Alaska!

[balzaccom]

We're just back from ten sunny days (our of twelve) in Alaska:

We started with a couple of sunny days in Vancouver...and then on to the Inside Passage:

On the second day, we were in Ketchikan, where we kayaked out to the Tatoosh Islands amid glorious sunny weather. Bald eagles were everywhere out here, and we loved how close we could get to the shore…the vertical walls and gentle seas allowed us to touch the rocks in many cases, exploring the starfish below.

Day three was in Juneau. Among other things, we hiked out the Perseverance Trail to the Falls, along with most of the population of Juneau. It was a sunny Sunday, and the residents were all enthusiastic about getting out on the trail! Great hike, with great views, and we came back on the flume trail, giving us yet another view of the area.

On day four we were in Skagway, where we had signed up for a session of rock climbing.

Day five was in Sitka, where I joined a few people to take a ride out to the end of the road north of town, then a boat to the head of Katlian Bay, where we fished for bright silver Dolly Varden trout in the Katlian.

Day six was the only day we really had any true Alaskan summer weather, as the fog limited our visit to the Hubbard Glacier.

Day seven took us to Seward, where we ended the cruise. We dropped off our luggage and consulted with the Kenai Fjords National Park visitors center in town. That led us to the Exit Glacier shuttle, which took us out and back for $15. What a deal!

We hiked the Exit Glacier Trail and partway up the Harding Ice Field Trail to some amazing views.

We headed back to town to eat lunch and then visit to the Alaska Sea Life Center---a world-class museum along the lines of the Monterey Aquarium.

The next day we started with a short hike on the Two Lake Loop just outside of town, and it gave us a great sense of the rainforest here.

We had booked a tour on the Kenai Fjords Tours boat Coastal Explorer. We had a magnificent sighting of a pod of humpback whales, complete with all their behaviors, from blowing and breaching to fin slapping and bubble-ring feeding. Better than National Geographic.

And then on to see fin whales. Steller dolphins, Steller sea lions, the Aialik glacier, puffins, murres, and so much more.

We then caught the bus evening into Anchorage along one of the most scenic highways on the planet.

And on the day of departure, we could see Denali from the airport, and got the birds-eye view as we flew out of Anchorage over the ice fields of Kenai Fjords on another sparkling day.

The whole trip report, with a link to ALL the photos, is here: https://www.backpackthesierra.com/post/alaska

[The Other Tom]

Our daughter and her family were lucky enough to see the whales bubble feeding a few years ago. They still talk about it as being one of the best things they've seen on any vacation.

[balzaccom]

Yep. That happened in the first half hour of our six hour cruise through the park. Made the rest of the day seem like dessert!

[wildhiker]

Glad you had such great weather and adventures on your Alaska trip! Our 2008 trip (http://www.wildhiker.com/alaska2008/Overview.html) was dampened (literally) by poor weather, but still, the scale of the wilderness in Alaska is truly magnificent.
-Phil

[oldranger]

we might have crossed paths in the Air or in Anchorage Airport. I remember seeing Denali on the 2nd when we arrived for our annual fishing trip to Naknek River.

[Harlen]

Just Great Paul,

We are all happy for you.... and a bit envious.
I really admire the last two photos from your website: the one of the forested cliffs over the water, and then the one from the airplane.

[balzaccom]

Thanks, Harlen. We were absolutely stunned by the weather this time. It seemed to cooperate with our every whim!

[Love the Sierra]

WOW! Stunning photos! I had a close friend who lived in Juneau in the '80's and I visited once in April and once in November. Your pictures bring back good memories. I have been dying to return but ...obligations, etc. You are so lucky that you got so many sunny days!! Glad that you had a fantastic time.
How did you manage to cull down to only a few photos? I bet that you had hundreds!

[balzaccom]

WOW! Stunning photos! I had a close friend who lived in Juneau in the '80's and I visited once in April and once in November. Your pictures bring back good memories. I have been dying to return but ...obligations, etc. You are so lucky that you got so many sunny days!! Glad that you had a fantastic time.
How did you manage to cull down to only a few photos? I bet that you had hundreds!

What was it Thoreau said? Simplify simplify Simplify? And yes, he said it three times.

[Love the Sierra]

Ah oh! What does that say about my recent Red Mountain Basin TR.