At more than 663,000 square miles in size, Alaska is by far the biggest state in the U.S. It’s also home to around three million lakes, 100,000 glaciers (no surprise there) and 130 volcanoes (definitely surprised there!) — more than any other state, and 50 of them have been active since around 1760!
These fun facts are just some of the many things I DIDN’T know about our 49th state. But one neat part about being a restaurant co-owner in Hawai‘i is that we attract employees from all over the country!! Including, yes, Alaska.
Alaska Calls…Sorta Literally
Among that awesome staff at Three’s Bar & Grill was Jenni, a hilarious server with a love of the outdoors who worked for us years back and had since moved home to Alaska. After learning via social media of my new-found passion for hiking, she reached out to me, saying I should come up there to hike…AND by the way, she needed a chef to cook at her wedding!
At first I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t…so we chatted on the phone and as soon as I said, “Sounds like fun,” she jumped into action, booked me a ticket to Anchorage and there I was, heading to AK!
Hello, and WHOA!
Alaska was breathtaking to say the least. Its sheer massiveness left me in awe. So much raw, rugged, untouched wilderness. It’s like everything was on steroids there — mountains, lakes, wildlife — not to mention that this was the first time I’d ever seen glaciers! Gigantic frozen slabs of ice, miles wide and thick, some tens of thousands of years old! It was quite the sight for me.
Ancient Ice Adventures
Something else I didn’t know: glacial ice is a different color than regular ice. See those blue parts? That’s because the dense ice of the glacier absorbs every other color of the spectrum except blue — so blue is what we see! Sometimes the glacial ice appears almost turquoise; its crystalline structure scatters blue light. The ice on a glacier has been there for such a long time, it’s been compacted down so that its structure is quite different from the ice most of us are used to.
As Much Exploration as Possible
So many sights to see, and so little time (especially with a wedding to work!). While I had the chance, I got up there a few days before the event, rented a Jeep and drove hundreds of miles exploring the terrain.
I adventured in Alyeska, hiked Crow Pass to Crystal Lake, visited a number of glaciers (and their amazing glacial waterfalls) and fished the Kenai River with friends and family.
A Wild Whirlwind of a Trip
Alaska has a special place in my heart. It’s pure. It’s wild. It’s unlike anything I could have ever imagined. Then again, I’m just a Maui boy. It’s important for me to note that the abundance of local ingredients like seafood and locally-sourced produce is a dream come true for any chef. And I’m grateful that I had the time to experience a few of Alaska’s breathtaking sights; I know there’s so much more to see, and I can’t wait to make more memories.
To sum it up, the hiking was great, the food was even better and I left heavier than when I got there. Salmon, moose, halibut, yes please!