Aleutian Islands: Akutan
The first stop on the Alaskan Marine Highway going east from Unalaska was Akutan. This small settlement is on the island in the same name, lost in the middle of the Aleutian chain at 54 degrees of latitude (same as Minsk) in the heart of the cold Barents Sea. Maritime climate here is damp and cool in the summer and mild in the winter with fog and rain and moisture all year round. The setting is super picturesque – beneath towering green hills and mountains with seemingly no civilization for miles. Under Russia, a fur trading outpost was established here in the 19th century and a beautiful onion-domed Russian Orthodox church – named after Alexander Nevskiy – was built here and remains to this day surrounded by the Russian Orthodox crosses of the village’s cemetery. Just around 75 people live here, pretty much all fishermen, and about a quarter being native Aleutians. The village is totally beautiful and scenic and a quick stop allowed for an exploratory walk – this is really the end of the world! The ferry comes only twice a month…
