Angelika In Alaska, the journey is truly the destination, as often the real challenge is simply getting somewhere in the first place. There are only few roads in Alaska, but small aircraft, such as the charming seaplanes, as well as boats and ferries, prove to be the preferred means of transportation. I also read in the travel guide that only a few areas in Alaska have well-marked hiking trails. However, in the area we visited, the signage was exemplary. Hmm! It only becomes problematic when the winter snow knocks down the signs and trees, and the team of volunteers hasn't yet set out before the summer season to clear the hiking trail. It also seems that people in Alaska have a different way of assessing obstacles.

We wanted to hike the "Glacier Lake Trail" in Kachemak Bay State Park near Homer. To do this, we first had to take a water taxi (i.e., a boat) to take us from Homer to the other side of the bay, where it would drop us off at the start of the trail and pick us up five hours later at the end of the trail at another small bay.

The water taxis are really convenient, but not exactly cheap. We paid 65 dollars per person to get to our hiking trail. The owner (a man named Mako) of "Mako's Water Taxi" kindly informed us that although the hiking trail had not been officially cleared this year, a sign had dropped to the ground at a junction, and we would have to climb over some fallen trees. Oh, and there was still a bit of snow here and there. But no problem at all.

And I tell you, we climbed and climbed. Since the sun was shining wonderfully warm, the hard snow on the path had partly turned into a small stream, but our waterproof turbo hiking boots held up. The reward was the beautiful, partially still frozen glacial lake with the Grewingk Glacier in the background, which we didn't have to share with anyone.

The day before, Michael had obtained the rough coordinates of the individual waypoints from the internet and saved them on his portable GPS system after some wild coordinate transformations. This way, we always knew how far it was to the next junction, which was very reassuring.

As we were almost at our agreed meeting point with the water taxi, we once again climbed over a huge conifer tree and suddenly, the path was no longer visible. Michael walked a few steps ahead and stood in the dense undergrowth. No path in sight. After a few uncomfortable minutes, I decided to simply climb back over the tree, because we had seen the path before the tree. And indeed, the second attempt was successful. Shortly afterward, the water taxi picked us up at the agreed destination. During the hike, Michael had already devised a scenario of what we would do if the taxi didn't come. I, on the other hand, preferred to focus on the danger of bears.

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Alaska
  	Kayaking in the Arctic Ocean
  	Commercial Fishermen
  	Homesteading in the Wilderness
  	Bushlines
  	Alaska Permanent Fund
  	Bears
  	Melting Glaciers
  	Killer Whales Up Close and Personal
  	Moose

  
  

• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Alaska
  	Kayaking in the Arctic Ocean
  	Commercial Fishermen
  	Homesteading in the Wilderness
  	Bushlines
  	Alaska Permanent Fund
  	Bears
  	Melting Glaciers
  	Killer Whales Up Close and Personal
  	Moose