On the difficulties of seeing more challening sites here in Alaska.
Author: Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh
Published: January 11th 2017
Edited: Original Edition
If you could travel to Alaska, what would you want to see? Suppose you had a week to visit.
I know what I would want to see. Whales. Lots of them. Humpbacks, Orcas, Belugas and Blue Whales. I would also want to see starving grizzly bears chomping on massive, flying, sockeyed salmon. I would tell my trip planner—“Throw in a few polar bears, moose, the Northern lights, musk oxen, glaciers, and a totem pole or two. That would be great. I also want to heli-ski, climb Denali, and see the Iditerod. If I could do all that it would be a great trip.”
Here’s the problem. Although I lived in Alaska for over a year, and almost continually traveled, I still have not seen many of these things, and I tried. I realized that you can’t see half of these things without committing a week or more to each individually. Alaska is the size of a large country, and unless you are willing to spend time and money traversing thousands of miles by car, tiny aircraft, or slow boat, you will need to focus on one or two destinations.
Consider that many Alaskans haven’t seen the things you would be arriving for. Some experiences are ones you can plan for, but others require luck or extra time.
My experiences below might help you plan a week long trip:
Alaska can provide a mind blowing experience regardless of conditions, as long as your expectations aren’t too specific. As long as you are open to all that Alaska has to offer, you will not be disappointed. Choosing a destination with plenty of alternatives is best. Anchorage provides a reliable source of amazing things to do in any conditions. You don’t need to go far for adventure. Alaska as a whole is like a pristine national park. Anchorage, my preferred base, provides easy access to state parks that are incredible. Whatever you choose, I would not plan the trip around seeing the whales or the Aurora Borealis. Instead select a solid hub as you destination, and prepare to experience more than you hoped for.
I am a semi-retired social architect and consultant, with professional/academic experience in the fields of computer science, psychology, philosophy, and more recently, economics.
Articles on this site are eclectic, and draw from content prepared between 1980 and 2022. Topics include ethics, art, fitness, finances, health, psychology, and vegetarianism. The common theme connecting all articles is moral philosophy, even if that is not immediately apparent. Any of my articles that touch on "the good and virtuous life" will be published here. These articles interrelate with my upcoming theory of ethics, two decades in preparation.
I welcome and appreciate constructive feedback and conversation with readers. You can reach me at mattanaw@mattanaw.com (site related), cmcavanaugh@g.harvard.edu (academic related), or christopher.matthew.cavanaugh@member.mensa.org (intelligence related), or via the other social media channels listed at the bottom of the site.