Journals from a first-year dog musher

The rooms here are cozy and homelike. Quilts drape the oversized beds, and artwork that matches the unexplored wilderness hangs on the walls. The rooms are themed and beautifully decorated. Some are pure Alaska rooms, some have Southwestern decor, some are simple and minimal, and so on. Some rooms have one bed, while others have three.

The dining here is amazing home-cooking—I’ve never had home-cooking this good. Meals are all two to four courses. The meals range from good Deep South cooking to traditional American cooking with a pure Alaska twist. The owner of the B&B, who lives on the top floor, cooks and serves all the meals.

There are nine rooms here and a large, very inviting lounge with a fireplace and satellite TV. Windows decorate the walls with landscapes painted across them. There is also an outside Jacuzzi. The first thing you will notice when you walk in the door is the movie collection, which could easily put a movie rental place to shame. They also offer retreats and getaway packages.

There is so much to do around Denali, and the owners will help you with all your planning. You can river-raft, kayak, rent mountain bikes, take guided tours, and much more.

MORE INFO

www.touchofwildernessbb.com
touchow@mtaonline.net

There are 10 rooms that can house one to three people, or a few rooms will hold two to five people with two queen beds and a single. Every room has a private bath, phone, and TV, as well.

If it's nice outside, there is a BBQ grill under a covered pourch that's free for all. The lodge also keeps stock of steaks, potatoes, vegetables, and even desserts.

The lodge recommends that you stay at least 2 days so that you can take advantage of the famous bus tours into Denali Park. Other nearby options and activities are horseback riding, riverboat tours, hiking, fishing, and whitewater rafting.

When I stayed here, it was because we got caught up in a really bad snowstorm and couldn't drive. You couldn't even see one foot in front of you. So the lodge quickly jacked up their normally low winter prices to over $159 for three people in a room. It is Alaska, and it's what hotels do, so...

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backwoodslodge@hotmail.com

As I sit here waiting for my coffee to cool down, I am pleasantly reminded of a quote from the T.E. Lawrence book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible."

I don’t think I have ever really lived out a dream of mine - nothing monumental anyway. But I think being here, in Alaska, I can say that I know what it feels like to live out a dream. If anything, it feels so surreal that it's more like living in a dream than coming out of one. But it is by the short Alaska days of light that I dream, and at night, when my mind begins to sleep, reality sets in, and I am excited.

The first dog-sledding run I ever did was on my second day in Alaska. The excitement I had right before we unhooked was like nothing I've ever felt. It was strange, though. Most seasoned dogsledders say that they still have this huge anticipation right before they jump on the sled for the first time each day. I’ve even heard some relating it to a space shuttle launch. As excited as I was, it was different for me. It was calm, natural almost. It was like it was something I was meant to do or maybe something I had done in a past life. I was meant to do this. I didn’t have the slightest bit of fear or hesitation. I was as eager and ready as the dogs were to hit the trail.

Weather is a funny thing in Alaska, and you just have to learn to deal with it. If you waited for good weather in Alaska before you went out, you wouldn't get out much.