The Alaska Marine Highway ferry has a special on this summer, the 'see Alaska pass', which enables us to hop on and off at different ports along the Inside Passage. The Inside Passage is a waterway secluded from the Pacific by Islands, and therefore has calm waters, and a very wet climate. Arnout, Anna's brother flies in to Juneau, Alaska's capital to join us for a few weeks.
To celebrate his arrival we decide to have an easy day in the luxury of a backpackers hostel. But after a restless first night amongst snoring co-travellers in the bunks of YHA, with annoying rules like the rule you can't stay there during the day, we set up camp at Mendenhall glacier. We walk up both the East and West glacier trails, to see the glacier mouth from close up. Big cracks in the ice and the intense blue are an amazing sight.
In the past weeks we have become a bit complacent storing our food and cooking wear at night, and we are taught a lesson one morning when all our pots, stoves and food is gone from the toiletblock where we had left it 'safe from the bears'. We find it back behind the window of a van, a pool of vomit under the door warns of the drinking habits of the person inside. Initially he doesn't seem to agree these are our bags, but then tells us he was protecting our stuff from bad people.... We have to be more vigilant and hang our things in the woods again.
On the ferry down to Petersburg we are welcomed by over 25 humpback whales, blowing and breaching in the distance.
Petersburg is an old Norwegian settlement. From here we do a kayaktour into the LeConte glacier arm. It's an amazing day, being surrounded by icebergs, vertical rock slopes, waterfalls, and the glacier itself, calving icebergs into the sea with a loud rumble. On the way back a pod of orcas swim around the boat. A day couldn't be more perfect.
We sailed out to Prince Rupert yesterday, and were hoping to enjoy some peace in a hostel, only to be sent away on the streets today, because a gasline was hit just in front of the house. We have been outdoors all day, our tummies are starting to complain, but the police won't let us in. We seem to have no luck with these rest days in hostels. Well, tomorrow we'd better get on those bikes again.
Love
Anna and Ali
