The Last Frontier

The first look

By Munish Gupta

July 10^th, 2016

Alaska in winter is nothing short of magical.

Originally, we were supposed to land in Fairbanks late at night—but, as luck would have it, we missed our flight. At the time, it felt like a frustrating setback. It wasn’t until the next day that we realized it had been a blessing in disguise.

The airline rebooked us on a later flight to Seattle that evening, with a connecting flight to Anchorage the next morning, and then on to Fairbanks. That morning flight was nearly empty, which meant we each snagged a window seat in adjacent rows.

As the plane lifted off, Mt. Rainier came into view—majestic and sunlit—and from that moment on, the scenery only grew more breathtaking.

It wasn’t long before Alaska began to reveal itself through the window. The smaller plane, flying at a lower altitude, offered an intimate view—mountains, glaciers, and frozen rivers slowly unfolding beneath us like pages in a story.

The landscapes were exquisite!

Anchorage

That was our first stop—and it still felt surreal. We were actually about to set foot in Alaska!

By then, anticipation had fully taken over. I was getting greedy for more—eager to reach Fairbanks and get out there into the wild beauty that awaited us.

After a short layover, we were back in the air, en route to Fairbanks. The sky remained clear, and the views below only grew more spectacular with every passing mile.

mt mckinley

As luck would have it, we had snagged seats on the ‘right’ side of the plane. Not long into the flight, the captain announced that Mt. McKinley (Denali) was visible to our left—and what a sight it was. Towering, majestic, and absolutely unforgettable.

Fairbanks

And soon enough we were getting ready to land in Fairbanks.

CHENA HOT SPRINGS

We stayed in Chena Hot Springs the first night. It was about an hour and a half away from Fairbanks.

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hot springs

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gold panning anyone?

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They have a observation hut, called Aurorium, built a little away from the (well lit) main area for enjoying Northern Lights.

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the winter sunset

While we were there, the sun dipped below the horizon around 4 PM each day. But with the early darkness came a nightly gift—a front-row seat to nature’s own light show, free of charge. And luckily for us, it made an appearance every single night.