Cafe, Hope, Alaska, USA Photo by Barry Epstein
Interestingly, Doug told us of his real Alaskan adventures from extended kayaking trips with his wife and two boys in the wilderness to his climbing of Mount McKinley once, in the mountains around Mount McKinley for 6 spring seasons as well as in South America. These were incredible stories about how he planned his trips so meticulously to match his food and fuel. For the McKinley climb, he landed at the same base camp that Mimi and I landed on( 8,000 feet) and then it took him 3 weeks to climb the remainder 12,000 + feet to reach the summit and return. Wow. He also read a poem that he had written and published about when he took Beth, when she was six months pregnant, on an adventure deep in the Alaskan bush on a 340 mile kayak trip. Beth was 7 months pregnant at the end of the trip! Doug had a very successful career as a lawyer and he was involved in some very high profile environmental cases that was fascinating to learn about.
Beth and Doug Pope, Hope Alaska
Doug prepared an flavorful halibut dinner and we reminisced from our times we spent together in Fairbanks. It was interesting to learn how some of our friends turned out, some good and some not so good. Doug told us that previous visitors a few weeks earlier had a bit of a confrontation with a grizzly right in their driveway, however no one was injured. Mimi and I awoke with mountains and water views of Turnagain Arm that were amazing. It was great to have met Beth and offer some photography pointers as we strolled around the nearby creeks in the morning. I wished that I had spend more time with Beth and Doug as we were so very comfortable with them as they are so warm and friendly. We have kept in touch since our visit.
Glacier, Wittier, Alaska Photo by Barry Epstein
Another short but very nice drive Northeast to the coastal town of Whittier followed over a beautiful mountain pass where we saw a bull
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