Getting Ready for Alaska

Alaska is one of my favorite places to visit! From the breathtaking scenery to the abundant wildlife, it’s hard to beat a summer trip to the northernmost state.

This summer, we are heading north for a bucket list adventure to Alaska. And I’m beyond excited. It has been far too long since we’ve traveled to the Last Frontier.

This trip is a land-based vacation (not a cruise). We are flying into Anchorage and renting a car.

Alaska is HUGE! And while there aren’t many roads, the miles are long! So we decided to focus our time in South Central Alaska.

We will be in AK for two weeks and experiencing a variety of adventures, such as fishing on the Kenai Peninsula, visiting Kenai Fjords National Park, hiking in Wrangell St Elias, panning for gold, exploring Alyeska and the Turnigan Arm, traversing a glacier, and viewing the bears at Brooks Falls.

Yes… Brooks Falls! Woohoo!!!! Katmai National Park tops our bucket list. In December 2021, we started entering the lottery for the extremely limited and much sought-after rooms at Brooks Lodge, hoping that someday, our name would be drawn. (You must enter the lottery a year and a half before your summer travel dates. )

We were selected the first time we entered! I actually screamed in my office when I saw the email! (My poor coworkers.)

So after a year and a half of anticipation, the wait is almost over. Now it’s time to get serious about getting ready for this trip of a lifetime!

We’ve all seen those people on Instagram and TikTok who can pack for a three-month trip in a small backpack. That’s nice for them, but that’s NOT me! Thus, I start packing early!

For this trip, we have many varied activities and need lots of different stuff – some of which take up a lot of space. Mud boots, for example, are not something I usually try to fit in my suitcase.

I always buy Merrell hiking shoes since they fit my foot well.

Also, a mosquito net is not typically on my packing list. I ordered these on Amazon, so we’d each have one.

And can we say camera equipment and electronics? That takes some planning and organization. This trip is NOT the time to leave a charger at home or fill up the memory cards while on a floatplane!