Dusty gravel. Knee-deep mud. Thigh-deep snow. Piercing rain and wind that nearly knocks me sideways. Blazing sunshine so hot, I strip down to a tank top and roll the legs of my pants above my crusty ...

You have to be willing to go native to do this classically Alaskan hike—in and out by floatplane, and not a trail in sight. That said, the going is fairly easy (just head south) across a huge ...