...Portage Valley

A map of some of our hikes and bike rides.

The view from our campsite. The clouds at the top of the mountain were not typical of our time at Williwaw Campground.

After dinner one evening we decided to hike up a ravine toward Middle Glacier, which we could see from our campsite.

This is the same ravine as in the previous photo, but you can see a family of four climbing toward the glacier in this picture. I added this photo for scale. It was a long way to the top. I don't think anyone went the entire distance.

A drooping flower.

An early morning scene from the Williwaw Nature Trail.

Mrs. Huffy and Emily enjoy riding their bikes on a portion of the Trail of Blue Ice.

This is the entrance to the tunnel. It is the longest tunnel in North America.

As we waited in the staging area for the tunnel to open in our direction lots of boats showed up. They were on their way to the dock at Whittier and the waters of Prince William Sound.

The tunnel to Whittier looks like this for most of its length.

The light at the end of the tunnel. Whittier is just beyond the opening.

At the Portage Pass trailhead.

Emily and Mrs. Huffy atop Portage Pass. They are making their way to a small bench that someone built to sit upon and take in the views. Whittier and Passage Canal can be seen in the distance. There was a huge cruise ship unloading and loading passengers at the Whittier dock. This pass has been used for hundreds of years to transport goods between Prince William Sound and Turnagain Arm.

Mrs. Huffy and Emily enjoy the bench and the fantastic views.

Looking the opposite direction you can see Portage Glacier and a portion of Portage Lake. The small body of water is called Divide Lake.

Emily made gourmet s'mores which included the usual graham crackers and marshmallows, but she also added a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a Kit-Kat bar to make it taste extra delicious.

My bike at the beginning of the Trail of Blue Ice near the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center.

Emily and Mrs. Huffy at the Byron Glacier trailhead.

Emily in her sunglasses with Byron Glacier in the background.

We drove to Girdwood to get some supplies and saw these kite surfers on Turnagain Arm.

We just returned from five nights at Williwaw Campground in the Portage Valley. The weather was spectacular and activities included a day trip to Anchorage, a trip through the tunnel to Whittier where we hiked to the top of Portage Pass, biking/hiking on the Trail of Blue Ice, and hiking on Byron Glacier Trail. We ate s'mores nightly around the campfire and played many games of Phase 10 at the picnic table. Emily got all her parents attention on this trip as Laura was on a week long trip to Kotlik--a small village on the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta. Gabby had a wonderful time chasing sticks and wading in the water at the ponds about a half mile from the campground. She also made many canine and human friends during our stay as she meandered through the campground on her leash on many walks. It was just another great trip to the...Portage Valley.