The Last Frontier: Seward, Alaska

Plop. Bounce. Rip.

The cadence of my fly rod and reel lulled me into a peaceful state as I took in the world around me. Spruce trees reached skinny fingers into the slowly brightening sky streaked with clouds. Gulls perched regally at the tops of trees and observed the anglers below with a quizzical tilt to their little heads. Fog glided over the tumbling surface of the river as it insistently nudged my legs under the water.

Plop. Bounce. Rip.

This was the first sunrise I had ever seen on the Kenai Peninsula and it took my breath away more than the chilled air. If you had told me I’d be on the Kenai River fishing for sockeye salmon while watching the sunrise at 3:30AM, I might’ve thought you were crazy. Almost a week later, it feels like some kind of amazing, fantastic dream.

Plop. Bounce. Rip.

But it was all real.

Plop. Bounce. Rip.

Plop. Bounce... Snag!

I didn’t feel the cold anymore as the salmon on the end of my line started leaping frantically out of the water in the cool morning air and it was all I could to focus on keeping the fish on the line. Back up, reel, keep the rod tip down and pointing downriver.

Just as soon as it started, our guide, Mike, had the fish netted and pulled onto the bank. It was only the fourth time I had ever landed a sockeye salmon, but I was already hooked.

This was on the second day of four fishing with three other women on an all-ladies trip to the Kenai Peninsula for a weekend of sockeye salmon fishing. Or “flossing”, rather.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, because I actually started this trip with Court.

For three days, he “third wheeled” (as he lovingly called it) with me before I met up with the girls for the second half of the trip. And as we’re known to do, we packed in as much as we could into those three days.

We started our trip in Seward, Alaska, down near the Southern-most tip of the Kenai Peninsula. For such a small town, Seward is steeped in both natural splendor and historic significance. Known as the gateway to Alaska, it’s the marine hub of Resurrection Bay, one of the only bays that doesn’t freeze over in Alaska. The trail that became the Iditarod started there and it remains a famous fishing village for the deepwater fishing in the fjords. And yes, it’s the easiest place to access the Kenai Fjords National Park. This place checked two of our favorite things when it comes to travel; history and nature.

We started our time in Seward with a 6 hour boat tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park, following the route shown below:

Early on in the trek through Resurrection Bay, we stopped at one of the few rookeries for Steller Sea Lions in Alaska. They were everywhere, and some of them were huge.

After taking a little chop between Resurrection Bay and the Gulf of Alaska, we came upon an incredible sight; humpback whales feeding. I don’t think those three words convey the gravity of that simple statement: humpback whales feeding. I’d never seen whales in the wild before, much less a small pod of them bubble net feeding less 100 yards off the bow of our boat. It was such an incredible experience.

In the picture with their noses sticking out of the water and the birds all over the surface, it’s called bubble net feeding! They blow bubbles to push the fish to the surface and then swim up all at once, almost like breaching! The birds love it, too.

By now, we were getting into some of the fjords again and enjoying spectacular views of waterfalls, a wide variety of birds, and even a glimpse of the Holgate Glacier. Not a bad view for lunch, right?

From there, we went on to Aialik Bay and the Aialik Glacier. When I tell you that I didn’t know anything natural could be that shade of blue, I really mean it. That soft, icy blue was such an incredible beautiful color and the pictures can never really do it justice. If seeing the Taj Mahal in February was the most incredible man-made thing I’ve ever seen, then the Aialik Glacier might e the most incredible natural thing I’ve ever seen. Check out all the pictures.

As we headed back to Resurrection Bay, we enjoyed more sights of birds, fantastic cliffs, meandering waterfalls, and even a small raft of sea otters!

After returning to Seward, we spent some time at the Sea Life Center and enjoyed getting a little closer to the Steller Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Puffins, and other birds. Did you know that watching puffins dive for food is an instant serotonin boost? You do now.

As we closed the black-out curtains in our hotel room and settled in for the night, I think it’s safe to say that Alaska had already shattered our expectations, and it was only the first full day!

Next post, we’ll go for one more excursion in Seward before heading to Kenai for our first experience fishing on the Kenai River. I hope you’re ready for several posts about our time in Alaska, because it has become one of the most formative experiences of my life on so many different levels. I can’t wait to share more with you!