Powers is in town!

Powers arrived last Wednesday and it has been the most unbelievable week. I feel as though I have taken the highlights from the season and squeezed them all into a few days for Powers to experience. His first couple of days were spent going on tours in town including the Lumberjack show, ziplining, and a Misty Fjords float plane ride. Friday night was our company end of season party. We started off with cocktails at Taquan Air, then took buses to George Inlet Lodge where we indulged in a crab feast. It was delicious of course!

On Sunday, we went halibut fishing. Brian (a pilot for Taquan) has a boat and took Molly, Powers, and me out for a day of fishing. We headed north of town and 15 minutes into the ride a humpback whale surfaced about 20 feet from our boat. He surfaced a few times then gave us a whale tail. It was incredible! We decided then and there that if we didn't catch a single fish it would be okay, because seeing a whale that close is such an amazing experience. However, as soon as we cast the first line, the fish started coming. We 'kept' 8 halibut and 3 cod (we threw the rest back because we hit our limit). It was a great and rewarding day of fishing! That night we feasted on halibut parmesan and discussed our plans for the next couple of days.

Monday morning we woke up to clear blue skies! Kim, Molly, Brian, Powers, and I strapped on our packs and headed up deer mountain. Kim has been in physical therapy all summer for her foot and her one goal was to hike to the top of deer mountain. With much determination she made it! We met Dee and Kristen at the cabin on the mountain peak (our home for the night). The boys went to gather water and the girls went exploring. We had knock out views! As the sun went down and the wind picked up it was extremely cold up there. The cabin has a small stove that runs on fuel, which we were hoping was left behind by past hikers. Unfortunately there was none, so we relied on our boxed wine and extra layers to keep us warm. Our group was playing cards around the table when a headlamp shined in the door. A guy walked in holding an axe... we were a little nervous at first, but he turned out to be a fun young guy who joined in our group game and spent the night in the cabin with us. The next morning we awoke to another beautiful day. We left our packs in the cabin and hiked the 2 miles to blue lake. The visibility was great which allowed us to see many more knock out views. We picked up our packs when we returned to the cabin and made the trek down the mountain feeling very accomplished. Last night Brian had us all over for halibut tacos and margaritas! Halibut tacos have quickly become my favorite dish.

Today was our last day of work. There were no ships in the past three days and today there was only one. Kristen, Kim, and I cleaned up shop, turned in our keys, and are now finished. Its a strange feeling, but I know I will return next year which will help me leave this wonderful place.


the humpback next to our boat


Our cabin on top of deer mountain


the halibut and cod we caught

Totem pole capital of Alaska

Despite it being a very rainy day (the weather now is mostly heavy rain and in the low 50's) Molly, Kim, Kristen, and I did not want to spend the day indoors. We put on our rain gear and headed to Totem Bight State Park. The park sits right by the ocean and is home to many totem poles and a clan house. In the early 80's these totem poles were moved to this property and the park was created. They are all so beautiful and its interesting to learn what the different animals on the totem poles mean.

We then drove south to the end of Tongass Avenue (the main road that runs along the coast through Ketchikan) to Settlers Cove. We hiked Lunch Creek trail that runs through the rain forest. With all of the recent rain the rain forest is in full bloom. Everything is so lush and green. We watched the salmon running with seagulls and seals anxiously waiting at the mouth of the creek for the fish that are unable to make it upstream. I am going to miss the rain forest and ocean when I leave Alaska.

Samantha's visit

My friend, Samantha, came to visit me last week. It was so much fun having her here! On her first day we went out to the zip line site after work and walked the course. We saw 6 bears, including a cub sitting in a tree, a mother and 2 cubs playing in the stream eating salmon, and 2 large males eating grass in a field. It was incredible to see all of those bears up close! After bear watching a group of us went to Tory's for halibut tacos (we cooked the halibut that Kristen and I caught). It was delicious and I am excited to share the fish with my family.

The next afternoon we went over to Dave's for a crab boil. Dave and Pat had caught 22 dungeness crabs. They decided to have a crab killing, cracking, and cleaning contest amongst the girls and had a prize ready to go for the winner. We each had to crack as many crabs as possible until all of the crabs were gone and whoever had cracked and cleaned the most crab won. I won! My prize was an XXXL t-shirt that says "Got crabs? Alaska". We then threw all of the crabs into a big pot and had a boil! I will never grow tired of dungeness crab. I'm glad we were able to have some fresh seafood while Sam was here.

The season is really starting to wind down. Less ships are coming in each day and we have less departures. Soon we will have days when no ships come in at all. It will give us a chance to go on some multi day backpacking trips if weather permits which I'm really looking forward to. Another sign that the season is coming to an end is the salmon running. They are still spawning, but they are starting to die. I walk to work around 6:30am each morning when the tide is low and dead salmon line the rocks on creek street. You can only imagine the smell it produces...


Cub


Sam and me before the crab cracking contest

Halibut fishing

Early Saturday morning, Sinkey picked up Kristen and me and drove us out to George Inlet lodge. We loaded up his boat with fishing supplies and started the 18 miles towards Point Alva. It was raining along the way, but Sinkey said he could tell by the weather patterns that it would be a sunny day for us. Once we got to Point Alva we dropped our anchor at 300 ft. Sure enough the rain stopped and the clouds started to clear. We each grabbed a fishing pole, dropped the line to the ocean floor, and began the wait for a bite. We caught 5 halibut (weighing between 15 - 20 lbs), 1 cod, 3 sharks, and a rat fish. Kristen and I alternated turns reeling in the fish and it is tough work reeling in halibut (they don't put up as much of a fight as King salmon, but still resist quite a bit). After about 7 hours of fishing we decided to call it a day and rode the hour back to the lodge. Sinkey filleted all of the fish (not including the 3 sharks and rat fish that we threw back) and vacuum sealed it all. Time to ship a box home to my lucky parents!

Crab pots

On Sunday, Dave took Kristen and me out on his boat to drop some crab pots. It was an overcast day and not too chilly, so a good day to spend on the water. While we were dropping the pots a humpback whale swam by. It flipped up its tale about 100 feet from our boat. I can never grow tired of seeing whales! Once we returned to shore, Kristen and I went to yoga. I was glad to return to class and look forward to Sunday night yoga classes throughout the rest of the season.

Work let out early on Tuesday so Kristen and I decided to hike deer mountain. We had some nice views up until the peak. However, when we reached the top some clouds rolled through and blocked our view. It was still a nice hike (great workout) and fun to spend the afternoon outdoors.

Yesterday, Dave took Kristen and me out on the boat to retrieve our crab pots. We caught about 15 dungeness crabs, but were only allowed to keep 6. Out of state residents with fishing licenses can only have 3 crabs in their possession at a time. Dave and I were the only 2 with licenses so we picked the 6 largest crabs and threw the rest back. On the ride back to shore we rode by a rock covered with sea lions (around 30 sea lions). Some of them slipped into the water as we rode by, but most just looked at us suspiciously. We then headed back to my apartment and had a huge crab boil. We also fried some halibut that Dave caught. Life is good.

Kristen has moved to town!

The past couple of weeks have been very busy with many changes. As we're nearing the end of the season, people have started to leave (Paul left). However, some people have just moved here as well. My good friend, Kristen, moved out here last week and is working as a dock rep with us. It's so much fun having her here!

Last weekend we had a company event. We rented out an Allen Marine boat and rode it out to Carroll Inlet. Even though it was a rainy day we made the best of it. As soon as we left the dock, we all went to the open deck on top of the boat and had a dance party (there were about 80 people on board). We all got soaking wet, but we had so much fun! Carroll Inlet looked so beautiful in the rainy weather.

Yesterday afternoon, Dave (Paul's best friend) had a BBQ at his house. He had just caught some fish (similar to trout) at Ward lake. We stuffed them with onions, jalapenos peppers, garlic, basil, and lemon juice and threw them on the grill. Dave also made red beans and rice to accompany the fish. It was a delicious meal. I will never get tired of eating fresh fish every day!

I have the day off today and plan on relaxing. Its overcast outside and is supposed to rain so I don't feel super guilty for not taking full advantage of the outdoors today.

Backpacking Silvis to Deer Mountain Trail

I really wanted to go on a serious hike and had my eye on the Silvis to Deer Mountain trail (the longest marked trail in Ketchikan). Friday afternoon I put my pack on my back and hopped the bus out to George Inlet. Sinkey drove Paul and me to the end of the road (the trail head). We hiked the 3 miles of switchback trail past lower Silvis to upper Silvis lake. Its a large lake in the mountains. It was getting dark by that point so we set up camp. Given that we live in a rain forest and it had just rained for a few days straight, starting a fire was going to be a challenge. Luckily Paul is an avid backpacker and was able to start a roaring one with a lot of work and some patience. When we awoke in the morning, we cleaned up camp and filled our water bottles in the lake. We then began the rest of our 15 mile hike. Once we got around Silvis Lake we climbed Northbird Peak, Ron Jones Mountain, and the ridge to Deer Mountain. It was a clear, sunny day so the views were breathtaking. The hike was very challenging involving mostly up and down hills, but when I would get tired all I had to do was look around it would energize me. By the time we got to the bottom of Deer Mountain around 10pm, we were exhausted. After some food and rest we were both feeling extremely rejuvenated. I'm looking forward to doing that hike again next season (if not this season!)

Some views from our hike:

My week with Kristen!

Kristen visited this week, so it has been extra fun filled. We went to the lumberjack show on Tuesday and it was amazing to see the things those guys do every day all day long (log rolling, log climbing, speed chopping, etc) After the show they let Kristen and me stick around and throw axes. After some practice, I got a bulls eye! It was so much fun! Tuesday night, Paul and Pete (the chef at George Inlet) came over and made sushi for Kim, Kristen, and me. Pete used fish and crab they had caught. It was absolutely delicious.

On Wednesday, Kristen and I took Chubs (Tory's dog) to Ward Lake. We walked the trail that surrounds the lake then laid out a large picnic blanket and took a nap. It was a beautiful day and a great way to spend the afternoon.

Friday was a very rainy day. The docks are always fun in the heavy rain (hint of sarcasm). That afternoon, Kristen and I packed up our backpacks and hopped a bus to George Inlet. We loaded up the boat with our supplies and Paul and Sinkey took us out to catch some crab. We headed out on the water and showed Kristen the beautiful scenery through the various inlets south of town then pulled some crab pots. About 8 crabs later we pulled the boat up to a beach. Sinkey started a fire and we cleaned and cooked the crab. It couldn't have tasted any better. It was raining, but the camp site had a large tarp overhead so we camped out in just our sleeping bags. When we woke up Saturday morning (Kristen's birthday) we cleaned up camp and headed out for a day of fishing. We trolled for salmon and jigged for rock fish. At the end of the day we had about 10 salmon (pinks, king, chum) and 5 rock fish. Paul vacuum sealed the fish and put them in a box to ship to Kristen's home... what a birthday present!

Yesterday, Kristen and I went zip lining (we went at different times because I had to work), but we both had great fun. She got on the ferry today headed to Juneau to visit her brother. I was sad to see her leave...



Our beautiful fish


axe throwing


our camp site


Kristen and me

I saw my first bear!

This week has been full of many adventures. On Tuesday, Becca and I hiked Deer Mountain. Most of the snow is gone and the views from the top were gorgeous. I've now hiked Deer Mountain three times this season and every time is a different experience with different trail conditions and varying views.

On Wednesday, Paul took me king fishing. We went out to Herring Cove in a skiff and started snagging. I caught one! It was 25 lbs and took about 15-20 minutes to reel in. I'm learning how to catch fish and how to properly reel in (it reminds me of dancing - sometimes you let the fish lead, and sometimes I lead myself depending on the feel of things). The fish was on the darker side (the skin is darker when they start to turn) so we originally thought the meat would be better for smoking. However, when Pete (the chef at George Inlet) cut into it, it turned out to be a beautiful piece of meat! We vacuum sealed it and I now have 40 lbs of salmon in my freezer. After catching a king all by myself there was only one thing left on my "must do" list: see a bear. We got in Sinkey's truck and headed back to town and sure enough there was a large black bear in the road. I got a great view before it headed into the bushes. I could barely sleep that night because I was so excited with my very successful Alaskan day!

July 4th Weekend

For the first time in 5 years Ketchikan had beautiful weather for the 4th of July weekend! On Friday, we had a long day of work (6 ships in). Afterwards, Kim and I took a big blanket down to the docks and soaked up some rays. We then received a call from some friends asking us to go camping. "Sure, that sounds great!" We ran home, grabbed our sleeping bags and tent and jumped in the car for the ride out to South Point Higgins beach. We set up camp in the woods and sat out on the beach by our bonfire. A large group of people down the beach from us had bought a few thousand dollars worth of fireworks and were setting them off over the water. It was quite a show! I went to bed pretty early and woke up to the sound of the ocean. I really love camping out at that beach. We headed back into town and I met up with Paul to go on a Misty Fjiords float plane ride. We took a bus out to Taquan and were escorted out to our plane. It was a 2 hour ride through the fjiords and it was breath taking. I sat in the very back and had great views out both sides of the plane. We flew so close to the mountains it seemed like you could reach out and touch them. While we didn't see any bears, we did see lots of mountain goats. I giggled the whole time, because it was so beautiful I had to do more than just smile. I'm ready to go again and again. Afterwards we went to a party at a friend's house who lives on the water. We had a great view of the fireworks which were shot off from a barge on the water. The past 2 years the fireworks were cancelled because the weather was so bad, so we were very fortunate to have a sunny and warm day!

Today work was very low key. I finished before lunch time and wandered around creek street. I then went to the library and ran into my friend, Martin. We walked north of town to Carlanna Lake. It was so warm outside so we went swimming in the lake. The water was so refreshing, although when I got out of the water I had about 10 leeches on my feet and ankles... I just walked the few miles home and cooked some fresh salmon for dinner.

What a great weekend...


Some views of Misty Fjiords:

Shrimpin'

We've been busy with visitors! Kim's family (her mom, step father, 3 younger siblings who are 6 and 7 years old) came to visit. We took out a skiff, had some great meals, and had a sleepover in our living room. It was a lot of fun and was so much fun having kids around.

Yesterday, Paul and Sinkey took Kim and me shrimpin'. They picked us up in town and drove us out to George Inlet. We drove the boat out to the shrimp pots (they let me drive for a while!) We pulled up 3 shrimp pots, each on 400 ft lines. Its a great arm work out! Then we pulled up a few crab pots and kept 4 big ones. Once we had our feast ready to go, we parked at a camp on the beach. The camp is in the rainforest right off the beach and looks like Peter Pan's 'Neverland'... such a cool and magical place. We started a fire, cleaned the crab and shrimp, and boiled them in a large pot. What a feast!


The feisty crabs on the floor of the boat.


The shrimp we caught!

Salmon fishing!

The salmon are spawning so its prime king salmon fishing time. Yesterday I went to Tongass and bought a season fishing license and Paul, the guide from my crab feast tour, took me salmon fishing. We took a little boat out and snagged for fish. The weather was overcast but we were still able to see the mountains in the distance making for a beautiful afternoon! Eagles were flying all around (trying to catch salmon as well). It was amazing - you could see all of the salmon jumping out of the water! Paul caught a king and it was quite a fight reeling it in. I wasn't catching anything, but he then caught another and let me reel it in (my arm is still sore today). I think it took about 20 minutes to get it in the boat, but I felt so accomplished once I did! I now know why people enjoy fishing. On our way back to George Inlet Lodge we tried fishing for rockfish, but had no luck. The rain started rolling in so we were in a slight hurry to beat the weather. We weighed our fish which each were 18 lbs and then Sinkey fillet them for us (he had caught 12 salmon earlier in the day!) and Paul vacuum sealed our fillets. I cooked one of the fillets for lunch today and still have 10 fillets in my freezer. I love it!


Filling our fish


The King I reeled in


Our catch of the day!

My day off of work

Saturday night one of the guides (she is also my yoga instructor) had a costume party. Kim, Molly, and I headed over to the salvation army to find costumes. Kim dressed up as Elvis and I dressed up as a bride (appropriate, I know). It was a fun party and many of the zip guides were there. Clumsy me managed to hurt myself. The porch had no railing and I wasn't paying attention and managed to fall off the porch and hit my face on a tree trunk. It didn't feel too great, but I'm hoping it will heal in the next week or so...

Yesterday I had the day off, so I woke up early and took the tram car up to Cape Fox Lodge (it sits on top of a hill and overlooks Ketchikan). I got a bloody mary and looked out at the view. It was a clear and sunny day so it was beautiful from the lodge. I then headed down to the docks and hopped on the bus for the crab feast tour. We took a bus ride south of town to George Inlet Lodge. Once we arrived we got on a boat. Our guide took us for a 2 hour boat ride where we saw some beautiful scenery and caught some crabs. It was such a beautiful day for a boat ride! We then headed back to George Inlet and were seated in the dining room for our feast. They taught us how to eat dungeness crab (very sweet meat) and then fed us crab until we couldn't eat any more. It was absolutely delicious. After our bus ride back to town I headed over to Fat Stans where I met up with a group of folks who wanted to go fishing. Pete and Danny run some sport fishing boats in town and were willing to take Kim, Molly, Liz and me out for the afternoon. Pete is from Ketchikan and Danny is from the Florida Keys and they both grew up on boats. There were a lot of whales out so the fishing wasn't very good (However, we saw some humpbacks!). Molly caught a rock fish and that summed up our catch for the day. She was so excited! Danny fillet it for her and it took him less than 60 seconds (its amazing to watch someone fillet a fish when they're a master at it). It was so nice to spend the afternoon on the boat relaxing, talking, and enjoying the day.



Molly with the catch of the day


Me with some crabs on the boat tour

Rock Climbing

It has been very busy down on the docks this week. One of our dock reps left the company and another is on vacation so we've been running back and forth! I had last Saturday off which I was extremely excited about. Kim and I tried to get on a boat and crab feast tour, but it was booked. So I ended up hiking deer mountain with two other dock reps. It was a warm sunny day, which was perfect for hiking. The bugs were pretty bad, but I just looked as it as motivation to keep the pace up.

Yesterday was another beautiful day, so a group of us went rock climbing after work. It was my first time and I loved it! I was able to borrow someone's harness and climbing shoes. The climb was about 50 feet. I'm looking forward to going again and working up to more challenging climbs.

Lots of cruise ships!

This week has been very busy (I didn't have a single day off from work!). We had our first 7 cruise ship day. There were 4 ships in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. It makes for a busy, yet exciting day. I'm really enjoying seeing all of the tourists (as interesting as they may be). On Friday there was a Santa convention on one of the ships so the town was swarming with Santas all day. We also had a stretch of days where it was raining sideways. Even bundled up and wrapped from head to toe in rain gear it gets pretty chilly. Much to our relief a warm front has come in and we're expected to have weather in the 70's and sunny all week! Yesterday was the first nice day so after work a group of us went to refuge beach and made a bonfire. We then went to buggy beach and had another bonfire (I permanently smell like fire these days) and listened to Kelly and Martin play the guitar and harmonica. It was such a beautiful night and I love seeing everyone come out of the woodwork with the nice weather.

South Point Higgins Beach

Yesterday the weather was beautiful (high 50's and sunny)! After work I sat out on the dock with my ipod for a couple of hours soaking in the sun and watching the scenery. This place never gets old.

Most of us had today off of work since there is only one ship in so a group of us went camping last night at South Point Higgins beach. That beach is absolutely beautiful and has tons of flat space in the woods for tents. We got there early so we could watch the sunset. Pictures can hardly capture its beauty. It was very breezy which made it feel extra cold out. Earlier in the day I had promised Scott I would jump in the ocean if he did first, but luckily it was too cold for him to jump in (my body would have gone into shock with the water being in the 40's). We huddled around the bonfire and Adam held the 'Adam Olympics'. This involved log rolls, leap frog, and wheel barrow contests on the beach. It helped warm us all up! This morning we packed up our gear and went to the red anchor for breakfast (a diner in town).


Sunset at South Point Higgins beach - my favorite picture since I arrived in Alaska!


A shot of a cruise ship from my office window.

Cruise ship central

Its been a busy week with cruise ships in every single day... Of course that is how it will be until September. Most mornings begin before 6am, which used to seem early but no longer does (Last Saturday I had the day off and woke up at 5:15am on my own). Its nice starting early, because it just means we end earlier as well. A lot of days this past week we have finished work around 2, which leaves the rest of the day to go for a run, BBQ on the beach, or simply relax. This week my roommate from DC (Sarah) arrived with her mom to visit. Luckily the weather has been amazing for them! On Monday they took a fishing tour but unfortunately didn't catch anything (its too early in the season). Yesterday, I took them zip lining which was a blast... always is. After zip lining, Tory had Kim and me over to his house for some grilled halibut. It was delicious and only made me more excited for fishing season! Sarah and her mom take a ferry tonight and begin their trek down through Canada and onto Washington.

Many of us have the day off on Saturday so we're going camping at Carlanna Lake on Friday. Hopefully the nice weather keeps up!

Mmm...crab feast...

After spending Saturday recovering from our deer mountain hike, it was time to pack up my sleeping bag and back pack for camping! So, some of the guides piled Kim and me into their car for the drive to Surprise beach. Its about 5 miles south of town. First thing we set up camp. We had to set up our tents on high ground so we wouldn't get washed away by the high tide in the middle of the night. Until around 11pm the tide was lower so we had lots of large flat rocks to climb on (I even led some yoga classes on the rocks). We then started the bonfire (by we I mean the boys... although I've definitely gotten some experience starting bonfires during my time here). About 35 people came to hang out on the beach, but only about 10 of us camped over night. Its really peaceful sleeping to the sound of the ocean and then refreshing to wake up, zip open the tent, and walk out onto the beach. In the morning we cooked a leftover hot dog and made some hot cocoa (gotta love camp breakfast!)

That night we were invited to a crab feast with the scuba guys (they lead the scuba tours here and are always catching great seafood). They cooked a bunch of crab outside and we sat around a picnic table cleaning and eating it. We then had alfredo pasta with more crab dumped on top, salad, and cookies (made by Kim). It was so delicious! After dinner we sat around talking and drinking wine. It was such a great meal after eating so many camp fire hot dogs. I was stuffed and ready for bed (so was asleep by 8:50pm).

Yesterday after work, a group of us went to Ocean View for dinner. It is an Italian and Mexican restaurant. I've never been to a restaurant that is both Italian and Mexican, but it was SO good. I got seafood fajitas which I will order again and again. After dinner, some of us went to the Sourdough (bar on the docks) to play some pool. While there we met a group of people that work on a boat that does the Skagway/Juneau run. They were all so much fun and asked us if we wanted to go on a tour of their boat. Of course we did! The boat was really nice and had beautiful sleeping rooms, a large living room for the passengers to socialize in, and a beautiful dining area on the front of the boat. Room rentals on this boat are pretty pricey, but I'm sure it would be well worth it. We then went to sleep as this morning was an early one (left for work at 6am).



Surprise beach - view from our campground

We made it to the top of deer mountain without snow shoes!

Yesterday, Liz, Scott, and I hiked deer mountain. Liz and I stopped at the store on the way to the trail head and the guy working there told us there was no way we would make it to the top without snow shoes. We decided to try anyways. Deer mountain's elevation is about 3200 feet. The first 2 1/2 miles are switchback trails which are pretty steep. We kept up a good pace. Then we hit snow, which is when we decided to just lose the trail and hoof it straight up to the peak (it was kind of like climbing a ladder). We were all so glad we decided to keep going to the top. It was beautiful! There were great views of Ketchikan, the water, and other mountains...truly incredible. We explored the peak of the mountain and ran around in the snow (disregarding the fact that our hiking shoes were filled with snow and our pants were soaked up to our waist). There was a neat survival cabin which we tried to get into, but there was too much snow built up and none of us were willing to dig it out at that time. Once we decided to head back down the mountain we had fully lost the trail. We figured we could cross sideways while hiking and would meet up with it. However, we were never able to find the trail. We ended up hiking the whole way down off trail, which made me realize why mountains have marked trails in the first place. By the time we got to the bottom we were all pretty hungry, tired, and covered from head to toe in mud. 5 1/2 hours later we were spit out onto a gravel road and luckily didn't have to go too far to figure out where we were. It was a great adventure and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a shower, food, and sleep so much! My parents are shipping me snow shoes so I can hike up again soon. After a good nights rest last night I am ready for camping tonight!


View from the mountain peak


Liz and me having fun on the top of the mountain


A view of Ketchikan

The calm before the storm

This week has been pretty laid back as the cruise ship schedule doesn't kick into full gear until Monday. We have had between zero and three ships in each day (come Monday there will mostly be between 3 and 4 ships in every single day of the week). We've all managed to enjoy our easy going schedule and time off. On Tuesday we had a cinco de mayo party filled with Mexican food and margaritas. We each wore a name tag with our chosen Mexican name for the night and had to call each other that name throughout the party. My name was Encarnacion (inspired by Nacho Libre).

Wednesday a group of us went to see the new X-Men movie. It was wonderful, although I was surprised to find that a movie ticket costs $10. That's as expensive as DC!

Yesterday, there were 3 ships in (Princess, Serenade, and Cruise West). Most of the tours departed in the morning, so I was able to get some office work done in the afternoon. Last night, a group of us went to steamers to watch hockey. Steamers is a restaurant on the dock that sits on the 3rd floor so you have an amazing view. After the game, some of the zip line guides taught Kim and me how to tie different rope knots (figure eight follow through, clove, double fishermans bend, and one other I believe is called moonster). I'm proud to say they were blown away by our skills and said we caught on faster than most of the guides. I think I am ready to be a zip line guide. My goal is to build upper body strength over the winter and become lead guide next summer. Girls are much less likely to become lead, because they don't have the same strength as boys, but if I work at it I can make it happen.

Today some of us are hiking deer mountain (I have the whole weekend off). Its a very steep incline for the first couple miles, but the view from the top should be amazing. I'll be sure to take many photos. Tomorrow we're all going camping. I believe the site we are going to has rock climbing. One of the guides here has the same shoe size as I do and said he'll loan me his climbing shoes (he hurt his ankle skiing deer mountain last week so will not be rock climbing in the next week or so). Now that I've learned clove (major knot to know when climbing) I'm ready to try it out!

What a fun weekend ahead...

We're loving the sun!

The whole week has been warm and sunny. I hope its like this a lot this summer (but I've been told chances are slim). Friday we had the day off so a group of us rented a skiff and rode it out to a deserted beach. We grilled lunch (on a portable grill), explored the forest, and enjoyed the sun. We had to get the skiff back by 6 so once we returned we went out to 7 mile point beach and had a big bonfire. The sea lions were plentiful throughout the day and we even saw a humpback whale! On a scale of 1 to 10, the day was definitely a 15.

Yesterday there was one ship (Celebrity cruise) and 4 tours so we spent the day out on the dock. It was sunny and 75 degrees so spending the day outside was great! I actually have a sunburn. After work a group of us went to Settlers Cove to camp. Kim and I had one comforter between the two of us and no tent. Luckily most everyone else has camping gear and is willing to share! (we will soon make a trip to Tongass to get sleeping bags and a tent so we don't have to rely on everyone else). We found a nice camping spot right across from the beach and pitched our tents. We then all sat out on the rocks on the beach and enjoyed the scenery. What I love most about the ocean here is that across the water are many mountains, which causes for a great view. I feel like I'm living in an LL Bean catalog. This morning I woke up at 5:30am to rain... Kim and Liz woke up at that time as well so we moved all of our stuff (backpacks, shoes, etc.) out of the rain and built another fire. Much fire wood gathering, grilled sausages, and 5 hours later the boys woke up.

Now I am home and I don't think a shower has ever felt so good. I think my day will consist of watching movies and taking a nap. Kim is making crepes (her specialty) tonight so I must be rested for that. Yet again I sit here and think about how much I love my life.


View from our camp at Settlers Cove


Our deserted beach

Every day is an adventure!

The cable company just hooked up our internet so I am able to blog again! Its been a busy week. Last Thursday, Kim and I moved into our new apartment. Kim is from Michigan and randomly grew up with one of my sorority sisters (small world). We love our apartment as it is located right across the street from the ocean and is within a few blocks of our office.

We both had the day off on Friday so we called Wendy at Taquan Air to see if we could get a ride on a float plane. Sure enough, they got us on one that morning. Jerry, our pilot, took us to deliver mail to a Native American reservation that is only accessible via boat or float plane. The float plane pilots deliver mail to 17 communities in the area that are only accessible via plane 6 days a week. It was such an amazing experience! It was an overcast day so the ride was pretty bumpy, but they had 'comfort bags' just in case we got sick... luckily, neither of us did.

Saturday involved some work on excel. Once my eyes went cross eyed from staring at the computer I went on the zip lines!.. only in Alaska can you reward yourself for a long days work with a zip line ride.

I had Sunday off as well and the weather was beautiful so I just had to enjoy the outdoors. Craig, a guy from Chicago who came out here to work for a season and has now been here for several years (popular story around here) wanted to show me a local hiking trail. We borrowed a skiff (boat) and rode about 45 minutes to Naha Bay which is only accessible via boat or float plane. During the ride, we saw some sea lions. There was a group of four and they were swimming near our boat because they were very curious as to what we were. The hiking trail was beautiful. It is so interesting being in a rain forest (very different from what I am used to). We hiked for about 3 1/2 hours, then the trail got to be too rough and buried in snow. We kept a look out for whales on the boat ride back, but thought we were out of luck. Once we tied up the skiff and were about to head inside we spotted some humpback whales! There were two groups of them swimming by. It was an amazing sight.

This morning, Kim, Ashley (a tour coordinator that arrived to town this weekend), and I went on the Rainforest Sanctuary tour. It is a walking tour offered by our company which takes you through the rainforest. It is a chance to learn about the different plants and animals living in the environment. During the summer, you often see bears on the trail so I am anxious to do the walking tour again in a few months.

It is so beautiful today (63 degrees and sunny) so I am going for a run along the ocean then a group of us are getting together for a BBQ tonight.


The rain forest at Naha Bay (everything is covered in moss)


Me in the passenger seat on the float plane


Scenic shot from the float plane

More zip lines!

I know I said I'd post a picture of my new apartment, but I'm sad to say that the whale is no longer jutting out of the roof. I am not sure where it has gone or who took it down, but I was really looking forward to saying, "I live in the building with the large whale sticking out of the top of it."

Yesterday we finished prepping the store! It is all cleaned up and ready to go. After work, many of the guides and I played bananagrams. It is a form of scrabble and although I didn't manage to win a single game, it was a lot of fun!

Today is a long day. A FAM group has come to Ketchikan and has meetings lined up with many tour companies in town. The FAM group consists of reps from various cruise ships and the trips' purpose is for them to learn about the different tour companies in the area and what they have to offer their cruise passengers. This morning we had a group at the zip line camp and we served them breakfast and showed them videos educating them about our zip line tours and walking tour. Erica (the girl who interviewed me for this position) is in town. She is my Alaskan twin! After breakfast we got to run the zip line course with the new canopy guides that started training today. The zip cords were wet from rain, which caused us to zip faster. It was even more fun today than the first time! However, for the second half of the course, a few of the guides had me thinking that something was wrong with my harness. I guess that just added to the excitement... (they were only joking of course). We have another FAM group tonight. They are running the zip line course now and then we will have a dinner at Taquan.

Skunk cabbage has begun to grow around the camp. Bears eat a lot of twigs, etc before hibernation to block up their system and then eat skunk cabbage afterwards to clean out their system. There is also word that a few bears have been shot around the area (people are allowed to hunt one bear per person in Alaska). Needless to say, these are the beginning signs of bear season. I am ecstatic to see bears outside of a zoo!

Tomorrow, the first cruise ship arrives. I am anxious to start the season!

Back to work for now...

The rain continues...

The rain has continued, but now that I'm suited up with serious rain gear its not so bad. Actually, I rather enjoy it. Last night we had a bbq at Ward lake. The rain was pouring down causing for a picturesque view. Between that, the smell of the fire, and the bbq, I thought to myself, "life doesn't get any better than this".

There are many new canopy guides (zip line guides) moving in this weekend and lots of empty apartments in need of furniture. So today we rented a U-haul and moved several couches to the apartments. This involved several flights of staircases so I'll go ahead and rate it a '10' on the workout scale.

I think I forgot to mention one small fact about my new apartment. It has a large killer whale sticking out of the roof. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Here comes the rain...

This morning when I woke up at 6am it wasn't as bright as it usually is at that time. The rain finally came... A girl I met today who has spent the past several summers here compares Ketchikan to the 'produce aisle at the grocery store' due to the constant drizzle of water. As long as you have proper rain gear on, its really not that bad. In fact, the mountains look beautiful with the clouds hanging low over them. Reminds me of Scotland.

No one seems to know the password to the computer in the downtown office (the place that has been vacant since last season) so we have ordered a technician to come out tomorrow to hack into it. Until then, there is not much more work I can do to prep for the season. So this afternoon I headed back out to the zip line camp to help out in the store. It is currently filled from floor to ceiling with boxes of hats, wooden bears, books on Alaska, and the like. I helped fold several boxes of t-shirts and now have a new appreciation for those who work in retail.

Tory found a home for me today! It is a one bedroom apartment (which I will share with one other person) above a little store and is located right across from the docks (aka my workplace). It will be ready for move in next Wednesday. Currently the main entrance to the apartment is through an outside door on the second floor. However, there is no staircase leading to the door, so unless I put a ladder up against the side of the house I am unable to enter. Fingers crossed that they can build a staircase by next week!

First day on the job

Today was my first day of training. Tory really wanted to show me around, introduce me to everyone, and help me get oriented. We headed out first thing to the zip line camp. Our company offers 3 main tours - eagle zip line tour (for the more outgoing people), bear zip line tour (geared towards families with children), and the rain forest sanctuary walking tour. Of course I need to know what product I'm selling to our customers so I strapped on my gear and headed out for the eagle zip line tour. It consists of 7 zip lines ranging from approximately 120 to 350 feet in length and about 150 feet off the ground. Not going to lie, its a little nerve wracking at first. However, once you relax it is so much fun! Once summer rolls around you will see many bears below or even in the trees (last summer there was a bear 120 feet up in a tree by the zip line course!)

Once I returned to the ground I was able to meet many of the employees working at the camp, including Wayne who makes the totem poles. These totem poles are so beautiful and take about a week per foot to carve. There is also an eagle sanctuary which consists of one eagle who has a broken wing and can't fly. They feed him rats, so there were rats laying all over the ground (my nightmare). My company has hired about 80 people (young folks in their 20's from all over the world) to come work the summer in Ketchikan. Everyone is so laid back and as nice as can be. I can see how this town sucks people in.

We then drove into town to check out my office for the next 6 months. No one had been in it since last season so there was plenty of dusting to do. The office is right downtown and over looks the docks (which is where I'll spend most of my time). My days will mainly consist of running from cruise ship to cruise ship. There are 4 berths along the dock and each berth can hold one cruise ship at a time. With the dock being over 1/2 a mile in length, there will be lots of running around.

The search for a permanent home continues, but I will keep you updated as things materialize.

Some photos I took on my run this morning

Absolutely beautiful

I can hardly believe this is going to be my home for the next 6 months. While flying in on the plane, two words came to mind: absolutely beautiful. The sky was sunny and the area is made up of a series of mountains and hills that descend into the ocean. The view alone was enough to make up for the fact that I had just traveled for over 13 hours.

My boss, Tory, and a colleague (Laura) were on my flight from Seattle. Once we landed we took a short ferry to the main island. Even though the sun was out and it was fairly warm, there was still snow on the mountains. We then drove to our company zip line camp, which consists of a general store, a totem pole making shop, a fenced in area with reindeer, and bald eagles perched on every roof top.

This morning I woke up to another sunny day! I don't have a place to live yet, so I'm staying at my boss and his fiance's home in the meantime. I walked the 50 minutes to the main downtown area this morning to meet Laura for some coffee and to explore our new home! Most of the shops are closed and the streets are very quiet this time of year. That will all change in the next month when the cruise ships start coming in. Tory told us the great news that its supposed to be a hot summer, which for any of you who know me is 'music to my ears'.

After a quick trip to the grocery store and taking Tory's dog, Chubs, for a walk, its time to relax. Until next time...