take a hike

Sitka, Alaska. I could go on and on about this amazing town. It's off the beaten cruise ship path, though some ships still venture to Baranof Island. Sitka sits on the Sitka Sound, a channel abutting the Pacific Ocean. We were fortunate to stay in Sitka for four nights and had absolutely perfect weather. The mountains surrounding Sitka tower over the water, unlike any other place I've seen. Our first two nights in Sitka were spent at the Starrigavan Cabin, which is a quick 15 minute drive from downtown. In early September the pink salmon are running and when salmon are migrating home, it is no joke in Alaska. There were so many fish in the tributaries, I could have walked across their backs from bank to bank. Salmon are truly an amazing species, and I may be biased given my line of work. Pink salmon live for 2 years, that's it! And in their brief 2 year existence they migrate from a freshwater stream to the ocean and back again, covering hundreds to thousands of miles...salmon are awesome. Anyway, enjoy the photos from Starrigavan & the nearby hikes!

Mt. Edgecumbe in the distance

Starrigavan Cabin

Mosquito Cove Loop

Forest & Muskeg Trail

Starrigavan Creek

Low tide near Starrigavan Camground.

On day 4 in Sitka, we hiked Gavan Hill. Alaskans love their stair-climbing trails. This was no exception. This was a 7 mile roundtrip hike up to the summit with an elevation gain of 2,500ft. Unlike Deer Mountain, we had the most amazing views on this hike. Mike proclaimed it in his top 5 hikes of all time, #nbd. If you are in Sitka on a clear day, HIKE THIS TRAIL. It will take 3-4 hours, but it is accessible from downtown. You will not regret it. Check out these views!

Views of downtown Sitka.

Mt. Edgecumbe in the distance

Seriously, we had 360 mountain views.

Returning home.

We earned these.

That sky.

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.