The Sights and Sounds of Sitka

What a difference a 35-minute flight can make. Last night, after a great start to our vacation, we took a short hop over to Sitka from Ketchikan. It had been a Plan B decision to take a detour to Sitka after the ferry we were supposed to take from Ketchikan to Juneau was cancelled (we learned from locals that it needed a complete engine overhaul) – so a few weeks ago, I changed things up and booked us a flight to Sitka for a night. It turned out to be a great decision.

We lifted up out of the clouds of Ketchikan and all of a sudden, miles of amazing snowcapped mountains were below us. The colors were breathtaking – the blues of the ocean, the grays of the mountains and the white snow covered peaks. On the plane we were sitting next to a man from Colorado Springs who was headed to Sitka for a weekend fishing trip. We shared notes on favorite Colorado spots and all looked out the plane window hungrily together, practically giddy about the scenery unfolding beneath us.

The plane dropped down to the short runway on the water and quickly rushed to a stop. We had arrived in Sitka, and I was in love with it already. Blue skies, warm sun and towering peaks surrounded us. We picked up our bags and rental car and headed into town. Looking around it felt like someone had combined the craggy, rocky shores and seaside villages of Maine with the large peaks of Colorado. The weather was stunning and we felt small surrounded by all of the views.

The B&B, Raven’s Peek,  was about four miles out of town, on the only road on the island. We turned onto a long gravel driveway and drove straight up to the front entrance of the large log cabin style chalet that was to be our home for the night. When we stepped out of the car our senses were overloaded. Directly above us were three bald eagles circling and calling out, and when we turned to take in the view we realized we were on top of the world looking out over the ocean, islands and mountains. The sun was glistening and we were stopped in our tracks. I have a feeling our jaws were dropped to the dirt, because the next thing we knew, Marilyn Wise from the B&B came running out to greet us yelling “I thought I heard a car, honey our guests are here!” as she reached in for big hugs. “I’m Italian,” she explained. “I hug people.”

We were immediately whisked up into the house and into Marilyn’s stories. Marilyn is a very special lady. She and her husband Mike moved to Sitka about 11 years ago. Before that, they lived in a small village above the arctic circle, and before that they lived in Washington, D.C. She is still a practicing physician at a health clinic in Sitka and Mike is retired, but runs the B&B and his own coffee roasting company that supplies beans to shops in town. They also love art, and a local artist Keith and his wife and daughter were visiting that day, and we got a full tour of all of Keith’s beautiful and unique sculptures that adorned Marilyn and Mike’s home.

We got a full wing of the house to ourselves, with a separate entrance. The bedroom had big windows overlooking that jaw-dropping view. And we had our own private deck with a hot tub, sauna and fire pit. I was already regretting our decision to only stay a day.

We had dinner reservations at the Channel Club restaurant right down the road from the B&B. We made it at 7:30 p.m. and after spending a few minutes playing with the two resident dogs, we were seated at a front row table overlooking the ocean, the dormant volcano Mt. Edgecomb and the golden, not-quite-yet setting sun. Dinner was fabulous. I had an incredible Alaskan King Salmon on mushroom risotto and Dave had blackened cod on bok choy with a fried risotto cake. After being thoroughly stuffed with dessert and wine, we rolled back to the B&B just in time for the amazing 10 p.m. sunset and a dip in our private hot tub – all while watching bald eagles soaring over the island below and listening to the humming birds buzzing on the deck. And to think, that morning we woke up in a hotel in downtown Ketchikan.

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This morning we woke up early again at 7 a.m., the east coast jet lag is really helping us max out our days. We looked out the window and gorgeous blue skies were there to meet us. Breakfast by Mike was ready for us early, and we sat and chatted with him and Marilyn for about an hour while we enjoyed delicious food with a sweeping view of the ocean and islands.

By 10 a.m. we were off down the road and heading to the trailhead for the Harbor Mountain trail. We had researched it in advance, and Mike and Marilyn confirmed that it was a spectacular choice. To get to the trailhead, we had to drive up a 5-mile gravel fire road. Around every switchback, there were fantastic views over the ocean. We were surrounded by towering Sitka Spruces, draped in pale green moss.

We arrived at the start of the trail and there were three other cars in the parking lot – which was a perfect number – not too crowded, but other people on the trail so we knew it wouldn’t just be us and the bears today. After making some adjustments with camera equipment and the day pack, we were off up the trail. Our goal was to summit the Harbor Mtn section and head back down, a simple 5 mile round trip.

The first few switchbacks meandered through shrubs and evergreens, but it didn’t take long before we were up on a ridgeline with spectacular views. In fact, except for a few wooded sections, we were basically out of the trees for most of the hike. When we reached the first clearing, we truly felt like we were on top of the world. We were surrounded by mountains and ocean in every direction. The trail followed along a wooden boardwalk along the ridge. The mountain swept steeply down on either side of us, and snow capped mountains came into view as a constant backdrop. We had to keep turning around to remind ourselves that there was ocean there too.

About a mile in, we reached a high-point and the trail began to wrap its way round the mountain to the back side. From there it opened up into huge sloping meadows and boulder fields. High above us, dozens (no exaggeration) of eagles swooped and called. Their cry was beautiful and it cut through the silence. If you stood very still, you could hear the eagle wings swooshing in the wind overhead.

Speaking of silence – we did our very best to make sure there wasn’t much of it. We were not in the mood to sneak up on any bears. So we had our bear bell ringing as we hiked (best $3 we’ve ever spent) and Dave and I were chatting away on the trail. If there was a bear out there, he was going to hear us approaching a mile away. Now and then, we would pass other hikers and it would calm our nerves a bit. But as soon as they were out of ear shot, out came the bear bell and the silence was no more.

About two hours into the hike, after going up and up and up, we reached the summit. I was channeling my friend Jon White and running up the steep slopes. I couldn’t help myself. Rocks were used in the trail to create stairs and I just started leaping up them toward the sky. Amazing views were in reach, and so I took off! When I crested the top ridge and came to a stop, the panorama around me took my breath away. I truly believe it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stood. There we were, on a mountain top in Sitka, Alaska.

Dave and I sat on a rock and shared a granola bar and took a lot of photos. We could see all around us, and so we weren’t concerned with bears. Instead we were quiet for once, taking in the serenity of the moment. Then, all of a sudden, we hear a tremendous low grumble. It sounded like a major thunder boom – but the skies were completely blue. It was a massive avalanche off in the mountains. We couldn’t see it, but it thundered through the valley and echoed all around us. I’ll never forget that sound.

And with that, we headed back down the mountain – singing, chatting, ringing our bell and chasing those bears away. It was just as beautiful going down, and we kept taking long lingering looks at the views to try to imprint them on the mind forever. By the time we got back to the car, I wanted to go back up the hill and soak up more of it. But instead, we reluctantly made our way back down the fire road and on to pavement and back into downtown Sitka.

I had researched a small brewery, Baranof Brewing Company, and so we went to check it out. Everything in town was either very sleepy or closed because of Memorial Day, but Baranof was open and serving snacks and beer. Dave was happy having a few pints, and we ended up talking to the bartender. She had just taken a trip to New Zealand, so we were comparing notes on our trip.

Then we spent our last hour in town seeking out some lunch – which proved to be difficult because of the holiday. We found some chowder on a deck in the chilly sunshine and started dreading the fact that we would soon be leaving this awesome island in Southeast Alaska.

Our flight took off at 6:30 p.m. from the tiny airport with two gates and one flight scheduled. It would be a 20-min hop to Juneau where we would be meeting up with Chelsea Good later that night.

As I started to doze on the plane, the sights and sounds of Sitka were running through my head. Closing my eyes I saw those sharp and snowy volcanic peaks and the miles and miles of hazy blue ocean. And I thought about the crashing avalanche, the swooping eagle wings, the bouncing bear bell (and my singing that would scare off any bear) and the funny buzzing humming birds the night before.  Sitka was a very wild place full of different textures. I wish I had more time there, but I guarantee that I won’t be forgetting the sights and sounds of Sitka anytime soon.