Hatcher Pass Hike!

This past weekend I while producing our next two shows we shot in Kennicott and Wrangell-St.Elias, I reached a point of needing fresh air! I had the right hike in mind! Unfortunately, the Hatcher Pass road over to Summit Lake was still closed, which is usually open early June. Spring is still coming to most areas above 2000 feet, so it’s something you’ll need to consider if you’re hiking this weekend.

Now on with the Hike!

As an alternative hike and there’s plenty to be had in Hatcher Pass, I decided to take a hike up in an area that I’ve not visited in well over 15 years! Like I said in the video, most people stop at the top of the first hill, which is great because it’s obtainable for anyone! Venturing further back should be nothing to fear at all… It’s all very easy and flat. Those of you in shape, you’ll be tempted as I was to spend the day exploring the higher ridges and peaks!

There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to return this summer again, and probably make a camping an overnight out of the adventure. Care to join?!

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Park Fee: Free Parking (before the park fee entrance)

Hiking Time: Open to your pace and choice destination.
Elevation: Starting 3110 feet to Summit 4038 feet

That’s a Hike!

Question for the Hike of the Week viewers:
How many of you would enjoy doing a monthly meetup hike? I’m also considering potential 2 day trip I have in mind. Let me know!

See our other hikes at: www.alaskapodshow.com/hikeoftheweek

Join Scott as he adventures really close to home - along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage, Alaska. If you’re looking for a quick getaway during the day, the coastal trail provides miles of great scenery, people and wildlife.

During this hike we encountered two young bull moose in Kincaid park that were just a few feet off the trail. The curious one of the two eventually meandered across the trail as a family and several others looked on. Whether you’re visiting Anchorage or live here, the coastal trail really does offer a great escape from the “city”.

Check out the previous Hike of the Week shows by subscribing to the iTunes feed.

Here’s the direct download options: Medium format | Large HD format

WOW WHAT A TRIP!

Still lots of snow on the mountains, but spring is moving in quickly and making up for a late start. Anxious for summer to get here, we hit the road and drove from Anchorage to Valdez, then took the Alaska Marine Highway back home.

Before I go any further… Let me say I’ve never been much of an RV guy, and hate following them on the road! Additionally the guys know me as often saying “Let’s get out in the dirt!” - I do like the views from a tent!

I will confess that Alaska Travel Adventures completely changed my view of the whole RV experience. That probably should not come as a surprise because they’ve been providing the total Alaska experience for over 25 years. We were provided their Sunseeker RV for this road trip, which really has a forward thinking floor plan making good use of space. This RV also offers reasonable gas mileage in contrast to others on the road, which is important these days!

As you know Alaska is a Big State. The distance between locations is huge, and if you’re doing the B&B, Resort, or Lodging thing… It can get quite costly - so I see this as a great alternative. So think of it as a mobile base camp to all your Alaska adentures!

All said and done - We enjoyed having a mobile studio and the ability to just pull over and make a cup of espresso whenever we needed and I say YEAH!

Would I RV again? YES!
Do I still enjoy getting dirty? HECK YES!

Valdez
This part of our trip was HUGE and I’m Not Kidding!!  We were surrounded by bush pilots and general aviation geeks, and amazed at the huge turnout of this event. We enjoyed shooting the 2008 Valdez May Day Fly-in & Airshow, and taking part in some of the activities like the Poker Run / Beach Landing.  Flying is part of Alaska’s culture… If you can’t drive, you’re flying and that goes for most of the state.  We’ve got tons of great footage and information to share - so that’s coming to you very soon!

Marine Life, Bears, Fishing, Hiking, and Wilderness…  It’s all here in Valdez! Can’t wait to return and play again!

The Alaska Marine Highway
This is a fantastic service from Valdez to Whittier or heck even if you’re looking to visit Valdez, this is a great way to get there!  I could not recommend this more as a travel option.

My only regret of this trip is that we did not have time to talk to more people along the way for the show! It’s high on our list in coming shows.  We did meet some great folks and even found a Kaladi coffee house tucked back into Silver Springs area… Great vibe, nice folks, good company…

In Closing
I’d like to thank Bill Bryson III, his Father Bill Bryson, Buck & Betty with ATA, Gary Odle, Kelli Dindinger, Danielle with AMHS, Scott at Alaska TravelGram and other friends for helping us coordinate this adventure. We really appreciated the hospitality in Valdez! One question I have wondering about…who doesn’t know Bill Bryson?  :)

This was a blast!  If you end up taking this trip exactly or something similar, do share with others here at Alaska HDTV - We’d love to know!

Cheers,
Scott

INDEPENDENT MUSIC ARTISTS FEATURED IN THIS SHOW:

Latch Key Kid
“Yesterday”
www.latchkeykid.org

Up Stairs
“C Plus”
music.podshow.com

Jim Fidler
“Home Comes The Rover”
www.jimfidler.com

Meg Bird
“Do what you gotta do”
www.wichita-recordings.com

©2008 Perfect Blend Media, LLC

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Hey Everybody!

Had a great day in Seward exploring Resurrection Bay for Whales and other marine life with Renown Tours. 

There’s a unwritten rule in Alaska - Sunshine equates to a slow day with marine wildlife, heck even fishing falls into that rule.  Cloudy or rainy days in my experience often offer greater opportunities!  Alaska’s wildlife is never predictable though, much like our States weather. This show just goes to show you a sunny day still offers plenty of the fun wild life of Alaska.

If you’re looking to escape Anchorage, why not head out into Resurrection Bay?

This trip was full of wildlife though, and we had a blast! I really want to send out a huge thanks to the Renown Tours staff whom hosted us on their boat!  They totally fit the “Real People” vibe, which is the theme, culture, and experience in what we do.

Finally, this had to be one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve edited and produced for you all. I won’t get into the technical junk, but from every angle of this video I enjoyed working around it and can’t wait to apply what I learned from producing it!

DESKTOP PICTURES
Here’s something new we’re going to start doing from each location we shoot a show.

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Cheers and thanks for watching!
Scott

P.S. We’re trying to raise some funds for coming trips as our budget is thin, please feel free to use the donate “ChipIn” button to the right here!  Every little bit helps! -Thanks! :)