As I mentioned in my last post, Nathan and I decided to make the most of our time off this fall by spending a few weeks in Alaska. I also mentioned that one of the first things we learned on our trip to the Last Frontier is that the days really are very short (and getting exponentially shorter) at this time of year. So, we made a point of waking up before the sunrise each day to ensure we didn’t miss a single hour of precious daylight. The good news is that—because the sun didn’t come up until roughly 9:00 a.m.—we could get out the door before sunrise and still feel like we were on vacation.
For our next Alaskan adventure, we decided to explore the area surrounding the Portage Glacier, located near the head of the Turnagain Arm. We followed the Seward Highway out of Anchorage and, for the second time in two days, drove the roughly 50 mile length of the Turnagain Arm. Although the village of Portage was destroyed by the 1964 earthquake, it remains a jumping off point for those wishing to explore the Portage Valley, including the Portage Glacier and the massive lake that shares the same name.
From the junction, we followed the Portage Glacier Highway for several miles before reaching the entrance of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which connects to the town of Whittier and the Prince William Sound. This 2.5 mile tunnel is carved into the base of 13,000 foot Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range, and is the longest highway tunnel in North America. Although there are no trains passing through at this time of year, we still had to take turns with cars waiting on the opposite end of the tunnel, which is only wide enough for a single lane. Driving through the tunnel reminded me of one of those roller coasters I loved so much as a kid, except that now we were the ones in control as we drove through the dark, narrow tube in the rock. Although I am mildly claustrophobic, I found comfort in the fact that every third of a mile or so, there were emergency telephones and little doors with the words “Safe House” above them. I didn’t even question how on earth these doors might lead me to safety, given that they were literally located in the center of a giant granite mountain. (According to this website, the tunnel operators actually have a pretty sweet safety setup)
When we finally reached the end of the tunnel, we found ourselves at the head of the stunning Prince William Sound and the picturesque town of Whittier. Because Whittier is a port on the Alaska Marine Highway, it is booming with tourists during the summer. This late in the year, however, it was essentially a ghost town. We walked around the quiet waterfront, peering in some of the empty buildings, before heading to our next destination—the Portage Glacier Trailhead.
According to our guidebook, the hike to the Portage Glacier offers some of the most fantastic scenery in the Chugach region for the least amount of effort expended. This doesn’t surprise me. From the trailhead, we hiked one mile up a gradually sloped trail to reach Portage Pass, where we had panoramic views of both the Prince William Sound behind us and the Portage Glacier up ahead.
From the pass, the trail descends another mile or so down toward the glacier and the giant Portage Lake. Although the Portage Glacier is the
most prominent, the valley is dotted with several smaller but
equally breathtaking glaciers. As much as I love Washington State, it takes so much more effort to get even a glimpse of this type of mountain scenery back home. What’s more, there was not a soul in sight. In fact, it wasn’t until we were nearly back at our car that we finally ran into another hiker.
Once we reached the lake, we were mesmerized by the enormous glacier sprawling before us and the snow capped peaks surrounding us from all sides of the valley. We spent some time taking pictures and meandering along the lakeshore before we realized we needed to make it through the tunnel before the traffic switched directions. Nathan and I ran (or at least tried to run) back up to the pass and down the trail on the other side, and made it to the entrance of the tunnel with just minutes to spare. When we arrived back in Anchorage, we grabbed a beer and caught a movie with friends at the Bear Tooth Theaterpub, an ideal way to end this perfect day in Alaska.
thetraveledtrail 