Life List:
Wild Alaska by boat
Our chariot, "Galaxy," is docked at Auke Bay in Juneau, Alaska.
We landed in Juneau just after 8 a.m. and by 11 a.m., we had shopped for provisions and arrived at the dock where the “Galaxy” is moored. It will take most of the afternoon to ready the 38-foot, converted fishing troller for our two-week escape into the isolated islands of Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage.
We’re dizzy with excitement and still can’t believe we’re in Alaska, a longtime dream that had miraculously come to fruition just months earlier. How is it we are about to board this private boat for a close-up-and-oh-so-personal tour? Captain Vic Cano—lifelong friend, best man at our wedding, professional folk musician and wood-carving artisan—holds the key to our dream…if boats had keys, that is.
Vic, a native of northern Vermont, had decades ago given up the life of teacher, moved to Washington state, and etched out a life that many of us would envy: living on his boat, spending winters in Bellingham, Wash., and summers in Alaska, performing at festivals and on private yachts, carving Pacific Northwest masks to sell at craft shows, in art boutiques and on the docks wherever he happened to be moored for the day. This man is our guide to Alaskan adventure.
The drizzly weather provides a mystical aura, with occasional peeks at the
surrounding mountains and the nearby Mendenhall Glacier.
Our flight up the coast from Seattle was awe-inspiring, with soaring white-capped mountains and islands on one side, and wide-open ocean on the other. As we neared Alaska, the weather socked in, thick as a wool blanket. We were expecting rainy weather, but we couldn’t curb the disappointment of not getting at least a glimpse of our destination. As we approached the landing, however, the clouds inexplicably parted and we gazed down on the greenest and thickest forest imaginable, with cabins and houses hugging the shoreline like they were seeking shelter from the elements.
When we finally arrived at Auke Bay, working fishing vessels, private boats of all sizes and multi-million-dollar charter yachts shared space snuggled up against the docks. The drizzly weather provides a mystical aura, with occasional peeks at the surrounding mountains and the nearby Mendenhall Glacier.
The day is topped off with a phenomenal Alaskan bounty orchestrated by two of Vic’s friends, Nell and Rob McConahey. Rob had just caught a 10-pound Alaskan king crab, and other friends the day before had given Vic freshly caught salmon. Nell set out the hors d'oeuvres—chum salmon caviar she’d just prepared from a recent catch (the finest caviar you can buy, she confided), smoked salmon, cream cheese and crackers—and it is hard to decide what to try first. Paired with a glass of Pinot Grigio—Scott samples an Alaskan Amber instead—it is all delectable. We also tour Nell’s art studio, Spiral Studio, where she crafts sensational jewelry and stained-glass mirrors and wall art. Sitting down for dinner, we fill our plates with crab, salmon, pickled beets, Swiss chard and mesclun salad.
Rob tells us that around 5 p.m., he’d gone to the Mendenhall Glacier to get some ice (Juneau's convenience store?), and the salmon were thick as thieves in the cove, trying to elude prowling bears in search of dinner. I could envision giant bears hungrily scooping up salmon from the water like they were plucking ripe fruit from a vine. The very prospect of watching feeding bears somewhere along the way set our hearts to doing more than a regulated pitter-patter. Little did we know just how often we’d find ourselves in close quarters with bears on our upcoming adventure.
Seals play, a variety of ducks and gulls bob in the still silvery water, wispy fog wraps its fingers along the shoreline and rays of sunlight seep through it all. It’s simply glorious.
We eventually drag ourselves back to the boat, satiated and exhausted, and promptly flop into our berths. Now, I have to be honest, my initial reaction was that I really wanted a fluffy soft bed instead of a camping experience of sleeping on a wooden berth padded with a thin mattress. But that thought slips from my mind as I instantly nod off to sleep.
By 5 a.m. the sun is creeping in through the skylight of our sleeping quarters tucked under the boat’s bow. We all crawl out of bed and get the morning started with some coffee, shaking off the cobwebs and sore muscles. The clouds have lifted from the land and for the first time, we can see the soaring peaks and glaciers surrounding the marina. We watch the Columbia ferry chugging into the bay, framed by distant mountains topped by dense fog. Seals play, a variety of ducks and gulls bob in the still silvery water, wispy fog wraps its fingers along the shoreline and rays of sunlight seep through it all. It’s simply glorious. We’re inspired to get the heck out of Dodge and by 5:40 a.m., we’re underway, off into the wilds of Alaska.
Fast forward: Alaska is stunningly beautiful and the abundant wildlife is something to behold. On this August trip, we saw everything you’d expect: harbor seals, sea lions, whales, porpoises riding our bow wave (they look like they are having a blast!), bald eagles hunting in the salmon rivers, and yes, brown bears. We had such an incredible time. Every now and then, Scott and I would look at each other, break out in huge grins and start singing, “We’re in Alaska! We’re in Alaska!” We both found this trip to be good for our souls. Now, rewind and without further ado, here are some of the highlights:
First Day | Fiords, Glaciers and Icebergs | Secluded Coves
Steller Sea Lions | Bears, Bears and More Bears
Fishing Villages and Hot Springs | Harbor Seals
Rainforests, High-Alpine Lakes and Beaches
A Whale of a Tale | Epilogue | Your Turn: Charter a Yacht
Alaska Photo Galleries