ketchikan 103 Walking Tour 229
Wrangell 119 The Kenai Peninsula
& Prince William Sound 259
Petersburg 127
Seward 275
Sitka 137
Homer 303
Downtown Juneau Walking Tour 157
Valdez 321
Juneau beyond Downtown 163
Cordova 329
Downtown Juneau 171
Denali National Park 341
Haines 187
Greater Fairbanks 383
Skagway 195
Downtown Fairbanks 397
Anchorage 206
Acknowledgments
This is my ninth edition of Frommer’s Alaska. From the very start I have received enormous help
from friends, colleagues, and my family. The size and diversity of Alaska would otherwise make
the project impossible. I want to acknowledge them all, but I need to give special note to the
remarkable professionals who assisted with this 2006 edition. Karen Datko is more than my
right hand. She’s my life preserver, too. Researchers and writers around the state who con-
tributed brought new life to the book and gave it the insider’s insider information that I couldn’t
have given you alone, even as a life-long Alaskan. They include: Tom Morphet, Eric Troyer,
Kris Capps, Charlotte Glover, Kathy Tessaro, Pat Branson, and Carolyn Edelman.

An Invitation to the Reader

In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants, shops, and
more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information
with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommenda-
tion, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska 2006
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is especially
true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making
your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experi-
ences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to
stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets,
all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.

Other Great Guides for Your Trip:

Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call
Alaska For Dummies
Frommer’s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value,
service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional
guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your
time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three
stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to
the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very
highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).
In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the
great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists.
Throughout the book, look for:

Finds Special finds—those places only insiders know about

Fun Fact Fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

Kids Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family

Moments Special moments—those experiences that memories are made of

Overrated Places or experiences not worth your time or money

Tips Insider tips—great ways to save time and money

Value Great values—where to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa
DC Diners Club MC MasterCard

Frommers.com
Now that you have the guidebook to a great trip, visit our website at www.frommers.com for
travel information on more than 3,000 destinations. With features updated regularly, we give
you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At Frommers.com,
you’ll also find the best prices on airfares, accommodations, and car rentals—and you can even
book travel online through our travel booking partners. At Frommers.com, you’ll also find the
following:
• Online updates to our most popular guidebooks
• Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways
• Newsletter highlighting the hottest travel trends
• Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions
 What’s New in Alaska
H ere are some changes in Alaska travel
since the last edition of Frommer’s Alaska.
I’ve added a warning about avoiding
scams when using trip-planning agencies.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP For more Internet rip-offs have proliferated.
planning information, see chapters 2 Foreign travelers should prepare for
through 4. much more complicated procedures for
Climate information shouldn’t be entering the United States. Even citizens
showing up in the “What’s New” section, from countries in the visa waiver program
but there’s no doubt that Alaska is getting must have a visa unless their passports are
much warmer, as the national media have machine readable. Visas now take weeks
begun reporting widely in the last year. or months to obtain rather than the days
What this means for visitors is more that used to be required.
sunny days, more forest fire smoke, and THE SOUTHEAST For more, see
shorter, less predictable winters, among chapter 6.
other things; but I’m not sure how you The Alaska Marine Highway ferry
can make adjustments for that, since the system (& 800/642-0066 or 907/465-
weather in any particular year could be 3941; www.ferryalaska.com) continues to
warm or cold. I’ve included a brief expla- undergo rapid change with the introduc-
nation of Arctic climate change in the tion of new ships and restructuring of
Appendix on p. 472. routes. Moreover, fares rise every year and
More airlines are flying to Anchorage in 2005 carried a 10% fuel surcharge. Be
from around the U.S. and even from sure to check for changes even after you
overseas. The current count is more than book your tickets.
a dozen, including carriers from Canada, The proliferation of large cruise ships
Germany, and Korea. Alaska Airlines continues to grow well beyond the carry-
(& 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) ing capacity of the small-town ports the
has greatly expanded its routes nationally, ships call on. Towns are now receiving
adding nonstops between Anchorage and more than 10,000 visitors in a day from
many cities and competitive fares with a cruise ships. The towns worst affected are
Seattle plane change to many more. The Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. In sec-
increased competition has driven down tions on each I’ve given tips for avoiding
airfares to Alaska from everywhere in the the crowds.
U.S. Airfares within Alaska remain high, In Ketchikan I’ve added new lodgings
as there is little competition and operat- and several new eateries. The best places
ing expenses can be extreme. Conse- to eat there are not the tourist-oriented
quently, it’s usually cheaper to fly to fine dining establishments but the fish
Anchorage from the far side of the coun- and chips stands and burger places.
try than from the far side of the state.
2 W H AT ’ S N E W

Many changes this year in Gustavus. meadows in the mountains away from
The community finished its first year as any road. You can add white-water rafting
an incorporated town and added much- to the outing, too.
needed places to eat. Transportation to In Girdwood I’ve added mention of a
Gustavus and Glacier Bay National business, Glacier City Snowmobile
Park changed, too, with a new company Tours (& 877/783-5566 or 907/783-
operating the passenger ferry from Juneau 5566; www.snowtours.net), which has
and Governor Frank Murkowski sending added to its wintertime tours summer
a state ferry for a few trips to the park’s snowmobiling on a glacier reached by a
Bartlett Cove dock. It’s not clear what helicopter.
will come of that. The move seemed to be KENAI PENINSULA & PRINCE
a symbolic statement in a long-standing WILLIAM SOUND For more, see
dispute between the state of Alaska and chapter 8.
the federal government over who owns A change in the reservation system
the water in the park. The U.S. Supreme makes public cabins rented by Alaska State
Court ruled in favor of the federal gov- Parks (& 907/269-8400; www.alaska
ernment, but Murkowski had already stateparks.org) much more difficult for
announced he was sending in the ferry. If non-Alaskans to use. Under the new
service becomes a regular feature, Bartlett rules, Alaskans can reserve 7 months out,
Cove would be added to the route of the but nonresidents can only reserve 6
local ferry that serves small villages in the months in advance. The parks have a new
region. online system for reservations.
Haines has a great new restaurant, The The remarkable—even incredible—new
Lighthouse (& 907/766-2442). Actually, Inn at Whittier (& 866/472-5757 or
it’s a very old restaurant that used to be 907/472-7000; www.innatwhittier.com)
bad and is now very good. Skagway’s has opened next to the boat harbor in that
dining options and lodging line-up town of otherwise drab architecture. The
changed, as they seem to do every year. spectacular post-and-beam building con-
ANCHORAGE & ENVIRONS For tains luxurious rooms, with prices to
more, see chapter 7. match. The restaurant brings a new level
I’ve added several excellent lodgings in of dining to Whittier.
Anchorage, including the Anchorage In Kenai an old pier and fish processing
Grand Hotel (& 888/800-0640 or 907/ plant has been transformed into an attrac-
929-8888; www.anchoragegrandhotel. tive new shopping area, restaurant, and
com) and Lake Hood Inn (& 907/258- lodgings. The Historic Kenai Landing
9321; www.lakehoodinn.com). (& 907/335-2500; www.kenailanding.
A remarkable restaurant with a social com) sits along the river in a lovely area
purpose opened; it’s called Noble’s Diner near the best place for bird-watching.
(& 907/770-3811; www.noblesdiner. DENALI NATIONAL PARK For
com). I also decided to include a place more, see chapter 9.
our family enjoys (where we’ve never seen The long process of construction at the
a tourist), the Greek Corner (& 907/ park entrance is finally complete, and the
276-2820). results are magnificent. The new visitor
The Alaska Railroad (& 800/544- center contains wonderful exhibits in a
0552 or 907/265-2494; www.alaska large, solar-powered structure. The Murie
railroad.com) now offers a day-tour option Science and Learning Center hosts excit-
to see beautiful Turnagain Arm from ing new day or multiday educational
Anchorage, which makes a destination of
 W H AT ’ S N E W 3

programs. The old visitor center now is THE INTERIOR For more, see chap-
the Wilderness Access Center, basically ter 10.
just a bus depot for the shuttle system. A The landscape along Chena Hot
new Backcountry Information Center Springs Road was transformed by huge
handles backpacking permits. fires in 2004. The best trail in the area,
The Eielson Visitor Center is being the Granite Tors Trail, was largely
demolished and rebuilt. It won’t be com- burned over, making a hike there a differ-
plete before 2008. Shuttle buses that for- ent, less aesthetic experience.
merly turned around there now make This one’s not new, just unexpected:
their turn at a wayside that has no serv- the ice hotel at Chena Hot Springs
ices. Passengers can instead ask questions, Resort (& 800/478-4681 or 907/451-
use outhouses, buy books, and make bus 8104; www.chenahotsprings.com) is still
changes at tents set up at the Toklat River. there. It melted, but the resort rebuilt it
Outside the park entrance in the and plans to keep the feature perma-
Nenana Canyon “Glitter Gulch” area, the nently.
cruise lines and park concession owner THE BUSH For more, see chapter 11.
are again on a building and buying spree, The main tourist activity and attraction
adding hundreds of rooms and taking in Kotzebue, the Tour Arctic program
control of many businesses. I have instead (& 907/442-3441; www.tour-arctic.
concentrated on some new restaurants com) and related NANA Museum of the
and lodgings with local character that Arctic, unexpectedly did not operate in
serve independent travelers rather than 2005, leaving little reason for most visitors
only those on escorted tours. Particularly to go there. Sponsors promise a new and
noteworthy is the area’s first freestanding better program in 2006, but if that does
restaurant that serves top-flight cuisine, materialize it will be much too late for
229 Parks Restaurant and Tavern inclusion in this edition.
(& 907/683-2567).
1
The Best of Alaska
A s a child, when my family traveled outside Alaska for vacations, I often met other
children who asked, “Wow, you live in Alaska? What’s it like?” I never did well with
that question. To me, the place I was visiting was far simpler and easier to describe
than the one I was from. The Lower 48 seemed a fairly homogeneous land of freeways
and fast food, a well-mapped network of established places. Alaska, on the other hand,
wasn’t even completely explored. Natural forces of vast scale and subtlety were still
shaping the land in their own way, inscribing a different story on each of an infinite
number of unexpected places. Each region, whether populated or not, was unique far
beyond my ability to explain. Alaska was so large and new, so unconquered and
exquisitely real, as to defy summation.
In contrast to many places you might choose to visit, it’s Alaska’s unformed new-
ness that makes it so interesting and fun. Despite the best efforts of tour planners, the
most memorable parts of a visit are unpredictable and often unexpected: a humpback
whale leaping clear of the water, the face of a glacier releasing huge ice chunks, a bear
feasting on salmon in a river, a huge salmon chomping onto your line. You can look
at totem poles and see Alaska Native cultural demonstrations, and you can also get to
know indigenous people who still live by traditional ways. And sometimes grand,
quiet moments come, and those are the ones that endure most deeply.
As the writer of this guidebook, I aim to help you get to places where you may
encounter what’s new, real, and unexpected. Opening yourself to those experiences is
your job, but it’s an effort that’s likely to pay off. Although I have lived here all my
life, I often envy the stories visitors tell me about the Alaskan places they have gone to
and what happened there. No one owns Alaska, and most of us are newcomers here.
In all this immensity, a visitor fresh off the boat is just as likely as a lifelong resident
to see or do something amazing.

1 The Best Views

• A First Sight of Alaska: Flying north presence, stretching as far as the hori-
from Seattle, you’re in clouds, so you zon. Welcome to Alaska.
concentrate on a book. When you • Punchbowl Cove (Misty Fjords
look up, the light from the window National Monument): A sheer gran-
has changed. Down below, the clouds ite cliff rises smooth and implacable
are gone, and under the wing, where 3,150 feet straight up from the water.
you’re used to seeing roads, cities, and A pair of bald eagles wheels and soars
farms on most flights, you see instead across its face, providing the only
only high, snowy mountain peaks, sense of scale. They look the size of
without the slightest mark of human gnats. See p. 114.
 THE BEST ALASKA CRUISES 5

• From the Chugach Mountains over slipping through a mile-deep canyon,

Anchorage, at Sunset: The city you land on a glacier, get out of the
sparkles below, on the edge of an plane, and for the first time realize
orange-reflecting Cook Inlet, far the overwhelming scale of it all. See
below the mountainside where you “Attractions & Activities Outside the
stand. Beyond the pink and purple Park” and “Talkeetna: Back Door to
silhouettes of mountains on the other Denali” in chapter 9.
side of the inlet, the sun is spraying • The Northern Lights (Alaska’s Inte-
warm, dying light into puffs of rior): Blue, purple, green, and red
clouds. And yet it’s midnight. See lines spin from the center of the sky,
“Getting Outside” in chapter 7. draping long tendrils of slow-moving
• Mount McKinley From the Air light. Bright, flashing, sky-covering
(Denali National Park): Your Bush waves wash across the dome of stars
pilot guides his plane up from the like ripples driven by a gust of wind
flatlands of Talkeetna into a realm of on a pond. Looking around, you see
eternal white, where a profusion of that your companions’ faces are rosy
insanely rugged peaks rises in higher in a silver, snowy night, all gazing
relief than any other spot on earth. straight up with their mouths open.
After circling a 3-mile-high wall and See p. 388.

2 The Best Alaska Cruises

Cruises provide comfortable, leisurely while still giving you an intimate,
access to the Inside Passage and the Gulf casual, up-close small-ship experience.
of Alaska. Here are some of the best bets. • Most Luxurious Big Ships: If you
See chapter 5 for details. want a more casual kind of luxury,
• Best Up-Close Alaska Experience: Radisson Seven Seas’ Seven Seas
Glacier Bay Cruiseline’s Wilderness Mariner offers just that. Among the
Adventurer and Wilderness Explorer mainstream cruise ships, Celebrity’s
sail itineraries that shun overcrowded Infinity and Summit are the big win-
port towns in favor of wilderness ners, offering cutting-edge modern
areas and small fishing villages. Both ships with great service, dining, and
carry sea kayaks for off-ship explo- design.
ration, and both feature naturalist-led • Best Cruisetours: Holland America
hikes as central features of the experi- Line and Princess are the leaders in
ence. The line is owned by an Alaska linking cruises with land tours into
Native corporation and the ships are the Interior, either before or after
small (carrying 74 and 36 passengers, your cruise. They own their own
respectively) and very casual. They’re hotels, deluxe motorcoaches, and
not fancy, but that’s the point—it’s railcars, and after many years in the
where they take you that counts. business, they both really know what
• Most Comfortable Small Ships: they’re doing. Princess concentrates
Cruise West’s Spirit of Endeavor and more on the Anchorage/Denali/Fair-
Spirit of ’98 (a 19th-c. coastal steamer banks routes, while Holland America
re-creation) and Clipper’s Yorktown has many itineraries that get you to
Clipper offer a higher level of comfort the Yukon Territory’s Dawson City
than the other small ships in Alaska and Whitehorse.
6 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ALASKA

Alaska
MILEAGE

Dawson City

Prudhoe Bay
Anchorage
CHART

Fairbanks

Skagway
Seward
Seattle
Haines

Valdez
Homer
Approximate driving

Circle

Eagle

Tok
distances in miles
between cities.

Anchorage 520 494 501 358 775 226 847 2234 126 832 328 304

Circle 520 530 541 162 815 746 1972 2271 646 872 368 526

Dawson City 494 530 131 379 548 713 868 1843 619 430 189 428

Eagle 501 541 131 379 620 727 868 1974 627 579 173 427 Chukchi
Fairbanks 358 162 379 379 653 584 489 2121 484 710 206 364
Sea

Haines 775 815 548 620 653 1001 1142 1774 901 359 447 701 Little
Diomede
Homer 226 746 713 727 584 1001 1073 2455 173 1058 554 530 Island

Prudhoe Bay 847 1972 868 868 489 1142 1073 2610 973 1199 695 853

Seattle 2243 2271 1843 1974 2121 1774 2455 2610 2493 1577 1931 2169
Nome
Seward 126 646 619 627 484 901 173 973 2493 958 454 430 Norton
Sound
Skagway 832 872 430 579 710 359 1058 1199 1577 958 504 758

Yukon Delta
Tok 328 368 189 173 206 447 554 695 1931 454 504 254 National Wildlife
Refuge
Valdez 304 526 428 427 364 701 530 853 2169 430 758 254

Bethel
Nunivak Yukon Delta
Bering Sea Island National Wildlife
Refuge

Attu Island
Pribilof
Islands
Al Bristol
eu t Bay
i a n I s l a n d s
Cape Rat Islands ska a
St. Stephen A l ai n s u l
Pen
Unimak Cold
Bay
Dutch
Island
Adak Harbor
Atka Island
Atka Fort Glen
Adak Island Unalaska

P A C
I F I C
 THE BEST ALASKA CRUISES 7

0 100 Mi
N
0 100 Km

Arctic Ocean

Barrow
Prudhoe
Bay
Beaufort Sea
Deadhorse
Cape Krusenstern
National Monument
Hwy.

Broo Arctic National

ks R a n g e
Noatak National Wildlife Refuge
Dalton

Anaktuvuk
States
es
Preserve
Pass
nge ted Stat
Kobuk Valley
Brook
s Ra Canada
United

National Park Gates of the Arctic 8

National Park and Preserve
Uni

Kotzebue

y.
e
Coldfoot Ci r c l

w
Bettles A rc t ic

rH
Yukon Flats
te
Bering Land Bridge Fort Yukon National Wildlife ps
National Preserve
em

Refuge
D

Circle 5
Galena
Chena
Hot Springs 6 Yukon-Charley Rivers
C A N A D A
2 National Preserve
Manley
Unalakleet Hot Springs Fairbanks Eagle YUKON
North Pole
er

Nenana 5
iv

Delta
R

Denali
on

Junction Dawson City,

United States
Yuk

National Park R a
Canada

McGrath ng 9 Yukon
s ka e
er

Mt. McKinley A l a 8 Tok 6

iv

R 3
Ku s k o k w i m Talkeetna 4 1 4
Glennallen
Willow 1 W r a n gell
Mt s . 2
Wasilla Palmer 10 McCarthy Whitehorse, 4
ANCHORAGE Valdez Wrangell–St.
Wrangell St. Elias 1 Yukon
Lake Clark National Kenai
Park and Preserve Soldotna National Park and Preserve 1
Whittier
Cordova 7
1
l et

Dillingham Seward Prince

Homer Skagway BRITISH
In

Halibut Cove William

ok

King Yakutat Haines

Seldovia Kenai Fjords Sound COLUMBIA
Co

Salmon National Park Glacier Bay National

Katmai National Park and Preserve Juneau
Park and Preserve Alaska Gustavus
Marine
Highway
Gulf of Alaska Chichagof Island
Admiralty Island
National Monument
Kodiak Admiralty Island Petersburg
Baranof Island Sitka
Kodiak Island Wrangell
Aniakchak National Prince of Wales Island
Monument and Preserve Craig
Ketchikan
Misty Fjords
National Monument

Unpaved Road

N Ferry

O C E A Paved Road
State or Provincial Route 1
8 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ALASKA

3 The Best Glaciers

More of Alaska—more than 100 times ice gives way and a huge berg falls
more—is covered by glacier ice than is into the river, potentially swamping
settled by human beings. the picnic area. Even when the glacier
• Grand Pacific Glacier (Glacier Bay isn’t calving, you can feel the ice
National Park): Two vast glaciers of groaning in your gut. See “Cordova:
deep blue meet at the top of an Hidden Treasure” in chapter 8.
utterly barren fjord. They rubbed and • Exit Glacier (Seward): You can drive
creased the gray rock below for thou- near the glacier and walk the rest of
sands of years before just recently the way on a gravel path. It towers
releasing it to the air again. Three above like a huge blue sculpture, the
intimidating walls of ice surround spires of broken ice close enough to
boats that pull close to the glaciers. breathe a freezer-door chill down on
See “Glacier Bay National Park” in watchers. See “Exit Glacier” in sec-
chapter 6. tion 6 of chapter 8.
• Childs Glacier (Cordova): Out the • Western Prince William Sound: On
Copper River Highway from Cor- a boat from Whittier, you can see a
dova, this is a participatory glacier- couple dozen glaciers in a day. Some of
viewing experience. The glacier is cut these are the amazing tidewater gla-
by the Copper River, which is 1⁄4 mile ciers that dump huge, office-building-
broad; standing on the opposite shore size spires of ice into the ocean, each
(unless you’re up in the viewing setting off a terrific splash and out-
tower), you have to be ready to run ward-radiating sea wave. See “Whit-
like hell when the creaking, popping tier: Dock on the Sound” in chapter 8.

4 The Most Beautiful Drives & Train Rides

You’ll find a description of each road in Above, Dall sheep and mountain
“Alaska’s Highways a la Carte” on p. 380. goats pick their way along the cliffs,
Here are some highlights: within easy sight. Below, white bel-
• White Pass and Yukon Route Rail- uga whales chase salmon through the
way (Skagway to Summit): The nar- turbid water. Farther south, the route
row-gauge excursion train, sometimes splits and climbs through the moun-
pulled by vintage steam engines, tain passes of the Kenai Peninsula.
climbs the steep grade that was chis- See “Out From Anchorage: Turna-
eled into the granite mountains by gain Arm and Portage” in Chapter 7
stampeders to the Klondike gold rush. and “The Seward Highway: A Road
The train is a sort of mechanical Guide” in Chapter 8 for information
mountain goat, balancing on trestles on the highway, and p. 346 for infor-
and steep rock walls far above deep mation on this Alaska Railroad route.
gorges. See p. 199. • Denali Highway: Leading east-west
• Seward Highway/Alaska Railroad through the Alaska Range, the high-
(Anchorage to Seward): Just south of way crosses terrain that could be
Anchorage, the highway and rail line another Denali National Park, full
have been chipped into the side of of wildlife and with views so huge
the Chugach Mountains over the and grand they seem impossible. See
surging gray water of Turnagain Arm. p. 342.
 THE BEST TIPS FOR COOKING SALMON 9

• Richardson Highway: Just out of • The Roads Around Nome: You can’t
Valdez heading north, the Richard- drive to Nome, but 250 miles of
son Highway rises quickly from sea gravel roads radiate from the Arctic
level to more than 2,600 feet, switch- community into tundra that’s popu-
ing back and forth on the side of a lated only by musk oxen, bears, rein-
mountain. With each turn, the drop deer, birds, and other wildlife. See
down the impassable slope becomes p. 453.
more amazing. North of Glennallen, • The Dalton Highway: When you’re
the highway rises again, bursting ready for an expedition—a real wilder-
through the tree line between a series ness trip by road—the Dalton High-
of mountains and tracing the edges of way leads from Fairbanks across
long alpine lakes, before descending, northern Alaska to the Arctic Ocean, a
parallel with the silver skein of the mind-blowing drive through 500
Alaska pipeline, to Delta Junction. miles of spectacular virgin country. See
See “The Richardson Highway & “The Dalton Highway” in chapter 10.
Copper Center,” in chapter 10.

5 The Best Fishing

The quality of salmon fishing in Alaska kings that there’s a special, higher
isn’t so much a function of place as of standard for what makes a trophy.
time. See p. 40 for information on how to Silvers and reds add to a mad, sum-
find the fish when you arrive. mer-long fishing frenzy. See p. 293.
• Bristol Bay: This is the world’s rich- • Homer: Alaska’s largest charter-fish-
est salmon fishery; lodges on the ing fleet goes for halibut ranging into
remote rivers of the region are an the hundreds of pounds. See p. 309.
angler’s paradise. See p. 42. • Unalaska: Beyond the road system,
• Copper River Delta, Cordova: The Unalaska has the biggest halibut. See
Copper itself is silty with glacial p. 443.
runoff, but feeder streams and rivers • Kodiak Island: The bears are so big
are rich with trout, Dolly Varden, here because they live on an island
and salmon, with few other anglers in that’s crammed with spawning
evidence. See p. 67. salmon in the summer. Kodiak has
• The Kenai River: The biggest king the best roadside salmon fishing in
salmon—up to 98 pounds—come Alaska, and the remote fishing, at
from the swift Kenai River. Big fish lodges or fly-in stream banks, is leg-
are so common in the second run of endary. See p. 434.

6 The Best Tips for Cooking Salmon

Now that you’ve caught a Pacific salmon, as it’s frozen. Eat as much as you can
you need to know how to cook it—or fresh, because it’ll never be better. Ask
order it in a restaurant—to avoid spoiling if the salmon is fresh when you order
the rich flavor. Tips for getting your fish it in a restaurant. Don’t overlook
home are on p. 311. smoking, the traditional Native way
• Freeze as Little as Possible: It’s a sad of preserving fish for the winter. See
fact that salmon loses some of its p. 311 for information on getting
richness and gets more “fishy” as soon your salmon frozen and smoked.
10 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ALASKA

• Choose the Best Fish: The best • Don’t Overcook It: Salmon should
restaurants advertise where their be cooked just until the moment the
salmon comes from on the menu. In meat changes color and becomes
early summer, Copper River kings flaky through to the bone, or slightly
and reds are the richest in flavor; later before. A minute more, and some of
in the summer, Yukon River salmon the texture and flavor are lost. That’s
are best. The oil in the salmon gives it why those huge barbecue salmon
the rich, meaty flavor; the fish from bakes often are not as good as they
the Copper and Yukon are high in oil should be—it’s too hard to cook hun-
content because the rivers are long dreds of pieces of fish just right and
and the fish need a lot of stored serve them all hot.
energy to swim upstream to spawn. • Fillets, Not Steaks: Salmon is cut
King, red, and silver salmon are the two ways in Alaska: lengthwise fillets
only species you should find in a or crosswise steaks. The fillet is cut
restaurant. Avoid farm-reared salmon, with the grain of the flesh, keeping
which is mushy and flavorless com- the oil and moisture in the fish. Do
pared with wild Alaska salmon. not remove the skin before cook-
• Keep It Simple: When ordering ing—it holds in the oils, and will fall
salmon or halibut in a restaurant, off easily when the fish is done. If you
avoid anything with cheese or heavy have a large group, consider cooking
sauces. When salmon is fresh, it’s best the salmon bone-in (sometimes called
with light seasoning, perhaps just a a roast), stuffing seasonings in the
little lemon, dill weed, and pepper body cavity. When it’s done, the skin
and salt, or basted with soy sauce; or easily peels off and, after eating the
without anything on it at all, grilled first side, you can effortlessly lift out
over alder coals. the skeleton.

7 The Best Bear Viewing

There are many places to see bears in • Katmai National Park: During the
Alaska, but if your goal is to make sure July and September salmon runs,
you see a bear—and potentially lots of dozens of giant brown bears congre-
bears—these are the best places: gate around Brooks Camp, where,
• Anan Wildlife Observatory: When from wooden platforms a few yards
the fish are running, you can see away, you can watch the full range of
many dozens of black bears feeding in their behaviors. Flight services from
a salmon stream from close at hand. Kodiak also bring guests at any time
Access is easiest from Wrangell. See of the summer to see bears dig clams
p. 123. on the park’s eastern seashore. See
• Pack Creek (Admiralty Island): The “Katmai National Park” and “Kodiak:
brown bears of the island, which is Wild Island” in chapter 11.
more thickly populated with them • Kodiak Island: The island’s incredi-
than anywhere else on earth, have ble salmon runs nourish the world’s
learned to ignore the daily visitors largest bears, Kodiak brown bears;
who stand on the platforms at Pack pilots know where to find them week
Creek. Access is by air from Juneau. to week, landing floatplanes as near as
See p. 169. possible. See p. 434.
 T H E B E S T E N C O U N T E R S W I T H N A T I V E C U LT U R E 11

• Denali National Park: The park park road as far as the Eielson Visitor
offers the best and least expensive Center usually see at least some griz-
wildlife-viewing safari in the state. zlies. See chapter 9.
Passengers on the buses that drive the

8 The Best Marine Mammal Viewing

You’ve got a good chance of seeing marine • Sitka Sound: Lots of otters and
mammals almost anywhere you go boat- humpback whales show up in the
ing in Alaska, but in some places it’s waters near Sitka. In fall, when the
almost guaranteed. town holds its Whale Fest, you can
• Frederick Sound (Petersburg): A spot them from a city park built for
humpback jumped right into the the purpose. See “Sitka: Rich Prize of
boat with whale-watchers here in Russian Conquest” in chapter 6.
1995. The whales show up reliably • Kenai Fjords National Park (near
for feeding each summer. Small boats Seward): You don’t have to go all the
from Petersburg have no trouble way into the park—you’re pretty well
finding them and watching in inti- assured of sea otters and sea lions in
mate circumstances. See p. 132. Resurrection Bay, near Seward, and
• Icy Strait (Gustavus) and Bartlett humpbacks and killer whales are
Cove (Glacier Bay National Park): often seen in the summer, too. See
Humpback whales show up and “Kenai Fjords National Park” in
often orcas are present off Point chapter 8.
Adolphus, in Icy Strait, just a few • Prince William Sound: Otters, seals,
miles from little Gustavus, a town of and sea lions are easy—you’ll see
luxurious country inns, and in them on most trips out of Valdez,
Bartlett Cove within Glacier Bay Whittier, or Cordova—but you also
National Park. See “Glacier Bay have a chance of spotting both
National Park” and “Gustavus: humpback and killer whales in the
Country Inns & Quiet” in chapter 6. Sound. See chapter 8.

9 The Best Encounters with Native Culture

• Ketchikan Totem Poles: This Tlingit • Alaska Native Heritage Center
homeland has three unique places to (Anchorage): All of Alaska’s Native
see totem poles: historic poles indoors groups joined together to build this
at the Totem Heritage Center, faithful grand living museum and gathering
reproductions outdoors in a natural place, where dance and music per-
setting at Totem Bight State Park, and formances, storytelling, art and craft
brand new poles as they are created in demonstrations, and simple meetings
a workshop at the Saxman Native Vil- of people happen every day. See p. 234.
lage Totem Pole Park. See p. 106. • Iñupiat Heritage Center (Barrow):
• Sitka: The Tlingit remain strong A living museum, this is a place to
where they met Russian invaders in meet and enjoy performances by the
fierce battles 2 centuries ago. The Native people who built it, and to see
totem poles and ancient Native art extraordinary artifacts they have
you can see here are second to none, made and recovered from digs in
and the setting makes them only more frozen ground. See p. 460.
impressive. See section 5 of chapter 6.
12 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ALASKA

10 The Best Museums & Historic Sites

• Sitka National Historic Park: The and to showcase contemporary
historic park, its buildings, and other Alaskan art and culture. See p. 232.
structures in Sitka keep alive an alter- • The Pratt Museum (Homer): The
nate stream in history: one in which a Pratt explains natural history (espe-
European czar ruled Alaska and this cially the life of the ocean) in a clear
little town was one of the most and intimate way you’ll find nowhere
important on the west coast of North else in Alaska. See p. 306.
America. See p. 139. • UA Museum of the North (Fair-
• The Alaska State Museum (Juneau): banks): This university museum is
This richly endowed museum doesn’t undergoing a spectacular renovation,
just show off its wealth of objects—it with a swooping new gallery to pres-
also uses them to teach about the ent Alaska’s art due for completion
state. A visit will put Alaska’s Native before the 2006 season. Its existing
cultures and pioneer history entirely gallery contained an extraordinary
in context. See p. 154. natural history collection, presented
• Anchorage Museum of History and with the help of some of the world’s
Art: Alaska’s largest museum has the top scientists on Alaskan subjects. See
room and expertise to tell the story of p. 389.
Native and white history in Alaska,

11 The Best Winter Destinations

• Anchorage: Anyone can enjoy the resort has lots of activities to get you
Fur Rendezvous and Iditarod sled out into the snowy countryside, or
dog races, which keep a winter-car- you can just relax in the hot mineral
nival atmosphere going through springs. See p. 409.
much of February and March, but • Sitka: Much of historic Sitka is as
winter sports enthusiasts get the available in winter as at any other
most out of winter here. The city has time of year, but with fewer crowds
some of the best Nordic and tele- and lower prices. The humpback
mark skiing anywhere, close access whale-watching is exceptional in the
to three downhill skiing areas, dog late fall and early winter, as the
mushing, and groomed lake skating. whales stop off here on their migra-
See chapter 7. tion. See “Sitka: Rich Prize of Russian
• Alyeska Resort (Girdwood): Alaska’s Conquest” in chapter 6.
premier downhill skiing area has lots • Barrow: Go to the shore of the
of snow over a long season, fantastic frozen Arctic Ocean and you have a
views, few lift lines, and a luxurious chance to experience the most
hotel. See “The Best Hotels,” below, extreme winter conditions in the
and p. 253. world. It’s dark for 65 days except for
• Chena Hot Springs Resort: A 90- the aurora blasting across the sky.
minute ride from Fairbanks and There’s not much to do, but you
you’re out in the country, where the could run into a polar bear in the
northern lights are clear on a starry street. See “Barrow: Way North” in
winter afternoon and night. The chapter 11.
 T H E B E S T H OT E L S 13

12 The Strangest Community Events

• Cordova Ice Worm Festival (Cor- • Pillar Mountain Golf Classic
dova): The truth is, ice worms do (Kodiak): The course is 1 hole, par is
exist. Really. This winter carnival cel- 70, and elevation gain is 1,400 feet.
ebrates them in February. The high- Having a spotter in the deep snow of
light is the traditional annual march late March is helpful, but use of two-
of the ice worm (a costume with way radios, dogs, and chain saws is
dozens of feet sticking out) down the prohibited. Also, there’s no cutting
main street. See p. 330. down of power poles, and cursing
• Midnight Sun Baseball Game (Fair- tournament officials carries a $25
banks): 2006 will mark the centen- fine. See p. 436.
nial playing of a baseball game • Tea-Making Contest (Barrow): Part
without lights that doesn’t begin until of the April Piuraagiaqt festival, the
10:30pm, on the longest day of the contest sets couples against each
year. See p. 26. other in a race to set up a camp stove,
• Bering Sea Ice Golf Classic (Nome): gather a piece of ice, and brew a good
The greens are AstroTurf, as the sea ice cup of tea. Or the community may
won’t support a decent lawn in mid- have come up with some other silly
March. Hook a drive and you could contest this year. See p. 460.
end up spending hours wandering • Mountain Mother Contest (Tal-
among the pressure ridges, but you keetna): In this event in the July
must play the ball as it lies. See p. 452. Moose Dropping Festival, mothers
• Polar Bear Swim (Nome): This swim compete in a test of Bush skills,
in the frigid Bering Sea takes place in including splitting wood, carrying
late June, but only if the sea ice has water, and diapering a baby. See
opened up sufficiently to provide p. 372.
enough liquid water. See p. 452.

13 The Best Hotels

• Westcoast Cape Fox Lodge (Ketch- with a heavy nautical theme, teak
ikan; & 800/325-4000): Standing in paneling, and every possible amenity.
its own little forest atop a rocky It remains the state’s standard of serv-
promontory that dominates down- ice and luxury. See p. 214.
town Ketchikan, this cleanly luxuri- • Alyeska Prince Hotel (Girdwood;
ous hotel has the feel of a mountain & 800/880-3880): The first sight of
lodge or resort. A funicular tram car- this ski resort hotel—designed in a
ries visitors to the Creek Street board- château style and standing in an unde-
walks, or you can take the wooded veloped mountain valley—will make
cliffk-side path. The rooms and com- you catch your breath. Wait till you
mon areas, accented with master- get inside and see the starscape and
pieces of Tlingit art, have exceptional polar bear diorama in the lobby
views of the city and Tongass Nar- atrium, or the saltwater swimming
rows through the trees. See p. 111. pool, with its high-beamed ceiling and
• Hotel Captain Cook (Anchorage; windows, looking out on the moun-
& 800/843-1950): This is the grand tain. A tram carries skiers and diners
old hotel of downtown Anchorage, to the mountaintop. See p. 253.
14 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF ALASKA

• Land’s End Resort (Homer; & 800/ • Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Con-
478-0400): It’s the location: right on ference Center (Fairbanks; & 800/
the end of Homer Spit, 5 miles out in 544-0970): A tower rises over the flat
the middle of Kachemak Bay, where river city of Fairbanks, a stylish and
you can fish for salmon from the charming new wing of the city’s old-
beach right in front of your room, or est modern hotel. The owners, the
watch otters drifting by. The hotel Holland America cruise line, demol-
itself is excellent, too, with a tremen- ished much of the original building,
dous variety of rooms, some extraor- leaping decades from the past to just
dinarily luxurious, and a complete a little into the future. See p. 398.
spa. See p. 314.

14 The Best Websites

Many useful websites are listed through- • www.gi.alaska.edu. The Geophysi-
out the book; some of the best are under cal Institute at the University of
“Visitor Information” near the beginning Alaska Fairbanks maintains a fasci-
of each town section. nating and cool site filled with real-
• www.trollart.com. Ketchikan artist time earth science information about
Ray Troll has created a website that car- Alaska, such as aurora predictions,
ries you deep into his mind, which is volcano watches, earthquake and
full of odd and resonant humor about tsunami updates, rocketry, and space
the evolution of fish, man, and our science.
common relations. His vibrantly col- • www.wohlforth.net. A bit of self-
ored art makes it an aesthetic journey. promotion here, but readers can get
• www.alaska.gov/adfg. The Alaska something out of it. I answer reader
Department of Fish and Game posts questions on a discussion board on
valuable information for anyone my own website. Read answers to
interested in fishing, hunting, wild- scores of other readers’ questions and,
life watching, or just learning about if you like, ask your own. I supply
creatures. Everyone from children to answers on the entirely free service as
wildlife biologists will find something soon as I have time. You will also find
at his or her level. links to many of the establishments
• www.alaska.com. Operated by Alas- listed in this book, and some of my
ka’s largest newspaper, the Anchorage other writings on Alaska and other
Daily News, this site is so full of infor- subjects.
mation for visitors that it’s a bit over- • Favorite Small-Town Sites: Small-
whelming. Look here for a deep mine town Alaska newspapers, and people in
of information from an authoritative communities too small to have a news-
source. paper, are communicating through the
• www.awrta.org. The Alaska Wilder- Internet; visitors to these sites can vic-
ness Recreation and Tourism Associa- ariously experience the pleasures and
tion unites hundreds of small pitfalls of remote living, which can be
eco-tourism operators. Authentic touching and hilarious. The best I’ve
local guides and lodges can be hard to found are: Seldovia’s www.seldovia.
find, but they are listed here on a com; Nome’s www.nomenugget.com;
comprehensive and easy to use site. and Kotzebue’s www.cityofkotzebue.
com.
 2
Planning Your Trip to Alaska
P lanning a trip to Alaska can be a bit more complicated than getting ready to travel
in the rest of the United States. Aside from the vast distances and range of climatic
conditions, the best places book up quickly for the high summer season. This chapter
provides general orientation information, then covers when and how to plan a trip to
Alaska, including the best outdoor activities and places and the businesses to get you
there. I’ve also included primers on fishing and shopping for Alaska Native art.

1 The Regions in Brief

SOUTHEAST ALASKA The South- 800,000 visitors flood into Southeast
east Panhandle is the relatively narrow annually aboard cruise ships, jamming
strip of mountains and islands lying the little towns all summer. The weather
between Canada and the Gulf of Alaska. is wet and temperate.
To Alaskans, it’s Southeast, but to the rest SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA As a
of the country, it’s more like the north- region, Southcentral is something of a
ernmost extension of the lush Pacific catchall. The area is roughly defined by
Northwest. This is a land of huge rainfor- the arc of the Gulf of Alaska from the
est trees, glacier-garbed mountains, and Canadian border on the east to Cook
countless islands ranging in size from the Inlet and the end of the road network to
nation’s third largest to tiny, one-tree the west. It’s a microcosm of the state,
islets strewn like confetti along the chan- containing Prince William Sound,
nels and fjords. The water is the highway which is similar to the wooded island
of Southeast Alaska, as the land is gener- habitat of Southeast; the Kenai Penin-
ally too steep and rugged to build roads, sula, a fishing, boating, and outdoor
but there are lots of towns and villages mecca with roads; Anchorage, the state’s
reachable by the ferry system or cruise modern, major city; and the Matanuska
ships. Southeast contains Juneau, and Susitna valleys, an agricultural and
Alaska’s capital and third-largest city, and suburban region of broad flatlands
Ketchikan, next in size to Juneau. South- between steep mountains. Southcentral
east’s towns are as quaint and historic as dominates Alaska, with most of the state’s
any in Alaska, especially Sitka, which population and a more highly developed
preserves the story of Russian America transportation system than elsewhere,
and its conflict with the indigenous including a network of highways and the
Native people. Alaska Native culture— Alaska Railroad. The ocean influences
here, Tlingit and Haida—is rich and Southcentral’s weather, keeping it from
close at hand. No other region offers being very hot or very cold. The coastal
more opportunities for boating or seeing areas are wet, while just behind the
marine wildlife. Likewise, no other region coastal mountains the weather is drier.
is as crowded with tourists. About
16 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

Alaska by the Numbers

This chart shows some comparative indicators for 17 of Alaska’s most popular
destinations. The third column is the best season to visit—months during at
least part of which there’s enough going on and weather is suitable (that
includes weather that’s good for winter sports). The fourth column lists modes
of transportation to each community—in Alaska you can’t drive everywhere.
Place Population Season Transportation Precip. Snow
(in.) (in.)
Anchorage 274,003 May–Sept/ Road, air, rail 16 71
Jan–Mar
Barrow 4,417 June–Aug Air 4.5 30
Cordova 2,372 May–Sept Air, ferry 93 119
Denali 133 June–Sept Road, rail 15 83
National Park
Fairbanks 82,214 May–Sept/ Road, air, rail 11 68
Jan–Mar
Glacier Bay 438 May–Sept Air, boat 70 117
National Park
Haines 1,715 May–Sept/ Road, ferry, air 48 123
Nov
Homer 4,893 May–Sept Road, air, ferry 25 55
Juneau 31,283 May–Sept Air, ferry 56 99
Kenai 7,125 May–Sept Road, air 19 61
Ketchikan 13,548 May–Sept Air, ferry 151 37
Kodiak Island 13,811 May–Sept Air, ferry 76 73
Kotzebue 3,076 June–Aug Air 9.5 50
Nome 3,448 June–Aug/ Air 16 61
Mar
Petersburg 3,060 May–Sept Air, ferry 110 67
Seward 2,733 May–Sept Road, rail, ferry 66 81
Sitka 8,891 May–Sept/ Air, ferry 86 39
Nov
Skagway 845 May–Sept Road, ferry, air 26 50
Unalaska/ 4,388 June–Sept Air, ferry 60 88
Dutch Harbor
Valdez 4,060 May–Sept Road, air, ferry 62 304

THE INTERIOR The vast central part lie between great mountain ranges, the
of the state is crossed by highways and by largest of which are the Alaska Range,
rivers that act as highways. Big river valleys which contains Mount McKinley, North
 V I S I TO R I N F O R M AT I O N 17

America’s tallest peak, and the Brooks the part of the state that’s closer to the
Range, the northern end of the cordillera wilderness than to civilization. It’s also the
that includes the Rockies. McKinley is the only part of the state where Native people
centerpiece of Denali National Park, outnumber whites and other relative new-
Alaska’s premier road-accessible wildlife- comers. In many Bush villages, readily
viewing destination. The region’s dominant accessible to the outside world only by
city is Fairbanks, Alaska’s second largest, small plane, people still live according to
which lies on the lazy Chena River, roughly age-old subsistence hunting-and-gathering
in the middle of the state. The natural envi- traditions. The Bush region includes the
ronment is drier and less abundant than majority of Alaska outside the road and
that in Southeast or Southcentral. The ferry networks, ranging from the north
Athabaskans, the Interior’s first people, still end of the Canadian border all the way
subsist on this sparse land in tiny villages around the coast, out to the Aleutians, and
and river fish camps. Summer days can be the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island,
hot and winters very cold in the Interior, south of Anchorage. But some towns in
because of the distance from the ocean. each of the other regions also could be
THE BUSH Bush Alaska is linked by called “Bush villages.” The Bush contains
lifestyle rather than by geography. One many regions, including the Arctic,
good definition would be that the Bush is Northwest, and Southwest Alaska.

2 Visitor Information
The Alaska Travel Industry Associa- government lands, which include some
tion, 2600 Cordova St., Suite 201, 85% of the state. The centers, located in
Anchorage, AK 99503 (& 907/929-2842; Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, and Tok,
www.travelalaska.com), is the state’s offi- are operated cooperatively by many land
cial visitor agency. It sends out printed agencies, including the National Park Ser-
information, but refers questions to visi- vice and U.S. Forest Service. The Anchor-
tor bureaus in individual towns. The age center is at 605 W. 4th Ave., Suite 105,
largest of these is the Anchorage Conven- Anchorage, AK 99501 (& 907/271-2737;
tion and Visitor Bureau (p. 211). www.nps.gov/aplic); the Fairbanks center is
For outdoor recreation, the Alaska at 250 Cushman St., Suite 1A, Fairbanks,
Public Lands Information Centers are AK 99701 (& 907/456-0527).
centralized sources of information on all

Tips Questions, Anyone?

If you can’t find the answers you are looking for in this book, check out my per-
sonal website, at www.wohlforth.net, where I post and respond to reader ques-
tions and comments on travel experiences (specific questions please, not “What
should I do on my vacation?”). Reader feedback through the site plays a deci-
sive part in my coverage, pointing out knowledge gaps, showing preferences,
and highlighting problems. You will also find some of my other writings about
Alaska on the website, links to many of the businesses and agencies in the book,
and information about my book, The Whale and the Supercomputer; On the
Northern Front of Climate Change (North Point Press, $14), which is about the
adventures of Eskimos and scientists dealing with the warming of the Arctic.
18 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

Native Art: Finding the Real Thing

In a gift shop in Southeast Alaska, I watched as a woman who said she was
an artist’s assistant sanded a Tlingit-style carving. When I asked who made
the carving, the artist said, “It’s my work.” At the time, that seemed like an
odd way of putting it. Only later did I learn from one of the artist’s former
assistants that his “work” involved ordering the carvings from Southeast
Asia and shipping them to Alaska, where he hired locals to pretend to be
working on them in the shop. Journalists have repeatedly documented
shops fraudulently removing “Made in Taiwan” stickers and the like, and
replacing them with “Made in Alaska.” One journalist found a whole village
in Bali carving Alaska Native designs out of ivory, whalebone, and other
materials sent from Alaska.
Good estimates don’t exist of the amount of counterfeit Alaska Native art
sold annually, but authorities have put it close to $100 million. That’s money
taken from Alaska Bush economies where jobs in the cash economy are vir-
tually nonexistent and prices for essentials such as fuel and housing are
astronomical. Buying fake Native art is cultural and financial theft from sub-
sistence hunters and fishermen who can least afford it. And besides, who
wants to come home with an Eskimo mask made in Bali?
You can avoid being scammed if you pay attention. Ask questions before
you buy. Any reputable art dealer will provide you with a biography of the
artist who created an expensive work. Ask specifically if that artist actually
carved the piece: Some Native artists have sold their names and designs to
wholesalers who produce knockoffs. Price is another tip-off. An elaborate
mask is more likely to cost $1,000 than $100. Another indicator is the choice

3 Money
Alaska is an expensive destination any $100 in a fine restaurant, plus tip. One
way you slice it. With the exception of reason cruise ships have become such a
out-of-the-way spots, standard motel popular way to visit Alaska is that, for the
rooms are rarely less than $110 in the same quality level, they’re less expensive
high season, and usually over $125. Air- on a daily basis than independent travel,
fare from Seattle to Anchorage fluctuates and offer the chance to see remote coastal
wildly with competition among the air- areas that can be quite costly to get to for
lines, but a $300 round-trip, with 14-day land-based visitors. (See chapter 5 for
advance purchase, is a good deal. (Flying details on cruising.)
is cheaper than the alternatives, driving or To travel at a standard American com-
taking the ferry and bus.) You can easily fort level, a couple should allow $120 per
pay twice that to fly to an Alaska Bush person, per day, for room and board. The
community. Even the train is expensive, cost of an activity such as flightseeing,
with a one-way fare from Anchorage to wildlife cruises, or guided fishing typi-
Fairbanks (a 350-mile trip) costing $179. cally is $75 to $250 per person. Add
A couple ordering a good salmon din- ground transportation: a car is the best
ner, appetizers, and wine will likely pay way to see much of the state, and you
 MONEY 19

of materials; most soapstone carvings are not made in Alaska. Even less
expensive craftwork should bear the name of the person who made it, and
the shop owner should be able to tell you how he or she acquired the item.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts (& 907/269-6610) authenticates
Native arts and crafts with a silver hand label, which assures you it was made
by the hands of an Alaska Native with Alaskan materials. But the program
isn’t universally used, so the absence of the label doesn’t mean the work def-
initely isn’t authentic. Other labels aren’t worth much: An item could say
alaska made even if only insignificant assembly work happened here. Of
course, in Bush Alaska and in some urban shops, you can buy authentic work
directly from craftspeople. Buying in Native-owned co-ops is also safe.
Another program covers any item made within the state, both Native and
non-Native. The logo of a mother bear and cub (www.madeinalaska.org/mia)
indicates that a state contractor has determined that the product was made
in Alaska, when possible with Alaskan materials. Non-Natives produce
Alaskan crafts of ceramics, wood, or fabric, but not plastic—if it’s plastic, it
probably wasn’t made here. Again, price is an indicator: As with anywhere
else in the United States, the cheapest products come from Asia.
You can learn about and buy authentic Alaska Native art from a website
made by and for Native people, at www.alaskanativeartists.com. Even if you
don’t buy anything from the site, taking a look will give you an idea of what
real Native art looks like and how much it should cost, so you can be a bet-
ter shopper when you get to Alaska.

won’t do much better than $50 a day for two for $35, with a tip and a glass of beer.
an economy model from the major Traveling in that style will bring down the
national firms, although you can save cost of room and board to about $90 per
with an unknown company. Weekly person, per day, for a couple.
rentals generally cost the same as renting You can save the most money by giving
for 5 individual days. You also may need up a private room every night and cook-
train and ferry tickets. ing some of your own meals. Camping is
You can trim your costs, however, by a fun way to really see Alaska and costs
cutting your demands. You’ll learn more only $10 to $15 a night in state and fed-
about the real Alaska staying in B&B eral government campgrounds. Hostels
accommodations than in a standard hotel are available in most towns for around
room. Expect to pay $90 to $110 for a $20 a night.
nice room with a shared bathroom, $100 Don’t economize, however, when it
to $130 for a private bathroom (much comes to activities. Unlike other destina-
more in a luxury B&B inn). The free tions where relatively inexpensive muse-
breakfast cuts down on food costs, too. ums or an interesting street scene take up
And there are plenty of family restaurants much of your time, a trip to Alaska is all
where you can eat a modest dinner for about getting outside and seeing nature.
20 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

You can hike for nothing, but to go sea Carrying your money need not be a
kayaking, whale-watching, or flying out problem, regardless of your style of travel;
to see bears or to fish in a remote stream, those from the United States don’t need
you have to pay. Cut those expenses and to make any adjustments in their usual
you cut much of the reason for going in habits. Even Bush hub communities now
the first place. have ATMs. The only places that don’t
You can save on activities, however, by usually have ATMs these days are remote
traveling in the shoulder season, before and outdoor destinations such as lodges or
after the peak summer season. Hotel and parks and tiny Native villages. In the
guided activity prices drop significantly, “Fast Facts” section for each town in this
typically 25% or more. May and Septem- book, I’ll tell you where to find an ATM.
ber are solidly in the shoulder season, and Every business you’d expect to take
sometimes you get bargains as late as June credit, charge, or debit cards at home will
15 or as early as August 15. Traveling in the accept them here. Even bed-and-break-
winter is a whole different experience, but fasts and greasy-spoon diners usually take
certainly saves a lot of money—where cards now. Few businesses of any kind
hotels are open, you’ll find their rates typi- will take an out-of-state personal check.
cally running half of their high-season lev- Traveler’s checks are good just about any-
els. For other considerations on off-season where, but there’s no longer any reason to
and shoulder-season travel, see “When to go through the hassle and expense.
Go,” below.

4 When to Go
CLIMATE & SEASONS refuses to set, the salmon run upriver, and
The weather in Alaska can be extreme people are energized by limitless daylight.
and unpredictable. The state is the first to The sun dips below the horizon in
get whatever Arctic Siberia or the void of Anchorage for only about 4 hours on
the North Pacific have to throw at North June 21, the longest day of the year, and
America. The extremes of recorded tem- the sky is light all night. The state fills
peratures are a high of 100°F (38°C) and with people coming to visit and to work
low of –80°F (–62°C). At any time of in the seasonal fishing, timber, and con-
year your vacation could be enlivened by struction industries. Weather gets
weeks of unbroken sunny weather or warmer, although how warm depends on
weighed down by weeks of unbroken where you go (see the chart below). June
rain. All you can do is play the averages, is the driest of the summer months, July
hope for the best, and, if you do get bad the warmest, and August generally the
weather, get out and have fun anyway— rainiest month of the brief summer, but
that’s what Alaskans do. A statistical sum- warmer than June. In most respects, June
mary of weather probabilities in various is the best summer month to make a visit,
Alaska places is found below in “Alaska’s but it does have some drawbacks to con-
Climate, by Months & Regions.” I’ve sider: In the Arctic, snow can linger until
summarized the best visitor season in mid-June; in Southcentral Alaska, trails at
each destination in “Alaska by the Num- high elevations or in the shade may be
bers,” above. too muddy or snowy; and not all activi-
JUNE, JULY & AUGUST Summer in ties or facilities at Denali National Park
Alaska is a miraculous time, when the sun open until late June. It’s also the worst
time for mosquitoes.
 W H E N TO G O 21

Alaska’s Climate, by Months & Regions

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Anchorage: Southcentral Alaska
Average high** 21/-6 26/-3 33/1 44/7 55/13 62/17 65/18 63/17 55/13 40/4 28/-2 22/-6
Average low** 8/-13 11/-12 17/-8 29/-2 39/4 47/8 51/11 49/9 41/5 28/-2 16/-9 10/-12
Hours of light* 6:53 9:41 12:22 15:20 18:00 19:22 18:00 15:15 12:19 9:29 6:46 5:27
Sunny days† 12 10 13 12 11 10 9 9 9 10 10 10
Rainy or snowy days 8 8 8 6 7 8 11 13 14 12 10 11
Precipitation‡ 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.7 1.0 1.9 2.7 2.6 1.9 1.1 1.1
Barrow: Arctic Alaska
Average high** 8/-13 -12/-24 -8/-22 6/-14 25/-4 39/4 46/8 43/6 34/1 20/-7 5/-15 -6/-21
Average low** -20/-29-24/-31-21/-29 -8/-22 15/-9 30/-1 34/1 34/1 27/-3 10/-12 -6/-21 -17/-27
Hours of light* 0:00 8:05 12:33 17:43 24:00 24:00 24:00 17:34 12:30 7:46 0:00 0:00
Sunny days† 7 18 21 18 8 9 11 5 4 6 8 4
Rainy or snowy days 4 4 4 4 4 5 9 11 11 11 6 5
Precipitation‡ 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.9 1.0 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.2
Cold Bay: Aleutian Archipelago
Average high** 33/1 32/0 35/2 38/3 45/7 50/10 55/13 56/13 52/11 44/7 39/4 35/2
Average low** 24/-4 23/-5 25/-4 29/-2 35/2 41/5 46/8 47/8 43/6 35/2 30/-1 27/-3
Hours of light* 8:05 10:10 12:17 14:36 16:32 17:25 16:33 14:34 12:17 10:04 8:01 7:08
Sunny days† 8 6 8 4 3 3 3 2 4 6 6 7
Rainy or snowy days 19 17 18 16 17 16 17 20 21 23 22 21
Precipitation‡ 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.3 2.4 3.7 4.3 4.2 4.2 3.3
Fairbanks: Interior Alaska
Average high** -2/-18 8/-13 24/-4 42/6 60/16 71/22 73/23 66/19 55/13 32/0 11/-12 1/-17
Average low** -19/-28-15/-26 -2/-19 20/-7 38/3 52/11 52/11 47/8 36/2 17/-8 -5/-21 -16/-27
Hours of light* 5:46 9:14 12:22 15:54 19:22 21:48 19:26 15:52 12:24 9:04 5:39 3:43
Sunny days† 15 14 17 14 16 13 12 10 10 9 12 12
Rainy or snowy days 8 7 6 5 7 11 12 12 10 11 11 9
Precipitation‡ 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.6 1.4 1.8 1.8 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.8
Juneau: Southeast Alaska
Average high** 29/-2 34/1 39/4 48/9 55/13 62/17 64/18 63/17 56/13 47/8 37/3 32/0
Average low** 18/-8 23/-5 27/-3 32/0 39/4 45/7 48/9 48/9 43/6 37/3 28/-2 23/-5
Hours of light* 7:31 9:55 12:18 14:55 17:11 18:17 17:13 14:54 12:20 9:49 7:27 6:22
Sunny days† 8 7 7 8 8 8 8 9 6 4 6 5
Rainy or snowy days 18 17 18 17 17 15 17 17 20 24 20 21
Precipitation‡ 4.3 3.9 3.5 2.9 3.5 3.1 4.2 5.3 7.2 7.8 5.4 5.1
Valdez: Prince William Sound
Average high** 27/-3 30/-1 37/3 45/7 53/12 60/16 63/17 61/16 54/12 43/6 33/1 29/-2
Average low** 18/-8 19/-7 24/-4 31/-1 39/4 45/7 48/9 46/8 41/5 33/1 23/-5 19/-7
Hours of light* 6:54 9:41 12:22 15:19 17:58 19:20 17:57 15:14 12:20 9:30 6:48 5:29
Sunny days† 9 9 11 11 9 8 8 10 8 8 10 7
Rainy or snowy days 17 14 16 14 17 15 17 17 20 20 16 18
Precipitation‡ 5.7 5.5 4.7 3.2 3.2 2.8 3.6 6.5 9.3 7.9 5.7 7.6

*Hours of light is sunrise to sunset on the 21st day of each month.

**All temperatures are given in degrees Fahrenheit first, with degrees Celsius after the slash.
†Sunny days include the average observed clear and partly cloudy days per month.
‡Precipitation is the average water equivalent of rain or snow.
22 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

Summer also is the season of high 1, and the towns they visit swing into
prices. Most operators in the visitor action when they arrive.
industry have only these 90 days to make Sometime between late August and
their year’s income, and they charge mid-September, weather patterns change,
whatever the market will bear. July is the bringing clouds, frequent rainstorms, and
absolute peak of the tourist season, when cooling weather, and signaling the trees
you must book well ahead and when and tundra to turn bright, vivid colors.
crowds are most prevalent. (Of course, For a week or two (what week it is
crowding depends on where you are. depends on your latitude), the bright yel-
With a population density of roughly one low birches of the boreal forest and the
person per square mile, Alaska is never rich red of the heathery tundra make Sep-
really crowded.) Before June 15 and after tember the loveliest time of year. But the
August 15, the flow of visitors relaxes, rain and the nip in the air, similar to late
providing occasional bargains and more October or November in New England,
elbow room. Real off-season prices show mean you’ll likely have to bundle up; and
up before Memorial Day and after Labor September is among the wettest months
Day. But the length and intensity of the of the year. Most tourist-oriented busi-
visitor season varies widely in different nesses stay open, with lower prices, till
areas: In cruise-ship ports, it’s busy from September 15, except in the Arctic. After
chilly early May into stormy October. September 15, it’s potluck. Some areas
MAY & SEPTEMBER More and close up tight, but the silver salmon fish-
more visitors are coming to Alaska during ing is still active on the Kenai Peninsula,
these “shoulder months” to take advan- and the season there continues until the
tage of the lower prices, reduced crowds, end of the month. A lucky visitor can
and special beauty. come in September and hit a month of
May is the drier of the 2 months and crisp, sunny, perfect weather, and have
can be as warm as summer if you’re lucky, the state relatively to him- or herself. Or,
but as you travel farther north and earlier it can be cold and rainy all month. Cruise
in the month, your chances of finding ships continue to ply the Inside Passage
cold, mud, and even snow increase. In well into October, while the sky dumps
Alaska, there is no spring—the melt of torrential rains: Ketchikan averages 22
snow and resultant seas of mud are called inches and 24 rainy days in October.
breakup. Flowers show up with the start OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, APRIL I
of summer. Many outdoor activities aren’t always love Alaska, but I love it least dur-
possible during breakup, which can ing these transition months between win-
extend well into May. Except in cruise- ter and summer. From Southcentral
ship towns, most tourist-oriented activi- Alaska northward, snow and ice arrive
ties and facilities are still closed before sometime in October; in Southeast
May 15, and a few don’t open until Alaska, it is the month of cold, unending
Memorial Day or June 1. Where visitor rain. Winter starts in November, but you
facilities are open, they often have signif- can’t count on being able to do winter
icantly lower prices. Also, the first visitors sports. April is a month of waiting, as
of the year usually receive an especially winter sports come to an end and sum-
warm welcome. The very earliest salmon mer activities are blocked by melt and
runs start in May, but for a fishing-ori- mud. In-town activities are down in these
ented trip it’s better to come later in the months, too; with few visitors, many
summer. Cruise ships begin calling May facilities are closed.
 W H E N TO G O 23

DECEMBER THROUGH MARCH SUMMER You’re not going to the

Winter is the whole point of Alaska. For North Pole, and you don’t need a down
sightseeing, the scenery is at its best parka or winter boots weighing down
(although there are far fewer wildlife view- your luggage. But you do need to be ready
ing opportunities). This is the time to see for a variety of weather, from sunny, 80°F
the aurora borealis. Communities get (27°C) days to windy, rainy 50°F (10°C)
busy with activities such as sled dog and outings on the water. The way Alaskans
snowmobile races, theater, music and prepare for such a range is with layers. The
other performing arts, ice carving compe- content of the layers depends on what
titions and winter carnivals, and all the you’ll be doing, but everyone should bring
rest of the real local culture that takes a at least this: warm-weather clothes, heavy
break in the summer, when most visitors long-sleeved shirts and pants, a wool
come. If you enjoy winter and its outdoor sweater or fleece equivalent, a jacket, and
activities, an Alaska visit is paradise, with a waterproof raincoat and rain pants.
superb downhill, cross-country, and back- Gloves and wool hats are a good idea, too,
country skiing; snowshoeing; snowmobil- especially for boating trips. If you’ll be
ing; dog mushing; ice skating—anything camping, add synthetic thermal long
that can be done on snow and ice. underwear and wool socks and make your
By far the best time to come is late win- jacket thick synthetic fleece. Combining
ter, from February 1 through mid-March, these items, you’ll be ready for any sum-
when the sun is up longer and winter mer conditions. For hiking, bring sturdy
activities hit their peak. Anchorage’s Fur shoes or cross trainers.
Rendezvous is in February, the Iditarod WINTER You can be warm and com-
Sled Dog Race is in March. Visiting in fortable no matter how cold it is. Once
late March could mean thin snow at lower you know how to dress, winter is not a
elevations for cross-country skiing, but time of suffering, and the world of snow
downhill skiing and skiing at backcountry opens up to you. First, what not to wear:
locations keep going strong (at Alyeska People don’t wear heavy Arctic gear in
Resort, south of Anchorage, some skiing town, even in the Arctic. To make the
goes on through Memorial Day). dash from car to heated building, all you
If you come in winter, you sacrifice need is a greatcoat, sweater, hat, gloves,
some popular Alaska experiences. Some and wool socks. For outdoor pursuits,
tourism-oriented towns such as Skagway what to wear depends on how active you
close down almost completely. In places will be. The key to warmth and safety
on the ocean, most activities and attrac- during vigorous outdoor activities is to
tions are closed for the season, but serv- wear layers of breathable clothing that
ices remain open for business travelers. will stay warm when wet, such as wool or
Inland, where winter sports are better, synthetics. With the following layers, you
there is more to do. Hotel prices are often can be ready for temperatures well below
less than half of what you’d pay in the zero (at which point you won’t want to
high season. Quite luxurious rooms ski or skate anyway): synthetic thermal
sometimes go for the cost of a budget long underwear, synthetic fleece pants
motel. and coat, wool sweater, wind-resistant
WHAT TO WEAR pants and jacket, wool socks and hat,
You’ll find little use for a tie or any formal warm boots with liners or covers, and
attire anywhere in Alaska, but you do lined mittens. Remove layers for warmer
need to prepare for broad swings in temperatures. For more sedentary out-
weather. door activities, such as watching the
24 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

Moments Only-in-Alaska Events

By the end of the winter, sports in Alaska can get extreme. The Arctic Man
Ski & Sno-Go Classic (& 907/456-2626; www.arcticman.com) sounds insane
just in the description: a skier goes straight down a steep 1,700-foot slope,
then grabs a rope to be pulled up the next slope by a snowmobile going as
fast as 88 mph, then skis down the next, 1,200-foot slope. Thousands of
spectators build a hard-partying city of RVs and snowmobiles in the remote,
treeless hills of the Alaska Range near Summit Lake on the Richardson High-
way. The event will be held from April 5 to 9, 2006.
Muscle-powered sports also have big late winter events, including the
50km Tour of Anchorage Nordic ski race (& 907/276-7609; www.tourof
anchorage.com), which winds its way from one side of the city to the other
on a Sunday in early March. With as many as 1,800 racers, it has become a
major community happening and draws elite skiers, kids, and grandmoth-
ers. I ski it every year. Other towns around Alaska have started their own ski
marathons during the following weeks.
And don’t forget the various human-powered wilderness races that cross
Alaska, winter and summer. The most famous of these was the Iditasport,
now defunct, which gave competitors the option of walking, biking, or ski-
ing over hundreds of miles of the same Iditarod Trail used by the 1,000-mile
sled dog race. Other races carry on the tradition, with the winners usually
determined by the trail conditions: sometimes it’s just impossible to ride a
bike through the snow, sometimes a bike zooms along. A strange kind of
race, perhaps, but it makes sense here, where big, wild land is the dominant
theme and trail sports are the dominant form of recreation.

aurora or riding a snowmobile or dog costs more than $500. You can buy what
sled, you need warmer clothing. Like- you need in Anchorage at Army Navy
wise, drives on rural highways in winter Store, at 320 W. 4th Ave. (& 888/836-
require warm clothing in case of break- 3535 or 907/279-2401; www.army-navy-
downs. On guided trips or at cold store.com); or in Fairbanks at Big Ray’s
weather resorts they’ll tell you what to Store, at 507 2nd Ave. (& 800/478-3458
bring or provide or rent it to you. A full or 907/452-3458; www.bigrays.com).
cold weather outfit includes synthetic
thermal long underwear, the stoutest
Sorel-style or Air Force bunny boots,
ALASKA CALENDAR
insulated snow pants, a heavy down or OF EVENTS
fur parka with a hood, thick, insulated Here are some of the biggest community events
of the year in Alaska’s cities and towns. Event
mittens (not gloves), a wool hat, a face- plans can change, so don’t set up your vacation
insulating mask, and ski goggles or qual- around any of these dates without checking for
ity sunglasses. You don’t want any skin current details. I haven’t listed fishing derbies,
showing while riding a snowmobile or which go on in almost every coastal town in the
standing in a strong wind in below-zero summer and are listed in the sections on each
(Fahrenheit) temperatures. Such a get-up town.
 ALASKA CALENDAR OF EVENTS 25

February The Nenana Ice Classic (& 907/832-

The Yukon Quest International Sled 5446; www.nenanaakiceclassic.com),
Dog Race (& 907/452-7954; www. Nenana. This is a betting pool on the
yukonquest.org). Mushers say this date of spring breakup that has hap-
rugged 1,000-mile race is even tougher pened every year for the last 9 decades.
than the Iditarod. It runs between Fair- The kick-off is Tripod Days, when a
banks and Whitehorse, Yukon Terri- “four-legged tripod” that will mark the
tory, trading the direction each year. ice going out on the Tanana River is
Starts February 11, 2006, in Fairbanks. erected during the first weekend in
The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous March, with a celebration of dance
Winter Festival (& 907/274-1177; performances, dog mushing, and other
www.furrondy.net). The huge, city- activities. The ticket buyer who guesses
wide winter celebration includes all the minute the tripod will move, usu-
kinds of community events, fireworks, ally about 2 months later, wins the
craft fairs, snowshoe softball, dog sled jackpot, typically over $300,000.
rides, and other fun. The main event The World Ice Art Championships
has always been the World Champion (& 907/451-8250; www.icealaska.
Sled Dog Race, a 3-day sprint event of com), Fairbanks. Carvers from all over
about 25 miles per heat. The Rondy’s the world sculpt immense chunks of
end coincides with the start of the Idi- clear ice cut from a Fairbanks pond.
tarod (see directly below). February 17 Among ice carvers, Fairbanks’s ice is
to March 5, 2006. famous for its clarity and the great size
March of the chunks. Some spectacular ice
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race sculptures stand as tall as a two-story
(& 907/376-5155; www.iditarod. building. Carving will be February 28
com). The world’s most famous sled to March 2, and March 5 to 10, with
dog race starts with fanfare from the best viewing of finished works
Anchorage, then the teams are loaded from March 11 to 26, 2006.
into trucks for the Iditarod Restart, April
in Wasilla, which is the real beginning The Alaska Folk Festival (& 907/
of the race. Here the historic gold rush 463-3316; www.alaskafolkfestival.org),
trail becomes continuous for the dogs’ Juneau, April 3 to 9, 2006. This is a
1,000-mile run to Nome. The event communitywide celebration, drawing
enlivens Wasilla at the end of a long musicians, whether on the bill or not,
winter. The finish in Nome is the from all over the state.
biggest event of the year in the Arctic, May
drawing world media attention and Copper River Delta Shorebird Festi-
turning Nome into a huge party for a val (& 907/424-7260; www.cordova
few days (they even play golf out on chamber.com), Cordova. This festival
the sea ice). The race solicits volun- revolves around the coming of dizzying
teers to help, which is a much better swarms of millions of shorebirds that
way to experience it than just watch- use the delta and beaches near the
ing. Some animal-rights groups town as a migratory stopover in early
oppose the race on the grounds that May. The whole community gets
it’s cruel to dogs. For more on the involved to host bird-watchers and put
issue, see p. 330. In 2006 the race on a schedule of educational and out-
starts March 4. door activities for 3 days.
26 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festi- sea ice permits). Call & 907/443-6624
val (& 907/235-7740; http://homer for information. Weekend closest to
alaska.org/shorebird.htm), Homer. June 21.
Held in early May, this festival includes The Last Frontier Theater Conference
guided bird-watching hikes and boat (& 907/834-1614; www.pwscc.edu),
excursions, natural-history workshops, Valdez. The conference brings play-
art shows, performances, and other wrights and directors to the commu-
events. nity for a week of seminars and
Little Norway Festival (& 907/772- performances. June 17 to 24, 2006.
3646; www.petersburg.org), Peters- July
burg. This festival celebrates the May Independence Day. Most of the small
17, 1814, declaration of the independ- towns in Alaska make a big deal of the
ence of Norway from Sweden. The Fourth of July. Seward always has a
town has several days of community huge celebration, exploding with visi-
events. The festival takes place on the tors, primarily from Anchorage.
third full weekend in May. Besides the parade and many small-
Kodiak Crab Festival (& 907/486- town festivities, the main attraction is
5557; www.kodiak.org/crabfest.html), the Mount Marathon Race, which
Kodiak. Lasting 5 days over Memorial goes from the middle of town straight
Day weekend, this is the town’s biggest up rocky Mount Marathon to its
event of the year and includes many 3,022-foot peak and down again. Sel-
fun events, the solemn blessing of the dovia, Ketchikan, Skagway, and
fleet, and a memorial service for lost Juneau also have exceptional Fourth of
fishermen. May 25 to May 29, 2006. July events. See the individual town
June sections for more information.
The Sitka Summer Music Festival The Southeast Alaska State Fair
(& 907/277-4852; www.sitkamusic (& 907/766-2476; www.seakfair.org),
festival.org), Sitka. Since 1972, this Haines. Held for 4 days in late July,
chamber music series has drawn musi- this is a regional small-town get-
cians from all over the world for most together music festival, with livestock,
of June. Performances take place Tues- cooking, a logging show, a parade, and
days and Fridays, and other events all other entertainment.
week. June 2 to June 23, 2006. August
Midnight Sun Baseball Game, Fair- The Alaska State Fair (& 907/745-
banks. A summer-solstice event: The 4827; www.alaskastatefair.org), Palmer.
local semipro baseball team, the Alaska The region’s biggest event of the year is
Goldpanners (& 907/451-0095; www. a typical state fair, except for the huge
goldpanners.com) plays a game with- vegetables. The good soil and long Val-
out artificial lights beginning at ley days produce cabbages the size of
10:30pm. Around June 21. The 2006 beanbag chairs. A mere beach ball–size
game marks the centennial of this tra- cabbage wouldn’t even make it into
dition. competition. Held the 12 days before
Midnight Sun Festival, Nome. Over Labor Day.
the summer solstice, Nome gets more October
than 22 hours of direct sunlight, ample Alaska Day Festival (& 907/747-
reason for a parade, softball tournament, 8806), Sitka. Alaska Day, commemo-
raft race, and polar bear swim (so long as rating the Alaska purchase on October
 T R AV E L & R E N TA L C A R I N S U R A N C E 27

18, 1867, is a big deal in this former The Alaska Bald Eagle Festival
Russian and U.S. territorial capital city. (& 907/766-3094; www.baldeagle
November festival.org), Haines. Seminars and
Sitka WhaleFest (& 907/747-7964; special events mark an annual congre-
www.sitkawhalefest.org), Sitka. Over a gation of 3,000 eagles near Haines.
weekend in early November, during Mid-November.
the fall and early winter period when The Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska
humpback whales congregate in Sitka Shootout men’s basketball tourna-
Sound, experts from around the ment (& 907/786-1250; www.gosea
world present a 3-day symposium, wolves.com/shootout), Anchorage.
and there are whale-watching tours, The University of Alaska Anchorage
concerts, an art show, a run, and com- hosts top-ranked college teams at the
munity events. Sullivan Arena over Thanksgiving
weekend.

5 Travel & Rental Car Insurance

There are several kinds of travel insur- Medical insurance for travelers from
ance: for trip cancellation or interrup- outside the United States is a worthwhile
tion, for medical costs, and for lost investment, too, but travelers from the
luggage. Usually they are sold together in U.S. likely are already covered under their
a single, comprehensive policy. Insurance regular health insurance as long as they
for trip cancellation or interruption is a remain in the country. You may want
must if you have paid the large cash extra insurance, however, for astronomi-
deposits demanded by many Alaska out- cally expensive emergency medical trans-
fitters, fishing guides, wilderness lodges, portation if you will spend much time on
package tour operators, and cruise com- your own in remote areas; check the cov-
panies. A premium of 5% to 8% of the erage offered by your credit cards or buy
cost of the trip is well worth the protec- a policy just for the trip.
tion against the uncertainty of Alaska Insurance on your baggage will proba-
weather (most deposits are lost in case of bly come with whatever other insurance
weather delays or cancellations) or unex- you buy; it’s generally not worthwhile
pected crises that might prevent you from otherwise. Your baggage is probably cov-
being able to depart as planned. Interrup- ered under your homeowners’ policy or
tion insurance will get you home under credit card benefits. If the airline loses
covered circumstances. Major insurers your bags, they are usually responsible for
such as those listed below offer policy- up to $2,500 per passenger on domestic
holders access to 24-hour phone assis- flights or, on international flights, up to
tance to help handle crises. Read the approximately $635 per checked bag.
policy carefully to find out when you are Expensive items such as jewelry and cam-
covered. Do not buy insurance through eras are not included. Carry valuables
the operator holding your deposit, even with you, then insure your baggage only
though the insurer itself is a different if the worth you are able to prove is more
entity. Most policies do not cover losses than the airline’s responsibility and the
related to the company that originally limits on your existing policies. That’s
solicited your business. Instead, buy your unlikely, because to prove the value of
insurance directly from the insurance your lost clothing and such you would
company without the involvement of need bills of sale or similar documenta-
anyone selling you travel products. tion for each item.
28 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

Various companies sell travel insurance com). Or look for the best deal around by
online, including Access America going to www.insure.com; click on the
(& 866/807-3982; www.accessamerica. “Travel” tab. The site allows travelers to
com) and Travel Guard International get instant quotes from many insurance
(& 800/826-1300; www.travelguard. companies at once by providing the dates

Tips Using the Internet on the Road

Now that many hotels and even B&Bs have wireless Internet access for
guests, it can be tempting to bring your laptop along and use it to keep in
touch with home and gather the information you need for your travels. If
you don’t already have a wireless adapter, they cost about $50 and work
with minimal installation. (The adapter communicates with a base station,
usually within a few hundred feet, via radio frequencies.) On the downside,
a laptop adds unique worries to your trip as you protect it from getting
stolen, and many hotels charge around $10 a day to get online, which
hardly seems worth it for a quick e-mail check. Getting online through dial-
up is difficult unless you subscribe to a national Internet Service Provider
that has a local access number in the community you are visiting (make sure
to get the numbers before you leave home); dialing up long distance is slow
and unreliable from many Alaska communities.
Assuming you didn’t come to Alaska to surf the Web, consider leaving
the computer at home and stopping in at an Internet cafe or the public
library when you want to log on. Alaskans use the Internet heavily, even in
tiny villages where people live largely by hunting and gathering, so you can
always count on finding a way of getting online. I have listed Internet access
for each Alaska community in the appropriate sections of the book. Typi-
cally, you can find the information you want for less than $5. There are
three ways to check your e-mail on the Web from any computer. One: Your
Internet Service Provider probably has a Web-based interface. Just find out
how it works before you leave home. Two: You can open an account on a
free, Web-based e-mail provider before you leave home, such as Microsoft’s
Hotmail (www.hotmail.com) or Yahoo! Mail (www.mail.yahoo.com). Your
home ISP may be able to forward your home e-mail to the Web-based
account automatically. Or, three: Use www.mail2web.com. This amazing
free service allows you to type in your regular e-mail address and password
and retrieve your e-mail from any Web browser, anywhere, so long as your
home ISP hasn’t blocked it with a firewall.
Wireless Internet technology, such as your Blackberry or other Internet
PDA, may work in Alaska’s two or three largest cities, but will be useless in
the vast majority of the state where the data-carrying portion of the wire-
less network is less developed (of course, that may change during the year
this book is on the shelves). Voice cellular coverage has spread to smaller
communities, but even that remains spotty or nonexistent beyond city lim-
its. For more on wireless communication, see “Cellular Phone Coverage”
(p. 51), and “Getting Lost/Wilderness Communications” (p. 31).
 H E A LT H & S A F E T Y 29

of the trip, amount and type of coverage, you rent, but if you are not covered, do
and ages of the travelers. buy it: the potential costs you face are
With rental cars you face a whole dif- even larger than having a crash at home,
ferent set of insurance considerations. because they include the rental com-
Most of these are the same as renting a pany’s lost business.
car anywhere, and a few simple prepara- One special Alaska consideration: ask
tions will get you through. Before you the reservation agent or check the rental
leave home, check your own auto policy contract for rules about driving on
for your liability coverage with a rented unpaved roads or other restrictions. I
car (bringing proof of insurance along is have listed companies that rent for
a good idea), and check with your credit unpaved highways in Fairbanks and
card issuer for coverage for damage to a Anchorage (chapters 10 and 7, respec-
rented car (make sure to use that card tively); not many allow it. Cars do get
when you rent, too). Chances are, you damaged on these roads, and you may be
are already covered and don’t need to buy setting yourself up for a real headache if
the unreasonably priced insurance you violate the rental contract and that
offered by the rental car company when happens.

6 Health & Safety

CRIME & EMERGENCY each of Alaska’s larger cities, and even in
SERVICES some small towns that act as regional cen-
CRIME Sadly, crime rates are not low ters. There’s some kind of clinic even in
in Alaska’s larger cities, although mug- the smallest towns, although they often
gings are rare. Take the normal precau- are staffed by physicians’ assistants rather
tions you’d take at home. You’re safe in than medical doctors. I’ve listed the
daylight hours anywhere tourists com- address and phone numbers for medical
monly go, less so late at night leaving a facilities in each destination under “Fast
bar or walking in a lonely place. Women Facts.” Call those numbers, too, for refer-
need to be especially careful on their own, rals to a dentist or other health profes-
as Alaska has a disproportionately high sional. In an emergency, call 911.
rate of rape. This doesn’t mean women If health is a particular concern, con-
shouldn’t travel alone in Alaska, only that sider joining MedicAlert (& 888/633-
they should be cautious. Most women I 4298; www.medicalert.org) and wearing
know avoid walking by themselves at their engraved bracelet, which will
night, especially in wooded or out-of-the- inform emergency medical personnel of a
way areas. The late-night sunlight can be primary preexisting medical condition
deceiving—just because it’s light out and provide them with access to the orga-
doesn’t mean it’s safe. Sexual assaults nization’s response center for your infor-
occur in towns big and small. Women mation on file, such as medications and
should never hitchhike alone. If you are a physician and family contacts. The cost is
victim of a crime, you can reach police $35 for the first year, then $20 a year.
almost anywhere by calling 911, or, if it is
OUTDOOR HEALTH & SAFETY
not an emergency, by using the numbers
AVALANCHE When snow sliding
listed under “Fast Facts” in each commu-
down a mountain comes to a stop it hard-
nity section.
ens to a consistency that only metal tools
MEDICAL EMERGENCIES You’ll can dig through. Avalanche survivors
find modern, full-service hospitals in describe the terror of being helplessly
30 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

locked in this unyielding material hoping moose on its own can attack if it feels
for rescue. Understandably, survivors are you’re getting too close or if it previously
in the minority. Victims die if not dug has been stressed by contact with people
out quickly (well before emergency per- or dogs. People are badly hurt every year
sonnel can arrive at a remote slope). No trying to sneak by a moose on a trail. I see
one should go into the snowy backcoun- moose every day when I ski, bike, or run
try without training in avalanche avoid- near my house in Anchorage; when they
ance and recovery equipment, including want the trail I either find a way around
locator beacons, probes, and shovels. Go or go back the other way.
with a guide if you are unsure. If you see a bear, stop, wave your arms,
BEARS & OTHER WILDLIFE Being make noise, and, if you’re with others,
eaten by a bear is probably the least likely group together so you look larger to the
way for your vacation to end. Bear bear. Don’t run, tempting the bear to
encounters are much less common in chase; depart by slowly backing away, at
Alaska than at the California national an angle if possible. If the bear follows,
parks, where bears are accustomed to peo- stop. Once in a great while, the bear may
ple. More people die from dog bites than bluff a charge; even less often, it may
bear attacks. But it’s still wise to be pre- attack. If you’re attacked, fall and play
pared for bears and to know how to avoid dead, rolling into a ball facedown with
being trampled by a moose, which can be your hands behind your neck. The bear
fatal. should lose interest. In extremely rare
The first safety rule for bears is to avoid instances, a bear may not lose interest,
attracting them. Be tidy with your food because it’s planning to make a meal of
and trash when you’re camping, putting you. If this happens, fight back for all
everything away in sealed containers. you’re worth.
When backpacking, you can protect your Many Alaskans carry a gun for protec-
food by hanging it from a long tree tion in bear country, but that’s not practi-
branch or, above tree line, storing it in a cal for visitors. A good alternative is a
bear-resistant canister (for rent or loan in bear-deterrent spray. These are canisters
Anchorage or at Denali or Wrangell–St. that you shoot to produce a burning fog
Elias National Park; see chapters 7, 9, and of capsaicin pepper between you and a
10). Be careful not to spread food odors threatening bear. While less effective than
when you’re cooking and cleaning up. a gun, especially in wind or rain, the
Clean fish away from your campsite. sprays are legal in national parks and OK
Never keep food, pungent items, or to carry across the Canadian border—two
clothing that smells like fish in your tent. big advantages over firearms. However,
When walking through brush or thick you can’t bring bear-deterrent spray on an
trees, make noise to avoid surprising a airplane, even in your checked baggage, so
bear or moose. Bells you can hang on if you fly you will have to buy it on arrival
your belt are for sale at sporting-goods and get rid of it before you leave. The
shops, or you can sing or carry on con- product is easily available at Alaska sport-
versation. You might not scare a bear ing-goods stores for about $45, or order
away this way, but at least you won’t star- direct from Counter Assault (& 800/
tle it. At all costs, avoid coming between 695-3394; www.counterassault.com). Be
a bear and its cubs or a bear and food (if sure to get a holster, too, as the spray is of
a bear wants the fish you just caught, no use buried in your backpack. If you do
that’s his food, too). Moose also are take a gun, it had better be a big one,
strongly defensive of their young. Even a such as a .300-Magnum rifle or 12-gauge
 H E A LT H & S A F E T Y 31

shotgun loaded with slugs. No handgun is grows on steep slopes and has ferocious
big enough to stop a large bear bent on spines that can pierce through clothing.
attacking. Also, don’t eat anything you can’t posi-
BOATING SAFETY Because of the tively identify, as there are deadly poison-
cool temperatures, unpredictable weather, ous mushrooms and plants.
and cold water, going out on the ocean or GETTING LOST/WILDERNESS
floating a fast river is more hazardous in COMMUNICATIONS Even experi-
Alaska than in most other places, and you enced people get lost outdoors. Hiking
should go only with an experienced, off trail or voyaging in a canoe, raft, or
licensed operator unless you know what kayak, you quickly find that one moun-
you’re doing. There’s little margin for tain looks a lot like another. If you are
error if you fall into the water or capsize in unsure of your navigational skills, maps,
this cold water. Many boating deaths or equipment, don’t go. Beyond those
occur when good swimmers who are not basics, the most important safety precau-
wearing life jackets immediately sink— tions are to go with another person and to
apparently, the shock of falling in is so make sure someone knows where to look
intense they shut down and fail to swim. for you if you don’t come back. For
With a life jacket on, it takes a few second extended trips (more than a day hike)
to get used to the cold water, and then you leave a written trip plan with a person
can concentrate on getting out. You have who will call rescuers if you are late. At
15 minutes to half an hour before it is too the very least, leave a note in your car
late. Equally important, however, is get- indicating where you are bound. Cell-
ting warm and dry after you are out of the phones sometimes work near towns and
water. The body temperature of a wet, some highways, but not reliably and there
cold person can easily sink so far he or she is no coverage beyond populated areas.
cannot get warm without external heat- For serious outdoors people, technol-
ing, a deadly condition called hypother- ogy can add an extra safety backup out-
mia. If you’re sea kayaking or canoeing, doors. Personal Locator Beacons with
always wear a life jacket; stay close to built-in GPS are the state-of-the-art solu-
shore; and take plastic dry bags (also tion. The beacon is a small device that,
called float bags) with everything you when activated, transmits a distress signal
need to quickly warm a person who gets and your exact location to an orbiting
wet (see “Hypothermia,” below). Having satellite. Authorities receive the message
a way to get help in an emergency is also and find out who you are from a data-
important (see “Getting Lost/Wilderness base. After verifying you are really miss-
Communications,” below). ing, they can then go to the exact spot
DANGEROUS PLANTS Two shrubs where the beacon is broadcasting. ACR
common in Alaska can cause skin irrita- Electronics’ Aquafix or Terrafix PLB (for
tion, but there is nothing as bad as poison marine or land use, respectively) cost
ivy or poison oak. Pushki, also called cow from $550 to $700 at stores such as West-
parsnip, is a large-leafed plant growing marine or REI.
primarily in open areas, up to shoulder If you don’t want to shell out that
height by late summer, with white flow- much money, or if you want a device that
ers. The celerylike stalks break easily, and also allows you to stay in touch in the
the sap has the quality of intensifying the wilderness, it is possible to rent an Irid-
burning power of the sun on skin. Wash ium satellite phone that will work out-
it off quickly to avoid a rash. Devil’s doors anywhere on earth. The drawback
Club, a more obviously dangerous plant, of this approach is that it is less useful in
32 C H A P T E R 2 . P L A N N I N G YO U R T R I P TO A L A S K A

an emergency: you need to know where necessity, as is having a place where you
you are and who to call, and you have to be can get away from them. We use shirts
able to get the phone to work. I rented one with hoods of netting when the bugs are
recently for a 2-week wilderness trip and at their worst. Mosquitoes can bite
found it rather finicky; I was always able to through light fabric close to the skin,
make a call, but I wouldn’t have wanted my which is why people in the Bush wear
life to depend on doing it quickly. I was heavy, baggy Carhartt pants and jackets
happy with the customer service of the firm (made of canvas) even on the hottest
I rented from, a Canadian outfit called days. Benadryl tablets or other antihista-
RoadPost (& 888/622-7368 or 905/272- mines will often relieve swelling caused
5665; www.roadpost.com). Prices start at by mosquito bites.
$89 a week, plus around $2 a minute for RIVER CROSSINGS Hiking in Alas-
calls, plus the $30 delivery fee. They send ka’s backcountry often requires crossing
you the phone by overnight express. rivers without bridges. Use great caution:
HYPOTHERMIA A potentially fatal It’s easy to get in trouble. Often, the water
lowering of core body temperature can is glacial melt, barely above freezing and
sneak up on you. It’s most dangerous heavy with silt that makes it opaque. The
when you don’t realize how cold you are, silt can fill your pockets and drag you
perhaps in 50°F (10°C) weather on a down. If in doubt, don’t do it. If you do
damp mountain hike or rainy boating decide to cross, unbuckle your pack, keep
trip. Dress in material (whether wool or your shoes on, face upstream, use a heavy
synthetic) that keeps its warmth when walking stick if possible, and rig a safety
wet, choosing layers to avoid chilling per- line. Children should go in the eddy
spiration. (See “What to Wear,” p. 23.) behind a larger person, or be carried.
Eating well and avoiding exhaustion also SHELLFISH Don’t eat mussels, clams,
are important. Among the symptoms of or scallops you pick or dig from the
hypothermia are cold extremities, being seashore unless you know they’re safe to
uncommunicative, displaying poor judg- eat. Generally, that means you need some
ment or coordination, and sleepiness. A specific and reliable local knowledge.
shivering victim still has the ability to There is a government program to assure
warm up if better dressed; a lack of shiv- shellfish safety, but the only easily accessi-
ering means the body has gone beyond ble beaches it affects are on the eastern
that point and warmth must be added shore of Kachemak Bay. The risk is para-
from the outside or from warm drinks. lytic shellfish poisoning, a potentially
Get indoors, force hot liquids on the vic- fatal malady caused by a naturally occur-
tim (except if not fully conscious, which ring toxin. It causes total paralysis that
could cause choking), and, if shelter is includes your breathing. A victim may be
unavailable, apply body heat from kept alive with mouth-to-mouth resusci-
another person, skin on skin, in a sleep- tation until medical help is obtained. For
ing bag. more information, contact the Alaska
INSECT BITES The good news is that Department of Environmental Conser-
Alaska has no snakes or poisonous spi- vation, which maintains a hotline and
ders. The bad news is that Alaska makes website (& 800/731-1312; www.alaska.
up for it with mosquitoes and other bit- gov/dec/eh/fss/seafood/psphome.htm, or
ing insects. West Nile virus has not go to www.alaska.gov and search for “psp”).
arrived here at this writing so the mos- WATER Unpurified river or lake water
quitoes are not dangerous, but they can may not be safe to drink. Hand-held filters
ruin a trip. Effective insect repellent is a
 E S C O R T E D T O U R O R D O - I T- Y O U R S E L F ? 33

available from sporting-goods stores for going the other way on a gravel highway,
around $75 are the most practical way of slow down or stop and pull as far as pos-
dealing with the problem. Iodine kits and sible to the side of the road to avoid los-
boiling also work. The danger is a proto- ing your windshield to a flying rock.
zoan cyst called Giardia lamblia, which Always think about the path of rocks
causes diarrhea and is present in thousands you’re kicking up toward others’ vehicles.
of water bodies all over the United States, Make sure you’ve got a good, full-size
even in remote areas, where it may have spare tire and jack if you’re driving a
been carried by waterfowl. It may not gravel highway. For remote driving, bring
show up until a couple of weeks after along a first-aid kit, emergency food, a
exposure and could become chronic. If tow rope, and jumper cables, and keep
symptoms show up after you get home, your gas tank full.
tell your doctor you may have been WINTER Drivers on Alaska’s highways
exposed so that you can get tested and in winter should be prepared for cold-
cured. weather emergencies far from help. Take
DRIVING SAFETY all the items listed for rural summer driv-
ROAD REPORTS The Alaska Depart- ing, plus a flashlight, matches and mate-
ment of Transportation has centralized rials to light a fire, chains, a shovel, and
highway reports with a handy toll-free an ice scraper. A camp stove to make hot
phone and Internet system (& 511; http:// beverages is also a good idea. If you’re
511.alaska.gov). Even in dry summer driving a remote highway (such as the
conditions, it is worthwhile to make the Alaska Hwy.) between December and
call or check the site before heading on an March, take along gear adequate to keep
inter-city drive, because road construc- you safe from the cold even if you have to
tion can cause long delays—at times, wait overnight with a dead car at –40°F
workers will close a major highway (–40°C) (see “What to Wear,” earlier in
overnight for work. In winter, checking this chapter, and add blankets and sleep-
on conditions is a basic safety essential. ing bags). Never drive a road marked
Here are more seasonal tips. “Closed” or “Unmaintained in Winter.”
Even on maintained rural roads, other
SUMMER Alaska’s highways are two vehicles rarely come by. All Alaska roads
lane except close to Anchorage and Fair- are icy all winter. Studded tires are a
banks. Keep your headlights on all the necessity. Also, never leave your car’s
time to help oncoming vehicles see you. engine stopped for more than 4 hours in
Drivers are required to pull over at the temperatures of –10°F (–23°C) or colder.
next pullout whenever five or more cars Alaskans generally have electrical head-
are trailing them on a two-lane highway, bolt heaters installed to keep the engine
regardless of how fast they’re going. This warm overnight; you’ll find electrical out-
saves the lives of people who otherwise lets everywhere in cold, Interior Alaska
will try to pass. When passing a truck areas.

7 Escorted Tour or Do-It-Yourself?

Hundreds of thousands of visitors come lump-sum fee. Many others cut the apron
to Alaska each year on escorted package strings and explore Alaska on their own,
tours, leaving virtually all their travel in the process discovering a more relaxed,
arrangements in the hands of a single spontaneous experience. Each approach
company that takes responsibility for ush- has advantages and disadvantages, of
ering them through the state for a single, course, and which way you choose to visit
Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
Magdalen) and L. E. Jones (Eton and Balliol). Mr. Kirby is a
freshman, who also rowed in the Eton winning eight at Henley last
year, and Mr. Jones an old Blue, who got his colours in 1905.
All these heavy-weights are rowing well and long thus early. They not
only possess great strength, but know how to apply it. Mr. J. Dewar
(Rugby and New College) has been rowing at No. 3 thwart, and
already in capital style, but if Mr. Gladstone remains at No. 7, Mr.
Bailey may supersede the old Rugbeian. Mr. C. H. Illingworth
(Radley and Pembroke) makes a very fine No. 2. He is an old
Radleian captain of boats, who has figured at Henley on many
occasions. The old Blue, R. W. Somers-Smith (Eton and Merton),
and G. M. Graham (Eton and New College), have both been tried at
bow by turns. Mr. Somers-Smith is the more polished oarsman, but
his rival is much more powerful and effective. And, since his
permanent inclusion, he has come on very appreciably.
Mainly composed of old Etonians and old Radleians, this year’s crew
is exceptionally weighty, three of the men scale over 13st., and Mr.
Jones over 14st. Avoirdupois is decidedly a feature, but, even thus
early, they make good use of their weight. Mr. Fletcher has certainly
succeeded in inculcating the theory of the right mode of applying
force. Individually there is not a bad oarsman among them; and
there are no ugly bodies. The blade-work is good, the catch fairly so,
while, on the whole, the stroke is rowed right home with excellent
leg-work. “As a crew,” they are just the one for Putney, if not for
Henley. Perhaps their gravest fault at this stage is a lack of
combination in swing and drive. The slides are used up too soon—
before the hands are fairly into the chest; this makes them rather
short back, and affects the finish. Altogether, however, they are
rapidly developing into “a crew,” and a good one at that. They go to
Henley for a fortnight’s practice within the next day or so, and will be
fully ripe for the change. As the outcome, better uniformity in swing,
sliding, and blade-work—so essential to a fast crew—should speedily
obtain. Given such improvement, they will migrate to Putney about
the middle of the month, distinctly one of the most promising Oxford
eights sent out for many a long year.
In lesser degree, the Cambridge President, Mr. R. V. Powell (Eton
and Third Trinity) has also been confronted with an embarras de
richesses this year; or, rather, he has had to discriminate between a
large number of experienced oarsmen much-of-a-muchness in
calibre. This, of course, has made his task much more difficult. For it
is not enough that the men selected should separately be good, each
must fit into his proper place, or the whole plan may be ruined. Mr.
F. J. Escombe, the famous old Blue and coach, has assisted him from
the first, which has meant a very great deal. Like Mr. Fletcher, he is
nothing if not “observant,” while he is a past-master in the art (for an
art it is) of gauging an oarsman’s real abilities. A lot of changing
about has necessarily been imperative this year, and, as at Oxford,
many notable oarsmen have failed to find places. For some weeks
President Powell himself set the work, but his right place is at No. 6,
by common consent. He is now rowing with remarkable power and
polish at that thwart, and Mr. D. C. R. Stuart (Cheltenham and
Trinity Hall) is at stroke.
This gentleman will be remembered as the famous London Rowing
Club oarsman and sculler, who has figured prominently at Henley
and Putney of recent years. He is not only a strong man physically,
but applies his strength scientifically and keeps a good length. Even
at full racing pace he appears easy to follow. He is admirably backed
up at No. 7 by Mr. E. W. Powell (Eton and Third Trinity), brother to
the president and a freshman this year. While the younger Powell is a
stylist above all things, he puts a lot of power into his work and is
very effective. So also is Mr. B. C. Johnstone (Eton and Third
Trinity), the old Blue and C.U.B.C. Secretary, at No. 5. He and Mr. M.
Donaldson (Charterhouse and First Trinity) at No. 4, are the heavy-
weights of the crew, and splendid specimens of manhood. Both have
improved hand over hand during the last three weeks, and, with
President Powell, are the backbone of the crew. Mr. M. M. Goldsmith
(Sherborne and Jesus) and Mr. J. H. F. Benham (Fauconberge and
Jesus) are rowing at Nos. 3 and 2, respectively, up to date. They
showed promising form in this year’s trial eights, and have gone on
improving subsequently. As generally expected, Mr. G. D. Cochrane
(Eton and Third Trinity), the reserve man last year, is seated at bow.
He has recovered much of his best school form, and works as hard as
any man in the boat. His colours are assured and deserved.
As will be seen, individually, the crew is somewhat heterogeneously
composed. “As a crew,” however, the men have long since settled
down to a very pleasing, effective, and uniform style. Taken
individually, they are as good a set of men in a boat as the Oxonians.
It is collectively that they fail to hit it off so well as their rivals at
present. There is a smart recovery, a fair catch, and a fairly clean
feather in evidence so far. But (by comparison) the less ostentatious
but firmer and more vertical entry of the Oxford oars in the water
produces more lift on the boat and more pace in the long run. A
much improved leg-drive is now observable, but even yet the Cantabs
do not make the best use of their weight. These and other
irregularities will doubtless be rectified “bit by bit”—as Mr. Ashton
Dilke puts it in another direction—as both Mr. Escombe and his
charges are in deadly earnest. They also will migrate to upper
Thames waters within the next day or so. A fortnight’s work on the
livelier Bourne-End reach will do them all the good in the world, and
prepare them gradually for their later Putney experiences. Oxford’s
chances of success appear the rosier at this stage, but there is plenty
of time for Cambridge to equalise matters. Oftener than not the last
few weeks’ practice has sufficed to dash the cup of certainty from the
lips of assurance. Will it this year? Under this heading I may have
something to say to the readers of Baily next month.
W. C. P. F.
 Goose Shooting in Manitoba.

Perhaps there are some of your readers, especially those devoted to

the sport of wildfowling, who may like to have an account of rather a
good day’s sport I enjoyed amongst these birds in a country where
they are very plentiful.
It was a lovely day, early in the fall of the year, that I and a friend
started out from the little town of Boissevain in our four-wheeled
Canadian buggy, bound for Lake Whitewater, some fifteen miles
across the prairie, where we had heard the most wonderful reports of
the countless number of wild geese that frequented it. We were both
armed with 10-bores, as a 12-bore is not very effective against these
birds, owing to the great thickness of the down with which they are
covered. As we drove along through the vast fields of stubble (the
grain having been all cut, threshed, and safely stowed in the vast
elevators by this time) we encountered numerous flocks of prairie
chicken (a bird not unlike a greyhen, and of the grouse tribe), and
managed to secure two or three brace of these birds from the buggy,
the horses not minding the report of the guns at all.
In the distance we could see the shimmer of a large piece of water
surrounded by tall rushes, which we rightly took to be our
destination. It seemed to be only two or three miles away, but as a
matter of fact we still had ten more miles before us. The air was so
wonderfully clear and transparent that we could see the people
walking in the main street of the little town of Whitewater, which
stands at the north shore of the lake from which it takes its name. As
we drew nearer the lake we could hear a noise something like a vast
crowd cheering at a football match, and we both looked at each other
and exclaimed, “Can those really be geese?”
It was now 10 a.m., about the time that the geese return to the lake
after feeding on the stubble since daylight. As far as the eye could
reach (and the country being perfectly flat for miles we could see a
tremendous distance) there were countless flocks of these birds, all
bound for the same destination, each flock in the shape of a triangle,
with a leader. Some flocks must have had from three to five thousand
in them, others only a few hundred, some less. They looked like a
vast army in battle array, some quite white (the Wavey), others of a
darker colour (the Honker), and some were cross-bred, with an
occasional flock of Brants. But they were all too high and out of range
of our guns, so all we could do was to sit there and gaze in open-eyed
amazement at that vast throng, wondering if it could be real, as we
are only accustomed to seeing these birds in singles and pairs in our
native Wales, and then but very seldom. We were now fast
approaching a farmhouse close to the shores of the lake, where we
intended to make our headquarters for the day, and, if necessary,
stay the night, so as to be on the spot for the early morning flight out
on to the feeding ground (generally the best flight of the day). The
owner of the farm, an Englishman, needless to say, received us
hospitably, the more so when he heard we had not forgotten the
demijohn of rye whisky, so much appreciated by the Englishman in
Canada; this is really much better than the average Scotch whisky,
after being kept seven years in bond by the Canadian Government
before it is allowed to be sold.
After lunch we decided that the day was too still to get near the geese,
as they only fly low when there is a wind; so we hid ourselves in the
rushes, the water being up to our middles, and there to wait for any
duck, &c., that should come our way. This belt of rushes, which is
about half a mile broad and surrounds the lake, is noted for all kinds
of duck and teal. In half-an-hour I counted six different kinds,
including Mallard, Pintail, Canvass Back, Grey Duck, Blue- and
Green-winged Teal, and I managed to secure five of the latter; but
they are very hard to find when dropped in the thick rushes. By six
we had each shot a score of ducks and my friend had also a snipe to
his credit, so we trekked back to the farm to supper, and after
turning to with the milking, &c. (or “chores,” as they are pleased to
call all small jobs round the house, and I believe the word is derived
from the French word choses) we had a pipe and a glass of grog and
turned in, as we had to be up by 4 a.m. the next morning. For a long
time I lay awake listening to the “honk, honk” of the geese returning
to the lake, till at last they settled down for the night, and all was still
except for the croaking of the frogs.
By 4.30 next morning we were lying in the long grass on the shore of
the lake, opposite a large sand-bank, on which we could dimly see
dusky forms stalking about. There was a stiff breeze from the north,
and everything augured well for our day’s sport, if only they would
come low enough and in our direction. Gradually the sun rose like a
golden ball in the east and the birds seemed to be getting uneasy. All
at once there were shrill cries, and we knew the morning flight had
begun. My heart was beating like a sledgehammer, as I had never yet
shot a goose.
We had both taken the precaution to bring cartridges loaded with
No. 1 shot, and I had also a few loaded with B.B. shot, as they were
said to be more effective.
I raised myself gently on my elbows, and peeping over the top of the
grass, I saw thousands upon thousands of grey and white forms
circling in the air above the sand-bank. The noise by this time was
deafening, and although we were only lying twenty yards apart we
could not hear each other speak. The noise suddenly seemed to grow
louder, and looking up I saw a large flock making straight for the
spot where we were lying, and only about forty yards high. We
crouched lower and lower and waited breathlessly. The leader was a
large white Wavey, and I made up my mind to have him somehow.
Just as he got directly over my head I turned on my back, and let
drive both barrels at him. For a moment he seemed to hesitate, the
whole flock being thrown into confusion, and then he gradually
fluttered down almost on my head. I rushed upon him for fear he
should escape, and after wringing his neck madly, I danced a pas de
seul round him for some minutes, quite forgetful of the hundreds of
geese streaming over my head. But my friend recalled me to my
senses quickly, and in language not quite parliamentary told me to
lie down again and not be a fool. So I got down in the grass again on
my back just as another flock came over, and out of which we got
four apiece: it being a large flock we had time to reload and get in
two barrels at the tail end. The great object is to shoot the leader, and
that throws the whole flock into confusion, and you secure more time
to reload, as they never go on till they have chosen another leader.
An American told me a yarn of a countryman of his that used to ride
along on horseback under the flock killing off the leader time after
time, until he had exterminated the whole flock, but I give you this
for what it is worth.
It was now about 5.30 a.m., and they were coming over us in one
long stream all the time, evidently following the same flight which
the first flock had taken, which I believe is their general custom.
By the time the last flock had disappeared on the horizon there were
fourteen dead geese lying on the grass around us, and five wounded
birds had flown back to the lake to die. A farmer living on the north
shore of the lake told me he always went out directly the lake froze
up and gathered in all the wounded geese that had been unable to fly
and got frozen in with the ice. He said he often got from forty to fifty
in this way.
By this time we were getting very stiff with the long wait, and were
very glad to get up to stretch our legs, and congratulate each other on
our excellent luck that the flight should just have come in our
direction and within range.
We heard afterwards that more than a dozen sportsmen (amongst
whom were two well-known Wall Street brokers who had travelled
2,000 miles for a week’s sport at this well-known Eldorado for
wildfowlers) had that day lined the west shore with the hope of their
taking that course, and they never saw a goose all day.
We now began to wonder how we were going to get our bag back to
the farm, about a mile and a half distant, as fourteen geese are no
light weight, and they were all fine fat birds (the stubble holding lots
of feed for them that year, the crop having been a good one).
Eventually we tied them all round our shoulders and waists and thus
managed to stagger back to the farm, quite ready for our breakfast.
After breakfast we hitched up the horses, and bidding our host
farewell, leaving him a few geese for his trouble, we started on our
fifteen miles back to the little town of Boissevain. It was one of those
glorious mornings with a lovely deep blue sky overhead that one only
sees in North America at this time of year. We saw numerous flocks
of prairie chicken, and added three brace of these birds to our bag.
At 12.30 we pulled up before the hotel from which we had started
two days before, and were received with eager enquiries as to what
luck we had had, or whether we had returned because the whisky had
run out. Thus ended my first experience of goose shooting, and I
have often wondered since why people use the expression “a silly
goose,” for nobody could ever accuse a wild goose of being at all
stupid.
In case any of your readers should ever find themselves in the
neighbourhood of this lake I will try to give them some particulars of
its situation and the best time of year to go there.
The wild goose is the only bird in Manitoba that is not protected by
the Game Laws, and you can shoot him all the year round if you can
get him. About the second week in April they come north from
Mexico and Florida, and remain on Lake Whitewater till the first
week in May, when they go north to the shores of the Hudson Bay to
breed, coming south again in the fall of the year, remaining till the
lake freezes up, when they go south as far as Mexico for the winter. I
have known keen sportsmen, to whom time and money are no object,
follow them thus through North America. Lake Whitewater is about
fifteen miles long and six miles across, and not more than 5 ft. deep
in the deepest part, with about 1 ft. of mud on the bottom. The water
is alkali, and no fish are able to live in it. Its bottom is covered with
small shells and this is the only reason I can think why the geese are
so partial to it. They can feed on the bottom of the lake with ease, and
being in the centre of a splendid wheat country they can quickly get
out on to the stubble, and they feel they can sleep safely on the lake
at night. The latest reports I had from this neighbourhood were very
bad.
It appears that there is an American syndicate armed with a swivel-
gun that comes over the line (the lake being close to the American
border), and shoots the geese down in hundreds as they lie peacefully
on the surface of the water at night, and, of course, they have hitched
up and driven over the border with their spoil before daylight.
The local Game Guardian is evidently afraid to tackle them by
himself, and the Western Canadian farmer is not sufficiently a
sportsman to lend a hand. But it is a standing disgrace to the district
that they should allow such a resort for geese to be ruined by a
handful of Yankees, who have no legal right to shoot there whatever.
Besides, the lake is quite a source of income to the little town which
adjoins it, where the sportsmen who frequent this spot year after
year buy all their provisions, ammunition, &c. If the citizens would
only band together and make up their minds to catch the marauders
red-handed, it could easily be done at a small cost, and this splendid
resort for the wildfowler preserved for the future, whereas under the
present conditions the birds will soon either be exterminated or
driven to choose some other spot for their abode.
Borderer, Junior.
 “Hunting Ladies.”

So much has it become an accepted fact that ladies in the hunting

field, like motor cars, are there to stay, that it is perhaps unnecessary
to trace the evolution of the modern sportswoman, or note her
gradual development from the timid heroine of former days to the
Diana of the present time, who is capable of holding her own with
some of our best men across the stiffest country, of selecting her own
hunters, and who possesses a thorough knowledge of all the details
of stable management.
“Hunting ladies,” says a well-known contemporary, “drop into two
classes, the industrious apprentice and the lotus eater,” and, without
entirely endorsing such a sweeping assertion, there is much truth in
the statement.
“The industrious apprentice” knows all about stable management
and the price of forage, can identify a vixen with the tail of her eye,
and may be followed with confidence in a big wood. She rides to the
meet, knows all the bridle-roads, and three or four times during the
season spends a Sunday afternoon on the flags.
Have we not all met her prototype?
The “lotus eater” will ride nothing but the best, has a preference for
long-tailed horses with plaited manes, drives to the meet in a
brougham, rides home at an inspiriting canter, and devotes the
evening to the care of her complexion, the repose of her person, a
Paquin tea-gown, and the infatuation of her latest admirer!
Possibly some may think this an exaggerated picture; still, many
women in hunting countries go out because they are bored at home,
because they see their friends and can talk scandal, because the hunt
uniform is becoming; in short, for every conceivable reason, save and
except a true love of sport.
It is, however, with the different types of the genuine sportswoman
that we are now principally concerned, and though comparisons are
always odious, yet we must acknowledge that it is only by comparing
our own talents and performances with those of others that we can
obtain a true estimate of their merit.
There is perhaps no more wholesome or profitable lesson for either
man or woman than to be transplanted from the small provincial
pack, where they have been considered a “bright and particular star,”
to a fashionable hunt in the Shires, there to find themselves pitted
against other stars whose light is considerably stronger than their
own.
No doubt the good man or woman in an indifferent country will soon
come to the front in any hunt, but competition is very severe, and
whereas it is comparatively easy to make your mark in a field of forty,
it is undoubtedly difficult to obtain a like distinction amongst the
flower of a Leicestershire field.
Hunting is almost the only national sport in which men and women
meet on really equal terms, and of late years women’s horsemanship,
and perhaps we may say capacity for self-help, has increased so
enormously that it must be a selfish man indeed who could truthfully
declare that the presence of the average hunting woman in the field
is now any real detriment to sport.
Also beauty in distress is a rarer object than in former days. Some
few years ago, taking a lady out hunting practically meant an entire
sacrifice of the day’s sport; now we seldom see Mr. B. off his horse, in
a muddy lane, doing his frenzied best to improvise a breast-plate
from a piece of string and the thong of his hunting crop for Mrs. G.’s
horse, who possesses that intolerable fault in a lady’s hunter, a lack
of “middle.” Self-girthing attachments have also obviated the
irritating and incessant demand, “Would you be so kind as to pull up
the girths of my saddle?” And ladies are undoubtedly much more
helpful about mounting themselves.
We often hear it stated by the last generation that, since women
invaded the masculine domain and took to cultivating field sports so
enthusiastically, men have become less chivalrous and considerate in
their manner and behaviour to the weaker sex.
Of course, now all intercourse between men and women is on a
completely different footing to what it was fifty years ago,
nevertheless there is no reason to suppose that a man respects a
woman less because he does not address her in the language of Sir
Charles Grandison, and there is still ample opportunity for the
ordinary attentions and courtesies which women have a right to
expect, and which we must own, in strict justice, it is usually their
own fault if they fail to receive.
As far as horsemanship is concerned, we think men and women may
be considered to divide the honours of the hunting field fairly evenly.
Even Surtees, who was by no means an advocate of hunting women,
pronounced that when women did ride “they generally rode like the
very devil,” they know no medium course, and are undeniably good
or seldom go at all.
Every one will allow that with the long reins entailed by their
position in the saddle, their firm seat and light hands, women are
singularly successful in controlling a fidgety or fretful horse, and, in
fact, are capable of riding any good hunter, provided he is not a
determined refuser and puller; but if we analyse those qualities in
which even good horsewomen fail, an eye for country and an ability
to go their own line are unquestionably absent.
We once heard an enthusiastic sportsman declare that, in his
opinion, no one who could not go their own line should be allowed to
wear the Hunt button, but if all M.F.H.’s agreed with him upon this
point, the greater percentage of their field would go buttonless.
Whyte Melville used to entreat lady riders “not to try to cut out the
work, but rather to wait and see one rider at least over a leap before
attempting it themselves”; still, with all deference to such a well-
known authority, we cannot agree upon this point, as riding one’s
own line entails that combination of valour and judgment which is
the test of a really first-rate man or woman to hounds.
It is wonderful in a large field of horsewomen how remarkably few
can live even three fields with hounds without a pilot; the path of
glory may be said to lead, if not to the grave, at least to loss of hounds
and frequent falls, yet, perhaps, there is no such intense rapture
experienced as the bit of the run which we can truthfully assert we
rode entirely “on our own.”
She had kept her own place with a feeling of pride,
When her ear caught the voice of a youth alongside,
“There’s a fence on ahead that no lady should face;
Turn aside to the left—I will show you the place.”

* * * * *

To the field on the left they diverted their flight;

At that moment the pack took a turn to the right.

If a lady is unable to go her own line and selects a pilot, she should
remember that she is conferring no honour or pleasure upon her
chosen victim, rather the reverse, as in most cases her company is
“neither asked nor wanted.”
In return for his good offices, therefore, she should at least refrain
from reproaches, if his judgment is not always infallible, neither
should she weary him with unnecessary and tiresome questions,
such as, “Can Tally-ho jump a really big place?” or, as we once heard
while a whole field were waiting, strung up at the only available
place, in the fence, “Bertie, Bertie, ought I to jump on the beans?”
Many women ruin their nerve and limit their amusement by
persistently riding only one or two especial horses; whereas, if they
made an occasional change in their stud and rode as many fresh
mounts as they could possibly obtain, it would be an incalculable
advantage to both their courage and their horsemanship.
If there is one point more than another in which the modern
horsewoman triumphs over her prototype of the last generation, it is
in the matter of economy. Up to a few years ago, in addition to the
chaperonage of a male relative, it would have been considered quite
impossible for any lady to hunt unless she had a groom especially
told off to dance attendance upon her, a necessity which added very
considerably to the expenses of hunting.
Now that both this custom and the also old-fashioned idea that a
horse required special training to render him fit to carry a lady have
died away, women can mount themselves both better and cheaper
than formerly, and, thanks to their good hands and light weights, are
able to make use of the many good little horses which fetch such
comparatively small prices at Tattersalls’ and elsewhere.
Those who regard hunting as a luxury to be reserved exclusively for
the wealthy would possibly be surprised to find upon how very small
a sum many keen sportswomen obtain their season’s amusement;
and certainly in this department, at all events, the “industrious
apprentice” triumphs over her “lotus-eating” sister. We have read in
sporting novels, and even come across an isolated case in real life, of
a lady who professed to act as her own groom. Yet here we must
draw the line, for it must be an exceptional woman indeed who can
turn to and strap a horse after the exertion a day’s hunting entails.
The majority of ladies in such circumstances, we feel sure, would
agree with the ethics of an old “teakettle” groom, who was wont to
observe that he did not “’old with all that they cleaning and worriting
’oss, after ’unting; guv ’im a good an bid o’ straw and let ’im roll and
clean hisself!”
Still, without actual manual labour, the eye of a mistress who knows
how things ought to be done is a valuable adjunct to the efficacy of
stable management; and when this is the case, old Jorrock’s precept
may be laid down as correct, namely, “Hunting is an expensive
amusement or not, jest as folks choose to make it.”
Finally, do men admire ladies in the field, or do they prefer to find
their womenkind daintily attired by the fireside awaiting their return
from the chase?
We all have our fancies and ideas as to what is most pleasant and
agreeable, and like many things in this world, the key of the situation
probably lies in the identity of the lady who hunts.
If she is pretty everyone welcomes her; if the reverse, they wonder
“What brings her out?” As Surtees, again, justly remarks,
“dishevelled hair, muddy clothes and a ruddy and perspiring face,
are more likely to be forgiven to the bloom of youth than to the
rugged charms of maturer years.”
Some men think mounting themselves quite as much as they can
manage in these hard times, and would rather have a wife looking
after the house than tearing across country in hot pursuit of hounds;
also (but let us whisper such a terrible suggestion), the lady might
have the temerity to ride in front of her lord; and then, indeed, would
come the end of all domestic peace and concord.
Most close observers, however, will have noticed that the real good
sportswoman is a success in almost every relation of life, for she
brings to bear upon the situation both courage, pluck and endurance,
learnt amongst a host of other useful and valuable qualities in that
best of all schools, “The Hunting Field.”
M. V. Wynter and
C. M. Creswell.
 Some Theories on Acquiring a Seat.

He is a bold man, indeed, who presumes to write on the art of

horsemanship. The very attempt is, as it were, a challenge to a host of
critics—some competent, many otherwise, but all blessed with a keen
eye to detect the incompetencies of the writer. And though the latter,
in warming to his subject, may write with an air of final authority on
what he thinks are incontravenable truths, still he is always open to a
very different conviction, if only these said critics can contradict him
to his own satisfaction. But in the art of horsemanship there is
always one great drawback, that only those can thoroughly
understand a comprehensive treatise thereon who are, and save the
expression, expert themselves. For this reason the writer confines
himself to one or two aspects of the art, only at the same time he
must confess that if what follows is understood and successfully
practised—well, then, the foundations are laid, the walls are built,
and the sod before long tumbles naturally into its place.
Now riding is essentially a sleight of hand, and though we may all be
clowns to a limited extent, yet no one has achieved the status of a
perfect clown without hard work. And so the suggestion is thrown
out here that no one ever became a perfect horseman without
assiduous practice. On the other hand, no one has achieved the
status of a perfect clown—or shall we say acrobat—who is not
naturally endowed with certain india-rubber characteristics. And
here, again, no one ever became a perfect horseman who was not
naturally the possessor of an active and elastic, though not
necessarily india-rubber, body. From this we may infer that practise
can make a good rider, but that natural bodily activity as well is
essential to the making of a first-class rider. It is a misfortune that
there is no tyro more jealous of instruction than the tyro in
horsemanship.
I have seen so many young riders, and it is they alone who concern
me, who have really had latent possibilities, but who, from an
original faulty position in the saddle, and, alas, a deaf ear, have not
made the progress they should. Still, if they do not listen to the
counsels of wisdom, and yet aspire to go straight, they will find
sitting astride on their saddle that hard-bitten dame, Experience. She
rides with us all. She likes hunting—is seen to play polo, and is
known to go racing. Those, therefore, who like to find out all for
themselves, can listen indefinitely to this good lady, and so take it
first hand.
And now to get to the point, I would say to every tyro, watch carefully
all good riders and compare them with yourself, and remember that
in your present state of inefficiency you cannot judge for yourself.
You must take them on trust.
And here let us marshal what might well be axioms of a textbook on
horsemanship, namely:—
(1) That riders are made, not born.
(2) That an active, pliable body is the foundation of horsemanship.
(3) That in as far as the pliable body is born so is the horseman born.
(4) That pliability can be largely developed.
(5) That a really good seat is never seen without really good hands.
(6) That, therefore, hands and seat are an indivisible term.
(7) That a merely stick-fast seat, without ease, is not a good seat, and
is always minus hands.
(8) That a really easy seat is a firm seat and goes with hands.
(9) That the really easy seat is due to balance, and balance is due to a
correct position and great flexibility.
(10) That a proper grip, i.e., a non-fatiguing grip, is founded on
balance and not balance on grip.
(11) That a true balance not dependent on grip alone gives a free,
quick, strong leg—the mark of a “strong” rider.
(12) That a true balance is founded on a proper length of stirrup,
which alone can ensure the rider sitting really on his saddle.
(13) That the true balance, founded on a proper length of stirrup and
pliability of body alone, gives the long free reins which is half the
problem of hands.
(14) That to ride with too long a stirrup is a very common fault. It
means too forward a seat, hence too short a rein, and consequently
bad hands.
(15) That to ride with too short a stirrup is an uncommon fault, and
only interferes with the hands in as far as it affects security of seat.
(16) That there is little variation between the seats of six first-class
horsemen, a great deal between the seats of six secondary horsemen.
And so on with postulates ad infinitum, but to tabulate thus may
make for lucidity.
Take No. 1. Many hunting men must constantly have seen a useless
hand ride himself into a higher sphere of horsemanship, must have
seen him by constant practice change from a stiff automaton at
variance with his horse into a quick, pliable, strong rider; and
Experience has been the mistress. But real experience means riding,
firstly, many different horses; secondly, horses nice-tempered, but
beyond him; thirdly, unbroken, hot and bad-tempered horses, and
last, but not least, a “slug.” No man will learn to really ride if he
always rides what he can manage; for that is not experience.
But to make a rider into a first-class man, to make him acquainted
with the power of the leg, to teach him how absolutely essential it is,
and how the automatic and non-fatiguing use of it alone makes the
“strong” rider, and is half the battle in keeping to hounds, check-
mating refusers, ensuring a perfect bridling of the horse and getting
the uttermost jump out of him at a fence, then let him finish his
education, which, by the way, never is finished, by riding a well-bred
slug for a whole season on the top of hounds.
The remaining postulates more or less speak for themselves. They
are all part of a whole, for it is hard to believe, if a man is to go in
unison with his horse, that he can divide his equestrian body into
parts. Hands and seats, as the writer understands hands and seats,
are one, if horse and rider are to be one.
Take, however, No. 14. What is the chief mechanical fault that lies at
the bottom of bad and second-rate horsemanship, the mechanical
foundation upon which all the subtleties of horsemanship rear their
intricate selves? Unquestionably too long a stirrup. This is the
common fault, every potentiality is nullified by it. It is a fatal bar to
riding, but, alas, its cure does not necessarily mean horsemanship. It
is easy to shorten the stirrup. It is far harder to acquire flexibility; but
with too long a stirrup real riding pliability and the hands that
accompany it are unattainable. Every good rider must remember the
time when he rode with too long a stirrup. He must remember, too,
how the gradual shortening was followed by an immediate
improvement in his riding, and the greater enjoyment thereof.
Probably he went to the other extreme and used too short a stirrup,
and nearly, or perhaps quite, lost his seat.
Now, how is the rider to find a proper length of stirrup? Not, it is
quite certain, by an absurd comparative measuring of legs and arms;
individual proportions differ. No, it is a matter of experience. It is
certain at first to be overdone, or underdone, but there comes a time
when a rider can attune his stirrups, according to the difference in
the width of horse or size of saddle he bestrides, with automatic
readiness.
Now the first sensation of a rider who has been riding too long is that
he is now riding too short, and it requires a great deal of firm
persuasion on the teacher’s part, and docility on the pupil’s part, to
keep him at the proper length.
Now, why does he feel too short and insecure when his double may
be rejoicing in the security of the same seat? In the first place, with
too long a stirrup he has been relying unduly on their support for his
balance. He has also, to negative the action of the horse, been rising
far too strongly on them. Now let him watch first-class riders. He will
notice that they rise but little in their stirrups, the motion of the
horse is mainly taken in an easy motion of the loins and shoulders;
and, owing to the fact that they are sitting on the horse and not
standing in too long a stirrup, they show but little daylight, and their
feet are not dangling toe downwards for a support a good seat does
not require.
Let the young rider, then, shorten his stirrups and sit down on his
horse. He will gain the rudiments of balance without as yet much
grip. For some time he may feel bumpy, insecure—in short, like a
man who is trying to float on his back for the first time.
Still it is the only way to acquire the flexible body, and lose the
yearning for excessive stirrups. The mere fact that he will at first still
sit too much over his shortened stirrups and will try to rise on them
as of old, will tend to raise him out of the saddle and give a great
sense of insecurity. To lessen this unpleasant feeling, he must for
self-protection sit further back, when he will shortly find a balance,
this time founded on a real seat. The knees will find themselves
where they grip the best. The new position is also in that spot which
is best calculated to set up that rhythmic ease of body which not only
means hands, but by taking up the motion of the horse reduces rising
in the stirrups to a minimum. This will leave the actual seat
undisturbed—free to grip, to sit easy, what it will.
It stands to reason the motion of the horse must be transmitted to its
rider, but it must not be transmitted to the gripping machinery nor
the seat. It must be transmitted to that part of the body best built to
bear it, namely, the loins and sliding shoulder blades, which act as
springs, buffers, or cushions. It is possible, of course, and in bare-
back riding essential, for the loins and shoulder blades to take all the
motion and the stirrups none. But the stirrups are there for
reasonable assistance only; they are aids, not necessities.
We know if a loose marble was placed against the end of a fixed iron
rod, and the other end of the rod was smartly tapped, that the marble
would move. In the same way, if we substitute the action of the horse
for the tap and the immovable iron bar for the rider’s grip, we shall
find in the lively marble the pliable loins and shoulders of a good
rider, which are far more seat than that part of the rider which is in
actual contact with the horse.
The foregoing, then, is the secret of a firm seat and an easy one.
From such a seat spring fine hands, long reins, and the whole bag of
subtle tricks, which are otherwise, to mix one’s metaphors, a closed
book. In the above it should have been said that it is taken for
granted the rider rides “home” in the stirrup. Few real horsemen ride
otherwise, except in hacking. Using the stirrup in a limited degree,
they prefer to have it where it requires no attention, and is not liable
to be lost. It would mean a hole longer in the leathers, and of course
a rider can ride that way. But where a rider says he rides thus for the
sake of the spring it is a confession at once of too long a stirrup and
inferior riding. He is dependent on his stirrup a great deal too much.
His stirrup is taking far too much of that motion which should be
finding expression in the motion of the body. The leg, that is to say, is
doing a duty which has very little to do with it. It cannot, therefore,
properly discharge its own, which, as a free member, independent of
seat, is to squeeze and encourage the horse at will.
A toe in the stirrup, then, is often, but not always, an indication of
too long a stirrup, resulting in bad hands and all its host of attendant
evils.
X. Y. Z.
 “Our Van.”

RACING.

Quite a fillip, which was very welcome, was given to racing under
National Hunt Rules during the week which included the last days of
January and the first days of February. Gatwick began it, and, with
two stakes of £500 each, and the minimum of £100 only once not
reached, success was well deserved. One doubts whether much profit
can accrue from a meeting run on these liberal lines in winter. The
meeting had been brought forward from March with the view of
steering clear of the whirlpool which, later on, draws everything that
can jump into the Grand National. The experiment must be deemed
successful, for horses were numerous on each of the two days, whilst
the public turned up in good numbers in anticipation of sport that
was not denied them. One felt almost as though attending at a
revival, so mediocre and tame had been much of the racing earlier in
the jumping season. On the first day the chief item was the Tantivy
Steeplechase, and in this the five-year-old Sachem, who had shown
ability over hurdles, winning two hurdle races at the Sandown Park
December Meeting, one of them the Grand Annual Hurdle Handicap,
came out as a steeplechaser for the first time in public. He did so
with conspicuous success, for he was carrying 11st. 10lb. and won in
excellent style. By far too many people knew that he had been
fencing in good form at home for the price about him to be long, and
only the presence of Rathvale prevented him from starting favourite.
On the second day came the International Hurdle Handicap, and in
this Isinglass’ son, Leviathan, did well by carrying home 11st. 12lb. to
victory.
Kempton Park followed on in the same liberal style, and met the
same degree of success. The £500 race on the first day was the
Middlesex Hurdle race, in which that expensive purchase, Sandboy,
who had won a couple of hurdle races, was running, weighted the
same as The Chair. The last-named always had the foot of Sandboy,
being sent on a pace-making mission which he carried out with such
effect as to lead to within twenty strides of the post. A sudden dash
by Therapia, however, gave her the race by a neck; and whether the
rider of The Chair was caught napping is a question upon which no
agreement is likely to come about. On the second day, John M.P.
created a great impression by the way he won the Coventry Handicap
Steeplechase, named after the Earl of Coventry, carrying 12st. 2lb.
The way he strode along and jumped made one think of Aintree, but
two miles over ordinary fences is a very different story to four and a
half miles of the Grand National staggerers. If John M.P. proves to
be a genuine stayer, then he must have a great chance. The only
previous outing this season of John M.P. was a hurdle-race under
12st. 7lb.
Sandown came in for some icy weather for its February Meeting.
Over the three miles of the Burwood Steeplechase Ranunculus did a
very smooth performance, but had nothing to push him, much less
beat him. In winning the Sandown Grand Prize, a Handicap Hurdle
Race, under 12st. 7lb., Rassendyl showed himself improved out of all
knowledge, and scored his fourth consecutive win out of four times
out. Mr. Stedall is persevering enough to deserve a good one now and
then.
At Hurst Park the next week a splendid entry was obtained for the
Open Steeplechase, but the race fizzled out to a field of three, and of
these Kirkland was as fat as the proverbial pig, though looking
extremely well. John M.P. gained a very easy win from Desert Chief,
who, besides chancing his fences in a way that spells grief at Aintree,
altogether failed to get three miles.
It is not unlikely that some clerks of courses will, in the future, make
a slight alteration in the distance of some of their handicap
steeplechases, so as to escape the action of the new conditions for the
Grand National, one of which penalises a winner of a handicap
steeplechase over a distance exceeding three miles 6 lb. extra.
Winners of any two steeplechases of three miles or over are penalised
4lb.
HUNTING.

For the sport of the month past we have nothing but praise. It has
been one of those months which live in the memory of hunting
people. The principal chases of which we have to write are notable
alike for pace and for duration, the Cottesmore on three consecutive
weeks having enjoyed runs which were of the kind which for want of
a better word we must call “old-fashioned,” in that they lasted over
an hour and covered a great variety of country.
I may repeat here, because it is a remark which cannot be gainsaid,
and is not without its moral, that those countries have much the best
sport which have the largest stock of foxes. The reasons for this are
clear and I think easy to see on reflection, that where foxes are
numerous hounds have plenty of blood, and there is a wider field for
natural selection in improving the breed of foxes. Sport, as might be
expected, steadily improves as the season goes on, the bad foxes are
weeded out, and their places are often taken by more mature animals
from other countries. Whether foxes are or are not bred in a covert it
will never want foxes if suitable in the shelter and food it affords. The
best of the Cottesmore runs which must be placed on record, was the
one from Prior’s Coppice on Tuesday, January 23rd. There have been
longer points and straighter runs than this, but none where a better
pace was sustained over a beautiful but not easy country for a
prolonged time.
Many days have threatened fog or frost in the mornings, and yet have
been pleasant enough before the day was over. So it was on January
23rd. The morning fog was cold and discouraging. How true is
Whyte Melville’s saying, that “Courage is a question of caloric.”
Prior’s Coppice was reached, and though hounds left some at least of
their followers at a disadvantage, yet when once clear of the covert it
was clear that hounds were bending left handed. By the time Cole’s
Lodge was reached the pack had started to hunt at a good pace, and
the field were in their places. Those who had galloped to reach
hounds had now to sit down to ride to keep with the pack. A slight
turn helped. Then came a climb that made one feel the advantage of
after-Christmas condition. Before Christmas a horse that had
climbed the Hog’s Back would have needed a pull, now we can ask
him to gallop freely.
The fox worked as if Wardley Wood was his point, but his strength
began to fail, and he turned away before he crossed the road. Hounds
swung round with him, and it was the pressure they exercised that
defeated him. Now he began to turn and twist, but still keeping out of
the way of hounds in the most gallant fashion. He was actually in the
brook with the hounds, and at last crawled into Manton Gorse, from
which he came out to die. An hour and three quarters of the best
country, and at a pace that found out the weak points of many
horses. Those who rode it fairly on one horse knew that they had to
quote Whyte Melville once more, “not merely a good hunter, but a
good horse.”
To find any run equal to this we have to go back to the Pytchley hunt
after a meet at Weedon Barracks, on Friday, January 12th. In this
case hounds hunted a fox which has, it is believed, run before them
once at least before this season. This great hunt lasted at least for two
hours, and there was just that amount of difficulty and hindrance for
followers in the early stages that enabled hounds to settle down to
their work. There was much heavy going, too; horses began to stop
before, near Ashby Ledgers, hounds on the grass began to run away
from them. Near Daventry wire cut the huntsman off from hounds,
and with a beaten fox crawling in front hounds lost him after all.
The best Wednesday was at Yelvertoft. The fox an out-lier, hounds
laid on in a grass field over which the fox had run a minute or two
before. Fences that held up the boldest, while hounds settled down,
made a hunt a certainty. There were a good many casualties at the
flooded streams.
Never touching a covert and running fairly straight hounds ran on by
Naseby Covert; there were two lines here, and hounds no doubt took
up the fresh one. An eight-mile point in an hour tells of a first-rate
hunting run. Another half-hour and the fox that intervened paid the
penalty with his life. One of the great events of the hunting season is
the Quorn Hunt Ball. This year more than 300 people gathered in
the Corn Exchange at Melton, a gathering which included hunting
people from many parts of the world and all parts of England. It
often happens that show days are below the average of the sport
usually shown. But Captain Forester, who was hunting the hounds,
was fortunate in finding a fox which, if it made no great point,
showed to the visitors a fine selection of the famous riding grounds
of the Quorn hunt.
The fixture after the ball, on Friday, February 2nd, was at Egerton
Lodge, which has been with so many generations the social centre of
the hunting world. This was appropriate, and so was the drawing of
the Hartopp coverts at Gartree Hill, and the visit of the fox to the
Punch Bowl, his timely excursion over the Burton Flats, which is,
perhaps, to the stranger the simplest form of Leicestershire. After
running through Adam’s Gorse the fox led the visitors into an almost
perfect region of grass and fences.
Altogether it was a day of which one could remark that anyone who
rode the line faithfully would have a fair idea of what hunting with
the Quorn meant.
On Saturday, February 3rd, Tom Bishopp once more carried the
horn after being laid by with influenza. The Normanton Hill coverts
held a traveller. For an hour and forty minutes hounds drove their
fox over a country which is for Leicestershire rather given over to
arable. But scent and a fairly straight line helped them, and when the
end came at Broughton Station they were nearly eleven miles from
their starting point, and had been going for an hour and three
quarters. Thus the pace must have been good. This was the
straightest run of the whole week if we except the Duke of Beaufort’s
two gallops after meeting at Cherrington on February 2nd in the
Tetbury country. Hounds dashed away for four miles. They were
stopped and brought back. A third fox proved equally good, for he
led them right away into the choicest of the V.W.H., the followers
enjoying a variety of fencing, beginning with stone walls, and
including the rough hedges sometimes set on banks, and the wide
ditches of the vale country. The Duke’s country and the V.W.H. ride
deep in wet weather, but they also carry a scent under such
conditions. Hounds had come some nine miles in a direct line before
they turned and came back by Charlton Park. But in point of distance
the run of the month was in the remote district of East Cornwall,
where hounds are hunted by Mr. Connock Marshall, and Mr.
Philpotts Williams controls the field. It was in Torr Brake the fox was
found, and a ring was worked out without any extraordinary
promise. On leaving the covert again the scent improved, and from
that point onwards hounds were well served. Even supposing, of
which there is no certainty, that they came away from Torr the
second time with a fresh fox, it was a marvellous run and a wonderful
instance of endurance for fox and hounds. It was not till two hours
and a half were over that hounds began to run for blood, and near
Berry Tor the leaders caught a view, and ran into a most gallant fox
that struggled to the very last. It is said that twenty-five miles was
covered as hounds ran, and if this is correct the pace was fast, as the
run lasted under two hours and three-quarters from find to finish.
The Woodland Pytchley had what may be described rather as a very
excellent day’s hunting (on Feb. 5th) than as a great run. They were
stopped at the end of five hours, having been hunting all the time.
But there were several changes, how many it would be difficult to
say, since such fox-haunted coverts as Rushton, Pipewell, Brampton,
and Dingley Warren, were some of the coverts visited during the day.
It was a remarkable performance for the hounds, and, like the run
last mentioned, speaks volumes for the kennel management of the
pack.
Staghounds have, like the foxhounds, had a capital month. Mr.
Stanley brought off a notable performance on the Brendon Hills. He
found a hind, and hunted her for four hours with a moderate scent.
The hounds worked well, and their admirable condition carried them
through. But we know, of course, that much in these cases depends
on the combination of patience and promptness in the man who
hunts them. The point was that there was no change in spite of the
danger of this on the moorland at this time of year. That the chase of
the carted deer has some points of resemblance with that of their
wild kindred, is shown by the experience of the Surrey Staghounds
when visiting the Kentish side of their country. They had two
admirable runs, and in both the quarry ran into herds of park deer,
the second one having to be left in Knole Park after a fine chase of
two and a half hours. It seems as if there was no limit to the powers
of a red deer hind in the winter, so that as the old huntsman used to
say, “She can run so long as she have a mind to.”
The changes among masters which January brings are not very
numerous. None of the leading hunts are vacant, and some of those
which were in want of new masters have succeeded in finding them.
The latest resignations are from Hampshire, where Mr. F. L.
Swindell and Mr. Yorke Scarlett are resigning the Hursley and the
Tedworth. In no county are shooting and hunting more likely to clash
than in Hampshire. Moreover, the county is a difficult one to hunt,
yet the various packs, including the Hambledon, the H.H., and the
Vine have had a good season on the whole. No doubt the plentiful
rain has helped to bring about this result. But good masters and
huntsmen such as Hampshire has throughout its hunting history had
quite its share of having helped this result greatly. Mr. Long, the
grandson of a former master of the Hambledon, will, it is said, take
the Hursley. In the north Mr. J. B. Pease succeeds Mr. Alec Browne
with the Percy. In the Midlands, Sir J. Hume Campbell buys Mr.
McNeill’s famous bitch pack with which to hunt North Cotswold, to
the great satisfaction of the country. Among huntsmen the changes
are neither few nor unimportant. It is said that Gosden will leave the
Meynell; it is certain that John Isaac retires from the Pytchley after
twenty-six years of faithful and efficient service with that pack. He
will be succeeded by Frank Freeman, a son of the Will Freeman
whom I recollect with the South and West Wilts. Gillson, a son of
George Gillson of the Cottesmore, who has been hunting the last-
named pack with great success, is to follow Freeman in the Bedale
country. I can recollect him a mere lad as second whipper-in to
Shepherd, so long with the South Oxfordshire. Gillson has not
forgotten, I dare say, the queer-tempered horse he used to ride, and
the kicking matches which, though unpleasant when he wanted to
turn hounds, no doubt helped to make him the horseman he is.
The death of Charles Littleworth, formerly huntsman to the fifth Earl
of Portsmouth, removes from hunting circles one of the best judges
of foxhounds and terriers, and a most admirable woodland
huntsman. Of those I have known in a lengthening experience none
were better than the late Lord Macclesfield and Charles Littleworth
at hunting a fox in strong woodlands. Both, I think, liked a big dog-
hound for the work. The blood of the Eggesford kennels, as it was in
Lord Portsmouth’s time, runs in the veins of many of the best packs
of the present day, the Badminton and the Four Burrow each owing
something to the Eggesford kennel. Then the famous pack with
which Sir Richard Glyn and John Press hunted the Blackmore Vale
owed much to the lucky cross of the Portsmouth Commodore with
Mr. Villebois’ Matchless. But this is too large a subject for such notes
as these. As a breeder of working terriers Charles Littleworth had no
superior and few equals, as those who have had the luck to own one
of his strain will bear witness.
The death of Lady Howe removes one who as a sportswoman stood
among the first. It is only as a rider to hounds that I have to write of
her in these columns. It has been my good fortune to see all the
leading riders to hounds of the last twenty years, and among them
there was none better than Lady Georgiana Curzon. It used to be said
that there were five ladies who stood out as riders to hounds, and the
late Lady Howe was one of the best of these.

HUNTING IN YORKSHIRE.

We have had an open January, hounds having only missed an odd

day here and there, and it is not till the day that these notes are
written that we have had any real wintry weather, though for a few
days previous keen northeasterly winds and flying showers of hail
and sleet have shown that there was frost and snow coming. Should
the stoppage be a short one, sport will undoubtedly benefit, and
there will be a good tale to tell in the April number of Baily. Sport,
on the whole, has not been great since I last wrote, though there have
been a few runs which stand out, notably a moorland run with the
Cleveland, in which a good point was made and a lot of difficult
country covered. Before proceeding, however, with a record of the
sport, some coming changes should be referred to. Fred Freeman,
who leaves the Bedale, will hunt the Pytchley next season, and I am
told that his uncle, Dick Freeman, who has shown such excellent
sport in the North Durham country for so many years, will retire at
the end of the season. An item of news which will please all his many
friends is that Tom Smith, of the Bramham Moor, has returned from
his short visit to Blackpool fully restored to health.
Lord Fitzwilliam’s had a famous day’s sport on Wednesday, January
10th, when they met at the Oaks, Norton, on the Derbyshire side of
their country. In Whenacre they found a strong show of foxes and
hounds divided, one lot running by Sicklebrook to Troway, where
they marked their fox to ground. With this lot were Bartlett and the
bulk of the field. The other lot ran through the Norton Coverts, and
turning to the right from Gleadless Toll Bar, they rattled on to
Hazelhurst, where Bartlett came up with the rest of the pack, and
they ran on at a good pace past Lightwood to Charnock Hall. Some
foot people on the hill headed the fox and brought hounds to their
noses, and they hunted slowly down the valley and through the Royal
Wood, where they worked up to their fox, and rolled him over near
Ford, after a fine hunting run of an hour and a half. A capital forty-
five minutes from Hanging Lea by Hackenthorpe Church and Birley
Spa, and the Beighton Gorse to Beighton Village, where they marked
their fox to ground, made up a good day’s sport.
The Bramham Moor had some fine hunting in the cream of their
country on Friday, January 12th, when they met at Hutton Hall.
There was a brace of foxes in Hutton Thorns, with one of which they
went away to Collier Haggs with a rare rattle, but the fun was soon
over, for he went to ground near where they met. The other fox was
viewed at Marston Village, and Smith went to the hollow. Of course
he was a long way ahead, but hunting with the perseverance for
which they are so famous, hounds hunted him slowly back to Hutton
Thorns and over the Marston Road, and a couple of wide rings round
to Hutton Thorns again, where he beat them. They ran a second fox
from White Syke Whin, leaving Wilstrop Wood on the right, up to
Skewkirk Bridge, and along the Nidd Banks for half a mile, where
hounds were stopped, as the fox had crossed the river into the York
and Ainsty country.
They had another good day on Thursday, January 18th, when they
met at Deighton Bar, the day of the fixture being changed on account
of the Barkston Ash election. They had rather a long draw for the
country, for they did not find till they got to Igmanthorpe Willow
Garth. They ran hard by Bickerton and Minster Hagg up to the
Cowthorpe and Tockwith road, where the first check took place.
Hitting off the line over the road, they ran down to the Nidd, which
they crossed midway between Cattail Bridge and Hunsingore. No
sooner had they crossed the river than they recrossed it, and they
hunted down the banks of the Nidd with a failing scent to Thornville
Old Hall. Thence they swung round in the direction of Tockwith, and
finally were run out of scent between Minster Hagg and Bickerton. A
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