Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

Glacier Bay National Park loomed large on my sea kayaking bucket list ever since I read a trip report in Paddling magazine back in 2005.  Over the years, I just kept thinking, "someday..."  It was worth the wait!  What we saw and experienced in this remote park cannot be contained within these scant lines – perhaps our video provides a better peek behind the curtain.  While our expectations were light, low, and open, they were exceeded a thousand-fold.  Humpback whales breeching near our tiny beach campsite, sea lions frolicking in all-night rave in the cove where we slept, sea otters gently backstroking through kelp forests while Orcas patrolled the channels with their mast-like dorsal fins raised to the sky, this is the stuff of nature nerd dreams coming true. Access to beauty, aquatic mammals, pelagic birds, and jaw-dropping views are easy in this place, everything else requires some planning --  and that's where this article will come in handy for an...

ALASKAN WADDINGERS At the Rendezvous in the Range RV Rally sponsored by RVing to Alaska , we learned how to make a fun, new, campfire treat...Alaskan Waddingers! The Basic Recipe & Process: You’ll need 3 ingredients:   1.  Pillsbury Biscuits (Original or Southern Style work well, but Flaky does not), 2. Pie Filling, and 3. Whipped Cream. Find (or make) a stick with a 1.5”-2” diameter at the cooking end.    The folks at the rally provided us with sticks made from golf clubs with a wooden “hot dog” like dowel on one end...  clever!  We were boondocking in an area with very few trees, so this was crucial. Firmly push one biscuit down over the cooking end of the stick, then gently massage and roll it down until you form an upside down “cone” of sorts with the dough.   It helps if you stick out your tongue while doing this as it takes some practice, and a bit of patience, but it's well worth the effort! Cook your biscuit over hot coals in the camp...

Are the mosquitoes in Alaska really as bad as they are rumored to be?  It depends.  As environmental educators we recognize, and even respect, the important role that mosquitos play in the ecosystem, but that doesn’t mean we have to enjoy them.   While traveling through Canada and Alaska this summer, we have found that the rumors about flying and biting insects are (mostly) true -- in fact, there are 35 different species of mosquitoes up here and the females of all but a few species will risk dining on humans.   What we really need is to maintain a healthy habitat for bats, birds, and dragonflies!  But I digress... The bugs here are certainly not the worst we’ve ever seen...by a long shot. So far Alaska’s got nuthin’ on the bug population on the upper peninsula of Michigan in early July or the coast of Maine in June!   I t's also important to note that we've been in some parts of Canada and Alaska (e.g., Juneau, Haines, Glacier Bay National Park, Wrang...