Although television documentaries try to capture what it is like near the North Pole, there is nothing like getting near it for yourself.

Following a seven day “heaven on earth” journey from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seward, Alaska (port for Anchorage), we flew from Anchorage to Barrow, Alaska with views of literally thousands of lakes, Mt. McKinley and much more after a stopover in Fairbanks.

The majestic sites along the Inside Passage aboard Celebrity Cruise Line’s Summit serve to prepare you for Barrow. Ketchikan provided a great kayaking experience in the fjords watching a mother and baby whale, awesome starfish, seals and more. The Skagway Railway was a trip back in time to the gold rush days - quite a history lesson to help one appreciate the lives lost to bring civilization to the great northwest. Juneau (the capitol) is accessible only by boat and plane and has numerous glaciers (Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Ice Field among them). Valdez was made famous by the oil spill a number of years ago, but now you would never know it by looking because of the successful cleanup and restoration. There are plenty of bear encounter possibilities if you want them - just remember to make lots of noise and they will likely not bother you. It is when you sneak up on them or threaten them that you invite trouble.

Barrow’s airport is one of my favorite airports in the world. It is naturally air-conditioned by the blowing 20 degrees in August - their warm summertime. The land of the midnight sun was true to its name. Our hotel, the King Eider Inn (named for the abundant bird native to Barrow) was immaculate and had double window treatments to keep out the sunlight when you were trying to sleep.

Alaskan Arctic Adventures (same guide who had shown Arnold and Maria Schwarzenegger around when they visited Barrow) took us from our hotel to experience standing in the northernmost point of America (Point Barrow), stepping into the Arctic Ocean, watching for polar bears, Arctic fox, more whales, seals, walruses and countless species of birds including the King Eider, Ivory gulls, Puffins and more.

Then, I spotted the ice cap ten miles out to sea which would be closing in to land within the next few weeks (allowing the polar bears to roam freely onto the land and steal the whales which the Inuit - native Alaskans - bring in from the Arctic Sea). The Inuit use every part of the whale (by special permit from the government) for food (they actually eat whale meat raw) and clothing.

The saddest part of the trip was leaving the Top of the World - a place I highly recommend to any adventure traveler.

-Regina Kelton, Southeast, Southwest and Carribbean sales manager