Chantz, age 15

Our trip to Alaska was wonderful! We got to fly first class, which we’ve never done before. It was definitely a great way to start our trip. When we arrived in Alaska, we stayed at the Coast International Inn, and in our room we found some nice postcards from Alaska. We got some rest, and headed out the next morning to Seward.

The drive was really nice. We stopped off at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where we saw rescued bears, moose and other native wildlife. Seeing these animals up-close was amazing indeed! They are truly unique animals.

The next day we went to Girdwood where we went to Alpine Air and had an awesome helicopter ride up to a circular glacier. We were also able to go on a dog-sled ride and had such a fun time! Seeing what these dogs can do was really exciting.

Halibut fishing was our task for the next day. This was Chantz’ first time fishing for Halibut. We went out on Aurora Charters, where the crew was very helpful, and we now have a freezer full of delicious Alaskan Halibut.

Tuesday we had a free day to explore, and we decided to go to the Seward Sealife Center. There we got to view all the native sea life of Alaska. There was even a 2,000 lb. stellar sea lion. It was huge and very impressive. Later that day, we hiked to the very top of Exit Glacier. The hike was amazing, although Chantz was a little wary keeping an eye out for bears. The top of the glacier was majestic; we had never seen anything like it before.

The next day we went on a Kenai Fjords National Park tour. It was a six-hour cruise. We got to see many different animals including otters, an orca, a grey whale, a porpoise, a bald eagle, a puffin and many other sea birds and wildlife!

On Thursday, we checked out of our cozy cabin and headed back to Anchorage. We stopped at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and learned about the Native Americans in Alaska. We met many nice and informative native Alaskan people and saw some beautiful artwork. Finally, we headed home with wonderful Alaskan memories to cherish!

Submitted by Chantz’ mother, Chai