Aniakchak National Monument - June 2017
I’ve been looking forward to visiting Aniakchak National Monument since I moved to Alaska in 2010. I have explored so many incredible locations across this state, but until this summer, Aniakchak had eluded me.
Situated on the slender Alaska peninsula which separates the Gulf of Alaska from the Bering Sea, Aniakchak is a day’s journey by small aircraft from Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. It is expensive and time consuming to get there. There are no services in Aniakchak - no visitor centers, lodges, roads, trails or campsites. Once you arrive, you have to be prepared for hurricane force winds, driving rain, cool temperatures, numerous brown bears and dense fog. These forces combine to make Aniakchak the least visit unit in the entire National Park system, but it is certainly worth visiting as it is also one of the most visually stunning and geologically interesting of all park units.
Crossing streams from the warm springs above Surprise Lake.
In mid-June, with a co-guide and group of four guests, I spent eight days in Aniakchak Volcano. We were treated to spectacular weather and made the most of the pristine conditions to seek out and visit every corner of the volcanic landscape. We almost couldn’t believe our luck as day after day we woke up to sunshine and mild to moderate winds.
Our eight days allowed us plenty of time to explore the six and a half square mile caldera. The crater itself was created by a volcanic eruption 3500 years ago, but the floor of the volcano is dotted with the evidence of at least a dozen more recent eruptions. The most recent activity occurred in 1931. The evidence of volcanism in Aniakchak is diverse - maars, lava flows, obsidian ejecta, craters and cones are sprinkled throughout the caldera.
But Aniakchak is not a bleak volcanic place, portions of the caldera are surprisingly verdant. We saw brown bears, red fox, herds of caribou, numerous song birds and tons of wildflowers - all within the volcano. We found fossils in ancient, pre-volcanic limestore, rare bird eggs and evidence of the inexplicable salmon run that happens there each year - seriously the salmon spawn in the volcano, how crazy is that? It was a truly fascinating and beautiful trip.
The remains of last years salmon. Brown bears follow the salmon from the coast to the caldera.
The weather remained near perfect until our final day in the caldera. Increasing wind and driving rain injected just a bit of the “Alaska factor” into our trip as we began to wonder if our float plane would be able to crest the caldera rim amidst the growing fog. The pilot was able to get through and land on the white-capped lake, whisking us out of Aniakchak and back towards Anchorage.
As soon as we returned to civilization, I received the terrible news that a dear friend had died. All positive feelings about the trip I had just gone on were obliterated by the emotional fallout of her loss. But going back and looking through photographs from my time in Aniakchak has been soothing - it is a place I would have loved to have visited with her. Amidst a dark summer, dominated by feelings of loss, it is nice to remember that there are beautiful places to explore and wonderful experiences yet to be had.