We closed out our Alaska visit with a quick stop in Skagway, over to Sitka, then a few days in Juneau.

Skagway was a blur, highlighted by our day trip to Laughton Glacier.  A quick train ride (short gauge yukon pass train of Klondike fame) gets you to the trail head.  The 3 mile hike up to glacier was specatcular, with a rushing river of glacial water as your guide and views of the glacier soon into the trip.  Annie and I beat the majority of the other hikers (a couple of tours and some independents) up to the ice, so we basically had the entire monstrous beauty to ourselves.  We then had a super fun, walking day in Skagway with Rosie.

On to Sitka where the heavens seemed to open in a gush of rain.  Luckily we had secured accomodation before hand, so it was the perfect time to be sopped in.  We spent our nights at the Jamestown Bay B&B, owned by Gary and Connie McCanty.  Gary we met on our first day in Ketchikan, he also was on our Bellingham ferry.  During breaks in the rain we did the typical exploring and hiking.  Sitka was billed as the "San Francisco of Southeast Alaska".  There was certainly some charm and you could tell that there was a decent community (the last farmer's market of the season was a treat) but we just didn't get the time or the vibe to substatiate any claim of that caliber.  I'm thinking a return trip is in order.

Our last ferry ride brought us to Juneau.  Annie fell head over heels for the capital. She can't pinpoint why, but I think after the build up for Sitka and the negative press Juneau had received, I think she wanted to route for the underdog.  Our second day in town happened to land on opening day of the NFL season.  We watched the New York Football Giants beat Washington at the Imperial Saloon, with a dozen other Giants fans, free chili and hotdogs, and Alaskan beer on tap.  Straight up local!  In Juneau we were also in touch with Patty Collins, one of those dad's coworker's, wife's, brother's wife connections, which turned out to be terrific.  Patty and husband Bill weren't able to spend much time with us, but they offered up bikes, which we used to the fullest - tooling around to different places in the area.  With bikes we were able to see Perserverance Theater's performance of By the Skin of our Teeth (Douglas, AK),  get to Mendenhall Glacier Ice Caves and get out to the nearest hatchery for two salmon fishing sessions (you're damn right, caught a nice silver, legally even).  We also did some hiking, enjoyed a free movie at a local bagel shop and met another cast of characters, including Bruce and Judy, a couple we first met in Skagway.

A 4:15 am cab ride to Juneau International and we said so long to the 49th state of the Union.  So, thanks for the folly Mr. William H. Seward... we've enjoyed your icebox immensely.

Southeast Alaska. Part one of our year long adventure is drawing to a close as we pack up in Sitka and hop aboard the Alaska Marine Highway one last time. Our time here has been amazing in many ways but the two things that stick in my mind the most are two very different modes of transportation, hiking and ferry rides.

One day we were walking in the woods, actually a lot days we walked in the woods, and I looked at Ryan and asked "Did you know we were going to be doing this much hiking in Alaska?" I guess I knew that you go to Alaska to see the outdoors and the beauty of mountains but I really didn't know it was going to be the center of our journey to climb everythig we could get our hands on. It has however made for some amazing views and frequently quality time just the two of us. It's not like hiking up to sunset rock in Lincoln where you're bound to come across three or four groups along the way, we often walked alone. I cherish our time on top of those mountains as the wind creates sound and all you can see are more peaks. We've also found that the Alaskans are not afraid of a good pitch. When creating these trails, they get to 3000ft in a hurry. It's been great to get out in the wild and get our bodies ready for whatever comes next.

Alaska has been a great stepping stone for us as we settle into our packs, our budget, and each other. I think we're figuring it out and Japan will test that in a little over a week as we enter a new culture, land and mode of transportation.