take a hike

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.

A sunny day in Ketchikan!

And finally, we couldn't resist the Lumberjack show. It may be the most touristy thing in Ketchikan, but well worth it in my opinion.

Heading out from the Whitewater Trailhead located off of Highway 22, we opted for the 5.5 mile hike in to Jefferson Park. Mike and I got a late start out of Portland, so we ended backpacking the majority of this trail in the dark. It certainly took longer to reach our campsite in the darkness, but we were happy to have avoided the 90 degree heat earlier in the day. If you are planning on staying overnight at Jefferson Park, you are required to reserve your campsite ahead of time. For two nights, it cost us $6.00. From what I've read, the Forest Service instituted fee sites due to the increased traffic in this area. Many of the areas around the campsites are closed for restoration.

The summer is the busy season in this area, every campsite was full and we ended up chatting with several Forest Rangers throughout our two day stay. On Saturday morning we set off to explore the surrounding area. We ended up following the PCT for two hours or so before emerging at an insane vista named "Park Ridge". The photos of Mt. Jefferson with the glacial lake were taken at this high point. Following a hike up Park Ridge, we ventured down to Russell Lake and went for a swim. This is definitely an area you can day hike, but it is so much more fun to overnight. You will have more energy to explore other areas of the PCT and see some amazing views. The one downside to camping here at the end of July is all of the mosquitoes, definitely bring bug spray and if you are really cool bring your bug hat. Enjoy the pictures!

As a side note, I probably will not go backpacking with 2 dogs again, our tent was way too small for that.