Gastineau Peak Hike

I apologize in advance for any typos or grammatical errors...

1- I'm posting from my phone since I'm still computerless, and autocorrect has a mind of its own sometimes

2- I'm tired and have the company of a bottle of whiskey beside me, so this post probably won't get proofread 

Here goes... 

A couple days ago, the sun was shining and I had no plans, so out into nature I went. I decided to hike Mt. Roberts trail since I've never done it before. It's pretty mellow... a few steeper parts but pretty easy overall. I made it to the top, to the Mt. Roberts Tramway in about 45 minutes. I still had plenty of time so I figured I'd hike on up to the cross. Once I got there, I figured what the hell, I might as well hike on up to Gastineau Peak since it was just another mile or so. This was definitely more challenging than the trail below the tramway. Steeper, more rocks, and some slippery wet spots. Overall a still fairly easy hike. 

Once I got away from the tourist section, which was about .5 miles past the tramway, I was pretty much by myself. I passed a few other hikers along the way but the trail was pretty deserted when I got higher up. 

Once I got the the top of Gastineau Peak, I just sat back at relaxed for a good 30 minutes. It was probably the most relaxed that I've felt in weeks. Nothing but me, the ravens and eagles flying above me, and the ptarmigans making their crazy sounds down in the rocky chutes below me. I did see a few marmot holes, and a couple mountain goats from a distance, but thankfully no bears, just the evidence of one in the form of a pile of poo along the trail. 

The way down was a breeze, and j was glad to see my car at the trailhead since I had some yummy fruit leathers that I forgot to put in my pack for a snack. 

This hike was probably one of my favorites since I've been here (which was a year ago on the 23rd!(: ) but next time, I'll keep on truckin up to Mt Roberts Peak, which is the next peak over. 

I'll now attempt post photos from my phone.. 

View of downtown Juneau from the trail

A bit further up, past the tramway and all the tourist nonsense

Low clouds in the distance hovering above the water 

A fork in the trail...

Almost there... Yay snow! 

Looking back at the beautiful ridge I just traversed

Wow what a view...

I made it! Woohoo. What a great hike! 

Bittersweet...

Well guys, sorry to break it to ya but no pics in this post. Why you might wonder? That's because my laptop shit the bed and now I'm computerless, which also means I'm pictureless. My MacBook Pro fund has now commenced. 

I bought our plane tickets to Tennessee yesterday! So excited to come visit my family and friends. We'll be leaving Juneau on October 4th late in the evening and landing in Charlotte on the 5th. I'm sure an overnight flight with 2 stops will be ALL sorts of fun. You can probably just call me a zombie on the 5th. We are leaving on the 15th, which gives us some good catch up time with everyone. Wish we could stay longer, but work and other obligations will be waiting in us back in AK.

One of the first things we're gonna do is get a boss burger and Dr. Enuf (the non-HFCS version... thanks a lot you sellouts).  In a way, I miss home so much, but Alaska has truly stolen my heart forever. 

Allen Marine is winding down. We have 2 tours left and we're done. It's kinda bittersweet... I am so excited for winter and can't wait to get some snow under my feet, but I will miss being on the water everyday and having such an amazing 'office view'. Seeing humpback whales on a daily basis, and orcas on almost a daily basis, is pretty damn awesome. Not to mention the other amazing wildlife we see everyday... harbor seals, sea lions, porpoises, eagles, and the occasional bear on the shoreline. This summer has been the best summer of my life, hands down. 

We went camping last weekend at Sunshine Cove, which is 'out the road'. It was super fun. There were whales nearby, and we saw and heard them the whole 3 days we were there. Waking up to the sounds of whales breathing is pretty amazing. 

That's all for now.... My posts will be pretty sporadic until I somehow manage to afford a new laptop. I'll try to keep posting as much through my blogger app on my phone as possible. 

Happy vibes to all <3

Boat Life, Wrong Turns, and Walks in Nature

Ok, so that last post was kinda a clunker, so here's a better update of the past few weeks. A few certain people back home really wanted a good post, and I feel bad for slacking the past couple months, so here ya go! :) Hope you enjoy!

The summer tourist/cruise ship season is winding down. My work schedule is getting less hectic which means for more fun adventures that doesn't involve a boat, although boat life has been pretty fantastic. I've learned a ton over the summer, met a bazillion awesome people, seen things that most people only dream of seeing in their lifetime, and have one hell of an amazing 'office view'. As great as this summer has been, I'm ready for winter.

I'm ready to shred those crystallized raindrops and send pow slashes soaring. The chillax days of winter are getting closer! I'm stoked to get back on my board and explore even more of this awesome Alaskan terrain.

We are nearing our 1 year anniversary of stepping onto Alaskan soil for the first time. September 23rd is when we arrived last fall. Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year already! I guess time does fly when you're having fun! :) We plan on coming back to TN to visit the first couple weeks in October. A year without seeing friends and family is too long! I miss everyone and can't wait to hang out when we get back, but AK is never getting rid of this girl. Dustin and I have been kidnapped by the beauty of AK! 

Nothing out of the norm has really happened since my last post. We took a Saturday trip to Tracy Arm since we both had the day off. It was amazing. Then a couple days ago I got the chance to work a Tracy Arm trip, so I jumped on that and wow was it worth it. The weather was great and the views were even greater. 

Anyways, here's some eye candy... and keep scrolling because there are a few videos at the end! :)

These pics I've taken while at work...

 

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Here's a shot of Winter being lazy as usual :) 

 

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We got Winter a new kitty tower! She loves it!

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A friend and I went berry picking at Eaglecrest. I've got a blueberry overload now!

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Took these next two on our way in from an evening tour.

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Dustin and I attempted to hike out to the ice caves, took a wrong turn, and ended up going halfway up Mt. McGinnis. Gotta admit though, the view was worth it!

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And my friend Katie and I hiked Mt. Jumbo a few weeks ago. What a hell of a hike, but wow was the view from the top worth it! We also decided to take a quick dip in a snowmelt pond at the top. Cold as sh*t but we couldn't help ourselves!

Now time for some eye candy in motion!

South Sawyer glacier calving when we were out there on a tour a few weekends ago...

South Sawyer Glacier Calving from Jessica Davis on Vimeo.

Orcas that decided to play with the St. Yakov a few days ago :)

Orcas in Stephens Passage from Jessica Davis on Vimeo.


A group of humpback whales diving in North Pass, a small body of water between Lincoln Island and Shelter Island.


Humpback Whales in North Pass AK from Jessica Davis on Vimeo.