Bucket of Butts — YOFO Adventures

I was surprised last summer when Dawn and Dean invited me to join them for a WOFO in Alaska! Not certain they meant it, I reached out to Dawn early in 2019 and she confirmed the invitation was legit. (Dawn and I have been friends since 1995 when we served together in Colorado as brand new lieutenants.) From there we settled on early August and locked in reservations at Denali. I mean who passes up an opportunity to spend time in Alaska with two people who really know how to enjoy and live life! Prior to my arrival, I did a little reading about Alaska and quickly realized that there is so much to see and no matter what we ended up seeing and doing, it was all going to be amazing. Sadly, no photograph does Alaska’s breathtaking beauty true justice. And I’ll do my best to capture the highlights of one of my most memorable vacations (WOFO) ever.

The fireweed season was coming to a close but was still beautiful.

Upon arriving, Dawn and Dean brought me up to their campsite which was about two hours north of Anchorage along the Susitna River. Surprise number one, you do not have to camp in an established camping ground and that the camping rules vary by every state. As we were getting out of the truck, Dean warned me about the size of the YOFOhome. I had only seen photos and surprise number two – how spacious the interior was – it’s amazing what bump outs do for a camper. They have certainly made it a cozy home and in my opinion have comfy accommodations for WOFOers. In that moment, I was feeling very blessed to have been invited to share in this close-quarters experience.

Wood frog. Freezes “to death” over winter and revives with the spring thaw.

The next day, we visited the charming town of Talkeetna where I did some shopping and enjoyed a delicious salmon and wild rice pasty at the famous Roadhouse. We returned to the river to break camp and headed a few miles up the road to the K’esugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park. We then enjoyed a nature walk where I get to claim responsibility for seeing the famous Wood Frog, the only amphibian in Interior Alaska. What makes it so special? To survive winter, they pump water out of their cells and replace it with glucose, which acts as antifreeze. The heart then stops beating and the frog stop breathing. In the spring, they “thaw” and enjoy another Alaskan summer!

No mushrooms were licked. One of us still takes drug tests.

We had an early start the next morning to ensure we got the “best” camping spot at Denali National Park and Preserve. After setting up, Dawn and I made our way to the Denali Sled Dog demonstration. On the way, I was fascinated by the many varied and oversized mushrooms growing along the path. We arrived early to the kennels and had an opportunity to interact with many of the remarkable Alaskan huskies. Denali is the only national park with a kennel of sled dogs, who among other things, work hard all winter to access remote areas to deliver materials for summer projects. If visiting Denali, I highly recommend catching one of these sled dog demonstrations. Dawn and I spent the next day on a bus tour in search of the often elusive Denali. Unfortunately, a mudslide prevented us from going past mile marker 30 in the park and that didn’t matter…I am a 30%-er!! Only 5% see Denali with no clouds and 30% see it with some clouds. While not as gorgeous as the 4 AM photos posted previously in this blog, I was very excited to see Denali! We also saw brown bear, caribou and Dall sheep! Since our bus trip was cut short, we headed out on a short hike that took us to some amazing, ingenious, tiered beaver dams. This allowed me to worked up an appetite for hummus-thirty (Dean’s homemade hummus), dinner and especially for the gourmet s’mores. Never have I ever had s’mores with mints, peanut butter or hazelnut chocolate spread! Incredible!

After two spectacular days, we left Denali and headed to Joint Base Elmendorf – Richardson (JBER). The next day after a delicious waffle breakfast (we were connected to power - surprise number three – how long campers can sustain on solar power or that they even have solar panels), Dean helped us launch the kayaks into Eklutna Lake, a picturesque glacier lake. Another first for me! Kayaking on a glacier lake…it was so calm and peaceful and of course stunning. On the way back, we did stop at Rochelle’s Ice Cream Stop and I enjoyed a yummy cup of Fireweed and Honey ice cream.

We were back on the road the next day, heading to the seaside town of Seward, where Dean and Dawn promised one of the top 10 hikes (in Alaska? in the United States? in North America?, in the world?) Upon arriving, Dawn and I walked around town, where I did, yes, some more shopping. We headed out the next day for Exit Glacier and started the infamous Harding Icefield hike. According to one website – 10 miles roundtrip from the parking lot and you gain 1000 feet every mile. Anyone who follows the YOFO Adventures blog knows that their signature photo is “PB&Js with a view” and Dawn and Dean absolutely delivered on this hike! There are no words or pictures that come close to capturing the true beauty of the glacier or the icefield! It is extraordinary and well worth the effort it took to get up and down the trail! For me personally, I was neither physically prepared nor more importantly mentally prepared for such a strenuous trek and I am very proud to say – I did it! On our way down, Dean spotted a large black bear not more than 30 feet off the main trail. What an incredible opportunity to be so close to such wilderness! Surprise number four – how fiercely the United States and Alaska protect the wilderness and keep it in its natural state. Truly impressive! I am very grateful to Dawn and Dean for their incredible patience with me that day and for encouraging me during and after the hike to continue to cultivate my love of nature. (And for the magic sticks, they truly are magic!) As a comfort prize, we all enjoyed a Bucket of Butt at Thorn’s Showcase Lounge. A bucket of Halibut, that is! A delicious way to celebrate perseverance. Given my physical state, it was decided to throw me on a boat for a five hour Resurrection Bay tour. It was the perfect remedy and I added orca whales, sea otters, bald eagles, tufted and horned puffin, and harbor seals to my list of diverse wildlife. I also viewed Bear Glacier and Lagoon during the tour and enjoyed a salmon and roast beef lunch on Fox Island. Back on dry land, I was whisked away to the Seward Waterfront RV camp where we enjoyed a wonderful meal with friends Dean and Dawn had run into several times during their Alaskan summer. Sue and Doug hail from Vermont and I enjoyed hearing the two couples chat about their Alaskan adventures, their travel blogs and the culture of living in a camper. Dean and Dawn introduced us to the finer points of roasting Twinkies over a campfire and a great time was had by all! It was the perfect way to end my WOFO! They all did their best to convince me to buy a teardrop camper and hit the road…who knows I may just do that.

A YOFO tradition. PBnJs with a view: Harding Ice Field!

The next day we headed back to JBER, stopping along the Seward Highway to see spawning salmon and in hopes of catching the elusive moose (or meese :). While I did rack up 33 different wildlife, the moose eluded me. I guess I’ll just have to make another trip. I departed Anchorage on an evening flight but not before enjoying some pizza at Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria. While I had no doubt that I would enjoy spending quality time with Dawn and Dean, I really did not know what to expect on a WOFO with them. I remain so grateful and blessed that they opened their amazing little YOFOhome up to me and took me on a most spectacular and incredible adventure! Thank you for providing this opportunity of a lifetime!

It just doesn’t get any better than this!