Postcards from Alaska: Escape Florida’s sweltering summer for the last frontier

Greetings from Alaska! There’s nothing quite like escaping the sweltering dog days of summer in Florida to experience the land of the midnight sun and temperatures that helped me regain my chill.

It was just by luck that my girlfriend, Karissa, invited me on this epic expedition several months ago, prompting my immediate and enthusiastic “Yes!” Our adventure-filled itinerary included breathtaking views on hikes in Denali National Park, a soothing dip in natural hot springs and an icy trek on the Matanuska Glacier. Two other friends joined for the excursion, which featured a rental camper van for driving and sleeping.

The trip of a lifetime began in Anchorage, where we caught Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic Train to Seward on a route ranked among the top 10 train rides in North America by National Geographic. On the way to the quaint waterfront town that’s bordered by Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, we gazed in awe at mountains towering over the train, cascading waterfalls and glaciers off in the distance. During our time in the small town of less than 3,000, we embarked on a sea kayaking trip to see otters and bald eagles in their natural habitat and spent an afternoon hiking the Harding Icefield Trail, which overlooks Exit Glacier.

Flatlanders be warned: Hiking up hundreds or thousands of feet of elevation gain during a hike proves challenging when all you have to train with are flights of stairs in parking garages.

After soaking in the waterfront views from Seward and a picturesque return trip on the train, it was time to pick up a rental 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The van was decked out with a queen bed, a sink (with a hot water heater!) and plenty of storage. The adventure van included an awning, solar power and all-terrain tires for wherever our travels took us.

We dashed off to Denali National Park, which had just reopened after the Riley Fire near the park’s entrance. During our two-night stay there, we were only able to behold a mere fraction of the massive 6.1-million-acre expanse, which serves as home to North America’s highest peak. On several hikes, we stood amazed at sweeping views of mountains and valleys in front of us, also enjoying some lower elevation hikes through scenic forests, along lakeshores and next to rushing creeks. The fresh mountain air proved to be just what the doctor ordered, and it felt like everything was much bigger and open in Alaska.

Our aching legs needed a reprieve after a few hard hikes, so our next stop was Chena Hot Springs, a refreshing oasis an hour outside of Fairbanks. While the property is a destination for seeing the northern lights during the winter months, we enjoyed a “fire and ice” sort of experience with a soak in the more than 100-degree water and a visit to the on-site Aurora Ice Museum, an indoor building filled with ice sculptures where guests can sip appletinis served in carved-ice martini glasses.

Every stop on our journey benefited from long days when the sun didn’t set until almost midnight, allowing us to fit many activities into a single day.

After a unique dining experience at the Alaska Salmon Bake in Fairbanks and a quick stop at North Pole, Alaska — where we snapped photos with a towering Santa statue — it was time to head south on the Richardson Highway. Running for several hundred miles through Alaska’s interior, the scenic drive is where we camped for a night and hiked to the Castner Glacier ice cave. Along the way, we spotted a mama and baby moose in a pond right next to the road, just a few dozen feet away.

The end of our grand Alaskan adventure featured one of the trip’s biggest highlights: a full-day excursion onto the Matanuska Glacier, which is 27 miles long and 4 miles wide. Led by guides Samantha and Julian, our group of four learned how to use crampons for the first time for traction on ice, then used harnesses and ropes to scale ice walls and repel down frozen canyons. The landscape felt surreal and was certainly a welcome way to enjoy some crisp temperatures far away from the heat of Florida.

Determined to squeeze as much as we could into the final portion of our trip, we sprinted in the van down to the Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land that extends for 4.5 miles into Kachemak Bay. There, we watched a full moonrise after the sun finally set around 11 p.m., then woke the next day to find our first hot shower in days at a nearby campground before feasting on fresh salmon and halibut for lunch. Before hitting the road to catch flights home in Anchorage, we visited the famous Salty Dawg Saloon, established in 1957 and housed in a cabin built in 1897. The building formerly served as the town’s post office, a railroad station, a grocery store and a coal mining office for 20 years.

While the trip seemed to end too soon, I know we made many new memories in the 49th state and relished every second of our time there. Whenever Florida’s heat indexes soar into the triple digits, all I have to do is close my eyes and picture myself back on that glacier to find my chill once again.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.