The Route: Anchorage-Port Alsworth-Anchorage
Days: 4
Easily one of the most peaceful trips in Alaska thus far. There is so much to see in Lake Clark– Port Alsworth, Iliamna Volcano, Dick Proenneke’s Cabin on Twin Lakes. But, of course, they are all separate from each other and require access by plane. So I decided to stick to Port Alsworth, the main hub for the national parks service, and soak up all that I could during my last solo excursion in Alaska.
I flew to Port Alsworth with Lake and Penninsula Air (LPA) for $500 roundtrip plus $0.92/pound excess weight over 50lbs. The only thing to keep in mind is that there will likely be passengers going to other areas of the park so the plane will likely make multiple stops to other villages prior to Port Alsworth. The front desk can tell you if the flight will be direct or not. Also, of course, weather will determine how fast the plane will go, if it will go at all.
Once on the ground, I was greeted by the hostess of the private campground with whom I chose to camp. Beth of Tulchina Adventures is quiet and sweet. She drove me and my backpacks to my “glamping” hut and gave me the lay of the land. With rain in the forecast for the next few days I was so happy to not have to set up on wet grass amidst a curtain of the mosquitos. “Glamping”, in this case, meant a room on a raised wooden platform large enough in which to set up your tent as well as house the provided camping chairs and table. A few shelves in one corner were plenty for keeping cooking items and toiletries. A bear can was provided to store food and a place to sit and enjoy a fire was just a few feet from the hut. It was cozy and dry and just the extra splurge I was looking for. She charges $50/night to glamp and $25 for tent only. There is a very well-kept outhouse that is shared among the three huts and there is filtered water and firewood at our disposal.
Lake Clark near Tulchina 
Lake Clark near Tulchina
Since it wasn’t raining as predicted and the sun was actually out and the peak of the Tanalian Mountain was in full view, I decided to do all of the Tanalian Trails including the falls, the Kontrashibuna Lake, and the mountain on the first day I landed. This was no small feat. Motivated by the fact that I wasn’t sure if weather would grant me another opportunity, I hiked from roughly 12:30 to 6:30pm to get ‘er done.
The falls are unheard of. I’ve never seen a falls that small yet that forceful! And when the forest opens up at the Lower Falls it is nothing short of magical. The green-blue color of the water, the island-feel of the cliff across, and the deafening roar of the falls. It had a Gull Island feel from way back when I visited Homer. It was breathtaking. That part of the trek was roughly 1.5hr from the campground with crossing from the far end of the airstrip to the trailhead itself taking about 30min.
Continuing another 30min from the falls, I landed at the obvious ending of the Tanalian Trail at Kontrashibuna Lake. So peaceful. So blue. If one wanted, I suspect the trail continues as a brush path all the way around the lake. A great spot for a picnic or a fire.
Tanalian Mountain along the way 
Heading back toward town, I looked up at the mountain, taunting me, and decided that I’d better have a go at it. When the trail split off between continuing back toward town and venturing right to the mountain, I turned right. I made it a bit past the steel pipe surrounded by rocks located along the ridge before being forced to turn back. At roughly 1.5hr in, locals told me I had only about 30 to the summit. Unfortunately, I was well into clouds at that point and couldn’t see more than 10ft in front of me. What really sealed the deal was when I accidentally snuck up on a momma sheep and her calf. I stopped to take a photo (duh), which I don’t think she liked, because suddenly she was running toward me. I then realized that, to my right, a male sheep– you know, the ones with horns!– was running in my direction but at a slightly upward angle. I couldn’t tell if I was witnessing a happy reunion between mom and pop or if the family was coming for me. So I decided that I had done my part. I was floored over and over again by the view along the way. I had some amazing photos to take home. I was winning. Why push my luck? I was also told that it was good I had turned around because the trail is easy to lose the further up you go, especially when in the cloud, and it gets very narrow near the top, so, best I not fall off!
A steep incline 
Overgrown trail 
Mountain goat in the cloud! 
Tanalian Falls from up above! 
The view from the pipeline
My feet were hurting so bad as I made my way down the mountain and back to Tulchina– an hour down the mountain and another 1.5hrs from the mountain to the campground. I was literally moaning outloud with each step. When I finally got back to my hut and was ready for bed at roughly 7:30pm, I attempted to journal– I was nodding off in between words! So I listened to my body and woke up with no alarm at 11am the next day. Smh– having gone directly from an evening shift to the airport and getting only a few naps on the flight in, I obviously needed it.
The next few days were relatively uneventful and that made it that much better. I attempted to kayak but only lasted an hour on the water as I was having a great attack the entire time that I might capsize. With so many boats and float planes coming and going and having little to no experience with wakes and it having finally rained overnight, I was beyond myself. I know my limits!
So I filled my free time finishing Pete Holmes’ “Comedy Sex God”, listening to Dan Harris podcast episodes, reading my Dharma books, meditating, and doing yoga. I hung out at the lake, bought coffee at the Cranberry Cache, and chatted frequently with the super nice ranger at the visitor center. I watched the planes come and go at the harbor. I relished in the fact that I had nowhere to be, that there was nothing on the calendar, and that nothing was expected of me. I could just be with amazing mountains in my foreground and the greenest-bluest lake at my feet.
Kayaking adventure 
One of the few side roads in town 
NPS 
Cranberry Cache 
Port Alsworth harbor at the Lake Air airstrip 
Tanalian Mountain from town
The flight between Anchorage and Port Alsworth, if direct, is about 1hr. And it is a spectacular one hour. Like getting a free sightseeing tour, the plane ventures over the Aleutian Mountain Range, passing over glacier after glacier, Mt. Redoubt, and the Gulf of Alaska. The trip was worth it for this alone. Alaska is a spectacular state with so much unknown to Lower 48ers like myself. What a privilege it was to explore so much of it. And with still a few more places to see, I know it will fall short of nothing less than #blessings.
