Oh No! Actor Almost Died During Alaskan Flight Risk!

In his latest movie, Flight Risk, Mark Wahlberg takes on the role of a pilot navigating the treacherous skies above Alaska’s frozen peaks. As I prepared to embark on a similar 30-minute journey in a six-seat Cessna over the towering Wrangell Mountains, my nerves were already running high – and that was before considering the prospect of Wahlberg himself at the controls.

In the film, it’s not a spoiler to mention that Mark Wahlberg’s character prioritizes something other than passenger safety – he’s transporting a criminal who is set to testify against his crime boss – which makes me uneasy when I realize my pilot, Oren, could pass as his twin brother: they both have strikingly similar looks, are taciturn, wear baseball caps casually, and seem unfazed as the small plane navigates through strong winds from the glaciers and thick fogs that resemble the forests below.

After a few bumps along the way, I made it through intact and carried on with my journey, exploring the southern, more accessible parts of Alaska by road, air, and sea. My adventure began in Anchorage following a cruise from Vancouver, then eastward on Alaska Highway 1. Despite sounding like a busy six-lane highway, it transforms into a winding, narrow stretch of blacktop that runs between crystal-blue glacial lakes, snow-capped peaks, and evergreen forests. The towns along this route are small, frontier communities – in places like Butte, you’ll find only a couple of establishments: the Git N’ Go convenience store and Mountain Taxidermy (this is hunting territory).

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During my stay at Alaska Glacier Lodge (akglacierlodge.com), I managed to snap a photo of a bear only from behind, as I was too slow with my camera phone. The grizzly then wandered into the forest, leaving me to retire for the night. This lodge is unique, boasting nine helicopters parked on its lawn, a feature known as a “heli-lodge”. Unfortunately, during my visit, the poor weather prevented us from enjoying their typical activities like heli-hiking, heli-fishing or flightseeing (even in August! A taste of Alaskan summer!). So, I headed back onto Highway 1 and journeyed east towards Chitina, where I was scheduled to meet Oren from Wrangell Mountain Air (wrangellmountainair.com). Part of me hoped the small bush plane wouldn’t be able to fly, while another part feared the same.

In Chitina, there are only 71 residents, making it quite different from bustling Heathrow. Yet, I was still taken aback to find that their “airport” is merely a marked-off gravel strip using traffic cones. I parked my rental car beside Oren’s aircraft, threw my bag into the back, and as the propeller spun, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

5,000 feet above ground level gives me a view that stretches over half a million years: The Wrangells are mostly covered by a massive glacier, but the valleys and mountains carved during the last Ice Age(s) are clearly visible from up here. As we approach, I can distinguish the remnants of Kennecott, an old copper mine that will serve as my temporary residence for the next couple of days. Once bustling with life, it was abandoned when resources were depleted, leaving it as a ghost town now.

The Kennicott Glacier Lodge (kennicottlodge.com) serves as a tranquil hub for hiking, rafting, ice-climbing, glacier-walking, and even exploring the mining complex itself. However, I can only spend two nights there. To create a week-long loop instead of retracing my steps, I need to hop on a government ferry across Prince William Sound. Unfortunately, these boats sail just once or twice a week (dot.alaska.gov/amhs).

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In another words, taking a leisurely pace is essential when traveling from Chitina to Valdez’s ferry terminal, as some sections are expanses of desolate yet breathtaking open road, while others meander through steep-walled canyons adorned with cascading icemelt waterfalls. Valdez itself deserves at least a day or two of exploration: I paddle among fragments of glacier in a kayak and indulge in more than enough fresh local fish to satisfy an orca, before eventually embarking on the MV Aurora for the six-hour voyage to Whittier.

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2025-01-21 16:04