Bigger than Texas, Alaska is a true wilderness experience.
When we flew from Anchorage to Finger Lake, we took off from Lake Hood, the world's largest floatplane park. Hundreds of floatplanes are based here, and there is a 10 year wait for an on lake site.
Travelling northwest for almost an hour, all we could see beneath us was an immense area of green trees and meandering rivers. There was an occasional cabin, a rare airstrip, but no roads. No wonder some Alaskan people have their pilot's licence before they have a driver's licence.
Arriving at Winterlake Lodge, we soon set out for a short walk. Here, you do not leave the immediate area around the lodge without a guide.
Trees that have bowed under the weight of winter snow are tangling as they grow and tracks can be hard to follow. There were bears about and we were warned not to step in their scat. In June, there can be cubs mothers are determined to protect.
We were also told not to walk quietly, for bears do not like to be surprised. The sight of a wooden picnic table with the seat ripped off, and chips chewed out of the table was evidence of how powerful and angry bears can be. Yet they can appear placid.
The black bear which ambled up from the lake while I was enjoying a hot tub moved quietly across the garden and into the forest without turning its head.
It was early summer. There was still some snow on Wolverine Mountain (about 1200m high), and Mt McKinley in Denali National Park, much higher still, had a good coating of snow.
The alder leaves were fully out, the earliest wildflowers were blooming, tiny violets, and shooting stars. The loons were dipping on the lake.
So far north, it was light until almost midnight and it never grew really dark. The aurora borealis is not visible under such conditions, but there is an excellent film presentation of it in Anchorage.
Winterlake Lodge is checkpoint four on the Iditarod dogsled race. The lodge has a team of sled dogs, powerful yet friendly.
Among the activities available there were kayaking, whitewater rafting, fishing, helicopter trips on to a glacier, and hiking through the forest. Cooking lessons, too.
The lodge has a high standard of cuisine, a real achievement when you are more than 200km from your supplier and the generator does not run overnight.
We came away with an appreciation of the wilderness, and an understanding of the joy of the early summer growth.
For many people, Alaska means a cruise. We chose ''Un Cruise'', a fleet of small ships in southern Alaska. Some are focused on activity, kayaking and hiking.
We preferred the cruise focusing on history. Legacy called at several ports of interest, all with different characteristics.
Less than 150 years ago, Alaska was a Russian territory. When the US bought it in 1867 for $US7.2million, the purchase was considered a great waste of money.
The port of Sitka still retains a Russian Orthodox cathedral, a functioning church decorated with many icons of holy figures.
A timber blockhouse built in Russian days survives, and there is a very good dance group which performs Russian folk dances.
Petersburg's heritage is Norwegian, and it has a model of a Viking ship, a Sons of Norway hall, and Norwegian folk art on some shops.
It is basically a big fishing port. Alaskan fish is superb: halibut, several types of salmon, king crab, and Dungeness crab.
Skagway was one of the gateways to the Yukon gold rush and the main street has many restored buildings from this time.
There is also a railway line up a pass to the Canadian border, which follows the route used by those trying to reach the goldfield. Dragging the necessary supplies up the pass was an enormous task for packhorses, and for the men who could not afford horses.
The wildlife was a wonderful part of the cruise experience. A visit to the Raptor Centre in Sitka was an opportunity to see a bald eagle at close quarters.
Most birds here are intended for release but one with a deformed beak is unable to survive in the wild. It is introduced to the public who admire its size and wingspan. I liked the big owls, blinking sleepily in the afternoon sun.
Little ships go where big ships cannot, notably the Wrangell Narrows, a 35km channel with 60 warning lights.
Little ships can also slow their speed and change course more easily, which is a great advantage for viewing wildlife both on land and sea: the sitka deer, the bears, the orcas and the most memorable sight, a humpback whale apparently giving lessons to her calf on how to flap a tail.
Over and over mother and infant came near to the surface, flapped their tails and dived briefly.
Our coldest day was in Glacier Bay. If you are within a kilometre of a stable glacier the height of two large cruise ships and almost half a kilometre across, then you need hat and jacket.
The Lamplugh Glacier was spectacular, a white terminal face calving from time to time.
Alaska has far more to offer than we saw. Our trip was an awesome mix of wildlife and history, of great food and wonderful people. We waited for some years to go there, and we are so happy to have gone to the Last Frontier.
Lynne Hill is a Mosgiel writer.
If you go
• Air New Zealand has flights to the US west coast from where you can connect to an Alaska Airlines flight.
• Alaska is not a cheap destination. Most food, apart from seafood, and produce that will not tolerate the short growing season, is brought in by barge from Seattle.
• Winterlake packages are from about $NZ6000 for three days (includes floatplane flights to and from Anchorage, guides, use of kayaks and fishing gear, all meals and most wines).www.withinthewild.com/lodges/winterlake.
• Un-Cruise packages are from about $NZ7000 (includes all off ship excursions, all meals and beverages). www.un cruise.com.
• You need strong insect repellent, long sleeved tops and long trousers for inland Alaska in summer. Take sunscreen but also a warm jacket and hat. Be prepared for all seasons.
