To get to Whittier, I had to go through a 3 mile, one lane tunnel that we shared with traffic from the other side and a train. So we had to wait our turn to enter the tunnel. The tunnel went straight through a mountain. Whittier is a port town, surrounded by mountains on 3 sides, and the bay on the other. The town basically consists of a dock stretching the entire length of the town, and about two roads accessing a couple restaurants and the living quarters. During WWII, Whittier was founded by the navy as a secret base to support Anchorage with supplies if supply was cut off by the Japanese. The navy constructed two buildings for living quarters, one of which is still used by the citizens of Whittier, and the other is run-down and abandoned.
When I got to town, I asked about the glacier cruise. It was leaving in 20 minutes, so I had to make a quick decision. The weather in Whittier was different than the road on the way there since it was on the opposite side of the mountain. It was extremely cloudy and a little rainy. I quickly decided it wouldn’t be as much fun by myself especially considering the conditions. Next I considered renting a kayak, but at the time I didn’t know about the sea charter that would bring me out to the glaciers and wildlife….it was cold and rainy, and I figured 40 degree water was not appealing. If I had known that I could kayak among glaciers, sea lions, icebergs, and possibly whales, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Instead, I opted to do day hikes around town. But first I needed nutrition. I ate at a local hotel, got fish and chips. The fish was Halibut. Is there anything better than eating fresh fish caught from the bay right next to the restaurant? Unfortunately, they charged $18 for fish and chips, even though it was cheaper for them because they caught it there. Surprisingly, the restaurant also had free wifi…..a town surrounded by mountains on 3 sides, and basically the Pacific Ocean on the other has wifi? Craziness!!
The first hike I tried supposedly followed a stream all the way, had several fantastic views, and even passed by 4 waterfalls. It was the obvious choice. I made it about a tenth of a mile, and the trail seemed to end. It might have just been overgrown brush blocking the trail, but I was wearing recently purchased tennis shoes, nice jeans, and a semi-nice sweater…so I turned back and tried another trail. I didn’t plan on the whole hiking thing when packing for the trip. I couldn’t find the second trail I was looking for either. So, I settled on a trail called Portage pass. This trail didn’t offer many views on the way up, but I was supposed to be able to see a huge glacier named Portage when I reached the top. The trail was pretty steep and was about 1 mile to the pinnacle. It was a muddy trek, but I decided early on that I was gonna do it even if it meant ruining my new-ish tennis shoes. It helped that it was about 45 degrees and rainy so I didn’t get too hot. When I finally made it to the top, it was so foggy that I couldn’t see 15 feet in front of me, much less a glacier half a mile away. I stuck around for about 30 minutes in the windy, rainy, frigid conditions hoping the clouds would subside, but they didn’t. I was pretty frustrated at this point because it meant that my time in Whittier didn’t really produce the breathtaking views and unique experiences that I anticipated. I regretted not taking the glacier cruise.
But this reminded me of a similar experience hiking in North Carolina at a church camp while I was in high school. Every year we went on a 2-day 18 mile hike in the Appalachians. There was only one really amazing view on the hike, and this particular year, when we reached what was referred to as the “beauty spot”, we could see nothing but fog instead of the valley, river, and mountains we were supposed to see. We always had a devotional session at this spot. This year, we talked about how disappointing the clouds were, but the conversation soon changed to something more meaningful. The fog blocking our view was deemed to be analogous to God veiling our future, but always having a hand in it. We don’t know what the future holds, but there could be something beautiful around the corner. I remember at the time thinking about the counterpart to this analogy, what if there’s something “ugly” beyond the fog. But that’s the “beauty” of life.
Romans 2: 14-15
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other.
I think this analogy is very fitting to where I am right now. Who would’ve thought I’d be headed to Anchorage just a couple months ago. When I was first told I was going to Anchorage, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, but now I couldn’t be more excited. And after the next 6 months, I don’t know where I’ll be. And 6 months after that, I’ll be somewhere for 2 years, and this time it could be anywhere in the world. So, there’s a lot of uncertainty right now, a lot of fog in my life. But I’ve just gotta face everything with a good attitude and enjoy life as it comes at me. I need to trust that wherever I am, is where I need to be.
Traveling 3,500 miles to Alaska was a profound experience. There’s something different about visiting a natural beauty as opposed to a man made beauty. Chicago, Boston, and other great American cities are tons of fun, but different fun then Alaska. Alaska is home to some of the most extreme weather in the world….And some of the most diverse wildlife. I am looking forward to exploring “The Last Frontier” for 6 months.
View from Breckenridge, CO. Is this prettier than Alaska?
The mountain on the right is the one I hiked hoping to see Portage Glacier.
You can see how bad the weather is.
Probably my favorite picture.
I'm holding an ice cube, in front
of an iceberg, in front of a glacier.
Same Iceberg...different angle
Looking through a telescope to getcloser view of stream from melting snow
Stream running along the first hike. It probablywould have been a beautiful hike.
The town of Whittier.
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