From September 14th to September 17th, TotalAdventure travelled on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage north to Talkeetna, back to Anchorage and South to Seward as well as whistle stops in glacier areas. The video shows a compilation of the entire trip, along with the the incredible adventure experiences offered in each area.

On the morning of the 14th, we left Anchorage on the Denali Star Train at 7:50 AM for the 3 hour ,150  mile ride North to Talkeetna. As Gold Star passengers we were seated in a glassed roofed upper deck, with an outdoor balcony for photography and viewing.Upon arrival at the tiny frontier town we passed Nagley’s Store. The Denali Star Train goes all the way to Fairbanks – an 8 hour journey. Fairbanks is Alaska’s second largest city and serves as a Gateway to the Arctic.

After lunch we walked to the security –  free , private, Talkeetna Airport for our incredible flight on K2 Aviation to the Denali Base camp, where climbers for Mt.McKinley begin their 2 week climb to the Summit. Experience the flight in the blog posts below.

Afterwards we were invited for cocktails at the incredibly beautiful Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge – 5 Star Luxury Rooms with ample views of Mt.Denali on a clear day. A simple, but hearty dinner was enjoyed at Mountain High Pizza Pie – real Italian style from the owner who hailed from Pittsburgh.

After a long day we returned to our rustic inn, the Talkeetna Roadhouse , for a good night’s sleep. TotalAdventure stayed up a few hours editing the incredible aviation footage for the video featured on the Mt.Denali post below.

The next morning, Thursday the 15th, our group split in to two. The bravest of us, including TotalAdventure went Ziplining with Denali Zipline Tour.

The rest went on a jetboat adventure with  Mahay’s Jet Boat Adventures. The rivers run fast and cold, fed by Mt.Denali’s glaciers. Interesting fact – the snow that falls today on Mt. McKinley will flow into the  river 1500 years from now. The boat stops at a remote dock for a wilderness hike, observing old trapper and miner cabins. The guides are armed with shotguns in case of bear attacks – which thankfully have not happened.

After lunch we were treated to a tour of the Denali Brewing Company by founder Sassan Mossanen. Denali Brewing products accompanied many of our meals on the trip. Alaskans drink almost the entire production  – so unfortunately none is yet exported to the Lower 48.

Afterwards we returned to Anchorage on the Denali Star , resting for the night at the very comfortable Copper Whale Inn.

Early the next morning, Friday, September 16th at 6:45 Am we boarded the Coastal Classic Train for the 5 hour journey to Seward . It was a short walk from the depot to the town docks, where we boarded a Kenai Fjords Tour Boat for an incredible North Pacific Adventure- see below.

At the end of the day, chilled to the bone, we checked into our toasty warm cabins at the  Seward Windsong Lodge.  That night , we feasted at the hotel’s restaurant – the Resurrection Roadhouse  – on local seafood delicacies of halibut and cod – fresh, not frozen.

Our final day on the Alaska Railroad Adventure was on the Glacier Discovery Train. Our group rode to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop to kayak across an icy lake to the Spencer Glacier. We were guided by Ascending Path  ( See Below). The Alaska Railroad is one of the last railroads in the world to use whistle stops. The railroad serves remote areas that don;t warrant a station. Rather, a passenger tells a conductor at what milepost he wants to stop and notifies the engineer with a whistle. When getting back on the train, days or weeks later – the passenger stands by the tracks and flags down the passing train.

Our final night was at the Alyeska Resort – Alaska’s ‘s most luxurious hotel, with beautiful ski slopes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The season goes from mid November to almost May, with snow measured in feet,not inches. Our final dinner- at 10 PM – reached by cable car – was at the mountain top restaurant Seven Glaciers – amazing Alaskan seafood, Kobe beef  – best of all Spencer Glacier ice in our whiskey glasses.

TotalAdventure has journeyed on many of the world’s railroads, as you can see throughout our blog .The Alaska Railroad is amongst the best run  – and certainly one of the more luxurious trains one can take for a daytrip. Other US train lines do not even begin to compare. Now that winter is approaching the line scales back for one weekly trip – The Aurora Winter Train !

Please scroll below, for all the Alaska Adventures !

On Saturday September 17th we rode the Alaska Railroad to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop. Our expert guides from Ascending Path met us for the short trip to a lake where we donned head gear and kayaked two miles across a frigid ice filled lake.

The 28 degree water is deadly cold. No matter how good a swimmer you may be you do not want to flip over without a drysuit.

The ice is 10,000 years old and showing its’ age.

In the Blue Room.

TotalAdventure in the Blue Room.

Late summer calving into the lake.

Autumn colors with ice.

All geared up and ready to go.

On Friday , September 16 we boarded the 6:45 Coastal Classic Train at the Anchorage train station. The three hour jouney follows the coastline south of Anchorage, with occasional sightings of Beluga whales out the window ! The train then traverses the mountains of Chugach National Forest before arriving at Seward. At Seward it was a short walk to the dock.

We boarded the Coastal Explorer , a sturdy sightseeing craft operated by Kenai Fjords Tours. For the next six hours we explored the northernmost points of the Pacific Ocean, at 60 Degrees North.

Looks like Hawaii, but with snow. Last winter’s snow still on upper slopes with new snow starting soon.

American Bald Eagle in Seward Harbor.

Otter playing and hunting for fish.

Seals relaxing on a warm ( for them ) 40 degree day.

Blue ice from Glacier to Ocean.

Incredible Oceanic Geology.

Glacial Closeup.

Fishing village near Seward.

Tomorrow Morning TotalAdventure boards American Airlines in Miami for a three hour flight to Dallas. After a two hour layover, TA boards a 6 hour and 45 minute flight to Anchorage , Alaska, finally arriving 12 hours after leaving Miami. We are taking part in next week’s Adventure Travel World Summit  following the Press Trip sponsored by the State of Alaska. It is promised that there is WiFi in all hotels – so stay tuned for daily updates of Alaskan Adventure !

On Month From Today – TotalAdventure will board an Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage for a National Parks Adventure. Our group – the guests of the Railroad and the Alaska Tourism Corporation will fly with K2 Aviation over glaciers in Denali National Park, and Zipline with Denali Zipline Tours . We’ll then travel by luxury train to Seward and on to Kenai Fjords National Park where we will board a glacier and wildlife cruise. Our group will also hike back country at Exit Glacier .  Later on the third day we board the Glacier Discovery Train to kayak and ice climb with Ascending Path on the Spencer Glacier. Our final night is at Alyeska Resort.

The National Park Adventure leads up to this years’s Adventure Travel World Summit , starting on September 19th in Anchorage , Alaska. The Summit, with leaders of the world’s  top adventure travel companies, is in an exciting new location every year – in the recent past – Chile,Ireland,Namibia,Switzerland,Mexico,Canada,Brazil,Norway and Seattle.

More updates as the adventure approaches. During the trip TotalAdventure will have daily post,videos and photos.

On the night of October 3, 2015 –  TotalAdventure boarded  LAN’s 787 Dreamliner from Miami to Santiago. It was the start of a two week journey,  with the main focus on the Adventure Travel World Summit in Puerto Varas Chile.

The trip covered a huge range – from the snowy Andes to the steamy Amazon.

After clearing customs in Santiago, TotalAdventure boarded a 90 minute flight to Puerto Montt, which was near Puerto Varas.

It was a cold misty day – especially for someone who had just flown from the 95 degree heat of Miami.

TotalAdventure warmed up with a  piping hot bowl of Parihuela – a fresh spicy seafood stew. For TotalAdventure’s Chilean adventures – CLICK HERE !

ArcticTropic is now planning 2015 journeys. Three trips are shown here. The first , in February is to Southeastern Australia. The longest flight will be from San Francisco to Sydney – about 15 hours. In March – off to the Polar Regions of Iceland. September – Puerto Varas in Chilean Patagonia for the ATTA Summit. Several other ventures are in planning stage.

On short notice ArcticTropic contacted fellow ATTA member Tour Mongolia with a request for all the above adventures in Mongolia. Within 48 hours we had an agreed upon plan (all by email) – we were in good hands from the time we were picked up at the Ulanbataar Train Station until being dropped at the airport nearly a week later.

Special Thanks to Tseegii, our excellent guide who taught us all about where we were and who we met – throughout our journey.  She took care of all arrangements ,an of course,speaks perfect English and attempted to teach us some Mongolian.

Here is our diver Chimed – who drove our late model Japanese four wheel drive vehicle over hundreds of kilometers of dirt and sand roads that are not even on the maps. In years past he drove cars from Germany to Mongolia on a regular basis. He is also a skilled horseman and excellent chef.

Here I am pictured with Tour Mongolia owner Bagnaa, after he treated us to a delicious dinner at Mongol Restaurant on our final evening in Mongolia.

Tour Mongolia will soon offer trips directly through ArcticTropic.

Expeditions for the rest of the year are in the advance planning stages. Above is the flight pattern for June-July.

The flight pattern for October -November, above.

At 1;55 PM we take an 11 hour flight from Istanbul to Newark, followed by a connecting flight to Miami. Perhaps some good aerial shots of Eastern Europe and Newfoundland will be possible. Final Istanbul posts will come later this week. Also this week, ArcticTropic will welcome its’ first new members that we met at the ATTA Conference in Luzern two weeks ago.