North to Alaska

Posted on Jun 24, 2011 in Adventure Travel, Alaska, Cold Places by Quiet Wanderings 3 Comments

 

Last weekend I managed to conquer something I’ve been putting off for a verrry long time…rock climbing! My flatmate Shevaun (@Kafka was a Climber) is an avid climber and has been relentlessly pestering me to give it a try for, oh, about 4 years. And so, in keeping with my ‘outdoors enthusiast’ reputation, I finally I decided enough was enough! Admittedly, I have an ulterior motive.

My long-awaited Alaska trip is looming. Two and a half weeks of travel and outdoor adventure: white water rafting; hiking in Denali National Park; kayaking to the Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound; exploring the northern interior; hopefully catching a glimpse of the northern lights; and…a full day of ice climbing on the Matanuska Glacier. I don’t really have a fear of heights but I do have a teeny tiny fear of falling. So I figured it was probably best to give outdoor rock climbing a go before scaling a icy crevasse a few stories high with a couple of ice picks and a pair of crampons. Right?

With that in mind, we headed out to Mountain Quarry in the hills outside the city, strapped on a harness and scaled a one of the high rock walls. It poured with rain the whole time so the rock face was muddy and slippery. It was incredibly challenging. But moreover, it was the most fun I’ve had in ages! I was so busy figuring out where to put my feet and hands that I totally forgot about the idea of falling. Well, almost. We’re heading out again in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait!

In eight weeks my friend, Jess, and I will kick off our three month journey through the USA and Canada with an independent trip around Alaska. Heading ‘north to Alaska’ (am I the only one who wants to break out in song…?) takes on a whole new meaning when you are departing from Australia. The total transit time for my trip to this northern region is approximately 30 hours, with about 22 hours of those spent flying. Makes your head spin doesn’t it? I have done long-haul flights from Australia more times than I can remember, but that feeling of dread prior to the trip never seems to get any less for me. It’s what’s awaiting you on the other side that keeps you focused. And in this case, it’s the wide open spaces and rugged wilderness of the 49th state. It’s no wonder I keep dreaming about glaciers.

Tags: adventure, alaska, cold places, Columbia Glacier, Denali, ice climbing, Matanuska, outdoors, rock climbing

• 

  Sophie Jun 30 2011 - 9:53 pm Reply

  What a cool trip you’ll have, despite the loooong flight. I’d really like to visit Alaska. (At the other end, Australia I already know. And love
  Sophie recently posted..What to do in Kiev

• 

  Andärin Jul 21 2011 - 11:26 pm Reply

  Ice climbing looks even more dangerous than rock climbing! You’re literally hanging off the edge of the world…

  And congrats, this article is going to be included in the 7th Byteful Travel Blog Carnival! It goes live July 26th at Byteful.com, and I’ll be sure to mention @quietwanderings in a tweet about it. If you could retweet and help spread the word, it would mean a lot.

  Thanks!
  Andärin recently posted..7 Key Sights from my Googleplex visit (Google HQ)

  • 

    quietwanderings Jul 22 2011 - 1:43 am Reply

    Thanks very much for including my article, Andarin. Strangely enough, we’ve found it really difficult to get travel insurance to cover us for rock climbing, but ice climbing seems to be no problem. Go figure! I would’ve said ice climbing was more dangerous too…