Travel»Pacific Northwest»Alaska’s Softer Side

Alaska’s Softer Side

Avid adventure traveler David Hanson sets out to discover coastal Alaska’s less rugged, more indulgent attributes: hot-stone massages, gourmet food, leather-bound wine lists, and complimentary bathrobes.

Every time I look past my legs in downward dog I see, upside down, the towering ridgeline across the deep blue bay.

Photographer Annie Schlechter

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Work Out

The fog that escorted me across the bay has begun to burn off, and I look out from the dining room to see a few guests below setting their yoga mats in the sunny patches of the deck, which is also Alaska-size. This place makes Texans seem like minimalists. I head down and take my place on the deck for yoga and―to be extra comfortable―roll out two mats beneath me. Every time I look past my legs in downward dog I see, upside down, the towering ridgeline across the deep blue bay.