AUDREY MINTER explored Alaska by boat, kayak and helicopter – but first she had to get fit for hiking, camping and paddling with whales.

I am nearly 68 and thought I had long passed the opportunity to experience one last great adventure. My husband has been very ill for many years and I also care for my 90-year-old mother, as well as helping to mind my eight small grandchildren. None of these are a chore, but the free hours in a day are limited.

Last Frontier Adventures advertised a 14-day trip in Alaska “to feel more alive than you thought possible” and “the opportunity to get up close to grizzly bears and humpback whales”. This was something I had always dreamed of doing, and with the help of my family it all came true.

This was a camping and kayaking trip and I needed to be fit, so I bought some hiking boots, filled a backpack with books and every day walked around the paddock. I also found an old exercise bike in the shed, dusted it off and started pedalling. As I was to be away for three weeks, I cooked and froze 60 meals, and everyone rallied around offering to help Dad and Gran while I was travelling.

I have had open heart surgery and have eye problems, but I felt inspired to take this journey, not only for me but also for my family. I needed to show them that with faith, willpower and the help of a loving family, anything is possible. Yes, I did feel a little apprehensive as the plane took off from Mascot, but also exhilarated that this was really happening to me.

The adventure begins
Our trip commences at Petersburg, Alaska, a small and peaceful fishing village of Norwegian background on the Wrangall Narrows. I meet the others in our group and quickly become friends with Babs. We take a leisurely stroll around the harbour, chatting to the local fishermen and townsfolk. Julie and Ian try their hand at fishing and come back with a salmon and halibut. The friendly people at our motel organise a portable barbecue so we can cook and eat our fish fresh from the sea. People stop, talk and taste and soon everyone in town knows “the Aussie are here”.

Rick, our tour director, takes us out to see Le Conte Glacier. It is simply magnificent. We stop off on a little island where icebergs have come ashore. They are so interesting up close. We chip off perfect oval pieces and eat some.

From Petersburg we take the Marine Ferry to Juneau. Going through Frederick Sound one could almost reach out and touch the trees. It is raining and cold out on deck but we don’t want to miss seeing anything. Babs and I struggle to stay upright as we keep watch for whales. We arrive at Sitka about midnight and Rick takes us for a quick trip into town. The only place open is the Fisherman’s Bar – now that’s the type of place I have never been before – however, I did sleep well when back on board.

Juneau is a beautiful city on a strip of land bordered by 3,500-foot mountains and the water of the Gastineau Channel. Up to five cruise ships a day visit here and each can carry up to 2,000 passengers and crew. But this is not for us. We are off to the Alaskan Brewery (the stout was particularly nice) and then we visit the shrine to St Therese, a beautiful stone church set on a rocky peninsular. It’s here that we see the greatest concentration of salmon coming in to spawn. There are hundreds of huge and ugly salmon threshing on the rocks and ravens are waiting to pick out their eyes. It is quite grotesque.

We call in at the Red Dog Saloon – a must to all visitors. It’s here Wyatt Earp’s gun is displayed. After this refreshing break, we go out to Tracey Arm to see the Sawyer Glaciers and watch in awe as massive sheets of ice ‘calve’. We can’t believe how huge the icebergs are, as we slowly sail through them, while watching sea lions sunning themselves.

Brown bears on the beach
Next, it’s time to test our survival skills – we are off to see the bears. A float plane takes us to Admiralty Island and we set up our tents. The beach is rocky and we are glad of our rubber boots as we all help unload the plane. Then we have a lesson on how to paddle a kayak, which I have never tried before, but it’s not long before I start to feel confident.

We spend our day exploring the fascinating wilderness, examining the hundreds of starfish washed up with the changing tides, and most wonderful of all, we observe brown bears playing on the beach. Being in a kayak, you are so close to the bears without disturbing them.

Our night is spent talking with other travellers who are amazed at our journey, especially as Babs and I are older. It is an interesting fact that travel does broaden your knowledge and we learnt a lot and enjoyed making new friends.

Rising early, we head off to Windfall Harbour for the day. The tide is running so paddling is a little harder, but it is worth it when I see a mother bear and two babies frolicking in the water, although in the excitement, I lose my sunglasses overboard.

After about two hours we come ashore and land our kayaks. The National Parks and Wildlife only allow 22 people a day to interact with the bears, so we are very lucky. As we stroll along the beach to the Stan Price sanctuary we spot a huge male bear through the trees. I am so excited as I watch a mother catch a salmon for her three cubs. They splash and run together, stand on their little back legs and look at us. Suddenly one fellow jumps up on the mum’s head. She rolls over with him, scoops him up in her huge paws and cuddles him gently. It brings tears to my eyes.

We hike for two kilometres through the beautiful forest to an observation tower to view bears at the mouth of Pack Creek. This was not an easy walk but it was worthwhile to see the magnificent spruce and hemlock trees covered in fungi and lichen and marked by bears as scratching posts.

Our bear days have ended and the float plane takes us back to Juneau, where a helicopter takes us to the top of the Mendenhall Glacier. What terror as I step out of the helicopter! I practically crawl across to have ice crampons fitted. My knees are knocking as I take my pole and then I feel very smug – I can do it! It’s exhilarating as I examine crevasses and waterfalls in the vast glacier.

Kayaking with whales
Time is slipping by, so we fly to Gustaves and go by boat to Point Adolophus. This is what I’ve been waiting for: the whales. Again we set up tents on mossy ground in the Tongan National Forest. Babs and I decide to climb some rocks for a better view of a sea lion, but we don’t quite make it. We certainly gave everyone a good laugh as we rolled to the bottom!

To me, the time with the humpback whales was the ultimate. It is so hard to put into words the serenity, the colour, the beauty and the majesty of this land, and a day spent kayaking amongst a pod of whales makes it perfect.

We had been paddling for several miles and seen many whales in the distance, when rounding the point we spotted a pod of seven swimming towards us. For three hours we sat spellbound as they rolled, breached, slapped their flukes and frolicked for us. We were so close we could see the barnacles and scratch marks on their bodies. Suddenly they turned and swam right through our kayaks – the show had finished. One surfaced next to me. I could have reached out and touched her. Can you imagine a whale looking you right in the eye? My heart nearly stopped.

We eventually made our way back to camp, on the way listening to the eagles screech and watching otters drift by. How could we leave this magical place and its amazing creatures? We all felt sad that our time together was ending, but what joy we had experienced. Our lives have been enriched beyond measure.

What a challenge this journey was for me. I have pushed myself to my limits and am proud of my achievement. An added bonus was that I came home feeling 10 years younger. I would recommend this trip to people of all ages. All you need is a sense of adventure, reasonable fitness and an affinity with nature.