The Last Frontier

I read books about Alaska as a kid that created an always frozen wintery wonderland in my mind where there was snow all the time and you could get a dog sled ride. I didn’t think much of the state and never had a burning desire to travel there so I was a bit perplexed and very excited when my family booked a small boat cruise for my grandparents anniversary in July 2016. We took a flight to Seattle then a puddle jumping prop plane to Juneau! It was a surprisingly small city but before we got on the cruise we walked around a bit and went up to an overlook.

Overlooking Juneau, AK (panoramas were all the rage)

Okay, first things first I need to address the water because I hope you’re all as surprised as I was when I first saw it. I thought really light beautiful looking water only existed around tropical islands at the Equator. There was also a lack of snow in the area so I guess I’ll have to plan a winter adventure to get that dog sled ride, someday. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t extremely warm, the highs were only in the 40s/50s when we were there but it was vastly different from the Alaska I created in my brain.

View off the stern (panorama again…)

I must explain this company and this cruise that we went on and then highly encourage all of you to book a trip with them! This company called UnCruise Adventures specializes in cruises that don’t feel like cruises meaning the boats hold a total of 72 people and store kayaks and skiffs and all of the adventure gear needed to get off the boat and into the surrounding wilderness at least twice a day. On board there are the passengers, of course, but part of the crew are multiple guides who lead your many adventures. They are knowledgeable in fields having to do with nature such as marine biology, plant science, wildlife experts, etc. so they can explain phenomena and answer all of your questions. In all, the food is to die for, the crew is incredibly nice, the passengers become great friends, and the guides are intelligent and by the end of the cruise you are one big family and it’s pretty cute.

Since it was Alaska in the summer the sun only set for about two hours each night and even then the rays were still visible so it was never completely dark. The crew and passengers used this to their advantage participating in all of the activities possible. Each day there would be an itinerary based off of where we were and the weather. You could choose between a skiff tour, bushwhacking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and free float time.

For comprehension sake, a skiff is essentially a dinghy which is a rubber float boat where you sit on the edge and there’s a motor in the back. Bushwhacking is hiking without a trail so you definitely need basic directional skills and can I get a “Hey Bear!”

Our multigenerational favorite activity is kayaking which we did almost everyday. Towards the end of the trip we had the chance to do a “drop kayak” where the boat would drop us at the mouth of the fjord and travel 7 miles ahead where it would anchor and we would kayak back to it! One group went up the left side and the other on the right. Remember how the water was crazy blueish/greenish/teal and I thought that was shocking… well as we were kayaking up the fjord I looked at the marine life just below the water level of the rocks we were next to and saw a PURPLE STARFISH. I thought starfish only existed in warmer ocean water! Clearly I am not studying marine biology but our guide was more than happy to entertain all of my questions about the starfish and anything else that might live in the fjords.

One of the days we spent in Frederick Sound whale watching just hoping that we might see a pod traveling and be luck enough to see a breach. Well, the whales showed up and we got a show from the humpbacks passing through on their migration! We were also incredibly lucky to see orcas as well and they showed off for us too!

During our drop kayak up the fjord we were about a mile from the boat and our guide got a call that an orca had been spotted in the fjord. All of a sudden we were buzzing with excitement and nerves and were all intently looking at the water. If y’all have seen Brother Bear (please go watch it if you haven’t) I was picturing the opening scene when Kenai flips his kayak and stares into the eye of an orca so I was a bit nervous we were going to be tortured by a curious orca. It turned out to be a trick played by one of the other guides because as we got closer to the boat we found an adorable inflatable pool orca which we then rescued and brought back onboard.

Kite flying off the boat is highly encouraged

One of the last things we did was a polar plunge into freezing glacial runoff water before saying goodbye to the crew and one of the best adventures I’ve ever been on.

So adventurers, open your atlas and then take a closer look at a place that doesn’t catch your eye at first because it might be your greatest adventure yet…