Alaska: Final Entry

I made my way back to Juneau with a hop over the mountains in a light aircraft, the same one stuffed with spruce buds for making winter ale at the local brewery. The big choice facing me was; to use a free ticket for a one-day flight home or, take the slow boat to Bellingham. I was quite surprised at the overpowering feeling of the “rightness” in returning by ferry.

A couple more days of poking around Juneau and all too soon I was heading south for the last and longest ferry ride of the trip. The evening light slowly descended but not without giving me extraordinary views at glaciers calving, sending their young bergs down into the waterways. Later, this same night, we saw great tail flukes of diving whales just off our starboard side. Silhouetted against the star light and ocean phosphorescence, it was a remarkable sight.

I had opted to sleep on deck, much braver now, or at least familiar with ferry camping. They were the best nights that I spent on the entire trip. Invisible warmth from infrared heating, open views to the islands, sea and sky, cool evening breezes. Some of the stops required brief middle of the night dockings, It was surreal to see these now familiar ports again but cloaked in darkness with only splashes of light from the dock lamps.

The rhythm of the trip was steady but slow, second chances to see mountains and passages, more time to meet interesting passengers and crew. I invited the US Forest Service Ranger stationed on the ferry to join the Mt Baker Club for a hike during their 8 hour lay-over in Bellingham. (Which he later did. We showed him the great views from Oyster Dome and enjoyed hearing about the hiking in SE Alaska).

Possibly the strangest part of the trip was arriving in Bellingham and getting picked up by my daughter for the 10 minute ride home. No other trip that I have taken presented such little travel time between my home and the start and finish of the trip. This made it a truly Bellingham experience.

Post Script
I’ve had time to reflect on this trip and second guess how I might have done it differently, knowing what I now know. If I had been able to do this trip with one or two friends we could have shared much of the additional costs of car rental, fuel, and lodging while still being able to take “last minute” side trips. I would have also had more company but would probably not have spent as much time with local people and fellow travelers.

A package tour (cruise ship) would have been far easier and could have actually been cheaper (this assumes that you can find one friend to join you and pay their own way – double occupancy). But, I would have had to give up my versatility and freedom, had only hours not days to explore special places, and many of the side trips would not have been possible.

For my future trips to Southeast Alaska; I’m going to think about winter and spending more time at single locations. Juneau for skiing and spring paddling; Sitka for an overnight paddle and volcano hike; and Skagway for summer exploring along the Chilkoot Trail and the remarkable ecological diversity along the highway to Whitehorse. Then again, I’d also like to visit my new friends on Prince of Whales Island, attend the Norway Festival at Petersburg, and boat up the Stekine from Wrangell.

Alaska: Final Entry; for now.