Capturing the Moment

  George Island is part of the Tongass National Forest. This is where our planned activities today took us on our expedition ship, the Wilderness Legacy. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was planning on taking a walk across the island, since no one took me up on the kayak circumnavigation. George Island sits in Cross Sound, where the Inside Passage meets the outside ocean. Giant waves crash into the west side of the island, creating beautiful rocky cliffs, caves, and even an arch, big enough to drive through. The national forest service lightly maintains a trail on the island from granite cove across the island to a cliff where an old WWII gun is located. It was put there to protect the entrance to the inside passage from Japanese warships and submarines. I guess someone thought that Juneau was a high priority target. The trail winds through the rainforest, along the spine of the island. You do get occasional views of the water on either side, but are mostly concentrating on the...

  It was early in the morning when our boat, the Wilderness Legacy, slowed down. We were North in Chatham Strait, and I knew the only reason to stop was for a wildlife sighting. Sure enough, it was a pod of orca, and playful ones at that. Anytime you get to see orca, also known as killer whales, it is going to be a treat. They can travel 100 miles in a day, they could pass by silently at night, or across the other side of the straight. It is so easy to miss them, but not this day. They put on a show of tail slaps, swimming upside down, and even breaching out of the water. I was lucky enough to time a photo just right to catch a breaching orca in action. After a big brunch onboard, complete with mimosas and bloody mary's, it was time to explore the back bay of Saook. Catalina and I took off on a skiff tour where we found an eagle in a nest, and some fun crabs off the low tide rock. The real treat came with our next activity, the open paddle. Heidi took out Fisher and I took Catalina...

  After exploring Juneau and leading a hike up Mt. Roberts in drizzly rain, we woke up to the sound of ice scraping down the hull of the Wilderness Legacy. I woke with excitement for my family to experience once of my favorite places in Southeast Alaska, a huge fjord called Endicott Arm. It is a steep valley, filled with water and towering cliffs, created by a massive glacier called Dawes Glacier, which still sits about 26 miles into the fjord. Southeast Alaska is one of the ultimate wilderness experiences. The entire day we didn't see another boat, person, road, or building. There are no ticket booths or lines. It is just you and nature. Which is quite unbelievable since the beauty of the place is greater than any national park in the lower 48 states. It is like if you took Yosemite National Park and flooded it with the ocean. I still can't believe that I got to experience this with Heidi and the kids, when they were so young! Catalina is 5, Fisher 3, and Dela is only 1 year o...