14 Days through the Inside Passage - Days 1-2 Ketchikan, Alaska

Rather than taking the standard cruise ship through the Inside Passage, Mike & I spent two weeks flying and ferrying between SE Alaskan towns. Our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska, we arrived on August 28th and stayed until the 30th. Even in the summer months, you will be hard pressed to find a sunny day in Ketchikan. It rains an average of 153.24 inches a year...which translates to an average of 229 days of wetness. (And to think people in the PNW complain about the rain!)

I had big dreams when planning this trip, mainly that Mike & I would complete the 13 mile Deer Mountain to Silvis Lake traverse. Once we arrived and it became clear that the weather would not break, we decided rather than tackling the traverse we would hike from downtown to Blue Lake. The first two miles up Deer Mountain are insanely arduous, it's a 2,000ft stair climb, #notcool. As we climbed, we became optimistic that we would get above the clouds and see some beautiful alpine terrain. False. As we climbed and climbed, the weather became worse and worse. We began to realize that the 6 mile hike to Blue Lake was not going to happen. I've never been wetter or colder than on this hike. We decided to seek coverage at the Deer Mountain shelter as we tried to wait out the storm. Never happened. So sadly we turned around and marched all the way down back to town. We certainly had a good workout, but missed out on all of these views. Until next time Deer Mountain.

Downtown Ketchikan, AK.

This image in no way captures how steep this trail is!

Deer Mountain Shelter

Smiling, but slowly freezing inside.

The only viewpoint we ever got.

Day 2 in Ketchikan, we decided to get in the water. This hiking business was not working out, so we headed out with Devon & his kayak crew north of town. The waterways in this area are filled with activity - we saw Steller Sea Lions, seals, bald eagles, starfish, etc. I definitely recommend at least one day of kayaking in this area.