The grandeur of the mountains will take your breath away. Those infinite heights which magnetise your gaze, excite the imagination and entice you to conquer them. To have a luxurious view over everything, to touch the clouds and shout from the top of your lungs into the blue skies: “I did it. I conquered Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America!” The untouched beauty of Alaska enhances the country’s prestige, as does its area which is 1,717,856 km² and home to 740,000 inhabitants. For that, it is worth spending 700 to 900 dollars for a flight or taking a week-long journey by car and three-day journey by ferry.
Waiting to amaze you are the arctic tundra or spruce and fir forests, as well as the crystal-clear waters of three million lakes with an area of 9 hectares. One thing which may slightly derail you as an avid adventurer is the polar climate conditions. Winter does not ease its grasp on this place lightly. The temperature does not even reach zero for nine months and the countryside is shrouded in a veil of night for two months due to the polar night. You won’t warm up much in the summer here because it is short and cold. The locals and brave travellers to these parts also have to come to terms with the polar day when the sun shines non-stop over their heads for more than three months.
Despite the fact that a harsh climate reigns in Alaska and that it is home to a restless landscape with a glacial covering, it is a country etched deep into the hearts of the locals who have strong roots here and lovingly call it their luxurious home.
The modern history of Alaska did not begin until 1728, when Vitus Bering, a Danish seafarer in the service of the Russians, made it there via the Bering Strait. The United States of America purchased this island from Russia in the spring of 1867 for USD 7.2 million.
The gold rush lasted for only two years, but from 1896 until 1898, Alaska lured many enthusiastic prospectors with a promise of getting rich quickly. However, the dream of owning at least a few ounces of this precious metal only came true for a few of the lucky ones. The Yukon River gave up some of its wealth, but it still flows in memory of those gold-diggers, their hard work, sweat and determination.
The “Klondike” attracted visitors with its luxury wealth of gold, Mt. McKinley with its height and other locations in the largest American state with their harshness and unpopulated vastness. What will you allow yourself to be lured here by?