On Feb 22, 2025, thirty-three intrepid CMSC Club members embarked on a trip to America’s last frontier: Alaska. It was a very long travel day, and many nodding heads could be seen as the shuttle bus approached the Alyeska Lodge, an hour outside of Anchorage. The trip had 3 different segments playing out in different locations, which extended nearly 2 weeks.
Part 1: Alyeska, is located with in sight of the Turnagain Arm, and is near the small town of Girdwood. Skiers and boarders alike enjoyed 5 days of playing on the snow. Snow levels were minimal, however everyone seemed to be have a great time anyway.
One day there was a thick fog at the base, that cleared by the top of the tram. Accompanied with a high cloud level, left a layer sandwiched in between with good visibility.
When off the slopes, there were wonderful eateries, art galleries displaying work of the local community, and of course, local bars.
Part 2: The Iditarod. Two nights before the start of the race we attended the “Musher Meet and Greet” and met and got autographs from the mushers at the convention center. Two days later dog lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike rallied around the ceremonial start of this famous race on the streets of Anchorage on the morning of March 1. Snow was trucked in the night before to transform downtown 4th street into a runway for the 33 entrants: 22 men, and 11 women. Some were Alaska born and bred, others came from the lower 48, and some from international destinations such as Denmark and Finland. The race (the actual race) was restarted in Fairbanks two days later. The route was changed a week before the race this year to a more northern route due to lack of snow on the more southern route.
In the afternoon the group split into smaller groups. One enjoying a waterfall hike, another a hike to a Glacier, and a third explored around Anchorage. Later in the afternoon was the running of the reindeer. Based on the running of the bulls, but thankfully these reindeer were not interested in spearing anyone. A fun time was had by all.
Other activities in Anchorage included shopping, museum visits, and dining at tasty and diverse eateries, ranging from Asian to Russian, to Alaskan. Late Sunday night, most of the group took “the red-eye” back home, arriving in Cleveland on Monday afternoon.
Part 3: Talkeetna. On that same Sunday, thirteen of us headed to Talkeetna with a two and a half hour bus ride, basically north. It is a remote town, somewhat less than halfway to Denali, where we had high hopes of seeing the Northern Lights. Some people took a flight-seeing tour with great views of Denali, and some people went snow shoeing. Many people did a dog sled tour and actually got to “drive” the dog sleds.
The first night we enjoyed a talk on the Aurora Borealis covering the scientific phenomena and also tips on how to capture photos with either a cell phone or an SLR camera. Although the Aurora did display one night, it was still fairly cloudy, and the colors were very subdued.
The last day in Talkeetna we boarded the Alaskan Aurora Train and returned to Anchorage. Sighting moose from the train added to the experience as well as having dinner on the train.
Individual clubs represented on the trip included: Chagrin Valley, Cuyahoga Valley, Lewis, Suburban, and Warren.
Submitted by Alyeska Ski Trip Leader: Judi Fordyce