Home On The Last Frontier

After nine years of being away, I finally made it back to my home state of Alaska for a whirlwind trip. Here are some things I did and ate and saw!

Anchorage & Eagle River

I grew up as a military kid, but the lucky kind. While many of my friends hopped from state to state, my parents managed to keep us in Alaska for all of my middle and high school years. Which means that usually when someone asks where I’m from, I skip the long story and just say Alaska.

So when my parents mentioned that they were headed back up to Anchorage, I didn’t hesitate to hop on a flight and join them! It’d been nine years since I was last in Alaska, but the moment I got off the plane, the smell and sounds and midnight sun felt like home.

I only had five days there, but we packed in some adventures! Which…mostly all centered around hiking and eating.

Mount Baldy Loop kicked us off (and kicked our asses), but it was worth it for the view! You could see the whole town of Eagle River from the top.

South Fork Eagle Rive Trail goes out for 11 miles, but we called it good at 5.

Arctic Valley was another tough(ish) one that had views for days. It’s a ski area in the winter with loads of trails in the summer!

Seward

We managed to squeeze in a quick trip to Seward in the RV of our family friend’s (who we refer to as our second parents). While Homer was usually our weekend destination of choice when we lived there, Seward is quicker to get to while still having that small fishing town vibe.

While the dads went fishing for halibut, the moms and I…hiked of course!

Exit Glacier Trail takes you to (what’s left of) the glacier. They have posts marking where the glacier was at different year points. When I lived in Alaska years ago, the glacier would have taken up most of this photo. Now you can only see it in the far right corner!

Two Lakes Trail was less a hike and more a walk through the woods (we had a post-surgery dog in tow!), but the views were gorgeous. It takes you to crystal clear lakes where fresh water otters hangout.

And no camping trip is complete without some good camping food of course! I am SO EXCITED to share a new series with you (coming very soon) that will be all camping food! Until then, here’s a few sneak pics + a photo of the dads and second mom stepping in to help troubleshoot one of the recipes.

And while most of the food we ate in Seward was at the campsite, we did stop at Railway Cantina for some of the BEST burritos (maybe ever?).

On the way back to Anchorage, we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, which has grown leaps and bounds since I was there last! I love how they tell you the rescue story of all the animals there (plus, there is nothing cuter than baby bison).

And that was Alaska! It was a delicious whirlwind filled with some of my favorite people and places. I hope you’ll give it a visit one day!