IdidaRide!

When we first found out that we were moving to Alaska, we had to put up with a lot of igloo jokes. We also got asked if we'd get around by dog sled. The answer is no, but we did head back down to Seward to spend the morning dog mushing with Seavey's IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours. Three members of this family-run business compete in the Iditarod Race and all the gear we used was 100% authentic. Our sled had been in eleven Iditarods, and our lead dog, Kenya, has run in three races.

We helped to hitch up the dogs (Kenya, Riddle, Hayes, Cletus and Sprocket) to the tow line of our very own sled, before taking off down the Exit Glacier road. We took it in turns to drive the sled and ride shotgun as we mushed alongside Resurrection River, enjoying great views of Exit Glacier.

It was so much fun to drive the team. They didn't really listen to us, but we enjoyed yelling 'hup' and 'whoa' to them anyway. The sled was super comfortable and it was great fun to cruise along the trail, enjoying the scenery and seeing the dogs' smiley tongues.

We warmed up with some hot chocolate and a snack lunch in a woodstove-heated cabin near the glacier before turning around. There was some excitement when a moose ran across the road in front of us, and again when the guide overtook us a little too closely and overturned our sled! It really was another great Alaskan adventure!

Road Trip

We decided to take a little road trip down to Seward, once again stopping at Turnagain Pass to try some snowshoeing. The views along the coastal highway were spectacular, and the snowshoeing was much more adventurous than last time. At one stage, Daniel's brother was chest-deep in snow and halfway up a tree at the same time!

Sunrise over Cook Inlet (at 11:00am!)

Daniel, showing us how it's done

Brian, stuck in a hole

Turnagain Pass

Brian, Daniel, Vanessa, Susan & Justine

Seward Harbor

Exit Glacier & Harding Icefield

Ten miles outside Seward lies the trailhead to the Harding Ice Field and Exit Glacier. We did the 9-mile roundtrip hike up to the Harding Ice Field, which was steep and strenuous, but definitely worth it! The blurb from the website gives the best description of the hike:

"Starting on the valley floor, the trail winds through cottonwood and alder forests, passes though heather-filled meadows and ultimately climbs well above tree line to a breath-taking view of the Icefield. The top of the trail is a window to past ice ages – a horizon of ice and snow that stretches as far as the eye can see, broken only by an occasional nunatak, or lonely peak."


Harding Icefield is the largest icefield to be contained entirely within the United States. It was really incredible to be up there, and it was a treat to see an ermine and some marmots on the way!

Back at the bottom, another shorter trail leads right up to Exit Glacier and it's possible to hear the ice crackling and see waterfalls streaming off the surface. The sun was shining through the ice, making it glow that beautiful glacial blue. Truly magnificent!

South to Seward

Our first adventure of 2010 was a trip down to Seward, a small coastal town 130 miles south of Anchorage. The drive itself makes the trip rewarding as the road winds its way through harsh, rugged mountain ranges and past frozen glacial lakes. We saw some locals ice-fishing and passed lots of holiday-makers on their snow machines. At the halfway mark, Turnagain Pass, we stopped to experience some new Alaskan trails, this time on snowshoes.

Snowshoeing allows you to walk on top of the snow, regardless of its depth. At times we were traversing snow 5-feet deep.

We shattered the surface ice and crunched our way through the forest in search of moose.

After a two-hour walk my hair had frozen!

Seward is a charming little town, but rather quiet in winter. We visited the Alaska SeaLife Center, which had puffins and seals and sea lions, but we resisted the adverts to see these creatures in the wild on a scuba diving trip. We also enjoyed some real American bars (a la Colin in Love Actually!) - the locals are ridiculously friendly!

Seward has a little walking tour through the streets of the village, but again this should be more rewarding in the summer. We survived the trail for an hour before completing the tour in our car! We saw a couple of bald eagles and an adorable little sea otter playing in Resurrection Bay. We greatly anticipate a return visit to Seward in summer to see the glaciers.