Alaska adventure should be on your bucket list… like every year. Alaska cruises are so prolific that brochures pop up like mushrooms in mailboxes across the nation, yet I believe that doing a piece of Alaska is much more satisfying than just seeing the highlights. I first went to Alaska in 1963 and have been in love ever since, yet I want waders on the ground, a fishing rod in my hand, or a rifle over my shoulder. You can’t do that from a traditional cruise ship.

Alaska Day 7 Homer 096One of the great adventures in the world is booking a fishing excursion like those offered by Kurt & Tina Whitefield of Sitka, Alaska.  By using their 38-foot floating lodge as headquarters, you can literally be on the water 24 hours a day. Sitka is an island group, so the Whitefield’s boat, Glacier, works around myriad bays and channels fishing in sheltered coves, inlets, and the open water, depending on the species sought. Aside from great fishing for salmon, halibut, cod, and rockfish, you can catch shrimp the size of lobsters and succulent crabs by the armful. Many of these elements can be enjoyed on a fall hunting trip as well. Check out the Alaska Glacier website to preview the kinds of adventures you’ll experience when you “do” Alaska.