We boarded the ferry in Ketchikan on Thursday and prepared for our 36+-hour journey through the open ocean. We caught the bus to the terminal and waited while the Columbia loaded vehicles and other cargo. By the time we got on board, all the chaise lounges under the solarium had been taken. Instead, our group set up camp in the Forward Observation Lounge on the Upper Deck. From these seats, we felt much like Leonardo di Caprio's and Kate Winslet's characters in Titanic. It looked like we were flying through the air with nothing between us and the water.
The one good thing about the ferry system is that you can (almost) always count on a good movie. Or in this case 5 to 6 good movies: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Holiday, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Rookie, and I really can't remember the others, but they were good.
When night came, a couple of us moved our sleeping bags to the "movie theater." The room stayed dark all the time--day or night--so it allowed for sleeping-in, unlike the Forward Lounge which required sleeping gear to be stowed at 7am.
We arrived on time in Bellingham, Washington, and Jen and I caught a cab to the Hertz desk at the Bellingham Airport. We had 2 very cheap, very small cars rented for the 90-mile commute to Seattle for sightseeing. I must admit I was nervous about getting back behind the wheel after a full month away from driving. But things started to look up. Instead of a Geo Metro or a Ford Escort, we were given a PT Cruiser and a Chevy HH2. Very nice! And a soda/coffee stain that escaped the attention of Hertz's cleaners got us the PT Cruiser rental for free!
We drove straight to the Space Needle and went up in the 600+-foot tall tower. Gorgeous view, but Jen, Leigh, and I wanted to see it in the dark, so we purchased a Day & Night Pass, good for 2 visits on the same day. We returned after 11pm and the Seattle Mariners-Toronto Blue Jays game. We also visited Pike's Place Market and got to see the guys catching fish from across the storefront. Also very cool! The number of people and cars in a very small area was dramatically different than what we had experienced in Alaska, even when thousands of cruise-goers flooded the streets of those small towns. For some of us, it was a welcomed sense of civilization. For others, it was a strange kind of clausterpobia and anxiety that will eventually wear off.
Our short time in Seattle was just a glimpse of what the city has to offer. I can only guess that we got a taste of what most cruise-goers felt in the Alaska towns. And when Leigh is picked up from the Greensboro airport Sunday morning, our trip will officially be over. But I think I'm safe in saying that we're all planning our return trips. Whether those trips come in 6 months or 6 years is left to be seen, but Alaska made an impression on us that we'll not soon forget.
Please continue to check the blog over the next few days. As we download photos and videos from days/events/activities that we didn't get to show you, we'll be continuing to post them here. A lot more stories to share!!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Day 24: Canopy Zipping & Hiking in Ketchikan
Well, we survived canopy zipping! And to tell the truth, we were all ready to go again! Alex was the first brave soul to go down a zip line, a short one to see if anyone freaked out. All went well as we each made our way across the "practice line," and then off we went down 8 zip lines, walked across 3 sky bridges (one of which our guide made bounce and sway semi-violently), highest point was the first sky bridge at 135ft, longest cable was 745ft, average height was 93ft. It was cool! My entire body stayed tense most of the time, and my arms and legs tremored on occasion, especially just before the fastest long line. I don't have my camera cord with me to download and post a photo, but the video is what really tells the story. Sorry, but you'll just have to wait. Here is the website for the company we used: http://www.alaskacanopyadventures.com/index.html They had cookies, hot cocoa, fig newtons, and SALMON DIP waiting for us when we got back. Great recipe...and very simple! I'm making that stuff at home!
While we were waiting for our ride to go zipping, Leigh and I hung out in a local coffee shop called Moggie's, also where we found Jake hanging out after we got back. Leigh and I had a nice view to the ocean on the patio, and we also watched as people rented little scooters in the parking lot below us. We noticed one 40- or 50-something woman in particular on a yellow scooter who was having a very hard time getting used to the scooter. She practiced in the gravel lot with the attendant running along behind her, holding onto the seat like the parent holding a bicycle for a child riding for the first time without training wheels. We got quite a laugh out of it, even as she drove by behind us, appearing to have picked up the skill quickly. Well, not so fast. Our canopy tour driver, Ann (who spent some childhood years in Icard, NC), described a bloody scene along the side of the road we took going out to the zip lines. A woman on a yellow scooter who had taken a nose dive into the pavement in the middle of a gnarly construction area. Ambulance called. Trip to the hospital. End of her vacation bliss, I suppose, and not worth the $75 per hour that she paid for the scooter. (Piece of advice to Dorthea when planning your AK trip: Scooters are bad. Trust the bus.)
Jake opted not to do zipping, so he busied himself on one of the steeper trails in the area: Deer Mountain Trail. It rose more than 1,000 feet each mile for 3 miles. But Jake's photos show that the effort was well worth it. The first mile took him to a gorgeous, clear view of the beach. The second mile to a view of Ketchikan. Other hikers were growing thin after the second mile, so he decided it was best to turn back rather than face an animal alone on the trail. Wise decision!
Now we're all waiting for the church to open back up, so we can eat leftover Mexican food from last night. And no matter how good it was last night, and no matter how good it will be warmed up tonight, it can't come close to the fish 'n' chips (fried salmon and fried halibut) that we had on the docks yesterday...and that we plan to have again tomorrow for lunch!
We are all sad to admit that this is our last full day on Alaskan soil. Tomorrow we'll board a ferry bound for Bellingham, WA (after a quick stop in Prince Rupert?/Wales? Island). I still catch myself thinking, "Wow, we're in Alaska. We're running the bus...in Alaska. We're having coffee...in Alaska. We're hiking to the top of a mountain...in Alaska. We're actually here...in Alaska!" Even after 24 days, it still seems surreal to be here.
But the time is starting to catch up with some, and we're ready to see family, friends, and PETS! again. Alex summed it up today when he said, "I miss Alaska already, and we haven't even left yet." Everyone agreed and then got quiet. I'm sure each person was reflecting over the past weeks, good memories (and even a few not-so-good), all very much burned into our minds as part of our adventure together. It does feel like we're winding up an incredible journey--making last-minute purchases, soaking in every second of every day, and beginning to prepare for what's waiting for each of us at home, whether that be work, summer classes, preparing for law school, another crew season, business school...and of course, planning our next trip to Alaska. Jake is trying to talk me into a winter break trip to see the Northern Lights. We'll see, Jake, we'll see.
While we were waiting for our ride to go zipping, Leigh and I hung out in a local coffee shop called Moggie's, also where we found Jake hanging out after we got back. Leigh and I had a nice view to the ocean on the patio, and we also watched as people rented little scooters in the parking lot below us. We noticed one 40- or 50-something woman in particular on a yellow scooter who was having a very hard time getting used to the scooter. She practiced in the gravel lot with the attendant running along behind her, holding onto the seat like the parent holding a bicycle for a child riding for the first time without training wheels. We got quite a laugh out of it, even as she drove by behind us, appearing to have picked up the skill quickly. Well, not so fast. Our canopy tour driver, Ann (who spent some childhood years in Icard, NC), described a bloody scene along the side of the road we took going out to the zip lines. A woman on a yellow scooter who had taken a nose dive into the pavement in the middle of a gnarly construction area. Ambulance called. Trip to the hospital. End of her vacation bliss, I suppose, and not worth the $75 per hour that she paid for the scooter. (Piece of advice to Dorthea when planning your AK trip: Scooters are bad. Trust the bus.)
Jake opted not to do zipping, so he busied himself on one of the steeper trails in the area: Deer Mountain Trail. It rose more than 1,000 feet each mile for 3 miles. But Jake's photos show that the effort was well worth it. The first mile took him to a gorgeous, clear view of the beach. The second mile to a view of Ketchikan. Other hikers were growing thin after the second mile, so he decided it was best to turn back rather than face an animal alone on the trail. Wise decision!
Now we're all waiting for the church to open back up, so we can eat leftover Mexican food from last night. And no matter how good it was last night, and no matter how good it will be warmed up tonight, it can't come close to the fish 'n' chips (fried salmon and fried halibut) that we had on the docks yesterday...and that we plan to have again tomorrow for lunch!
We are all sad to admit that this is our last full day on Alaskan soil. Tomorrow we'll board a ferry bound for Bellingham, WA (after a quick stop in Prince Rupert?/Wales? Island). I still catch myself thinking, "Wow, we're in Alaska. We're running the bus...in Alaska. We're having coffee...in Alaska. We're hiking to the top of a mountain...in Alaska. We're actually here...in Alaska!" Even after 24 days, it still seems surreal to be here.
But the time is starting to catch up with some, and we're ready to see family, friends, and PETS! again. Alex summed it up today when he said, "I miss Alaska already, and we haven't even left yet." Everyone agreed and then got quiet. I'm sure each person was reflecting over the past weeks, good memories (and even a few not-so-good), all very much burned into our minds as part of our adventure together. It does feel like we're winding up an incredible journey--making last-minute purchases, soaking in every second of every day, and beginning to prepare for what's waiting for each of us at home, whether that be work, summer classes, preparing for law school, another crew season, business school...and of course, planning our next trip to Alaska. Jake is trying to talk me into a winter break trip to see the Northern Lights. We'll see, Jake, we'll see.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Days 21-23: Nemo Point & Rainbow Falls/Institute Creek/North Wrangell Mountain Trail
The potluck dinner and and the drive to Nemo Point were well worth cramming 7 people into Teddi's Chevy Blazer. What did it look like? This:
On the way, Nancy pointed out where the trailhead to Rainbow Falls was. On Saturday, Nancy dropped us at the trailhead just across from Shoemaker Bay Harbor, and we took off with confidence. Rainbow Falls was our first stop on the multi-trail line.
Then we decided to continue on to the Shoemaker Bay Overlook. A very looong, painful (for me anyway) stairclimber hike later, we arrived only to see that the bridge to the overlook was out. Nevermind that, since we decided to continue hiking up. 1 foot of snow. 2 feet! 5 feet!! 10 feet?!?! We reached the summit (finally, we get to do a summit hike!) just before it started to rain. We were exhausted. I was on the verge of tears (Josh had his bad hiking day on Upper Dewey in Skagway. Mine was North Wrangell Mountain. Hey, it happens.) And to make it worse, we had to hike all the way back down and then the 4.5 miles back to town BEFORE Nancy called out the search and rescue team at 5pm. She had warned us of that before we left. But I have to say the best part of the hike was seeing Alex and Jen do a head-first slide down the snow on a 45-degree decline. Great fun! And yes, we have video!
We got to the trailhead at 4:15pm and walked for less than 5 minutes before a very nice man in a truck offered us a ride halfway to town. Hitchhiking can be dangerous, so we accepted the ride immediately. Actually, Nancy told us that walking along the side of the road gives locals and opportunity to pick you up and play tour guide, which they love to do, so she encourages hitchhiking, but only in Wrangell. Since we were wet, we all sat in the back of the truck, so we missed out on the tour. Within 5 more minutes, we caught another ride to the downtown harbor.
While walking back to the hostel, I saw a familiar name. Dad, this is for you. You didn't tell me that you set up a business in AK when you were there in '95!!
Yesterday was a catch-up day, as we prepared to leave for Ketchikan on the ferry. Jake, Leigh, Jen, and Josh picked up their frozen fish from the processor and loaded it on the Matanuska (ferry), but not before shopping for garnets at the ferry dock. The garnet mines in Wrangell were left to the "children of Wrangell" when the owner died. Now the kids mine the garnets at their leisure and sell them to tourists. The mine currently is being "run" by the Boy Scouts. Some garnets are as little as $2, and others as much as $30. Very cool!
The ferry got in late, so we were after midnight before checking into the Methodist Church Hostel in Ketchikan, but Myrtle, our house mother (from Brevard), waited up for us. She also cooked breakfast for us this morning. What a perk! The Church Hostel has a lockout during the day, so we were up and going by 9am this morning. First task: Mail the fish home. Since Ketchikan is bigger than our last 3 towns, it has a good bus system, like Juneau. We took the bus to the FedEx office and then to Totem Bight Park, where the Civilian Conservation Corps "saved" a number of deteriorating totems by creating copies of them to remain on display. Another totem park--Saxman--is on my list for tomorrow.
Tomorrow, 5 of us will also be taking to the skies of Ketchikan on a canopy tour (canopy zipping). Should be a blast, if the heights and the sensation of falling doesn't get us!
On the way, Nancy pointed out where the trailhead to Rainbow Falls was. On Saturday, Nancy dropped us at the trailhead just across from Shoemaker Bay Harbor, and we took off with confidence. Rainbow Falls was our first stop on the multi-trail line.
Then we decided to continue on to the Shoemaker Bay Overlook. A very looong, painful (for me anyway) stairclimber hike later, we arrived only to see that the bridge to the overlook was out. Nevermind that, since we decided to continue hiking up. 1 foot of snow. 2 feet! 5 feet!! 10 feet?!?! We reached the summit (finally, we get to do a summit hike!) just before it started to rain. We were exhausted. I was on the verge of tears (Josh had his bad hiking day on Upper Dewey in Skagway. Mine was North Wrangell Mountain. Hey, it happens.) And to make it worse, we had to hike all the way back down and then the 4.5 miles back to town BEFORE Nancy called out the search and rescue team at 5pm. She had warned us of that before we left. But I have to say the best part of the hike was seeing Alex and Jen do a head-first slide down the snow on a 45-degree decline. Great fun! And yes, we have video!
We got to the trailhead at 4:15pm and walked for less than 5 minutes before a very nice man in a truck offered us a ride halfway to town. Hitchhiking can be dangerous, so we accepted the ride immediately. Actually, Nancy told us that walking along the side of the road gives locals and opportunity to pick you up and play tour guide, which they love to do, so she encourages hitchhiking, but only in Wrangell. Since we were wet, we all sat in the back of the truck, so we missed out on the tour. Within 5 more minutes, we caught another ride to the downtown harbor.
While walking back to the hostel, I saw a familiar name. Dad, this is for you. You didn't tell me that you set up a business in AK when you were there in '95!!
Yesterday was a catch-up day, as we prepared to leave for Ketchikan on the ferry. Jake, Leigh, Jen, and Josh picked up their frozen fish from the processor and loaded it on the Matanuska (ferry), but not before shopping for garnets at the ferry dock. The garnet mines in Wrangell were left to the "children of Wrangell" when the owner died. Now the kids mine the garnets at their leisure and sell them to tourists. The mine currently is being "run" by the Boy Scouts. Some garnets are as little as $2, and others as much as $30. Very cool!
The ferry got in late, so we were after midnight before checking into the Methodist Church Hostel in Ketchikan, but Myrtle, our house mother (from Brevard), waited up for us. She also cooked breakfast for us this morning. What a perk! The Church Hostel has a lockout during the day, so we were up and going by 9am this morning. First task: Mail the fish home. Since Ketchikan is bigger than our last 3 towns, it has a good bus system, like Juneau. We took the bus to the FedEx office and then to Totem Bight Park, where the Civilian Conservation Corps "saved" a number of deteriorating totems by creating copies of them to remain on display. Another totem park--Saxman--is on my list for tomorrow.
Havin' a great time here in Ketchikan!!! Sorry, Lauren and A.C., but I HAD to post this:
Tomorrow, 5 of us will also be taking to the skies of Ketchikan on a canopy tour (canopy zipping). Should be a blast, if the heights and the sensation of falling doesn't get us!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Alex and Kelly: Fishing in Sitka
Ok, here's the proof! Alex and his fish!
And me and my double-catch: a dog shark and a canary rock fish (on the ground). Thanks, Darius and Gary!
And some friends stopped by to see how we were doing...
Days 17-20: Wrangell in a Whirlwind
Time in Wrangell is passing much faster than I want it to. While fishing on Wednesday, Capt. John Yeager (Timber Wolf Charters) told us that Wrangell had been dropped by many of the major cruiselines. I started asking questions of the locals. They got dropped, not because they didn't have sites to visits or cool things to see and do. Not because the town was too small. But get this... The town refused to let the cruiselines open the "made in china" gift shops and jewelry stores that they own in every other major cruise town. So the cruiselines bailed out. I had always assumed that the lure of good money for cheap goods persuaded townspeople to open those cheesy shops. Not the case at all. It's actually a pretty good marketing scheme. The cruiseline recommends a really good jewelry store, and the tourists don't think for themselves when they get there, at least not enough to realize that it's not a good deal. They also tell their cruisers that they are doing "everything there is to do in this town" when that is so far from the truth. Much of what the cruisers are doing is owned and run by cruise employees (charter boats, kayak tours, wildlife tours, you name it). So not only are the cruisers paying more for the cruise than they probably should, they're not doing as much as an independent traveler, and their lining the pockets of the cruiseline with every souvenir and activity. In light of this new knowledge, I have to thank my mom and dad for doing it on their own back in 1995, and for encouraging me to do the same in 2004. This wouldn't have been the same trip from the deck of a cruiseship.
Ok, off my soapbox. Since they don't have the cruise tourists, Wrangell has maintained its identity as a genuinely sincere small town. Not to say that it doesn't have its fair share of "bad element," but people here are truly glad to see a new face, say hello, strike up a conversation in the middle of the street (thanks to our future politician and hand-shaker Josh), and even give a group of strangers a ride to their hiking destination with a full tour and historical explanation of the town included...no charge!
After fishing on Wednesday, we flipflopped Thursday and Saturday, sort of. Instead of throwing ourselves into a trail, we decided to spend most of the day walking around town. We walked the mile to the petroglyph beach (petro=rock, glyph=carving). And I always thought petro meant oil?!? The carvings were in the slate-like rocks. They were incredibly cool and easy to pick out, except for Alex who admitted he just didn't have "the eye" for finding them. I found 23 of the 40, and we are told that many of them have been rubbed clean by centuries of sand and water. The speculation is that the carvings were made by the people who lived on the island 10,000 years ago, even before the native Tlingits. The petroglyphs have several different explanations: welcome to the fish, peace offering to the seas, tribal or family markings, territorial boundary markers, and others. Here are a couple of examples.
Last night we went to the Totem Bar on Front Street. Even though downtown Wrangell is smaller than downtown Skagway, Wrangell has 2 grocery stores instead of 1, and 4+ bars instead of just 2. The Totem Bar on Thursday night has karaoke, so you can imagine how that went. One round of "Friends in Low Places" (Jen took pictures), where Leigh and I spent more time with our fingers in our guy-side ears than we did singing. And one shot at "American Pie," a marathon song with a local named Tom Robinson who offered a speedboat ride up the Stikine River to Chief Shakes Island for a tour and a soak in the hot spring tubs. Right, Tom. We'll think about it. By the time we finished the song, it was 10:15pm, and the bar had cleared out. I hope that's just a coincidence. When we got back to the hostel, we watched the movie Iron Will. (We had watched Balto earlier in the evening. Just can't get enough of the Ididarod!)
Tonight we are going with Nancy, our hostel host, and her friend Teddi, the town's drug rehab counselor, to a Ranger-produced potluck and presentation on what makes Alaska unique, complete with trivia competition. The potluck is being held at Nemo Point (nemo means nobody), which I'm told is beautiful and a must-see in Wrangell. We'll let you know tomorrow.
Ok, off my soapbox. Since they don't have the cruise tourists, Wrangell has maintained its identity as a genuinely sincere small town. Not to say that it doesn't have its fair share of "bad element," but people here are truly glad to see a new face, say hello, strike up a conversation in the middle of the street (thanks to our future politician and hand-shaker Josh), and even give a group of strangers a ride to their hiking destination with a full tour and historical explanation of the town included...no charge!
After fishing on Wednesday, we flipflopped Thursday and Saturday, sort of. Instead of throwing ourselves into a trail, we decided to spend most of the day walking around town. We walked the mile to the petroglyph beach (petro=rock, glyph=carving). And I always thought petro meant oil?!? The carvings were in the slate-like rocks. They were incredibly cool and easy to pick out, except for Alex who admitted he just didn't have "the eye" for finding them. I found 23 of the 40, and we are told that many of them have been rubbed clean by centuries of sand and water. The speculation is that the carvings were made by the people who lived on the island 10,000 years ago, even before the native Tlingits. The petroglyphs have several different explanations: welcome to the fish, peace offering to the seas, tribal or family markings, territorial boundary markers, and others. Here are a couple of examples.
Last night we went to the Totem Bar on Front Street. Even though downtown Wrangell is smaller than downtown Skagway, Wrangell has 2 grocery stores instead of 1, and 4+ bars instead of just 2. The Totem Bar on Thursday night has karaoke, so you can imagine how that went. One round of "Friends in Low Places" (Jen took pictures), where Leigh and I spent more time with our fingers in our guy-side ears than we did singing. And one shot at "American Pie," a marathon song with a local named Tom Robinson who offered a speedboat ride up the Stikine River to Chief Shakes Island for a tour and a soak in the hot spring tubs. Right, Tom. We'll think about it. By the time we finished the song, it was 10:15pm, and the bar had cleared out. I hope that's just a coincidence. When we got back to the hostel, we watched the movie Iron Will. (We had watched Balto earlier in the evening. Just can't get enough of the Ididarod!)
Tonight we are going with Nancy, our hostel host, and her friend Teddi, the town's drug rehab counselor, to a Ranger-produced potluck and presentation on what makes Alaska unique, complete with trivia competition. The potluck is being held at Nemo Point (nemo means nobody), which I'm told is beautiful and a must-see in Wrangell. We'll let you know tomorrow.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Salmon
We arrived in Wrangle, yesterday at 5 in the morning and had just enough time to get to the hostel and unpack then it was off to land the notorious King salmon. We went out and i was the one to get the first one, 20 25lbs, then we had our go rounds to let the rest of the guys (& girls) get theirs. Then i got to land another one about the same size. By the time we got around to my second one it was poring down rain, man it was a blast, i love fishing in the rain. Later that night i went for a walk to the docks to get some pics of the boats and on the way there and back i got asked twice for directions, this is probably because about this time in the trip I'm starting to look a little scruffy. till next time...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Days with the Family
Its the last night in Sitka, and i have a few stories... we arrived here a week ago, and right away called my family and had dinner with them, baked salmon it was great, Kim, Bob, and Matt were the only ones there we spent a long time sitting and talking about everything, then the next day o went on a hike to Indian River Falls, t
hen we headed to the float house, where we staid for a few days, Alex, Josh and I, decided it would be a good idea to jump into the bay... can you say cold. when we came back i went back to visit the family this time my fav cuz was back from Florida Rachel, i haven't seen her in 8 years and we had a blast hanging out catching up on lost times, we had fresh halibut for dinner, and then Matt, Rachel, and i went for a little hike, then we went back and watched a movie and i staid the night and Rachel and i got up and waited for Matt then we went and hiked Beaver Lake, and then Matt and I hiked Mt. Verstovia. Then it was back to the house for dinner again, then Rachel and I played some cards and talked more, and now I'm back here at the hotel about to go to bed.
Day 16: Free Day in Sitka
When the kids beat me to the computer to post a blog, I know it was a good day. And Jake is waiting for me to finish so he can add his family hiking adventure. I won't repeat anything from the fishing trip report Alex gave (good job, A!), except to say:
- Yes, my camera has filled several times, and I've been downloading photos onto my 6GB jump drive (thank goodness I brought it).
- Yes, it was a canary rockfish (very orangy with splotches of yellow) that I caught at the same time as the shark.
- Yes, shipping is expensive but still cheaper than the fish can be purchased in the Lower 48...and unparalleled in taste!! Once you have Alaska fish, you accept no substitutes!
- Small correction: The "seals" that came up right beside the skiff on Saturday were not seals. They were sea lions. But we saw seals today, along with sea otters (how cute!) and humpbacks! Still no orca spottings for anyone.
- And yes, Mrs. Mostofian...We got a picture of Alex with his VERY BIG FISH!!
Leaving for an overnight on the ferry tomorrow night on our way to Wrangell. We'll walk directly off the ferry and onto our fishing boat, so hopefully we'll have some more "big fish" stories to tell Wednesday night. Until then...
Oh, two comments about our small world:
1) Today, Alex and I got into the fishing shuttle van with 4 alum from NC A&T, Greensboro residents.
2) Hey, Mom & Dad, tonight's night clerk at the Sitka Hotel moved here from Jeff City. Her brother still lives in Maryville and works as a firefighter in Knoxville, so I got to talk about home-home.
- Yes, my camera has filled several times, and I've been downloading photos onto my 6GB jump drive (thank goodness I brought it).
- Yes, it was a canary rockfish (very orangy with splotches of yellow) that I caught at the same time as the shark.
- Yes, shipping is expensive but still cheaper than the fish can be purchased in the Lower 48...and unparalleled in taste!! Once you have Alaska fish, you accept no substitutes!
- Small correction: The "seals" that came up right beside the skiff on Saturday were not seals. They were sea lions. But we saw seals today, along with sea otters (how cute!) and humpbacks! Still no orca spottings for anyone.
- And yes, Mrs. Mostofian...We got a picture of Alex with his VERY BIG FISH!!
Leaving for an overnight on the ferry tomorrow night on our way to Wrangell. We'll walk directly off the ferry and onto our fishing boat, so hopefully we'll have some more "big fish" stories to tell Wednesday night. Until then...
Oh, two comments about our small world:
1) Today, Alex and I got into the fishing shuttle van with 4 alum from NC A&T, Greensboro residents.
2) Hey, Mom & Dad, tonight's night clerk at the Sitka Hotel moved here from Jeff City. Her brother still lives in Maryville and works as a firefighter in Knoxville, so I got to talk about home-home.
Fishing in Sitka AK
Alaska is amazing. The scenery is beautiful and wild life is everywhere. Our trip is already half over and we have seen a black bear, brown bear, harbor seals, sea otters, eagles, a variety of fish, and much more. The hikes are fun. Some hikes are tougher then others but after you completed a hike your legs are burning and you wipe the sweat from your face and realized what am amazing task you accomplished. Its a great feeling, just ask Josh about Upper Dewy in Skagway.
Today Kelly and I went on a charter with Real Affair Charters. Our captins name was Gary and out deckhand was Darious. They were really nice guys that knew where the fish were. We started off the day samon fishing. We put two lines in the water and started trolling slowly. In about 10 mins one of the rods hand a fish on it. I picked up the rod and started to fight the fish. After a 5 minute fight the fish came to the boat. It was a 30 pound King Samon. It was fortunate to bring the fish to the boat because instead of hooking the fish in the mouth i hooked it in the butt. I dont care where you hook a fish, as long as you get it into the boat it counts. Awesome. Get way top start off a long day of fishing. Kelly was next up to catch a King. Before you knew it another rod went down. Kelly ran to the rode, hooked the fish, and started to bring it in. After a decent fight Kelly landed her 2nd saltwater fish, a nice 20 pound King Samon. We were with a couple from Florida and they too caught two King Samon, not as big as Kelly's and I. We also caught to Cohos (A smaller type of samon).
After we caught our share of King Samon we were off to Halibut fishing. Their was a short boat right and before you knew it we were at the secrete Halibut spot. We drop the anchor and put the lines in the water. As we were fishing we looked off to the starbourd side and saw a school of humpback whales about 150 yards from the boat. As we were looking at the humpback whales, one of the lines went down. I picked up the rod and began to fight the fish. I had a long way to fight because we were fishing in 330 feet of water. When you bring up something from that deep you just hope it is what you want. Before you knew it we were dragging a halibut into the boat. I caught a 22 pound Halibut. I was happy and extremely satisfied because that is all that I wanted to catch. After we put the fish in the box and settled down Kellys rod went down. I told her to relax because she had a long way to go. Kelly faught the fish real well. She looked like a pro. But when Kelly brought her line to the boat we were expecting a halibut but, we were wrong. She had a double header, on the bottom hook she caught a nice 4-41/2 ft dog shark and on the top hook she caught a really pretty orange fish (i think it was a canari fish but she will explain it in her blogg). From then withing in 1 hr and 30 min Kelly and the Florida couple caught four more halibut, ranging from 15 to 22 pounds. Out arms were burning and we were ready to catch some rock fish.
We drove 1 mile and we were at the secret rock fish spot. These guys have a lot of secret spots. We dropped our lines and prepaired to catch some fish. Once we dropped our lines we had to "jig" it off the bottom. Within minutes everyone was catching fish ranging from Yellow eye, black rock fish, and black and yellow stip fish. It was crazy. I switched rods with Kelly and let her take part in the action. She was useing the big rods that we used for Halibut, so it was hard to feel if a fish hit the line. Now everyone was catching fish but me. I took my time and concentrated on catching a fish. All of a sudden something big hit my line. I hooked it and the fish began to take line. I asked for the belt because I knew it was big. After a long fight, tireing fight I brought the fish to the boat.............It was a huge Halibut. Once the fish saw the boat, it shook real hard and dove back to the bottom. Kelly grabbed my back and captin grabbed my arm because the fish almost pulled me in. As i was hanging over the boat i continued to fight the fish. I brought the fish to the boat a second time. Excited, nervous (because i did not want to lose it) , and anxious to get the fish into the boat. As the fish came close to the boat, it decided to go for another run. This time i was prepaired. The fish ran back down to the bottom. I had to bring the damn thing up from the bottom again. My arms were burning and m,y back was hurting. As i was reeling i had kelly cheering my on "Come on Alex, Its not that hard!" Nice words of encouragement. Finally after a 20 minute fight with this King Fatty Halibut, we finally got it in the boat. I turned around and gave everyone hi-fives. I also gave the captin and the deckhand a hug. Its a guy fish thing because they hugged me backIt was a little bigger then the other Halibut.lol..... It was a 59 inches and weighed ..........103 pounds. YYYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! It was awesome. The biggest fish i every caught. That was the highlight of my trip.
We finished the trip by looking at some seals and otters. It was a nice finish.
Catching the fish is all fun and games. But, when you have to talk to the manager about delivering the fish its another story. Thats when you smile and hand the manager your mom and dads credit card and say "Yeah that will be fine. Put it on this!"$$$$$$. Thanks Mom and Dad for making this trip possible. It is everything and more that I wanted to experience.
I cant stop smiling. I came to Alskas to see the wonderful scenery, look at the wildlife, and catch a huge Halibut. I did it!!!!
Today Kelly and I went on a charter with Real Affair Charters. Our captins name was Gary and out deckhand was Darious. They were really nice guys that knew where the fish were. We started off the day samon fishing. We put two lines in the water and started trolling slowly. In about 10 mins one of the rods hand a fish on it. I picked up the rod and started to fight the fish. After a 5 minute fight the fish came to the boat. It was a 30 pound King Samon. It was fortunate to bring the fish to the boat because instead of hooking the fish in the mouth i hooked it in the butt. I dont care where you hook a fish, as long as you get it into the boat it counts. Awesome. Get way top start off a long day of fishing. Kelly was next up to catch a King. Before you knew it another rod went down. Kelly ran to the rode, hooked the fish, and started to bring it in. After a decent fight Kelly landed her 2nd saltwater fish, a nice 20 pound King Samon. We were with a couple from Florida and they too caught two King Samon, not as big as Kelly's and I. We also caught to Cohos (A smaller type of samon).
After we caught our share of King Samon we were off to Halibut fishing. Their was a short boat right and before you knew it we were at the secrete Halibut spot. We drop the anchor and put the lines in the water. As we were fishing we looked off to the starbourd side and saw a school of humpback whales about 150 yards from the boat. As we were looking at the humpback whales, one of the lines went down. I picked up the rod and began to fight the fish. I had a long way to fight because we were fishing in 330 feet of water. When you bring up something from that deep you just hope it is what you want. Before you knew it we were dragging a halibut into the boat. I caught a 22 pound Halibut. I was happy and extremely satisfied because that is all that I wanted to catch. After we put the fish in the box and settled down Kellys rod went down. I told her to relax because she had a long way to go. Kelly faught the fish real well. She looked like a pro. But when Kelly brought her line to the boat we were expecting a halibut but, we were wrong. She had a double header, on the bottom hook she caught a nice 4-41/2 ft dog shark and on the top hook she caught a really pretty orange fish (i think it was a canari fish but she will explain it in her blogg). From then withing in 1 hr and 30 min Kelly and the Florida couple caught four more halibut, ranging from 15 to 22 pounds. Out arms were burning and we were ready to catch some rock fish.
We drove 1 mile and we were at the secret rock fish spot. These guys have a lot of secret spots. We dropped our lines and prepaired to catch some fish. Once we dropped our lines we had to "jig" it off the bottom. Within minutes everyone was catching fish ranging from Yellow eye, black rock fish, and black and yellow stip fish. It was crazy. I switched rods with Kelly and let her take part in the action. She was useing the big rods that we used for Halibut, so it was hard to feel if a fish hit the line. Now everyone was catching fish but me. I took my time and concentrated on catching a fish. All of a sudden something big hit my line. I hooked it and the fish began to take line. I asked for the belt because I knew it was big. After a long fight, tireing fight I brought the fish to the boat.............It was a huge Halibut. Once the fish saw the boat, it shook real hard and dove back to the bottom. Kelly grabbed my back and captin grabbed my arm because the fish almost pulled me in. As i was hanging over the boat i continued to fight the fish. I brought the fish to the boat a second time. Excited, nervous (because i did not want to lose it) , and anxious to get the fish into the boat. As the fish came close to the boat, it decided to go for another run. This time i was prepaired. The fish ran back down to the bottom. I had to bring the damn thing up from the bottom again. My arms were burning and m,y back was hurting. As i was reeling i had kelly cheering my on "Come on Alex, Its not that hard!" Nice words of encouragement. Finally after a 20 minute fight with this King Fatty Halibut, we finally got it in the boat. I turned around and gave everyone hi-fives. I also gave the captin and the deckhand a hug. Its a guy fish thing because they hugged me backIt was a little bigger then the other Halibut.lol..... It was a 59 inches and weighed ..........103 pounds. YYYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! It was awesome. The biggest fish i every caught. That was the highlight of my trip.
We finished the trip by looking at some seals and otters. It was a nice finish.
Catching the fish is all fun and games. But, when you have to talk to the manager about delivering the fish its another story. Thats when you smile and hand the manager your mom and dads credit card and say "Yeah that will be fine. Put it on this!"$$$$$$. Thanks Mom and Dad for making this trip possible. It is everything and more that I wanted to experience.
I cant stop smiling. I came to Alskas to see the wonderful scenery, look at the wildlife, and catch a huge Halibut. I did it!!!!
My First Post
So, I think I should preface this post by saying that it's a very good thing that my mother is half way across the world in Vienna.
This trip has been beyond amazing. I think the fact that this is my first post is a testament to the awesomeness of this trip. When I'm not out strolling through a harbor checking out the boats for sale, I'm hiking through a rainforest loaded with 6 inch spotted slugs!
Today, however, was not the typical hiking-through-the-inside-passage day. Jen and I decided to take an ATV (all terrain vehicle, very much like a 4x4) tour around the base of Mount Edgecomb, an extinct (it just passed its 10,000th inactive year) volcano island. The boat ride out was about 25 mintues and Jen and I were in a van full of fellow off-roaders at least 3 times our age. Nonetheless, I was impressed with their ability drive those suckers -- I can only hope I am as spry and courageous as them when I get that old! On our way out to the island, with our captain, Guy, driving out boat, we had the chance to see a sea lion toss and smack around a fish it had just caught. We had just turned around off of the harbor and saw it! Wildlife count: 1. About halfway over to the island, we saw a couple of humpback whales breeching as they headed out to the Pacific. I was able to snap a quick picture before they disappeared into the horizon. Wildlife count: 3.
Once we were given a quick tour and a crash course in safety of these top-heavy Yamaha Rhino's, we headed on our way out to the a black sanded beach on the other side of the island. I made Jen drive first, partly so I could take pictures and partly so I could see how driving these things was done. She was an excellent driver and only almost tipped me out once. Only kidding, but those roots and logs are tough to manuever around! We stopped about halfway through at a beautiful, lush green meadow and had the opportunity to watch a couple of adolescent brown bears wander around out in the grass about 2 football field lengths away. It was amazing. They were the first two brown bears we had seen in Alaska! Wildlife count: 5. After watching them drink water and disappear behind some tall grass, we continued our bouncy journey to the beach. Once we made it to the beach, our guide, Christian, took us down by a river that feeds into the bay, which leads directly out into the Pacific. Tomato soup, jalepeno scones, water, lemonade and shortbread cookies were provided for a quick snack. From the beach, we had an amazing view of the volcano and I took quite a couple of pictures. I walked down the beach and found deer tracks!
We spent about 20-30 minutes on the beach and then it was time to head back to the Sitka. Jen and I switched places, which meant I took the wheel. I had to start out at the worst part of the trip, trying to drive over huge roots and logs and rocks. I only hit one log and the guy behind us said we were about 2-3 feet off the ground. No worries mom, we didn't flip! We headed back a little faster than we drove over but slowed down and saw the same 2 brown bears in the meadow on the way back. I can definitely say that driving a small Rhino was WAY different than going mudding in a Tahoe! Very fun, though. It was nice to be able to drive 9 miles instead of hiking them - and that's just OUT to the beach, not roundtrip! Once we got back, Jen and I took a picture with Christian and Kayla (our rear guide) and then hopped back on the boat with Guy. We were hoping to see a couple of more humpback whales but had no luck. We did, however, see a little sea otter laying out on its back in the middle of the bay! It was absolutely adorable -- just like all the stuffed animals you see. Our boat, which only sat 2 people (Jen and I) and the other boat (which held the other 5 Rhino-ers) slowed down and circled aroudn the otter. It flipped on its stomach and slid underwater - probably since we scared him - and we didn't see him again until he was pretty far away. It was still VERY cool to see a real otter NOT enclosed in a zoo! Wildlife count: 6.
When we made it back to land, our van to take us back to the docks we came from wasn't there yet so we hung out with Guy and Coby (the other captain) until it arrived. Two black labs came around and wandered around us. They were gorgeous dogs and very friendly. I wouldn't count them in the wildlife count, but they were still fun to play with!
When we got back to downtown Sitka, Jen and I walked around for a little bit - going in a couple of stores. We hit the bookstore and I got three more books, hoping they will last me until the end of the trip. She got another Dan Brown book.
When we returned to the hotel, Kelly and Alex were just getting back from fishing and we got to hear all their stories and check out their pictures. The one of Alex and his 103 lb Halibut left me aghast. And, VERY VERY excited about fishing on Wednesday. I'm counting on catching some fish and looking forward to cooking them home upon my arrival back home :)!
I'm looking forward to heading on to Wrangell, although I must admit, I'll definitely miss the leaping salmon and beautiful scenery in Sitka. 10-4!
Oh, and mom? We wore helmets :)
This trip has been beyond amazing. I think the fact that this is my first post is a testament to the awesomeness of this trip. When I'm not out strolling through a harbor checking out the boats for sale, I'm hiking through a rainforest loaded with 6 inch spotted slugs!
Today, however, was not the typical hiking-through-the-inside-passage day. Jen and I decided to take an ATV (all terrain vehicle, very much like a 4x4) tour around the base of Mount Edgecomb, an extinct (it just passed its 10,000th inactive year) volcano island. The boat ride out was about 25 mintues and Jen and I were in a van full of fellow off-roaders at least 3 times our age. Nonetheless, I was impressed with their ability drive those suckers -- I can only hope I am as spry and courageous as them when I get that old! On our way out to the island, with our captain, Guy, driving out boat, we had the chance to see a sea lion toss and smack around a fish it had just caught. We had just turned around off of the harbor and saw it! Wildlife count: 1. About halfway over to the island, we saw a couple of humpback whales breeching as they headed out to the Pacific. I was able to snap a quick picture before they disappeared into the horizon. Wildlife count: 3.
Once we were given a quick tour and a crash course in safety of these top-heavy Yamaha Rhino's, we headed on our way out to the a black sanded beach on the other side of the island. I made Jen drive first, partly so I could take pictures and partly so I could see how driving these things was done. She was an excellent driver and only almost tipped me out once. Only kidding, but those roots and logs are tough to manuever around! We stopped about halfway through at a beautiful, lush green meadow and had the opportunity to watch a couple of adolescent brown bears wander around out in the grass about 2 football field lengths away. It was amazing. They were the first two brown bears we had seen in Alaska! Wildlife count: 5. After watching them drink water and disappear behind some tall grass, we continued our bouncy journey to the beach. Once we made it to the beach, our guide, Christian, took us down by a river that feeds into the bay, which leads directly out into the Pacific. Tomato soup, jalepeno scones, water, lemonade and shortbread cookies were provided for a quick snack. From the beach, we had an amazing view of the volcano and I took quite a couple of pictures. I walked down the beach and found deer tracks!
We spent about 20-30 minutes on the beach and then it was time to head back to the Sitka. Jen and I switched places, which meant I took the wheel. I had to start out at the worst part of the trip, trying to drive over huge roots and logs and rocks. I only hit one log and the guy behind us said we were about 2-3 feet off the ground. No worries mom, we didn't flip! We headed back a little faster than we drove over but slowed down and saw the same 2 brown bears in the meadow on the way back. I can definitely say that driving a small Rhino was WAY different than going mudding in a Tahoe! Very fun, though. It was nice to be able to drive 9 miles instead of hiking them - and that's just OUT to the beach, not roundtrip! Once we got back, Jen and I took a picture with Christian and Kayla (our rear guide) and then hopped back on the boat with Guy. We were hoping to see a couple of more humpback whales but had no luck. We did, however, see a little sea otter laying out on its back in the middle of the bay! It was absolutely adorable -- just like all the stuffed animals you see. Our boat, which only sat 2 people (Jen and I) and the other boat (which held the other 5 Rhino-ers) slowed down and circled aroudn the otter. It flipped on its stomach and slid underwater - probably since we scared him - and we didn't see him again until he was pretty far away. It was still VERY cool to see a real otter NOT enclosed in a zoo! Wildlife count: 6.
When we made it back to land, our van to take us back to the docks we came from wasn't there yet so we hung out with Guy and Coby (the other captain) until it arrived. Two black labs came around and wandered around us. They were gorgeous dogs and very friendly. I wouldn't count them in the wildlife count, but they were still fun to play with!
When we got back to downtown Sitka, Jen and I walked around for a little bit - going in a couple of stores. We hit the bookstore and I got three more books, hoping they will last me until the end of the trip. She got another Dan Brown book.
When we returned to the hotel, Kelly and Alex were just getting back from fishing and we got to hear all their stories and check out their pictures. The one of Alex and his 103 lb Halibut left me aghast. And, VERY VERY excited about fishing on Wednesday. I'm counting on catching some fish and looking forward to cooking them home upon my arrival back home :)!
I'm looking forward to heading on to Wrangell, although I must admit, I'll definitely miss the leaping salmon and beautiful scenery in Sitka. 10-4!
Oh, and mom? We wore helmets :)
Sitka Sound
The last week in Sitka has been a wonderful experience! The first few days were very low key hanging around town after our first trip on the ferry. Thursday we left for the floathouse which was more then I imagined. It was an adorable cottage right of the shore of a small bay in the Sitka Sound. The days on the float house were very relaxing, we spent most of the time at the house playing cards and reading in the lantern light once the sun finally started to go down at 10 or so. On Friday we made an exhausting paddle out to Bear Cove where we saw huge Salmon leaping out of the water just feet from our kayaks. The paddle back was intense with the wind first blowing directly in our faces and then blowing huge swells up over the sides of our kayaks. When we rounded the last bend into our cove I could never have been more happy to see that little cottage. On Saturday I had an exciting ride back to town on the skiff with Kelly and Alex. They seemed a little nervous but I was practically cheering sitting at the front, that is until we hit a huge swell that put me into the air and right back down on the steel seat. After picking up more ice and other necessities such as twix, frosted animal crackers, soda and s'mores we headed back to the floathouse to spend the last few days relaxing. 
Today, me and Leigh went on a 4x4 on Kruzof Island. We had a 25 minute boat ride to the island and on the way we saw a sea lion ripping up its meal above water and humpbacks about 150 yards off, the closest we've seen them yet. Once on the island a guide took the group of 7 of us across the island in two seater rhinos to a black sand beach facing out towards the Pacific Ocean. I drove on the way to the beach and Leigh drove back. Half way down the trail there is a beautiful meadow where I managed to run our 4x4 into the back of the tour guides, opps my bad :) . And this is where we got to see our first brown bear! There were two adolescent brown bears, maybe 200-300 pounds. The guide speculated that their mother kicked them out early or they were run off by another male. It was so cool, we got to watch them for a couple minutes before hitting the "road" again. They feed some snacks on the beach and then headed back. Back in the boat on the way to town we got to see a sea otter very close, maybe 10 feet from the boat hanging out on his back just floating along in the bay.
We have some great pictures but the hotel computer won't let us download, I will add 'em later!
Sitka was an excellent experience and some place I most definitely plan on returning some day.
Tomorrow we head for Wrangell on the ferry and go fishing on Wednesday! Hope I get to send back some Salmon or Halibut!!!
Today, me and Leigh went on a 4x4 on Kruzof Island. We had a 25 minute boat ride to the island and on the way we saw a sea lion ripping up its meal above water and humpbacks about 150 yards off, the closest we've seen them yet. Once on the island a guide took the group of 7 of us across the island in two seater rhinos to a black sand beach facing out towards the Pacific Ocean. I drove on the way to the beach and Leigh drove back. Half way down the trail there is a beautiful meadow where I managed to run our 4x4 into the back of the tour guides, opps my bad :) . And this is where we got to see our first brown bear! There were two adolescent brown bears, maybe 200-300 pounds. The guide speculated that their mother kicked them out early or they were run off by another male. It was so cool, we got to watch them for a couple minutes before hitting the "road" again. They feed some snacks on the beach and then headed back. Back in the boat on the way to town we got to see a sea otter very close, maybe 10 feet from the boat hanging out on his back just floating along in the bay.
We have some great pictures but the hotel computer won't let us download, I will add 'em later!
Sitka was an excellent experience and some place I most definitely plan on returning some day.
Tomorrow we head for Wrangell on the ferry and go fishing on Wednesday! Hope I get to send back some Salmon or Halibut!!!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Days 12-15: Sitka--Camp Coogan Bay Hideaway
We met Barb and John DeLong at the boat harbor and made arrangements for getting to the floathouse. The plan was for them to take our stuff, including food, and 3 passengers. The other 2 passengers would go with me in the 10-foot skiff (like a john boat but smaller). We made one last trip to the grocery store and a trip to Mac's to get fishing licenses. The DeLongs provided us with 4 fishing rods, and Alex and Leigh bought a few lures for the group to use. Then we loaded our gear and boarded the boats.
Jake and Alex volunteered to go with me in the skiff. I made them a little nervous at first since I'm not familiar with a tiller setup (and after this experience, I've learned A LOT but I still prefer a steering wheel and a separate throttle). Every time I would move my feet or scratch my nose, I would either slow to a crawl, accelerate uncontrollably, or swerve to one side or another. The wind was up, and the 6-mile, 15hp ride was slow and a little nerve-racking...for me as the driver and for my two passengers.
Once we arrived, we got settled into our "home" for the next 3 days and nights. It was a cute little cabin built atop a floating barge, much larger than I had anticipated. 4 bunkbeds in the back room and 2 beds in the small loft over the kitchen. The living room was large enough for a 3-stool bar that doubled as a kitchen countertop, a wood stove for heat, a small log table with 3 chairs, 2 loveseats, and a coffeetable. The living room would be the site of countless hands of cards (Spades, Rummy, Crazy 8s), rounds upon rounds of Electronic Catchphrase (which Jen acquired in Sitka when we first arrived), a single attempt at Pictionary, and a scorching game of Monopoly. The only questionable part of the stay would be the single outhouse, located just outside the CLOSED bedroom window. It quickly overcame us with a funky smell that we couldn't seem to get out of our noses, and we began thinking hard about whether we really had to go or whether we could hold it for another few hours (or days).
Leigh was the first to catch a fish. In fact, she caught it within 30 minutes of arriving at the floathouse. We couldn't identify it, but we suspect it was some kind of saltwater trout. Our two fishing experts, Alex and Jake, had taken kayaks around the bay to explore, so they weren't there to help us, but we got a picture! Alex and Jake returned with brown bear stories. It seems that they paddled around the corner from the cabin and saw a brown bear standing on the shore. Less than 500 yards from the floathouse as the crow flies. Within an hour after Leigh's fish, I caught one, which we believe was a red rockfish, complete with surprise spines.
On Friday, our best weather day by far, we paddled our kayaks, in short sleeve shirts, out of Coogan Bay to Silver Bay and into Bear Cove where a salmon hatchery was located. We saw dozens of 30-40 inch salmon jumping several feet out of the water. The DeLongs turned us onto Bear Cove as a fishing hot spot, but it was cold for us. No fish on the hooks. The paddle back was quick, given the distance we had covered (about 16 miles round trip). The guys decided to take a swim in the ocean despite the overwhelming presence of jellyfish. As soon as we find a place that will allow us to download photos and videos, we'll post them. They are a must-see!!
We were exhausted!! and decided to hang closer to the cabin on Saturday, and the weather seemed to know. The wind picked up just as Jen, Alex, and I were entering the channel in the skiff. We were on our way to get ice and run a few errands. The waves were crashing on both sides of us, mostly whitecaps, and all three of us prepared ourselves for a swim that never happened. In a mad dash to get out of the wind and the increasing boat traffic, we puttered our 15hp way towards the far shore and ended up directly in the sights of a floatplane as it began its descent to land. Apparently my knowledge of lake boating (red, right, returning) doesn't apply in saltwater. When we put the red buoy on our right, we were on the floatplane's "runway." Trying to keep a cool head, I kept going and gave a little "sorry but thanks" wave to the pilot for not landing on top of our little boat. He may have had some choice words for us, but we never heard about it.
The clouds rolled in, and the rain began. Not hard, but consistent for a few hours. Since the DeLongs were closed for the weekend, we couldn't ask for a ride back in the bigger boat, so we waited out the weather. As we walked back to the barbor to start our return trip, we noticed some harbor seals playing just off the shore. We boarded the skiff and secured our groceries then headed for the little cove that held the seals. They were playing with each other and with the birds who were trying to sneak some of their catch. We were looking at them ahead of us when one came up RIGHT BESIDE US! It was less than 10 feet away from the skiff, and I was tempted to reach down and try to pet it. Jen and Alex snapped their cameras as fast as they could, but by the time I put us in neutral and got mine, the seal had returned to fishing. We circled at a good distance and watched the seals dive and come up with huge fish in their mouths. They raised their heads several feet out of the water and nipped at the seagulls that hovering overhead. It was quite a sight!
The return trip wasn't nearly as frightening as it could have been, and we were thankful. Glad to be back with our friends, on land (sort of), and even the smell of the outhouse was reassuring...for at least 15 minutes then we were sick of it again. Then the rain stopped, but the clouds hung low. Our games and books kept us inside most of the day, and we began to plan what we were going to do when we returned to Sitka.
The DeLongs came to pick up our gear and 3 passengers and prep the cabin for a last-minute visitor. A schoolteacher friend of Barb's and she just couldn't say no. Josh and Leigh hadn't endured the ceremonial rite of passage (skiff ride), so they were my passengers on the way back. They got off easy though, since this was the calmest crossing of the four. We circled the area where we saw the seals the day before, but they were nowhere to be found. We finally gave up and returned to the harbor, unloaded our stuff and headed, once again, for the Sitka Hotel where we will spend the next two nights.
Four of us walked the mile-and-a-half to the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for raptors (eagles, hawks, owls, ravens, and others). Just before we left, one of the trainers asked if we wanted to see an eagle up close. Oh, let me think... YES! She brought it out for an audience of 6--us and a couple who worked with rehab owls in the Lower 48. It was incredible to see the bald eagle less than 4 feet away from us. Volta ate salmon from the trainer's hand and look carefully at all of us until we won him over. He is named for his mechanism of injury (flew into electrical wires), and a broken bone in his shoulder, although now healed, left him without the ability to gain altitude, so he'll never be released into the wild. Instead, he travels the state and the country doing promos and demos for the center. If you need a good idea for a holiday gift, I can't think of a better idea than to adopt one of these precious birds. Google: Alaska Raptor Center Sitka.
Tomorrow is a free day, and for the first time, we're all going our separate ways. Jake plans to climb Mt. Edgecombe, a dormant volcano, with his cousins. Alex and I will spend the entire day charter fishing with a local captain. Jen and Leigh are looking into an ATV/4-wheeler experience. And Josh is still considering his options.
Jake and Alex volunteered to go with me in the skiff. I made them a little nervous at first since I'm not familiar with a tiller setup (and after this experience, I've learned A LOT but I still prefer a steering wheel and a separate throttle). Every time I would move my feet or scratch my nose, I would either slow to a crawl, accelerate uncontrollably, or swerve to one side or another. The wind was up, and the 6-mile, 15hp ride was slow and a little nerve-racking...for me as the driver and for my two passengers.
Once we arrived, we got settled into our "home" for the next 3 days and nights. It was a cute little cabin built atop a floating barge, much larger than I had anticipated. 4 bunkbeds in the back room and 2 beds in the small loft over the kitchen. The living room was large enough for a 3-stool bar that doubled as a kitchen countertop, a wood stove for heat, a small log table with 3 chairs, 2 loveseats, and a coffeetable. The living room would be the site of countless hands of cards (Spades, Rummy, Crazy 8s), rounds upon rounds of Electronic Catchphrase (which Jen acquired in Sitka when we first arrived), a single attempt at Pictionary, and a scorching game of Monopoly. The only questionable part of the stay would be the single outhouse, located just outside the CLOSED bedroom window. It quickly overcame us with a funky smell that we couldn't seem to get out of our noses, and we began thinking hard about whether we really had to go or whether we could hold it for another few hours (or days).
Leigh was the first to catch a fish. In fact, she caught it within 30 minutes of arriving at the floathouse. We couldn't identify it, but we suspect it was some kind of saltwater trout. Our two fishing experts, Alex and Jake, had taken kayaks around the bay to explore, so they weren't there to help us, but we got a picture! Alex and Jake returned with brown bear stories. It seems that they paddled around the corner from the cabin and saw a brown bear standing on the shore. Less than 500 yards from the floathouse as the crow flies. Within an hour after Leigh's fish, I caught one, which we believe was a red rockfish, complete with surprise spines.
On Friday, our best weather day by far, we paddled our kayaks, in short sleeve shirts, out of Coogan Bay to Silver Bay and into Bear Cove where a salmon hatchery was located. We saw dozens of 30-40 inch salmon jumping several feet out of the water. The DeLongs turned us onto Bear Cove as a fishing hot spot, but it was cold for us. No fish on the hooks. The paddle back was quick, given the distance we had covered (about 16 miles round trip). The guys decided to take a swim in the ocean despite the overwhelming presence of jellyfish. As soon as we find a place that will allow us to download photos and videos, we'll post them. They are a must-see!!
We were exhausted!! and decided to hang closer to the cabin on Saturday, and the weather seemed to know. The wind picked up just as Jen, Alex, and I were entering the channel in the skiff. We were on our way to get ice and run a few errands. The waves were crashing on both sides of us, mostly whitecaps, and all three of us prepared ourselves for a swim that never happened. In a mad dash to get out of the wind and the increasing boat traffic, we puttered our 15hp way towards the far shore and ended up directly in the sights of a floatplane as it began its descent to land. Apparently my knowledge of lake boating (red, right, returning) doesn't apply in saltwater. When we put the red buoy on our right, we were on the floatplane's "runway." Trying to keep a cool head, I kept going and gave a little "sorry but thanks" wave to the pilot for not landing on top of our little boat. He may have had some choice words for us, but we never heard about it.
The clouds rolled in, and the rain began. Not hard, but consistent for a few hours. Since the DeLongs were closed for the weekend, we couldn't ask for a ride back in the bigger boat, so we waited out the weather. As we walked back to the barbor to start our return trip, we noticed some harbor seals playing just off the shore. We boarded the skiff and secured our groceries then headed for the little cove that held the seals. They were playing with each other and with the birds who were trying to sneak some of their catch. We were looking at them ahead of us when one came up RIGHT BESIDE US! It was less than 10 feet away from the skiff, and I was tempted to reach down and try to pet it. Jen and Alex snapped their cameras as fast as they could, but by the time I put us in neutral and got mine, the seal had returned to fishing. We circled at a good distance and watched the seals dive and come up with huge fish in their mouths. They raised their heads several feet out of the water and nipped at the seagulls that hovering overhead. It was quite a sight!
The return trip wasn't nearly as frightening as it could have been, and we were thankful. Glad to be back with our friends, on land (sort of), and even the smell of the outhouse was reassuring...for at least 15 minutes then we were sick of it again. Then the rain stopped, but the clouds hung low. Our games and books kept us inside most of the day, and we began to plan what we were going to do when we returned to Sitka.
The DeLongs came to pick up our gear and 3 passengers and prep the cabin for a last-minute visitor. A schoolteacher friend of Barb's and she just couldn't say no. Josh and Leigh hadn't endured the ceremonial rite of passage (skiff ride), so they were my passengers on the way back. They got off easy though, since this was the calmest crossing of the four. We circled the area where we saw the seals the day before, but they were nowhere to be found. We finally gave up and returned to the harbor, unloaded our stuff and headed, once again, for the Sitka Hotel where we will spend the next two nights.
Four of us walked the mile-and-a-half to the Alaska Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for raptors (eagles, hawks, owls, ravens, and others). Just before we left, one of the trainers asked if we wanted to see an eagle up close. Oh, let me think... YES! She brought it out for an audience of 6--us and a couple who worked with rehab owls in the Lower 48. It was incredible to see the bald eagle less than 4 feet away from us. Volta ate salmon from the trainer's hand and look carefully at all of us until we won him over. He is named for his mechanism of injury (flew into electrical wires), and a broken bone in his shoulder, although now healed, left him without the ability to gain altitude, so he'll never be released into the wild. Instead, he travels the state and the country doing promos and demos for the center. If you need a good idea for a holiday gift, I can't think of a better idea than to adopt one of these precious birds. Google: Alaska Raptor Center Sitka.
Tomorrow is a free day, and for the first time, we're all going our separate ways. Jake plans to climb Mt. Edgecombe, a dormant volcano, with his cousins. Alex and I will spend the entire day charter fishing with a local captain. Jen and Leigh are looking into an ATV/4-wheeler experience. And Josh is still considering his options.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
SITKA / Me and My Doogy
We made it to Sitka off the ferry around 11 on the 12th, i went and visited my family and had the most amazing salmon every(lest than a day old) we went for a bike ride and I'm going back on Sunday for halibut once we get back from the float house. Yesterday we did a hike to Indian Rive Falls and on the way I spotted 3 large trout in the river and 2 eagles sitting in a tree about 10 ft ahead. Leigh and I ran back most of the way but she had some knee problems and we walked about 1/2 mile or so to the trail head. i tried to post a blog about my sled dog adventure but it didn't post... but I decided to go to a summer sled dog camp and go for a ride and learn about the dogs and the Iditarod. While i was there i started talking about a job for the summer and was asking the musher how and when he got started. he said "he was 21 and started but taking care of dogs. then he went out and got a sled and a few dogs, now he mushes." so how knows we will see where the good lord takes me. well we are heading to the float house.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Day 11: Sitka's Indian River Trail
Today, we tackled what we estimated would be our longest (in time and in distance) hike of the trip. The walk to Indian River Falls was an easy climb, only 700 vertical feet over 4.5 miles one-way. Our references estimated a 4-hour hike each way. The trail meanders along the Indian River for several miles before climbing up through the terminal rain forest of hemlock roots, loose rock, and swampy mangrove-type areas. I don't think they are considered true mangroves because of the type of vegetation and a hundred other criteria. If my friend Leigh Ann the wetland delineater were here, she could tell us.
The hemlock grow so tall and straight that even their lowest branches seemed to reach the sky. Many of them had enormous holes under them, as if all the trees were standing on the very tip top of their tippy toes to be taller than the next. Some holes were large enough for a person to squat or even stand under, but we didn't get any takers. Just in case the holes were being used by some other creature, I agreed that it was a good idea that we passed.
In muddy wetland areas where we might sink up to our knees, moss-covered boardwalks led the way. When we crossed the river and its tributaries, which we did several times, fallen trees had been converted into walkways, complete with sapling handrails. Before we even realized how long we had been on the trail, we started the slow, gradual ascent of the mountainside. And then we were there, at the base of Indian Falls, incredibly frigid snowcap runoff pouring out just inches from the end of the trail. Without even hesitating, we stripped off our shoes/boots and socks and waded across the calf-deep stream to a rock bar on the other side. It wasn't until we were halfway across that the temperature of the water truly sunk in, and it wasn't until we stepped from the water on the other side that our feet truly cursed us for what we had done to them. Even the smallest and smoothest of roots felt like daggers to our toes and heels. But the video I got as Josh crossed the stream made it all worth it. I'm trying to find a way to upload it. Stay tuned for a link...to somewhere??
A few of us were smart enough to bring our jackets and snacks with us, while others of us knew that warmth and sustenance meant walking back through the freezing water to the daggers that now awaited us on the other side of the stream. Our descent was quick, made even faster by a light drizzle of rain that coated the entire rain forest with a thick snot-like slippery coating. Oh, did I mention the super-sized slugs that we saw every few yards?
By the time we reached the trailhead, we had spent a total of 4 hours on the trail--not 8--and that included our 30-minute leisurely "swim" at the falls. What can I say--we're super hikers! Ha! Photos are on their way.
The hemlock grow so tall and straight that even their lowest branches seemed to reach the sky. Many of them had enormous holes under them, as if all the trees were standing on the very tip top of their tippy toes to be taller than the next. Some holes were large enough for a person to squat or even stand under, but we didn't get any takers. Just in case the holes were being used by some other creature, I agreed that it was a good idea that we passed.
In muddy wetland areas where we might sink up to our knees, moss-covered boardwalks led the way. When we crossed the river and its tributaries, which we did several times, fallen trees had been converted into walkways, complete with sapling handrails. Before we even realized how long we had been on the trail, we started the slow, gradual ascent of the mountainside. And then we were there, at the base of Indian Falls, incredibly frigid snowcap runoff pouring out just inches from the end of the trail. Without even hesitating, we stripped off our shoes/boots and socks and waded across the calf-deep stream to a rock bar on the other side. It wasn't until we were halfway across that the temperature of the water truly sunk in, and it wasn't until we stepped from the water on the other side that our feet truly cursed us for what we had done to them. Even the smallest and smoothest of roots felt like daggers to our toes and heels. But the video I got as Josh crossed the stream made it all worth it. I'm trying to find a way to upload it. Stay tuned for a link...to somewhere??
A few of us were smart enough to bring our jackets and snacks with us, while others of us knew that warmth and sustenance meant walking back through the freezing water to the daggers that now awaited us on the other side of the stream. Our descent was quick, made even faster by a light drizzle of rain that coated the entire rain forest with a thick snot-like slippery coating. Oh, did I mention the super-sized slugs that we saw every few yards?
By the time we reached the trailhead, we had spent a total of 4 hours on the trail--not 8--and that included our 30-minute leisurely "swim" at the falls. What can I say--we're super hikers! Ha! Photos are on their way.
Day 9-10: Overnight on the Ferry
On Monday, we boarded the Columbia and found a spot under the solarium. Other than a few people from a group at the pool hall the night before, we had our pick of where we wanted to set up. Jake, Leigh, Alex, and Josh dropped their stuff in the center of the boat close to the middle of the solarium. Jen and I decided on a far corner, a little more out of the wind but a little closer to the main door where everyone walked in and out. Being able to sit up in our lounge chairs and watch the water going by beside us made the occasional gusts of wind well worth it!
We ate dinner at the snack bar on the ferry, and as night fell, everyone found their own way to pass the time--taking pictures, playing cards, reading, daydreaming, napping. Keep in mind that the fall of night refers more to a figure of speech than an actual time, since "darkness" looks more like dusk in the Lower 48, and then the sun starts to peek its face out again.
Sometime in the night, I awoke to a cough, a slam of the door, or an uncomfortable position, I'm not sure. The clouds were hanging low in the sky, making the mountains we were passing disappear in places, and in others, it looked as if the mountain tops were floating on puffy, white cotton balls. I looked at the water, dark and mysterious, and wondered what was just below its surface. I thought if I stared at the same stretch of water long enough I could will a humpback or orca to show itself. I concentrated but nothing happened. I concentrated even more squinting my eyes and furrowing my brow, and again nothing. Good thing I'm not trying to make a living as a psychic!
And then it hit me. I thought of work and felt the most incredible tight feeling in my chest. I may have even asked it out loud: "How can I sit behind a desk after doing something like this? How are these people going to go back to being students after this?" Today we talked about it a little on the trail, but no one had any answers. I'm sure that's a question we'll struggle with as the trip goes on. At this point, June 30 and our return to NC just seems like some far-off abstract idea. And for now, I'm going to let it stay there...somewhere far off in the distance, something to think about on another day.
We ate dinner at the snack bar on the ferry, and as night fell, everyone found their own way to pass the time--taking pictures, playing cards, reading, daydreaming, napping. Keep in mind that the fall of night refers more to a figure of speech than an actual time, since "darkness" looks more like dusk in the Lower 48, and then the sun starts to peek its face out again.
Sometime in the night, I awoke to a cough, a slam of the door, or an uncomfortable position, I'm not sure. The clouds were hanging low in the sky, making the mountains we were passing disappear in places, and in others, it looked as if the mountain tops were floating on puffy, white cotton balls. I looked at the water, dark and mysterious, and wondered what was just below its surface. I thought if I stared at the same stretch of water long enough I could will a humpback or orca to show itself. I concentrated but nothing happened. I concentrated even more squinting my eyes and furrowing my brow, and again nothing. Good thing I'm not trying to make a living as a psychic!
And then it hit me. I thought of work and felt the most incredible tight feeling in my chest. I may have even asked it out loud: "How can I sit behind a desk after doing something like this? How are these people going to go back to being students after this?" Today we talked about it a little on the trail, but no one had any answers. I'm sure that's a question we'll struggle with as the trip goes on. At this point, June 30 and our return to NC just seems like some far-off abstract idea. And for now, I'm going to let it stay there...somewhere far off in the distance, something to think about on another day.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Day 9: Leaving Skagway
Like Juneau, Skagway has been good to us. She has challenged us with her hikes, awed us with her incredible views, taught us with her history, and humbled us with her precarious position between two equally treacherous mountain ranges.
Today we will leave Skagway, the second town on our journey through the Southeast. We are making last-minute purchases (some bigger than others), packing, and saying good-byes to our friends James and Amy who have been working their way north from Ketchikan. They have decided to stay another night in Skagway before crossing into Canada and starting another adventure. We have given them a standing invitation to visit High Point as our guests, and we all hope they will take advantage of the opportunity to visit a part of the U.S. that they haven't yet seen. We are also saying good-bye to our hosts retired firefighter Frank; former Chilkoot Trail ranger and Skagway school superintendent Nancy; their 8-year-old, attention-loving granddaughter Dainean; Misty the dog, who never missed an opportunity to do tricks or beg for food; and Samantha the cat, who remains loving even when Dainean accidentally holds her upside down by one leg.
We'll board the ferry today at 4:30pm and leave at 5:30pm, sleeping while we motor from Skagway through Juneau to Sitka, arriving at 11:45am tomorrow. I know Jake will be glad to see his cousins...and his wallet (which he left at a Hardee's somewhere between his home in Maryland and High Point. Luckily, a Hardee's worker found it and returned it to his parents intact!) And I know we're all looking forward to the floathouse!
Today we will leave Skagway, the second town on our journey through the Southeast. We are making last-minute purchases (some bigger than others), packing, and saying good-byes to our friends James and Amy who have been working their way north from Ketchikan. They have decided to stay another night in Skagway before crossing into Canada and starting another adventure. We have given them a standing invitation to visit High Point as our guests, and we all hope they will take advantage of the opportunity to visit a part of the U.S. that they haven't yet seen. We are also saying good-bye to our hosts retired firefighter Frank; former Chilkoot Trail ranger and Skagway school superintendent Nancy; their 8-year-old, attention-loving granddaughter Dainean; Misty the dog, who never missed an opportunity to do tricks or beg for food; and Samantha the cat, who remains loving even when Dainean accidentally holds her upside down by one leg.
We'll board the ferry today at 4:30pm and leave at 5:30pm, sleeping while we motor from Skagway through Juneau to Sitka, arriving at 11:45am tomorrow. I know Jake will be glad to see his cousins...and his wallet (which he left at a Hardee's somewhere between his home in Maryland and High Point. Luckily, a Hardee's worker found it and returned it to his parents intact!) And I know we're all looking forward to the floathouse!
Day 8: Skagway...Reid's Falls
It is said that people who spend a lot of time together begin to think, talk, and act like each other. Yesterday we confirmed that when ALL of us, regardless of activity level the day before, slept in until 10am. It was a welcome change from having to be up, fed, and out of the hostel by 9am, like in Juneau. We took our time getting ready, some doing a little laundry and others starting to pack up for today's departure.
Our group trail took us up-up-up the steep Upper Dewey trailhead to Icy Lake and then on to Reid's Falls. The Falls are named for the gunslinger sheriff Frank Reid who killed Jefferson "Soapy" Smith. From what we gather, Smith was a con-artist who came to Skagway and made a living swindling gold-rushers and merchants out of everything they had. Smith and his followers ran the town, and no one crossed them. Things came to a head, and Reid and Smith were locked in a gun battle. Smith died immediately, and the gang was broken. Reid sustained injuries that he never recovered from, dying a couple of weeks later.
Icy Lake freezes solid in the winter and shoulder season and would make a great place for ice-skating, although I'm not sure it's used in that way by locals. Reid's Falls isn't a single waterfall but rather a long, cascading series of falls and pools and more falls as the water works its way down the mountain, just beyond the Gold Rush Cemetery, where the remains of both Smith and Reid are buried.
We hiked in two groups to the Falls, in a somewhat off-the-beaten-path kind of way. (My group stopped to take more breaks and photos than the other.) Somehow both groups got off the wider, main trail and ended up walking through what we nicknamed Bear Avenue because we just knew that we were going to look up and see a bear standing on one of the many ledges above us. But we didn't!
After eating snacks and getting a drink, we headed back down to the base of the mountain. Jake, Alex, Josh, and Leigh took the trail off to the south and walked the Lower Dewey trail around Dewey Lake. Jen and I decided against Lower Dewey because it was well after lunchtime, and I hadn't even brought a snack on the trail. Instead, we reached the trailhead and decided to follow the train tracks to the Gold Rush Cemetery, just around the corner. More than a mile down the tracks, we remembered that the cemetery was not just around the corner; it was 2.8 miles down the tracks, a much longer hike than if we had done Lower Dewey. We went anyway. The large, round rocks slowed our progress, but we were able to walk on the street back to the hostel. We saw the grave sites of Soapy Smith, Frank Reid, and many other rushers, also called 98ers even though not everyone buried there came in 1898. Some were infants of rush families who didn't make it through childbirth or through the winter. Most were men (and a few women) in their 30s and 40s.
Last night we walked (yes, one block) to the pizza place/restaurant/bar/pool hall behind the hostel and shot pool for hours!! with James and Amy, a couple from New Zealand who we first met at the hostel in Juneau. Great, great people! And James is quite the pool shark. He and Amy held the table for round after round. Jen and Jake knocked them out once, Josh and I knocked out Jen and Jake, Alex and Leigh knocked us out, and then James and Amy were back on top. They even got a challenge from a couple of local guys, but they held their title as champs, despite a last-minute attack from Alex and me. We were still rambunctous, but exhausted, when we got back to the hostel. One by one, sleep overcame our enthusiasm.
Our group trail took us up-up-up the steep Upper Dewey trailhead to Icy Lake and then on to Reid's Falls. The Falls are named for the gunslinger sheriff Frank Reid who killed Jefferson "Soapy" Smith. From what we gather, Smith was a con-artist who came to Skagway and made a living swindling gold-rushers and merchants out of everything they had. Smith and his followers ran the town, and no one crossed them. Things came to a head, and Reid and Smith were locked in a gun battle. Smith died immediately, and the gang was broken. Reid sustained injuries that he never recovered from, dying a couple of weeks later.
Icy Lake freezes solid in the winter and shoulder season and would make a great place for ice-skating, although I'm not sure it's used in that way by locals. Reid's Falls isn't a single waterfall but rather a long, cascading series of falls and pools and more falls as the water works its way down the mountain, just beyond the Gold Rush Cemetery, where the remains of both Smith and Reid are buried.
We hiked in two groups to the Falls, in a somewhat off-the-beaten-path kind of way. (My group stopped to take more breaks and photos than the other.) Somehow both groups got off the wider, main trail and ended up walking through what we nicknamed Bear Avenue because we just knew that we were going to look up and see a bear standing on one of the many ledges above us. But we didn't!
After eating snacks and getting a drink, we headed back down to the base of the mountain. Jake, Alex, Josh, and Leigh took the trail off to the south and walked the Lower Dewey trail around Dewey Lake. Jen and I decided against Lower Dewey because it was well after lunchtime, and I hadn't even brought a snack on the trail. Instead, we reached the trailhead and decided to follow the train tracks to the Gold Rush Cemetery, just around the corner. More than a mile down the tracks, we remembered that the cemetery was not just around the corner; it was 2.8 miles down the tracks, a much longer hike than if we had done Lower Dewey. We went anyway. The large, round rocks slowed our progress, but we were able to walk on the street back to the hostel. We saw the grave sites of Soapy Smith, Frank Reid, and many other rushers, also called 98ers even though not everyone buried there came in 1898. Some were infants of rush families who didn't make it through childbirth or through the winter. Most were men (and a few women) in their 30s and 40s.
Last night we walked (yes, one block) to the pizza place/restaurant/bar/pool hall behind the hostel and shot pool for hours!! with James and Amy, a couple from New Zealand who we first met at the hostel in Juneau. Great, great people! And James is quite the pool shark. He and Amy held the table for round after round. Jen and Jake knocked them out once, Josh and I knocked out Jen and Jake, Alex and Leigh knocked us out, and then James and Amy were back on top. They even got a challenge from a couple of local guys, but they held their title as champs, despite a last-minute attack from Alex and me. We were still rambunctous, but exhausted, when we got back to the hostel. One by one, sleep overcame our enthusiasm.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Days 5-7: Skagway
Internet access has been much more scarce than in Juneau, so we haven't been able to post as often. Instead of using a computer in the living room of the Juneau Hostel, we must walk a whole 2 blocks to the internet cafe on 2nd Avenue in Skagway.Our first ferry was uneventful, except for the fact that it was a first ferry ride. No wildlife spotted (other than some fellow passengers). Most of us passed the time by reading, playing cards, and taking photos off the back of the ship. We were on the Fairweather, the AK Marine Highway's only fast-mover. That means it travels faster once it gets going, it makes fewer stops, and it doesn't have any lounge chairs. We were hoping to get a glimpse of our "heated bedrooms," lounge chairs under the solarium on the back of the other ferry ships, before we have to use them with our first ferry overnight on Monday night.
Skagway is incredibly quaint compared to Juneau. For most amenities, there is only one: one grocery store (less than a block), one gas station (less than a block), etc. In fact, we're less than a block from almost everything. The hostel is nice, and since it's a home hostel, and we're living alongside our hostel managers, we're getting to know them and the area well!
Upon recommendation from Nancy, we borrow hostel bicycles (our first mistake as some were in poor condition) and rode to Dyea, the ghost-town sister of Skagway. A trip that we thought would take a couple of hours there and back ended up taking the better par
t of 8 hours (10am-6pm). We got to walk around Dyea's historic area (almost all trees now) with a Park Ranger. All total, we biked about 20 miles (half was steep incline) and walked/hiked about 6 miles. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we got back to the hostel for a late dinner.
t of 8 hours (10am-6pm). We got to walk around Dyea's historic area (almost all trees now) with a Park Ranger. All total, we biked about 20 miles (half was steep incline) and walked/hiked about 6 miles. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we got back to the hostel for a late dinner.Today, the guys hiked to Upper Dewey Lake at at least a 45 degree incline the entire way, and the girls took a 4-hour train ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railway into Canada. Both trips were great, and I'll let the students give you some detail.
Skagway
Day 3 in Skagway! We had our first ferry ride from Juneau to Skagway on Thursday evening. It was much more then expected; the interior was prestine with comfortable chairs and tables. While leaving the Juneau Bay we saw two different humpback whales breeching the water; I cant wait to get even closer! Once in skagway we got settled in our home hostel. We are staying at someones house; they have about 10 bunks set up in a detached room in the backyard. Everything in town is extremely convenient as the town is only about 10 blocks long and completely flat. On Friday we all completely exhausted ourselves biking over probably 15 miles and walking another 3. It was a challenge and well worth it even though we were out all day with no lunch packed. Today, me Leigh and Kelly boarded the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. The views from the mountain and on top of the summit were amazing. Well we are getting kicked off the computers at the cafe so I will update as soon as possible. Hopefully by the I will have seen a bear up close. :)
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Me and my DOOGYS
i was very hesitant to spend the money to go to a summer sled dog camp(touristy or just no fun), but it proved worth it as we came up the trail to find 120 dogs looking at me. then i meet Matt and 29th place finisher in the Iditarod race across Alaska. Then we met a musher who was 23 and all i did was talk to him about how much i loved dogs and wanted to work at a place like this. So he gave me his card and told me to keep in touch, and that's just what ill do. Mom, Dad, I'm moving to Alaska!!! Before we left on out moshing adventure around the camp, i found my new best friend she was black, white and brown with bright blue eyes, o yea and she feel in love with me too.Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Time Difference
It's is important to note that there is a 4-hour difference between Eastern Time and Alaska Time. That means that when we're just getting back to the hostel from the day's activities, people on the East Coast are preparing for bed.
Day 4: A Day of Reading & Mount Roberts Trail
We spent today in reflection on our time in Juneau. As we prepare to leave tomorrow--doing laundry, packing, preparing to say our goodbyes to our friends here at Juneau Hostel--we are sad to leave the town and people who welcomed us into Alaska...and the "Southeast." However, in retrospect, we are leaving feeling that we have done so much more than we initially thought we could do without feeling rushed. Today, we slowed our pace even more, spending hours at various quiet spots in town (Paradise, Silverbow, bookstore), while Jen and Jake visited with the sled dogs.
Sans Jen, the five of us made our way to the trailhead of Mount Roberts, which was at the top of the stairs at the end of Sixth Street. Due to snow, ice, and an avalanche warning, we couldn't hike to the Gold Ridge, the Gastineau Peak, or the Mt. Roberts summit. Instead, we decided to hike to the where the tram meets the trail, only 2 miles up on the trail. Leigh and I were wearing sandals, even in the cold weather, and thought that 2 miles didn't require waiting for the hostel to reopen to get our boots. So we trudged on in Chacos and Keens with fleece and raincoats. The trail proved more difficult than we expected in the short 2 miles.
The rain made the trail slick and muddy, but the mud didn't have nearly the potential to ruin our day as the melting snow and ice. As we soon discovered, ice pack melts from underneath rather than on top, leaving unbelievably large holes just under the ice's surface. I "sacrificed myself" to demonstrate the bone-breaking potential of the holes. In other words, I took a step and fell into a hole up to my hip. For the first time since ice-skating with OAC in Gatlinburg (January 2006), I was thankful for having a big, well-padded backside. It was the only thing that kept my other leg from falling through as well, especially since the lower leg was dangling above the ground under the ice pack. Since I was wearing shorts, a few scrapes and bruises instantly began to appear. Leigh witnessed the fall, and the guys got a good laugh out of it when we caught up to them. A laugh that eased my skiddishness about the fall. These folks have such a way of including me by teasing me just as often as they tease one another. We finished the climb to the Mt. Roberts Nature Center, saw an injured eagle, viewed a filmstrip about the area, and then rode the tram back down the mountainside to downtown Juneau.
We're now preparing to spend our last night in Juneau before leaving for Skagway tomorrow afternoon. Juneau has been good to us, but our adventure has just begun!
Sans Jen, the five of us made our way to the trailhead of Mount Roberts, which was at the top of the stairs at the end of Sixth Street. Due to snow, ice, and an avalanche warning, we couldn't hike to the Gold Ridge, the Gastineau Peak, or the Mt. Roberts summit. Instead, we decided to hike to the where the tram meets the trail, only 2 miles up on the trail. Leigh and I were wearing sandals, even in the cold weather, and thought that 2 miles didn't require waiting for the hostel to reopen to get our boots. So we trudged on in Chacos and Keens with fleece and raincoats. The trail proved more difficult than we expected in the short 2 miles.
The rain made the trail slick and muddy, but the mud didn't have nearly the potential to ruin our day as the melting snow and ice. As we soon discovered, ice pack melts from underneath rather than on top, leaving unbelievably large holes just under the ice's surface. I "sacrificed myself" to demonstrate the bone-breaking potential of the holes. In other words, I took a step and fell into a hole up to my hip. For the first time since ice-skating with OAC in Gatlinburg (January 2006), I was thankful for having a big, well-padded backside. It was the only thing that kept my other leg from falling through as well, especially since the lower leg was dangling above the ground under the ice pack. Since I was wearing shorts, a few scrapes and bruises instantly began to appear. Leigh witnessed the fall, and the guys got a good laugh out of it when we caught up to them. A laugh that eased my skiddishness about the fall. These folks have such a way of including me by teasing me just as often as they tease one another. We finished the climb to the Mt. Roberts Nature Center, saw an injured eagle, viewed a filmstrip about the area, and then rode the tram back down the mountainside to downtown Juneau.
We're now preparing to spend our last night in Juneau before leaving for Skagway tomorrow afternoon. Juneau has been good to us, but our adventure has just begun!
What we're reading on the trip...
Just thought we'd pass along the titles of the books we're reading while we're here in AK:
Alex: Johnny's Girl
Jake: Winter Dance; Alaska's Mining Dogs
Jen: Between, Georgia; Murder on the Iditarod Trail; Memoirs of a Geisha
Josh: The Road to Serfdom; annotated version of The Constitution
Kelly: The Five People You Meet in Heaven; Follow the River: The Story of Mary Ingles; Only a Kayak
Leigh: Magical Thinking; Running with Scissors; A Prayer for Owen Meaney
Alex: Johnny's Girl
Jake: Winter Dance; Alaska's Mining Dogs
Jen: Between, Georgia; Murder on the Iditarod Trail; Memoirs of a Geisha
Josh: The Road to Serfdom; annotated version of The Constitution
Kelly: The Five People You Meet in Heaven; Follow the River: The Story of Mary Ingles; Only a Kayak
Leigh: Magical Thinking; Running with Scissors; A Prayer for Owen Meaney
Dogsledding Camp 6/06/2007
The weather today turned out to be much less desirable then previous but a good day anyways. We all kinda split up to do our own things this morning. Me , Jake and Alex spent the morning at the local bookstores as reading seems to be one of the best evening pasttimes. I then broke off from the boys for a quiet read at Paradise Bakery, where I had the most AMAZING pastry I have ever had; delicious crust, almond paste and berries. At 11:30 AM me and Jake met at the docks to go on a scheduled tour to a summer dog sledding camp. After being left behind at the docks and having one of the top guys of probably the biggest tour operater in Juneau drive us to meet the bus we made it up the dirt roads to the camp. There we got to meet a 4 time Iditarod Race musher who finished 29th out of 83 last year and 120 sled dogs of all ages and experience. We got a tour of the facilities and pulled by the dogs on a make shift land sled. Jake inquired the whole time about getting a summer job with the dogs as soon as he graduates. I am looking forward to our first ferry ride and arriving in Skagway tomorrow!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
I came here to find wildlife....
When I first decided to come to Alaska I wanted to see wildlife(bears, eagles, huskies, whales) I figured the chances of seeing any of them was slim-to-none. the first day I found 2 huskies being walked down the street, well 
that's the first on the list, we went on hiking the Mendenhall Glacier and there we hiked about 13 miles and would have kept going but there were 2 cubs and a mother bear around the corner, we didn't see them but they were there. day 2 went out hiking again and the first thing I see is an eagle flying high, about 100 yards up the road we noticed something in the woods something many people dint get to see, a black bear sleeping at the trunk of a tree. day 3 we went to Auke Bay and 10 feet in front of me stand an eagle, beautiful animal, about 45 min later in the horizon I spotted a black hump, hump back whale then all the sudden 3 harbor seals pop there heads out and start swimming around playing with the sea gals. 3 days in Alaska and I've seen more wild life in their natural habitat than many people see in a life time... tomorrow its off to the sled dog camp...
that's the first on the list, we went on hiking the Mendenhall Glacier and there we hiked about 13 miles and would have kept going but there were 2 cubs and a mother bear around the corner, we didn't see them but they were there. day 2 went out hiking again and the first thing I see is an eagle flying high, about 100 yards up the road we noticed something in the woods something many people dint get to see, a black bear sleeping at the trunk of a tree. day 3 we went to Auke Bay and 10 feet in front of me stand an eagle, beautiful animal, about 45 min later in the horizon I spotted a black hump, hump back whale then all the sudden 3 harbor seals pop there heads out and start swimming around playing with the sea gals. 3 days in Alaska and I've seen more wild life in their natural habitat than many people see in a life time... tomorrow its off to the sled dog camp...Day 3: Free Day in Juneau
Today was a free day for each of us to spend as we wanted. Ironically, we all ended up deciding to do the same thing. We ate breakfast at the Silverbow Bakery and walked to the Alaska State Museum. We spent a couple of hours perusing the artifacts, written history, and hands-on replicas, and to say we learned a lot is a gross understatement!
We caught the bus to Auke Bay where boats unload the catch of the day. We walked from the DeHarts Store to the waterside just in time to see 2 immature and 1 mature bald eagles perched on the end of the dock. A mature bald eagle is the white-headed and tailed kind with which most people readily identify.
We caught the bus to Auke Bay where boats unload the catch of the day. We walked from the DeHarts Store to the waterside just in time to see 2 immature and 1 mature bald eagles perched on the end of the dock. A mature bald eagle is the white-headed and tailed kind with which most people readily identify.
Immature balds are less than 5 years old and have brown feathers in place of white. They are often confused with golden eagles until their white feathers grow in.
We were able to walk within 15 feet of them to take photos, and they didn't get spooked.
Then we walked down the hill to the dock side and ate at The Hot Bite, a locals hot spot for fresh fish and mouth-watering milkshakes. We took an hour and walked among the boats, dreaming of what it would be like to live a summer on a boat in Alaskan waters.
We had kicked around the idea of whether or not to visit the Shrine of St. Therese. At The Hot Bite, we ran into Zach and Lisa, who we met yesterday on the bus. They spent the morning at the Shrine, and Lisa commented that it was the most spiritual place she's ever been. We were all won over, so we called a cab on Jen's cell phone.
We passed by the ferry dock and went about 9 miles further out of town to the Shrine, a hefty cab fare but well worth it. Within 20 minutes of arriving, we had spotted at least 4 harbor seals playing off the coast behind the Shrine and at least 2 humpback whales further out in the bay.
Then we walked down the hill to the dock side and ate at The Hot Bite, a locals hot spot for fresh fish and mouth-watering milkshakes. We took an hour and walked among the boats, dreaming of what it would be like to live a summer on a boat in Alaskan waters.
We had kicked around the idea of whether or not to visit the Shrine of St. Therese. At The Hot Bite, we ran into Zach and Lisa, who we met yesterday on the bus. They spent the morning at the Shrine, and Lisa commented that it was the most spiritual place she's ever been. We were all won over, so we called a cab on Jen's cell phone.
We passed by the ferry dock and went about 9 miles further out of town to the Shrine, a hefty cab fare but well worth it. Within 20 minutes of arriving, we had spotted at least 4 harbor seals playing off the coast behind the Shrine and at least 2 humpback whales further out in the bay.
I could have spent hours just sitting and watching for whatever felt like swimming by, but our cab pick-up was only an hour-and-a-half away. We spent time in the chapel, that is still used for weekly services, weddings, etc. We walked down to the gardens, a popular spot for cremation ceremonies and sprinkling of ashes.
And just before we left, we all took a walk through the Merciful Love Labrynth, a series of intertwined concentric circles without any dead ends. The Labrynth is supposed to instill calmness and give people the opportunity to center themselves. Once a person reaches the inner rock, s/he leaves an offering (a flower, pine cone, rock, etc.), then retraces the path back to the "real world."
We caught our cab and bus back to downtown Juneau and then went our separate ways. Alex to watch sushi being made. Jen and Leigh to a kiosk to see about scheduling a kayak tour. Josh and Jake to another kiosk to see about dog-sledding ride for Jake. And I went to a bookstore to buy my dad a long-standing traditional Christmas gift--an Alaskan calendar. At least this time, the calendar would actually be FROM Alaska. Now we're all settling down for the night, or at least trying to decide what to do for dinner.
Tomorrow we'll hike the first 1.5 miles of the Mt. Roberts trail. Unfortunately, it's too early in the season to hike to the summit as I had hoped. Too much ice and snow that even skilled mountaineers are not permitted. So we'll hike up to the tram depot, watch a film of the area, and ride the tram back down.
We caught our cab and bus back to downtown Juneau and then went our separate ways. Alex to watch sushi being made. Jen and Leigh to a kiosk to see about scheduling a kayak tour. Josh and Jake to another kiosk to see about dog-sledding ride for Jake. And I went to a bookstore to buy my dad a long-standing traditional Christmas gift--an Alaskan calendar. At least this time, the calendar would actually be FROM Alaska. Now we're all settling down for the night, or at least trying to decide what to do for dinner.
Tomorrow we'll hike the first 1.5 miles of the Mt. Roberts trail. Unfortunately, it's too early in the season to hike to the summit as I had hoped. Too much ice and snow that even skilled mountaineers are not permitted. So we'll hike up to the tram depot, watch a film of the area, and ride the tram back down.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Day 2: Perseverance Trail & Alaskan Brewery
I can hardly believe that it's only our second full day, when it feels to everyone like a week...or longer! 90% of the time a meteorologist in Juneau can say "rain" and be correct. However, since we arrived, they've been 0 for 2. We had another gorgeous day! Drizzle started tonight, but by then, we were already in.
Today we set off on our first planned trail--Perseverance! While we were eating breakfast this morning, we buddied up with another hostel resident, Clifford from Melbourne, Australia. He was interested in the trail, so we all decided to go together. To catch the trail head, we walked up the steps at the end of our street (Harris), up the long flights of steps, and onto Basin Road.
About a mile down Basin, a couple of women, walking the opposite way, told us they saw a bear sleeping at the base of a tree just off the side of the road. They gave us a detailed description, and we looked for it. Sure enough, at the base of a tree about 50 feet off the road was an adult black bear. Every few seconds, it would raise its head and look around. Then it laid its head back down.
Here is Jen's attempt at capturing a photo:
About 1.5 miles down Basin, we ran into the parking lot at the Mining Museum. At the entrance to the trail, we came across--or rather smelled--our next evidence of "wildlife." A dead porcupine. Along the trail, we saw SEVERAL carcasses, all of them porcupine as best we could tell. We didn't see anymore bears, but we saw the bear's lunch.
We then climbed what has to be the most breath-taking views and multiple layers of mountains that I've EVER seen (we'll try to post photos soon)!
Today we set off on our first planned trail--Perseverance! While we were eating breakfast this morning, we buddied up with another hostel resident, Clifford from Melbourne, Australia. He was interested in the trail, so we all decided to go together. To catch the trail head, we walked up the steps at the end of our street (Harris), up the long flights of steps, and onto Basin Road.
About a mile down Basin, a couple of women, walking the opposite way, told us they saw a bear sleeping at the base of a tree just off the side of the road. They gave us a detailed description, and we looked for it. Sure enough, at the base of a tree about 50 feet off the road was an adult black bear. Every few seconds, it would raise its head and look around. Then it laid its head back down.
Here is Jen's attempt at capturing a photo:
About 1.5 miles down Basin, we ran into the parking lot at the Mining Museum. At the entrance to the trail, we came across--or rather smelled--our next evidence of "wildlife." A dead porcupine. Along the trail, we saw SEVERAL carcasses, all of them porcupine as best we could tell. We didn't see anymore bears, but we saw the bear's lunch.
We then climbed what has to be the most breath-taking views and multiple layers of mountains that I've EVER seen (we'll try to post photos soon)!
For anyone familiar with the Hatcher's Pass area of Independence Mine on the Parks Highway, the views from this trail puts the Hatcher's Pass scenery to shame! Coincidentally, both are hikes through valleys in avalanche-prone areas to abandoned mines. With a trecherous dropoff just inches from the edge of the trail and a glacier and snow melt class VI (unrunnable) 300 feet below, it was exhilerating!
We were able to see, and get very close to, MANY huge waterfalls that we hiked into from the trail. Thanks to Clifford! If not for his natural curiosity, we would have completely missed the smaller paths...and the incredible power of the waterfalls. This photo is of a hole just below the largest of the waterfalls we saw today.
We continued to hike into the Silverbow Basin, higher and higher until we were crossing 3-4 foot high sections of packed snow and ice in order to stay on the path. Once we reached the end of the trail, we turned to go the last .25 miles to view the remains of the mine. However, with the snow and ice, we couldn't tell where the trail went. At while we were discussing whether to try to go ahead or turn back (we eventually decided to turn back), we heard something "moaning" at us from the tree-covered slope to the left of the trail. After a dozen moans from what we can only guess was an agitated moose, we quickly left the area and hiked back down the trail to downtown.
After a great lunch at the Silverbow Bakery (where our bus friend from yesterday works), 6 of us (including Clifford) boarded the bus bound for the Alaska Brewery. I've never seen anyone who is so anxious to give away free beer. From the moment we entered and asked about the tour, we were informed that we entered the wrong door, and that we should go straight to the bar to get a drink. The tasting party was set up from the lightest Summer Ale to the darkest Oatmeal Stout, with unlimited portions of each. At one point, we had to adamantly refuse refills, or we would have been stumbling back to the bus. Everyone had a favorite, but the general consensus is that Alaskan Amber Ale is the most well-liked. Amber was the Alaskan Brewery's recreated recipe from the Douglas Brewery ingredients from the early 1900s, so it held a piece of Alaskan history that the company maintains today, and it makes up 80% of the Alaskan-brand beer currently being made. Other flavors include internationally awarded Smokehouse Porter (which I thought tasted like campfire), India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Extra Special Bitter, and others. The company began after its husband-and-wife owners graduated from college (a chemical engineer and an accountant)...what a pair! The first few years, the brewery operated without a staff and used volunteers to bottle the beer. With exceptional fringe benefits, of course!
Tomorrow is a free day, so we're all scattering to the winds to shop, visit Auke Bay, book a sightseeing adventure, and just kick back.
We were able to see, and get very close to, MANY huge waterfalls that we hiked into from the trail. Thanks to Clifford! If not for his natural curiosity, we would have completely missed the smaller paths...and the incredible power of the waterfalls. This photo is of a hole just below the largest of the waterfalls we saw today.
We continued to hike into the Silverbow Basin, higher and higher until we were crossing 3-4 foot high sections of packed snow and ice in order to stay on the path. Once we reached the end of the trail, we turned to go the last .25 miles to view the remains of the mine. However, with the snow and ice, we couldn't tell where the trail went. At while we were discussing whether to try to go ahead or turn back (we eventually decided to turn back), we heard something "moaning" at us from the tree-covered slope to the left of the trail. After a dozen moans from what we can only guess was an agitated moose, we quickly left the area and hiked back down the trail to downtown.
After a great lunch at the Silverbow Bakery (where our bus friend from yesterday works), 6 of us (including Clifford) boarded the bus bound for the Alaska Brewery. I've never seen anyone who is so anxious to give away free beer. From the moment we entered and asked about the tour, we were informed that we entered the wrong door, and that we should go straight to the bar to get a drink. The tasting party was set up from the lightest Summer Ale to the darkest Oatmeal Stout, with unlimited portions of each. At one point, we had to adamantly refuse refills, or we would have been stumbling back to the bus. Everyone had a favorite, but the general consensus is that Alaskan Amber Ale is the most well-liked. Amber was the Alaskan Brewery's recreated recipe from the Douglas Brewery ingredients from the early 1900s, so it held a piece of Alaskan history that the company maintains today, and it makes up 80% of the Alaskan-brand beer currently being made. Other flavors include internationally awarded Smokehouse Porter (which I thought tasted like campfire), India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Extra Special Bitter, and others. The company began after its husband-and-wife owners graduated from college (a chemical engineer and an accountant)...what a pair! The first few years, the brewery operated without a staff and used volunteers to bottle the beer. With exceptional fringe benefits, of course!
Tomorrow is a free day, so we're all scattering to the winds to shop, visit Auke Bay, book a sightseeing adventure, and just kick back.
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