By MELISSA D. HALL
Daily News correspondent
The massive aquamarine glaciers calving into Prince William Sound and the honey-colored grizzly bears wandering the treeless ridges of Denali National Park are just a couple of the examples of Alaska's bounty.
It's what makes this place so incredible, luring hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. These travelers - from Jersey to Japan, Alabama to Australia - are drawn by the spectacular images of natural beauty not found in many other places on the planet.
We agree they are spectacles to behold. The first time you see a car-sized chunk of ice collapse into the ocean will stay forever etched in your memory. And looking a grizzly bear straight in the eyes? Well, that's one image that won't soon be forgotten, either.
However, we're here to suggest something a little different for your Alaska vacation - an adventure that stretches the imagination and gives yet another unforgettable glimpse of Alaska. No offense against those glaciers and bears, but we think there are lots of other great - and absolutely unique - ways to experience this great state too.
Imagine hooking a 100-pound halibut from the depths of Resurrection Bay out of Seward. Sounds pretty exciting, eh?
Well, now imagine doing it while sitting atop an open kayak only inches above the water. Sort of sends chills up your spine, doesn't it?
This is just what fishing guide and kayaking expert Christopher Mautino offers as part of his kayak guide company Liquid Adventures. Here is a place where the adventurous traveler can combine kayaking with fishing in one- to several-day packages.
It's the perfect way to explore the bay. From a kayak, you'll be able to enjoy the quiet solitude of the bay's edges as you paddle just offshore in silence - no loud boat motors or giant wakes, just your paddle, a fishing rod and the surrounding scenery to take in.
Mautino, who's been fishing from kayaks for nearly 20 years, said he generally targets halibut, salmon or rockfish but that the occasional lingcod or other fish will grab the lines. He takes clients to water that ranges from 20 feet to 200 feet deep and to favorite fishing holes that he knows to be productive.
True, big fish can make for interesting kayaking, he acknowledged. He said he has hooked tuna in Baja and Hawaii that have dragged him six to 10 miles out to sea.
But in Resurrection Bay, the fishing tends to be somewhat tame and the boats are specially designed with wide, flat bottoms to stay stable while pulling in fish.
The sport is well-known elsewhere in the country, especially in warmer climates. But Mautino said it's slowly catching on here. In fact, another kayak fishing company, Ketchikan Kayak Fishing, now offers similar trips in Southeast Alaska. There, kayakers have had luck landing king salmon, halibut and rockfish.
If fishing is not your thing, there are other options too. What about jumping off the tallest mountain you can find?
Sound crazy? Or does it sound like huge fun? It's doable in Alaska.
Alyeska Resort, less than an hour's drive south of Anchorage, is filled with skiers and snowboarders in the winter, enjoying the groomed slopes and surrounding activities of the typical ski community. The resort draws visitors locally and from around the world, who enjoy the fine dining, swimming pool and steaming hot tub offering views of the mountain and tram.
But summer also is an ideal time to see this scenic small town. The resort remains open year-round, and in summer it offers such fun as hiking, mountain biking and berry picking.
For the off-the-wall adventurer, you can also try paragliding. From near the top of Mount Alyeska, clients can attach themselves to an experienced guide and literally run off the mountain for a bird's-eye floating tour of Turnagain Arm 2,300 feet below.
Pete Gautreau is an instructor with Alaska Paragliding, the company that contracts with Alyeska to offer flight lessons from the mountaintop. He, or his partner Scott Amy, will be your pilot, essentially doing most of the work while you strap yourself into a chairlike device that keeps pilot and rider together.
Launching is the most complicated part of getting started. Rider and pilot must wait for just the right moment, when the wind can gust enough air into the balloonlike gliders, filling it out for takeoff. At that precise moment, it is time to take a running but controlled leap and be lifted into the sky.
"You're looking for a nice, steady breeze coming right up into the sail," Gautreau explained. To test their paragliders, fliers often do what Gautreau calls "building their walls" - picking up the surprisingly thin cords connecting the nylon glider to their harness and shaking them as if rattling a garden hose. The wind grabs hold of just enough of the glider to fluff it out, assuring the flier that nothing is tangled and the paraglider is ready for takeoff.
The tranquility of a tandem flight is much different from being in charge of the controls and the only sane way to get started in the sport. Gautreau said to be prepared for weather delays. For the safety of everyone, flights can only take place in ideal conditions. In the air, he will man the steering toggles, connecting with thermals of rising air for a gentle, descending flight.
But riders can also have a shot, taking turns at steering themselves. And that, you can be assured, is an unforgettable experience.
After exploring Alaska by air and sea, how about keeping your feet planted firmly on ground? A great way to see Alaska's backcountry is by backpacking, but wouldn't it be nice to let someone else carry the load? And wouldn't it be really great if that someone - or something - was a woolly and nimble llama?
Believe it or not, llamas are perfectly suited to Alaska's mountainous environment and their soft-padded feet are easy on trails. They can carry formidable loads on their long, strong legs and are easy to handle, even for the beginner llama packer. Packing with llamas is an ideal way for families with smaller children to reach the deeper recesses of the backcountry. The animals haul the load, freeing mom and dad to carry kids if they get tired. Llama Trek Alaska, based in Seward, offers fully guided llama pack trips with animal and human included. Or do it yourself and rent only the llama. One of the company's more popular options is a three- to four-hour llama hiking tour, which includes guide and llama to do the carrying along a scenic two-mile trail on the Kenai Peninsula. Times can be accommodated to match your travel schedule. The company also can help set up your backcountry camp and return a few days later with the llamas to pack everything out.
Another option for two-wheeled trail lovers is available through Alaska Backcountry Bike Tours, based in Palmer. Owner Tony Berberich will take the adventurous rider on anything from an all-day singletrack trail ride of the popular Johnson Pass Trail to a multiday trek throughout the Kenai Peninsula. And if these adventures sound too tame, just ask Berberich to cook up something mind-blowing: He'll have you going vertical in no time.
Considering just these few options for experiencing Alaska, all of a sudden the average tour-bus trip seems quite dull, doesn't it? And that is one thing no visitor to Alaska wants to feel. After traveling this far to see this grand country, isn't it worth it to create memories like no other?
We sure think so.
Freelance writer Melissa D. Hall lives in Chugiak.
IF YOU GO
LIQUID ADVENTURES: The company offers half-day, full-day and multiday kayak fishing adventures out of Seward, using a specially designed Sit-on-Top kayak by Ocean Kayak. All tackle and rods are supplied. Trips start at $135 per person. (1-888-325-2925, www.liquid-adventures.com)
KETCHIKAN KAYAK FISHING: This Southeast company targets rockfish, salmon and halibut on half-, full-and multiday trips. All tackle and rods are supplied. Trips start at $175 per person. (1-907-225-1272, www.yakfishalaska.com)
ALASKA PARAGLIDING: A tandem flight from Mount Alyeska, with instruction, is $185 and takes about an hour. Reservations are recommended, but availability of flights is weather-dependent. (301-1215, www.alaskaparagliding.com)
LLAMA TREK ALASKA: Day trips as well as overnight and multiday trips are available, as well as drop-off camp trips, in which llamas haul in the gear while you enjoy time in the backcountry. Prices start at $50 per day for the llamas to $150 per day for guided tours. (1-907-224-8445, www.llamatrekalaska.com)
ALASKA BACKCOUNTRY BIKE TOURS: From day trips on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to downhill white-knucklers in Alaska's backcountry, this longtime mountain biker outfitter can create any trip. All levels of riders accommodated. Prices start at $70 for a day trip to $1,400 for a weeklong adventure. (1-866-354-2453, www.mountainbikealaska.com).
