Treading Lightly in Alaska

摘要

As the skipper of the water taxi down-shifted, I could see my destination like a welcoming beacon dead ahead. The Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge, only 10 miles as the crow flies from the fishing village of Homer, was worlds away from the rat race I was leaving behind for a week. As if to signal that I was in the right place, a bald eagle with a six-foot wingspan swooped down for a closer inspection of our boat as a trio of accommodating hip-booted staffers off-loaded my luggage. Little did owner Keith Iverson know back in 1973 when he plunked down his life savings of $5,000 for the wild and undeveloped property alongside Sadie Cove that the state would soon declare the 24,000 acres of vibrant coastline surrounding his land as a wilderness area protected from development. After going it alone for the first few years, Iverson realized that his little piece of paradise could attract top dollar from visitors looking to get.away from the frenetic pace of city life.