Ketchikan Alaska and Misty Fjords - Day 8

Today as we were pulling into the narrows leading into the port of Ketchikan, a young Humpback Whale was jumping out of the water repeatedly in breach seemingly playing for those of us on board to watch. Despite being a younger, smaller whale, the sight was no less cool.

LUMBERJACK SHOW

We pulled into the port of Ketchikan; on my schedule foret was to take in a Lumberjack show. I know, a bit cheesy but was very cool and styled after the Stihl lumberjack contests you see on TV on ESPN.

The audience was divided between the two rival camps, The US and Canada. Events such as Axe throwing, Stand and chop between your legs, Swing and Chop shoulder height, The plank Chop make 2 small cuts and stick two planks in so you can climb and balance on the plank to chop up above; The pole climb, power saw race, 2 man saw race, and log rolling. All very cool, a bit corny and cheesy at times with characters etc but a lot of fun.

MISTY FJORDS NATIONAL PARK

Next it was a floatplane ride over to the Misty Fjords National Park. These fjords were cut from granite by huge glaciers long since retreated. The mountain tops are well rounded from the glaciers that moved over the tops, but huge sheer granite cliffs were formed and deep fjords and small lakes carved into the granite.  Our Bush Pilot, Charlie, flew us out and skimmed mountaintops so we could see the markings in the granite mountain from the glacier. After flying in and around these fjords he told us we were going to set down in a lake carved into a bowl with towering granite cliffs. He told us not to be alarmed as we flew straight for the granite wall. He turned parallel to the wall a few moments later and our wing tip seemed to be inches away. He explained he needed to ‘brush up against the wall’ in order to have room to make a steep diving turn to land on the lake.

He set us down into the lake and cut the engines so we could go out on to the pontoons and just take it all in. It was amazing just thinking we landed in this small area surrounded by towering cliffs. He explained that this lake was several hundred feet deep and not to drop anything into it including ourselves! After we spent about 10-15 minutes out there, we all climbed back inside and we took off and skimmed the mountain top. On the way back to Ketchikan he skimmed, literally, a few mountaintops as we searched for mountain goats. We saw plenty.

Back in Ketchikan, Charlie skimmed by the cruise ships and set us down on the ocean, dead ahead was a trawler coming right at us, but Charlie explained, he was in our landing right of way and was obligated to move. He did. Charlie brought us back to the dock, and rushed to open the doors and say goodbye as we left, I saw rushed cause he forgot to turn off the engine, and had to come back inside to do that, much to a chuckle from all of us inside.