Checked with PenAir and yes, I can fly to DUT with the change of planes en route.
So I think I will forget the Iditarod idea and go to DUT before or after an already-scheduled trip next April/May. The choices are:
Apr 23-26 (3 nights, almost 3 full days since my flight on 26 Apr would not depart DUT until 5pm).
--or--
May 8-10/May 8-12 (2 nights or 4 nights).
My guess is that later is better for hiking. What about for wildlife viewing and photography? Thanks for any input.
John
Later is better. As for wildlife, probably the same w/r/t birds; probably no difference for marine mammals. As for terrestrial mammals, well, there aren't that many, although an Unalaska friend of mine once started assembling a rat parka, using pelts collected in/near her mizzen hut out behind the cemetery. (Tedious work, but you spend a lot of time indoors on the chain.) There will be some foxes around, near bird nests/rookeries. Wildlife viewing at the Elbow Room is no longer a viable option.
I would frankly suggest you plan to focus more on the human geography of Unalaska rather than the natural environment. There's a whole lot of fascinating (and long) history on both islands. If interested you might want to pick up a copy of
Alaska at War or one of Stan Cohen's "Forgotten War" books so that the vivid WW2 history all around Unalaska will make more sense.
ETA: By all means make your desires to ride on the Goose known to the Penair drivers. It's not exactly a stuffy organization, and who knows, you might get to hop over to Akutan if you ask real nice. Try to sit up front if you do - landings and T/Os at Akutan are a hoot.