Alaska: Husky business

The huskies are always happy to welcome a new guest to Winterlake Lodge. Photo / 123RF

Brett Atkinson experiences the Alaskan wilderness in style at a private lake retreat.

We hear the four-legged members of Alaska's finest welcoming party well before we see them. An excited chorus of canine whoops and hollers announces the arrival at Winterlake Lodge of our floatplane from Anchorage.

Concealed beyond a compact stand of robust fir trees, 19 husky buddies make it obvious they're always happy to welcome new guests to one of Alaska's most spectacular wilderness retreats. Come back in winter and the lodge's hardworking crew could be traversing the famed Iditarod Trail.

The rugged course of the iconic sled dog race carves a challenging path through Winterlake's 20,234sq m, but right now Frankie, Danger and the rest of the team are enjoying the easygoing doggy downtime of an Alaskan summer.

Just five rustic but stylish bungalows dot the edges of Winterlake's private lake and we're staying at the Trapper cabin, a charming heritage house built on the site of the land's original 19th century homestead. Bald eagles wheel above soaring spruce trees and occasionally there's a maniacal cackle from black and white loons on the lake nearby. According to our hosts, the close-knit Dixon family, the little bird's call is the essential sound of an Alaskan summer, but our own Winterlake memories soon emerge, the rhythmic swoosh of kayak paddles through the lake's glassy water and the confident hum of the lodge's helicopter.

Winterlake Lodge sits on its own private lake. Photo / Tyrone Potgieter

During months bathed in northern sunshine, Winterlake's agile Robinson R-44 chopper is on hand to transport guests to absolute wilderness locations for fly fishing, tramping and river rafting. Luxury private overnight camping is also an option, complete with a personal fly-in/fly-out chef, and the lodge's dog camp high on the swirling ice field of Trimble Glacier even offers sled dog mushing thrills in the middle of an Alaskan summer. Our own helicopter excursion involves flying up a massive alpine valley to hike to the face of the Trimble.

After clambering over VW-sized chunks of scree and glacial moraine, the compact fragility of the helicopter is revealed as a dash of red dwarfed by the glacier's imposing walls of grey and white. Before afternoon alpine mists gather to block our airborne return to the lodge, the expedition segues to a stunning flyover of the glacier's massive ice field.

A chopper is on hand for scenic flights and fishing trips into the wilderness. Photo / Carol Atkinson

Safely encased in our transparent bubble, we hover and cruise metres above an otherworldly landscape of jagged blue shards of ice studded with surging underground streams and daubed with brilliant turquoise lakes. For at least five minutes no one says a word, and even the confidently gung-ho pilot is awed to silence. On the way back to the lodge, sightings of black bears and brown bears reinforce just how special Winterlake is and during a twilight kayak on the lake we spy an imposing bull moose emerging from the forest, his huge rack of antlers barely squeezing between summer's tangle of boughs and branches.

Curious moose and black bears also occasionally wander through the lodge's grounds, sometimes laying waste to the chef's organic herb garden and continually reinforcing the idea that ruggedly authentic wilderness always lies just beneath Winterlake's veneer of relaxed luxury. Catering to a small number of guests, Winterlake's main lodge is the hub for both luxury and relaxation, and pre-dinner drinks are the perfect opportunity to relive the day's adventures. Pinot noir from Washington State and chardonnays from California's Russian River anchor a fine wine list, and hoppy American craft beers from Oregon and Alaska partner gourmet bar snacks often prepared by guests in the lodge's open kitchen. Cookery classes are full of humour and warmth and despite the back of beyond location, Winterlake's renowned culinary reputation is reinforced with the best Alaskan produce - scallops, salmon, halibut and crab.

It's no wonder Alaska's friendliest huskies get so damn excited.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Air New Zealand flies non-stop flights from Auckland to Vancouver. From there you can fly to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines.

Accommodation: Winterlake Lodge can be booked in New Zealand through World Journeys.
The writer travelled with the assistance of World Journeys and the State of Alaska Tourism Office.