Unalaska, ALASKA

Text And Photography By Chris Linder

Location
Start with a lush volcanic island on the edge of the Bering Sea, add a dash of red foxes, a sprinkling of bald eagles and a healthy helping of emerald hillsides, and you can begin to picture the natural beauty of the Aleutian Island of Unalaska.

The name comes from the native Aleut word unalashka—“where the sea breaks its back.” The island lies at the heart of the 1,100-mile-long Aleutian Island chain, which separates the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Sea. This arc of more than 200 islands forms the northern border of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” with 46 active volcanoes, making the Aleutians one of the most geologically active places in the world.

A short two-hour flight from Anchorage International Airport transports you to this tundra-carpeted isle. The fishing villages of Dutch Harbor and Unalaska town occupy only a tiny portion of the island’s 80 square miles; the rest is trackless wilderness.

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