So you want to get in on a free train trip to some of Chugach National Forest's most scenic backpacking?

I do too, but I doubt I'd be eligible, since I already scored such a trip a couple of weeks ago.

Let me tell you about it:

In less than a month, backpackers, hikers and those who just want a unique view of a beautiful setting will have a new opportunity for outdoor travel in Chugach National Forest. It's called the Chugach Whistle Stop, and it's a cooperative effort between the Forest Service and the Alaska Railroad.

The Whistle Stop, when completed, will consist of five drop-off points along the tracks between Portage and Trail Creek. Backpackers, mountain bikers, hikers and others can ramble off into the wilderness and be picked up hours or days later. The service is the first of its kind in the country, combining a working freight railway with such amenities for passengers.

The Whistle Stop is tentatively set to open Aug. 1, but Chugach National Forest is offering a lottery that will select a handful of passengers for its Aug. 16 grand-opening trip to the first completed drop-off point, at Spencer Glacier. Such a trip, including railway fare and backcountry permit, would cost $95 from Anchorage or Girdwood and $59 from Portage or Whittier.

A group of us took the train out to the Spencer stop in late June for a sneak preview -- a trip offered to some members of the press, a film crew from the Weather Channel and railroad and Chugach officials. We boarded the train at Portage, and the ride to Spencer took only 15 minutes or so.

Eventually, said Adam McClory, Whistle Stop project manager for the Chugach, there will be an even earlier stop at Luebner, at the beginning of an 18-mile trail that will connect four of the stops. When completed, the trail will be a great new hiking opportunity for those who want to explore the length of the Whistle Stop as well as hike planned loop trails that will add another 14 or so miles of trail.

The Spencer stop leads to a short trail that overlooks the glacier and a viewing platform that has been constructed with rock native to the area. It looks like a small stone fortress that can withstand whatever weather whips through the valley.

A bright sun shone down on the glacier, prompting mini-calving events throughout the day. We stood at the platform gazing out at iceberg-studded Spencer Lake, then walked for a short while along a trail-in-the-making that will eventually lead to the face of the glacier.

McClory, who has helped the project along since its inception, beamed with the pride of a father, pointing to where a camping area and outhouses will be; where a proposed cabin will sit in a saddle overlooking the glacier; where another cluster of public-use cabins could be situated, closer to the camping area.

For this short jaunt, I had no backpack, just a few hours in which to soak up a view that would take a bushwhacker more than a day to reach using map and compass or GPS alone. But I daydreamed about the Whistle Stop's official opening, when I and my husband or I and my girlfriends can book our own trip and plunk ourselves in the middle of nowhere for a day or two.

I wondered, too, if this makes me a "soft" adventurer, for choosing a comfortable railway option of reaching the scenic route, rather than slogging through the wetlands and willows to get there myself.

Nah.

Despite Chugach National Forest's planned 32-mile trail system -- as well as another nearby trail system planned by the Alaska Mountain and Wilderness Huts Association that will create a world-class experience -- there is plenty of "big wild Alaska" to go around.

I looked beyond the glacier to mountains as far as the eye could see. The Whistle Stop, I thought, is just the beginning.

So try your luck for a free trip on the railroad and set your calendar for Aug. 16. There will be lots of state dignitaries onboard for the grand-opening ceremony, and bigwigs from the Forest Service will be there too. But about 20 regulars like you and me can be squeezed aboard as well -- if you get chosen in the lottery.

"It's going to be a great opportunity for people to see what the project is all about," McClory said. "Hopefully they will like it."

Alaska Railroad-Chugach National Forest Whistle Stop lottery

When: Entries due by Sunday. Selections made July 29. Free ride is on Aug. 16, the same day as the grand opening celebration.

Where: Spencer Glacier, along Alaska Railroad, south of Portage.

How much: Free for lottery winners

How to enter: Send e-mail to comments-chugach-whistle_stop@fs.fed.us or call 783-3242 by Sunday. In the subject line, add "Whistle Stop Centennial Lottery." Entries can be made for up to two people, but you have to specify you're entering for two in your e-mail.

More information: For details on booking your own trip at another date, go to the Alaska Railroad site (www.akrr.com), which will offer one-stop shopping for railroad fare and the required backcountry permits.