SHIP GRAVEYARDS, HIKING & GOODBYES: ALASKAN ADVENTURE WITH TREK AMERICA PART IV
Our Alaskan series is coming to an end as we present to you the final post of our 4 part series sharing our time camping through Alaska with Trek America. If you are new here we suggest to stop reading and checking out Part I, II & III before heading back and checking out what we got up to during our final days.
Day 11:
It was time to say goodbye to Seward and hit the road on our way to Homer. Another seaside community within the Kenai Peninsula, this glacier-crafted spit was the perfect spot for a night camping on the beach. We have never camped straight on the beach before, so now that we are looking back on our trip in Alaska this certainly has stood out as a memorable moment.
Once we arrived and tents were up we went to explore the area. Walking along the water we came across a ship graveyard, filled with deserted boats and cars. The area had an eerie feel to it, but that didn't stop us having a snoop. One large ship did catch our eye, and we were startled to find a man living inside - electricity and all! After not sure wether to stay or flee, we decided to stay and to our surprise, even invited inside by the owner of the ship!
As we continued on with our stroll through Homer the boys had a little fan girl moment when we came across a ship docked along the shore which was featured on the TV show The Deadliest Catch. We took sometime working out how we could get invited onto this ship too, but unfortunately they didn't have as much luck.As the day came to end, we headed back to the camp grounds for some beach games and relaxation before deciding it was too windy to cook on the beach and instead we opted to having dinner at a local, fancy restaurant just a few steps away from the beach. We all devoured our meal, enjoying a night away from the camp food.
Day 12:
The day had come, this was our last night camping. The end was coming in way too fast!
We packed away our tents, said goodbye to Homer and headed towards the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is a 150-million acre network of lands and water, and home to some of North America's most iconic wildlife.
As most of our day was driving we still managed to squeeze in another spectacular Alaskan hike. We stopped off on the way to take a hike through the wetlands, walking past fresh bear tracks and otters swimming through the waters. If you had a fear of bears, this was the hike to truly test you. Don't worry the closest we got to a grizzly was his prints.
Once we arrived at the campgrounds for our last nights sleep here in Alaska we were all excited to find a cafe directly opposite our grounds. After 13 days of instantcoffee, we all rushed to get our tents up before gathering around a table in the cute, seaside cafe. We spent the afternoon sipping on lattes and cappuccinos reminiscing on our favourite moments from the past 2 weeks and exchanging emails and Facebook accounts.We ended the night with some fresh halibut, prepared by our wonderful guide Tommy as we gathered around the camp fire watching one last magical sunset, as if Alaska was saying goodbye.
Day 13:
Day 13 had arrived, and what a better way to end our time here in Alaska than with one final hike which overlooked Anchorage, our meeting place just 13 days earlier!
We packed up our tents for the last night, filled up the car and made our way back towards Anchorage. After an hour or so we had returned to where it all began and ready to hike the final mountain.
The hike for the day was the Flattop Mountain Trail, with an elevation of 1300 feet, 1.7 miles one way - this was going to be a challenging one. We took to the trail and minutes in our bodies already wanted to give up. After 13 days sleeping on the ground, and many hikes already completed we didn't have much left in us to do such a challenging hike. However, we pushed on and a few hours later finally made it to the top, and oh was it worth it!
We were met with incredible views of Anchorage, a beautiful site to have when saying our farewells to one of the most beautiful places we have ever travelled to - Alaska.
The walk back was a silent one as it hit everyone on our tour that this was the end. We said our goodbyes as some went to the airport and the remainders stayed an extra night. After a hot shower, warm meal and the first time sleeping on a bed in 2 weeks, we both looked through photographs and footage of our time as we reminisced on one of the most unforgettable travel experiences ever.
Book the Alaskan Wonder with Trek America from $2550US.
A HUGE thank you to Trek America for inviting Flying The Nest to experience the Alaskan Wonder tour. This was a once in a lifetime experience and a trip we will never forget.