Family Trip to Orlando

Last week I went to Orlando to see my two brothers and their family, who went there as a family vacation.  I initially didn't plan to go, but couples weeks beforehand I got a little home sick and changed my mind.  Despite dreading the airfare, long trip, and walking around theme parks in 90 degrees heat, I actually had a good time. 

The trip out of Alaska to East coast is mostly a two day ordeal.  I have to first fly to Seattle on Alaska Air (only airline in & out of Juneau), stay overnight, and then catch a morning flight out to Orlando via Chicago on United.  On the way out I used miles from Delta and United so that portion was free.  The fare back on Alaska cost me about $600 but I also paid $150 for a last minute upgrade to 1st for the Orlando-Seattle leg.  The non-stop flight to Seattle from Orlando is a whopping 6 hours.  I hate flying already (see article Boycott Flying).  Since there's no fast lane for 1st class or an Alaska Air lounge at Orlando, all I really got was free check-in bag, nice dinner, and lots of leg room.  But it was oh so worth it.  It's not my first time flying business/first class, but I sure do appreciate it a lot more these days.  I'm not sure I can do a long haul in coach anymore.

In Orlando, I only had 4 full days to spend with my family.  I've already been to Universal and Disney a few times already, so I didn't really care to go, but one of my brothers hadn't been, so we all took the hit hoping to show him a good time.  Just as expected, it was hot and muggy in Florida this time of year.  I'm not too keen on Universal, but I had a good time in Disney.  I think I enjoyed Disney more this time around because the kids were enjoying themselves.  Our dad also joined us for Disney, so it was a nice family outing.

The other two days were spent relaxing at a small waterpark in our resort.  Since coordinating a day out in our household is like a huge military production, two days at the theme parks were enough.  We did hit Downtown Disney one night though.  I could've used a few more days outside of Alaska though.

One thing that took me by surprise was how much I enjoyed being out of Alaska.  (I also spent few hours in Seattle.) All of the things I took for granted in the past - shops, restaurants, people - now bring me so much more joy then before.  After being in a quiet place for 3 months, the hustle bustle of the cities were nice.  I know that the grass isn't greener, but I think I just enjoy variety in my life.  In many ways being in Juneau suits my lifestyle, but I can't help but want to try living everywhere.  So far I've managed a move every 2-3 years.  Will I ever settle down somewhere?

Perseverence Trail

The Perseverence Trail seems to be high on Juneau's list of recommended hikes.  I bet it would be one that is recommended at a vistor's center, and you can also find information on this trail if you search for Juneau hiking information online.  I've been wanting to see what this trail was all about for a while now.  I tried to hike it back in early May with some friends, but we ended up turning around after getting two-thirds of the way because of all of the snow.  I think we were also too busy trying to make our way through the thigh high snow to actually enjoy it.  Well, now that it's mid-June, the time seems to be right.

The trail head is at the end of basin road, about a mile or 2's walk from downtown up the hill.  The hike itself is not difficult so if you don't have a car you could make an all day trip of it.  If you start at the trailhead, the hike is about 6-7 miles round trip with about 700 feet of elevation gain.  Most of that elevation gain is at the beginning of the trail.  You walk mostly along a cliff edge and if you are with a dog, you might be slightly nervous if he/she gets near the edge.  Also, I wouldn't recommend this hike before early May when the trail is cleared of rock slides.  If a rock slide blocks your path and you try climbing over it, you could very well slide off the trail to your death.  Don't worry in the summer though.  The trail is plenty wide so unless you're walking on the edge of the trail, you should be fine.

The trail becomes more safer and more beautiful after about three quarters of a mile in.  You are no longer near the cliff edge, and the scenery becomes more green with vegetation.  Since it rains a lot in Juneau, it's all very lush.  Add some wildflowers, a few butterflies fluttering about, and birds chirping in the background, and you almost imagine this must be what heaven is like.  Or perhaps someone's garden.  Only when you look in the distance and see the snow capped mountain do you remember that you are in the wilderness of Alaska.

It's possible to see bears, and perhaps other wild animals.  I did not see any, but Millie had a close encounter with a porcupine.  She got so close that she got stung by one of its needles.  I did not see this, but after some moments of playing in the bushes, she came out with a needle stuck in her nose.  I think she was a bit excited or scared because she wouldn't let me near her.  These needles are hard to pull out even when she is still, but nearly impossible when she's not.  Since this happenned just as we turned around at the end, she had to walk all 3 miles back with the needle stuck on her.  One trick I learned today from various passerby's is that if you cut the end of it off, it will let the air out of the needle and make it easier to take out.  Once home, I had to get Brad to hold her firm while I snipped the needle and pulled it out.  I think she bled a little from it, but was otherwise alright.  This is actually her second time being stung by a porcupine so I hope now she has learned her lesson.

Looking down top of a
waterfall (requires side hike)

Aside from the porcupine incident, the hike was very nice.  The end of the trail was a little anti-climatic though, since it ended at a pile of landslide.  The trail itself is in the valley between Mt Juneau and Mt Roberts, so there are also parts where sun doesn't shine as much.  We found an area towards the end where there was a pile of snow. 

In addition to the main trail, there's a few shoot offs.  About a mile into the trail is the trailhead up to Mt Juneau.  There's also the Red Mill trail that serves as an alternate route for part of the way.  Near the end of the trail is another short trail to the Mining Camp.  Since I was a bit concerned about Millie's well-being with the needle stuck in her nose, I ended up just taking the most direct route back.  I'll have to do this trail again so I can check some of these other routes.

East & West Glacier Trails

View of Mendenhall Glacier from behind the Visitor's Center

There are several hiking trails near the Mendenhall Glacier.  Last week we did the East Glacier Trail and today we did the West Glacier Trail.  Both are really nice trails worth doing.

The East Glacier Trail starts behind the visitors center and starts on the Trail of Times.  It's about a 3.5 mile loop trail, with moderate elevation gain.  The trail is mostly in the forest, but there are occasional clearings to give you a glimpse of the glacier from higher up.  A small waterfall, the AJ waterfall, is also a short walk from the trail.

The West Glacier Trail starts at the end of the road just past the campground.  This is about 3.5 miles one way (7 miles r/t) with 1500 feet elevation gain.  The trail is through forest also, with some creeks and small waterfalls along the way.  There are many viewing spots along the way, and the views get better and better as you get higher up.  Toward the end of the trail there's quite a bit of rock scrambling though, and it can be a bit of a challenge.  We had couple of pups with us that kept wrestling with each other the whole way up.  There were several times they got close to the edge of a steep drop off and had me a bit nervous.  You really don't want your dogs to be playing tug of war with a stick on these rocks.... 

Once at the top there's a rock outcrop with a fantastic view of the Juneau icefields - definitely worth the hike.  From there, you can see people trekking on the icefields.  We also saw a few helicopters who touched down on the glacier for about 20 minutes while their passengers walked around a bit.  They probably paid few hundred bucks for their tour.  Our hike was free.  There was also a yellow igloo like structure towards the left hand side of the icefield.  That may have been the dog camp where people can go dog sledding as part of a tour. 

The rock outcrop made for a great place to have lunch.  It's definitely the best view of the glaciers I've had so far here.  Unfortunately, the sky looked a bit ominous and we decided to turn around to avoid rock scrambling in the rain.  I think if we kept going a bit further though, we could actually touch the glacier.  It's not really wise to go near the face of a glacier since it could break off, but it would be cool to get a bit closer.  Perhaps next time.  Even as it stands though, this ranks high up there on my favorite hikes in Juneau.

View of Juneau Icefields from the West Glacier Trail

Why Take A Cruise?

Majority of the people I know who have visited Alaska came on a cruise.  A popular route is one that takes you through all the towns in the Inside Passage - Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, etc.  Another route probably takes you all the way up to Anchorage.  What I really don't understand though, is why it is so popular.  I get that Alaska is a hard place to get to, and you can't exactly drive from town to town in the Inside Passage since there aren't roads connecting them.  However, I hear that you only get a few hours to maybe 12 hours max in a port.  How much can you really do in that timeframe? 

In Juneau alone there is so much to do - hiking, kayaking, boat tours, heli tours, glacier tours, wildlife watching, and fishing.  There's no way a 12 hour day lets you explore all the greatness Juneau has to offer.  Why not just fly here and hang out out.  Or, if you really want to port hop, take the ferry.  It won't have all the entertainment you get on a cruise ship, but why do you have to go gambling, dancing, bowling, movie watching, swimming, on a cruise ship?  If you want to gamble or party, go to Las Vegas.  If you want to swim, go to a beach resort.  If you want to watch a movie or bowl, you can do that back home on a weekend. 

Maybe people think they are getting the best of both worlds - entertainment on the boats, and sightseeing in the ports.  What I hope people aren't doing though, is getting on a cruise ship because that's what they hear is the "thing to do".  The cruise ship industry is huge in Alaska, and it creates a lot of job and businesses here.  I can't complain about that, but to be fair to people visiting Alaska, I think they're getting a bum deal. 

For those people planning a trip to Alaska, I suggest skipping the cruise ships and the mad rush of getting on & off the boat at each port.  It might be nice to see all the ports, but to be honest, they're all kind of the same.  You can do just about all the same activity in each one.  So, just stick with Juneau where you have the most choices.  Fly in for about a week, and then spend a few days hiking.  After all, the whole idea of visiting Alaska is to get out in the wild.  Depending on the hike you do, you may even see some wildlife - mountain goats and bears.  Some trails take you by the beach so you may even see whales and seals.  There are many places to go birdwatching, too. 

In addition to hiking, spend a day (or more) fishing.  If you're going to fish anywhere, Alaska, home of America's largest fisheries, is it.  Then spend a day at Mendenhall Glacier.  Then take a day tour of Tracy Arms Fjords.  You can spend another day on a kayak tour, or another day on a glacier trek tour. 

If you have more then a week, you could spend a week getting from Anchorage to Fairbanks, while stopping in Denali along the way.  Or you can visit some of the other near by towns, like Haines or Sitka, on the ferry.  You can also drive from Skagway, which is a 6.5 hours ferry ride from Juneau, up to Whitehorse, YT.  From Juneau, you can also easily get to Glacier Bay National Park for a 2-3 day get away.

Coming to Alaska on a cruise is probably better than not coming at all, but if you haven't planned your Alaska trip yet, skip the party boat and enjoy your time in Alaska.

3 Months Later: My Thoughts on Alaska

It's been just over three months now since I first arrived in Alaska.  When I first got here I was excited about being in a new place.  I marvelled at the beauty of the snowcapped mountains and the sight of the Gastineau channel just outside of my office window.  I was also very elated to find out that many people here are dog tolerant and walk them off-leash on trails... and there are many trails here.  I also had nearly a month long sunshine spell that helped tremendously.  Since then, I've had a chance to settle down a bit and experience some of the downsides of Alaska.
Probably some of the most common gripes of living in Juneau, and perhaps everywhere else outside of Anchorage, is the lack of good shopping and restaurants.  Well, fortunately I do not enjoy shopping, and I am not big on eating out.  Much of what I need can be bought at Fred Meyer, Safeway, and Costco.  Other items can be bought on Amazon.com.  Clothes shopping might be difficult online though, so I may have to start dressing down like an Alaskan, or schedule shopping time when I travel to other States.  As for restaurants, I can count all of the ones I would go to on one hand.  Occasionally I wish for a good Japanese restaurant, but I am one of those so-called eat-to-live people and not the live-to-eat.

Juneau also lacks choices when it comes to other things, such as pet services, gym, martial-arts training, or doctors.  I am pretty much having to make do with whatever is available, and I find that ok.  What they do offer here for pet services, gym, and doctors are acceptable.  I only wish that I had my favorite karate school here, but I would have that problem no matter where I went except Virginia Beach where it is located. 

When it comes to hobbies, I have only gotten into hiking since I had my dog to walk often and there were so many trails to try.  However, I am now thinking of getting into fishing at some point.  I've only done it a few times but remember enjoying it.  I am sure it would be an even better experience here.  Plus, it has a practical aspect in it that you can eat the fish you catch.  Catching salmon yourself would be so much cheaper than buying it.  Oh, and in the winter, I have yet to check out the ski slopes here, but I will have to make sure I do so next season.

I still find the scenery in Alaska to be magnificent.  I was starting to take the beauty of it all for granted, but with the warmer weather arriving, the snow has melted, grasses turned green, and flowers started blooming.  It's a whole different scenery now and it's great.  Maybe in some years I will take it all for granted all year long.  Maybe when I visit family and other built up places I'll appreciate more of the place where I live.  One thing I wish Alaska did do though is build more charming homes and buildings.  It's such a beautiful place here but the somewhat dumpy homes, buildings, and industrial parks that dot the towns here and there kind of ruin it for me.  In this regard, I would have say that Europe has done a much better job of designing towns and villages that better fit in with the beautiful surroundings.

One of the biggest downsides here, which I do find to be an issue, is that Alaska is very far far away from the lower 48.  It is a long way just to visit family and friends on the East Coast.  In Juneau, the only flights going in and out are to & from Seattle or Anchorage.  It's at least a whole day getting East, if not two.  Coming back can be one day, but a very long one day.  It's also very expensive - more expensive than any flight I have taken overseas (mostly thanks to the rising cost of airfares).  I miss my family & friends a lot, which does suck.  I suppose though, that even when I lived 3.5 hours drive away, I only saw my family a few times a year.  I've also spent years living abroad so this really isn't much different.  It's just the price I pay for being a nomad.  What I may have to do here is try to find excuses for a business trip out East, or arrange some telecommuting option so that I can stay East a bit longer when I do go for a visit.  I'm sure something can be worked out where I will still see family & friends few times a year. 

While the remoteness of Alaska keeps people in, it also keeps people out.  The population of Alaska has remained relatively low.  So low you might struggle make new friends with someone who shares your same interest. There are benefits to being remote and sparsely populated.  There's no long lines anywhere, or traffic on the streets.   You can get trails and beaches all to yourself.  It's the ultimate getaway without having to get away.  Most people go to places like this to get away because they live a hectic life in a crowded place.  I suppose in my case I would have to get away when I feel like I need to go to a big city to be part of the crowd and go shopping. 

All in all I think Juneau is a wonderful place to live.  Then again, summer is the best time to be here.  The temperatures have been just how I like it (not too hot) and it has not been raining so much.  It's so perfect right now.  I suppose I'll have to write another post a year later though to see how I cope with the rainy fall and cold winters.  Stay tuned.