Ice Climbing in Alaska in the Winter can be FUN!!!

Hey Matt,

We just wanted to thank you for the great time we had yesterday. Of all of our adventures in Alaska, including: snow-machining, skiing, hiking, and sport shooting, our ice climbing trip with you was by far our favorite activity. When we began, the climbing was difficult, however, by the end of the day we both had reached the top of our climb multiple times. Not only was the climbing challenging, but it was beautiful and greatly rewarding. Your expertise, guidance, and lessons made the climbing much easier, as well as more comfortable and enjoyable then we could have ever imagined. We look forward to climbing with you again in the future.

Thanks again Matt,

Vince and Cate (Manhattan, KS)

Ice Climbing with Joe Butler

We would like to thank you for the fantastic ice climbing experience that we had last week. Joe Butler was a true professional and he quickly gained our trust. His knowledge and experience was greatly appreciated.



Thanks for a great time, we will be back

George and Abigail O'Connor

Guest Comment from 8/24 Rabbit Lake Hikers

Dear Heather,

Pat Cable and I both agreed that your tour (hike) of the Chugach Mountain Front Range from Anchorage was the highlight of all our Alaskan hikes. Your knowledge of the terrain was immense and I will never forget you excellent direction at a critical time during our trek down the trail. Having lived in the city all my life, I was clueless about what to do, and you treated the whole situation with professionalism and style. WHAT A RELIEF!

Well, our best to you and our thanks to you for a wonderful day. Pat and I will feel very confident referring you, and your husband (ice hiking), and your company, to any of our friends visiting Anchorage.

You're the best tour guide ever!

A friend in Newport Beach, CA,
Rick Ruiz

Bull Moose a plenty on Anchorage Day Hike

Wonderful day out with Marsh & John from Texas that were on an Anniversary trip to Alaska. they booked several trips with us: Anchorage Day Hike, Glacier Hike & Rainforest Hike. On our anchorage day hike we stalked and found 5 moose and a huge Bull moose we were able to get fairly close to for pictures. What a great day to see so many moose. It was pre-rut so we had been consistantly seeing mooses at Glen Alps area on every Day Hike. The fall colors were technicolor, the alpine blueberries ripe and tasty and still farily warm temps with some flowers still visible. I was finding wild geraniums still in some of the areas around the muskeg which blew me away since they are some of the first flowers to bloom of the season! I gasped and my clients I don't think were nearly as excited as I was....I guess sometimes I am a geek and get super enthusiastic for flowers, moose, birds and animals. I never get bored of nature.---Heather

8/24 Rabbit Lakes Anchorage Day Hike

On my full day Anchorage Day Hike to Rabbit Lakes we saw 17 Dall Sheep in the cirque and we walked up onto a family of 8 or so ptarmagin in changing plummage. they were amazing in color. the Alpine Bear Berries were glowing red and the lichen around Rabbit Lakes was vibrant orange! Great day out to a new guiding location. I'll get my photos up soon! Heather

Tons of wildlife on 10 am Anchorage Day Hike

My clients and I saw 7 Moose of which there were huge Bulls with large racks, 1 Dall Sheep with a coiler for horns, and an arctic ground squirrel with the hugest goiter from packing his jowls with berries for his winter food cache!!! We hiked up to the saddle of little O'Malley Peak and had a great time! It was a bit of a hike for one of the teenagers. But she was really impressed with her accomplishment after the fact--I knew she could do it with coaxing and a comfortable pace!!! We had a great hike-Heather

Anchorage 1/2 Day hike 6pm 8/11/09

Tundra Rose or Shrubby Cinquefoil.

There is always a silver lining in life :)

Fireweed in its fall colors.

White puffy clouds on the south-eastern flank of O'Malley peak.

Moose on Willawaw Trail 8/11/09

The momma moose is checking us out. Wondering if we are a threat or if her and her calf can continue nibbling on the grass. Who is looking at who here? Peek-a-boo.

Not a very good picture of water fowl and ducks.

Power line pass and Ptarmagin Peak lit up in the amazing light.

Anchorage 1/2 Day Hike 8/11/09 6pm

The Sunlight is absolutly amazing this time of year. I found myself toting my large SLR and lenses around on a few trips this time of year for the first time. My clients were kind enough to let me photograph them. I was discreet but couldn't help myself wanting to capture the light. I am not a photographer but thought of my time in Alaska since 1991; I don't have many pictures of the summers as I am always working them. Thus, I needed to capture the beauty that I surround myself when sharing alaska to summer clients to help jog my memory in the dark depths of winter :) Heather Szundy We watched this moose calf and cow for about 45 minutes....funny thing is my clients had not seen moose on their trip to Denali and Seward. i had them for their last hours in Alaska and not even 15 minustes from the car we spotted 2 about 20 feet from the trail. I am the moose whisperer :) not really but I just know where to find them. I love moose even after seeing hundreds over the years. The sight of them still makes me get excited like a school child!

Lisa & Hanna entertaining me for a photo.

The Wedge & Powerline pass, Glen Alps.

Ptarmagin Peak, Glen Alps.

Flat Top Half Day Hike

Bright and sunny 6pm Hike at Glen Alps trail head to Flat Top. My two clients, mother and son, were from Mexico City. The mom had never hiked before but she was very physically fit. With encouragement, she made it to the upper saddle just below the last 600 ft to the summit of Flat top. Her son and I ran/hiked up to the summit and back down while taking photos of the awesome sunset. It was an accomplishment for the mom that she was marveling about the entire car ride back to downtown, Anchorage. I knew that the mom could do more than she thought. So, it was very gratifying to me to know that she pushed her limit just a little higher. Her sense of accomplishment was overwhelming to her. I love my job!!! I have a feeling she will become a hiker as she loved the bonita vistas!!! They have headed up to Denali and Fairbanks but they might come out on a Glacier Hike or Ice Climbing on their way back through Anchorage :) Yahooo, it is great bonding with clients and having an extraordinary time in the Alaskan mountains. For some, Flat Top is not wilderness but for others it can be the most wilderness they have experienced. They get a taste and then they get hooked :) ----Heather Szundy

07/02 Wolverine Peak Day Hike Anchorage

Dear sirs,

I am writing to you to say that I was very satisfied with your services.

The full-day hike on July 2nd, with the tour guide Beth, was really pleasant.
We went all the way up to Wolverine Peak and it was a real learning experience. Besides mentioning interesting information about the vegetation and animals of the region, she also tought us how to recognize animals footprints and type of plants/trees.

I hope to go back to Alaska next summer and enjoy some more of this beautiful state.
Next time, I would like to do Ice Climbing, Rock Climbing and Glacier Hiking!

Have a nice summer!

Ana Licia Sudo
São Paulo, Brazil

Snowshoeing Day Trip from Anchorage

Nice ladies traveling from Wisconsin up for the Iditarod. We Snowshoed up in the Willawaw Lake drainage for a few miles roundtrip. We found sights of recent moose in the area with fresh chew marks on the bark of Alder trees & moose scat. Saw lots of snowshoe hare tracks and even a little fast one that passed through the brush in front of us. The sastrugi was very large in the creek drainage. We even found areas of wind scoured snow that had inches of moose fur in a region where I know they like to den down in the winter. I was wishing I knew some anglers who tied flies for fishing so I could tell them about the moose fur find. Despite the cold we had awesome hoar frost on the trees that made them look as if they were coated with powdered sugar crystals. The sun came out and I feverishly tried to take in every ray as we hiked back to the car. My guests were laughing at me as I was taking tons of photos of them in DIRECT sunlight. They realized that I and many others in Alaska were just receiving some of the first direct and warming sun rays for the first time in months (unless you traveled to southern latitudes, of course). I was ecstatic :) :) Another great day out-----Heather Szundy

First Annual Ice Climbing Festival in Anchorage area

First Annual Ice Climbing Festival in the Anchorage area. Jayme Dixon, The Ascending Path, AMH, Alaska Ice Climbing, MCA, 210th PJ's, Alaska Rock Gym, AAC, Access Fund and many others worked continuously for half a year trying to get together the first large scale Ice Festival and Competition in Hunter Creek. The 3 day event provided beginner to advanced climbers the opportunity to learn skills in many clinics. This was a momentous occasion as it brought together a lot of talent and different groups of climbers in Alaska. People flew in from Juneau, Kodiak, Fairbanks and many were present from Southcentral Alaska. AMH, The Ascending Path, Petzl & BD provided demo gear. While instructors ranged from some of Alaska's best: Harry Hunt, Joe Stock, Ralph Tingey, Ascending Path Guides, 210th PJ's etc. It was a lot of work as most figured out by the end of the weekend. I would say the attendance was around 200 or so climbers, outdoorsy folks, and family for the 3 day event. All in all it was a great weekend with a killer mixed comp route complete with moss and choss, Chris Lindsey DJing, kegs from Moose's Tooth, a slide show, wrap up dinner at Organic Oasis with live auction and direct sunlight!!! Waaahoooo :) Can't wait for next year's event! I will not be off the sofa next year for the comp though, Harry!!! ------Heather Szundy