What Dreamscapes May Come.
Valdez, Alaska
Alaska.
It's from an Aleut word, Alyeska. It means 'that which the sea breaks against', and for that, we love it. SPG believes Alaska should get it’s own page. After all, Alaska contains 586,000 square miles of land. It is one-fifth the size of the lower 48 states, 488 times larger than Rhode Island, two and a half times larger than Texas, and larger than the next three largest states in the U.S. combined. Last but not least, if you live there, you can see Russia from your house.
No Flinching.
We’ve been under the spell of the North ever since our first visits in Alaska. More and more, we’ve been returning, and sometimes our adventures inspire a story. We’ve sailed our way into our worst fears and come out the other side to discover glaciers, bears and breathtaking landscapes.
The Great Alone.
In the book, “The Great Alone”, the author paints an unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience. And perhaps one of the best ways to describe the people that come her was:
“... home was not just a cabin in a deep woods that overlooked a placid cove. Home was a state of mind, the peace that came from being who you were and living an honest life. Two kinds of flocks come up to Alaska, Cora. People running to something and people running away from something. The second kind-you want to keep your eye out for them.”
Wrangell–St. Elias
Wrangell-St. Elias is a national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! Within this wild landscape, people continue to live off the land as they have done for centuries. This cabin? Well - everyone should have a home at the base of a volcano!
There are no soft people in Alaska. Everyone who lives here chooses to hack out a living from the rawness of the land and weather. And if you’re lucky - you get spend your life with your best friend and dog teams! Not sure who is living their best life here: dogs or humans?
Wild Things.
Whale of a Time.
Watching two brown bears feast on a dead grey whale that washed ashore during low tide: speechless. Epic. Unforgettable.
Do Not Disturb.
They are among the largest and most fearsome predators on Earth; most bears have a total of 42 teeth that include all four types of teeth: 10 molars, 16 premolars, 4 canines, and 12 incisors. Their diet, however, is 75% plant-based, hence it is rare that one dines on a whale. A grizzly bear's front claws have a minimum length of 2 in (5 cm) long and can extend to more than 4 in (10 cm) long.
Out to Sea.
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Sea Parrot.
While the puffin’s range spans the eastern coast of Canada and the United States to the western coast of Europe, many find Alaska their home as well. Nicknamed “sea parrots” – and sometimes “clowns of the sea“! – they can measure around 25cm in length.
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Apex.
Hard to imagine that Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family. A male orca can be nearly 33 feet (10 meters) in length and weigh around 22,000 pounds (10,000kg) and female orcas are thought to live to 80 years of age or more.
Best Seat in the House?
Anywhere in Alaska
Tale of Two Kinds of Alaskans.
“Everyone up here had two stories : the life before and the life now. If you wanted to pray to a weirdo god or live in a school bus or marry a goose, no one in Alaska was going to say crap to you. No one cared if you had an old car on your deck, let alone a rusted fridge. Any life that could be imagined could be lived up here.”
― Kristin Hannah
(Amen!)
Alaskan’s Best Friends.
Sled dogs have a long and illustrious history in the North Country, from the early days of Native settlements to the gold-rush booms during the 1890-1900s. Russians arriving in western Alaska during the early 1800s found Alaska Natives using dogs to haul sleds loaded with fish, game, wood and other items.
By 1905, dog teams were carrying mail over 180 miles of trails and were still aiding in the subsistence lifestyle of all Alaskans. Today they are still just as important to the travel and toursim economy as well.
Kenai Peninsula. The melting of the glaciers, a phenomenon that intensified in the 20th century, is leaving our planet iceless; and according to a 2019 satellite study by the University of Zurich (Switzerland), the warming of the earth threatens to evaporate over a third of all glaciers by 2100, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
