Talkeetna - Rafting + Avoiding Mosquitoe

It was nice to have a bit slower start to the day, cooking our breakfast in our 2-bedroom ‘cabin in the woods’ (1/2 mile walk from town). After breakfast we found a route through the woods to avoid the walk on the main road to town (which is a bit like a highway!). It wasn’t long before we pulled out our mosquito net headwear, and slipped on the citronella wristbands and ankle bands (moderately effective). The mosquitoes here are large but slow, so it’s not too hard to swat them away. Still, we did suffer a bit.

We were planning to take a 4-hour raft (float) trip down the Chulita River, but COVID has really affected staffing in Alaska, so a 2-hour trip on the Talkeetna was it. Our rafting guide was a 16-year old who grew up in Talkeetna, except for a 2-year period when his teacher-mom moved the family to a small indigenous village, and another year or two in Washington state. It was interesting to get some insight on what it’s like to grow up here—lots of fishing and taking dares to jump in the icy river.

Sadly we didn’t see any wildlife on our float trip. And even the weather didn’t cooperate to see the mountains, but at least the rain stayed away.

We spent the last part of the afternoon browsing the shops, taking photos of the cute signs and picking up reindeer sausage pizza and wine to take back to our cabin. Near the end of the day the clouds cleared enough for some nice views of the Alaska range, but the mosquitoes drove us inside for a game rather than lingering at the riverside. The constant daylight sometimes makes it hard to remember it’s bedtime, but we’re getting used to it.Read more