Page 151 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

towns without a stop sign probably have a landing
strip. Even the capital city of Juneau can only be
accessed by water or plane.
There are many companies offering charter services
for just a few hours or longer backcountry trips. From
Anchorage, take a flightseeing trip to Denali National
Park and circle the majestic mountain while looking
down on the fantastic flora and fauna below, or stop
and enjoy lunch on a glacier. A fly-in fishing trip is a
popular way to experience an unforgettable, once-in-
a-lifetime Alaskan thrill.
GOLD STAR PEAK
A peak in the Chugach Range between Eagle
River and Palmer was officially named in 2018 to
honor and salute families of soldiers who have died
during military service. Eagle River’s Kirk Alkire, a
retired U.S. Army First Sergeant who served in the
4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry
Division from Fort Richardson, first initiated efforts Pick up your copy of Travel Guide Fly Alaska at the
Anchorage Visitor Information Center
to attain formal approval to name “Gold Star Peak”
in May 2017. The Eklutna Tribe and State of Alaska
granted their permission and the project generated
tremendous support, with solid backing by many
Alaska individuals and organizations and from all
50 states. Alkire was proudly in attendance when
the Senate announced the U.S. Board of Geographic
Names had voted unanimously in favor of his
proposal.
Alaska has at least 300 registered Gold Star
families – immediate relatives of Armed Forces
members killed in combat or in support of certain
military activities. Alkire says, “We recognize that no
one has given more for the nation than the families
of the fallen. Honoring them by naming this peak is
a small token of our appreciation for each of their
sacrifices.”
Overlooking the Matanuska-Susitna Valley about
30 miles north of Anchorage, the 4,142-foot mountain
lies south of the Knik River and a little west of a
complex that includes Mount POW/MIA, named in
1999 to remember soldiers who were prisoners of
war or missing in action. There is a commemorative
plaque at the Matsu Visitors Center Veteran’s Hall of
Honor off the Glenn Highway where Gold Star Peak
is very visible, and another along with flags and other
memorials atop the mountain.
A primitive, steep trail to the mountain begins at
Mile 5 on the Eklutna Road, just between the marker
and a speed limit sign; another landmark is power
pole 85. Many hikers park at a small pull off about
Mile 4-3/4 and walk along the road to the trail that
begins above a steep bank.
In response to requests from veterans and
surviving family members for assistance in making
the moderately difficult climb, Alkire founded Gold
Star Peak, Inc. In its first season, the non-profit helped
well over 100 people including children and seniors
to undertake the healing pilgrimage to the top. For
those requiring an easier pace, their combat veteran
guides offer other free nature adventures ranging from
viewing the Northern Lights to watching the salmon
run. For more information, visit goldstarpeak.org.
ANCHORAGE HISTORY
Anchorage’s history is relatively new, although
the first settlers of Cook Inlet (direct descendants of
the original Natives who migrated from what is now
Siberia to Alaska across the Bering Land Bridge some
29,000 years ago) arrived in 3000 BC. Important dates
and major events in Anchorage history are included
below:
Mid-1700s. Russian trappers and hunters, called
“promyshlenniki” arrived in search of furs and trade.
Many Natives were converted to the Russian Orthodox
religion.
1778. British Captain James Cook arrived, searching

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