On our 37 hour ferry trip from Bellingham, WA to Ketchikan, AK we met numerous people. The open arrangement and common living environment demanded that you get to know your neighbor. That, added to the fact that a majority of us would crowd around the aft facing decks to view scenery and possibly see marine life - we were a tight bunch. (FYI, saw our first breaching humpback, a few pods of porposes and a pod of orcas all on the way up. But back to the people.) Annie and I spent a lot of time with Brianne, a Coloradian from Telluride, who was headed up to kayak with a friend in Prince William Sound near Seward/Valdez. However the person we met which had the most immediate impact on our stay in Ketchikan was a retired AMHS second steward named Steve. He lives in Ketchikan with his family, one kid still in high school the others either in college or married off. After speaking with him (read: listening to him tell some of his amazing stories) he offered up his back yard as a place to pitch our tent while in Ketchikan.

Free lodging? Yes, please!

So Sunday AM we jumped off the boat... a 7 AM arrival, and set off to Steve's. In the van was Steve, his son Tuvia, Steve's old friend Dave (who had come for a visit on the same ferry), Dave's daughter Alice, 3 boxes of supplies which Steve had brought back from Seattle, Annie and I. OH and all of our shit (!) which is not an immaterial amount. Annie lapped it with me and off we went.




A quick trip from the ferry terminal, through downtown Ketchikan got us to Steve's place and a look at our digs... not a back yard as much as a back porch, set 15 feet away from the (raging at the moment) Ketchikan Creek... and what else did we see, but thousands upon thousands of salmon circling in the pools behind us. Oh yes, late August finds us smack dab in the middle of the Pink Salmon run, where salmon abandon the cushy life of the ocean and use their noses to meander their way back to their original birthplace to lay eggs and die. Crazy sight... straight out of the NatGeo or Disc Channel, our jaws dropped, we sat in amazement. This was homebase for the nex 4 days!






We pitched the tent, made some oatmeal, and headed to town to explore.


Now three days later we're getting the feel of Ketchikan, a town of 12,000, ruled by the cruise ship schedules and the fish cycles. It's been wet... really wet. That;s the norm here in Southeast Alaska and especially in Ketchikan where a typical August nets the town close to 11 inches of rain and where the yearly total is measured openly in the middle of town. This summer has been a bit different, drier than usual... that is, until Annie and I entered the state. We've done our best with what we've got - trying to channel the inner Ketchikanian attitude. NOAA says it is supposed to let up a bit tomorrow, so we'll see. We originally expected to get our kayaking fix here, but it may have to wait. Instead, if the forecast holds true for tomorrow we're planning a 4/5 hour hike up Deer Moutain and onto Blue Lake. We'll see how it pans out.



Talk in a bit. Much love.