Alaska

Alaska is huge and it's wild. Its native name means "Great Country". The name conjured up thoughts of Jack London's "Call of the Wild", gold prospectors and bears, the ice road to Prudhoe Bay and of Denali, the highest mountain in North America. It's separate from the rest of the United States and only 55 miles from Russia. It's the largest U.S. state and a quarter is within the artic circle. The ecosystem is largely tundra and is the home of bears, wolves, muskoxen, caribou, wild salmon and bald eagles. I went there for an earthquake conference and took advantage of the trip to explore. I had my eyes on Kesugi Ridge, a 3-4 day hike near Denali. I would need to camp so I got organised and replaced my old camping kit with new light weight gear. I would be leaving the conference at lunchtime and would have a 2-3 hour drive north from Anchorage to the start at Little Coal Creek. I got advice from people in Anchorage and at the Ranger Station in Talkeetna on the way north. They all warned me about the bears - grizzly and black bear. So I planned to climb out of the woods and get up onto the ridge that evening. In July, this is the land of the midnight sun, so there would be no problem with the light. Once on the ridge the path is across rolling grassland with tumbling streams, occasional tarns and magnificent views west across the central valley and braided Susitna River towards Denali and the Alaskan Range. There is a tricky section midway around Skinny Lake where one makes progress balancing on tree roots and branches, but apart from this the walking is easy. On my last day in Alaska, before catching my plane, is managed to do two other popular hikes - Portage Pass and Crow Creek. They were both used by early explorers and prospectors. Portage Pass avoided having to go round the Kenai Peninsula to get from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage and Crow Pass was on the famous Iditarod Trail.