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Hiking in Kodiak

For some reason, it was really crowded getting off the ship in Kodiak today.  The line was incredibly long and if you know anything about Fred, you’ll know that patience is not one of his greatest attributes.  He is just not made to stand in long lines.  So, we ate breakfast and then paced the floors for well over an hour waiting for the lines to disappear.  It actually turned out to be a blessing because we ran into some friends, Mark and Linda, that ended up going hiking with us.

A view of Kodiak, Alaska from the bridge – you can see the cruise ship in the distance

Once we got off the ship, we waited in a shorter line to get on the shuttle bus that took us to the tourist info center.  We had planned to hike Pillar Mountain Trail, but the guy at the info desk told us we wouldn’t be able to see much of anything up there since it was really foggy.  Instead, he recommended a hike on Near Island, which was only a short walk from where we were.  It was just across a bridge and about 1/3 mile down a partially unpaved road.

This was taken as we walked along a roadway to the park.

One of the best things about waiting until almost 11am to leave the ship is that the weather was very cooperative for us.  We had absolutely no rain today!  It was still quite chilly, but once we started moving at a faster pace, I stripped down to just one warm layer and was very comfortable.  It was just about perfect!

Our hiking crew at Rotary Park: Linda, Mark, Fred, Kayla & Kyle (and me – avoiding photos as much as possible, of course)

The guy at the info center told us the location was easy to find.  He was right!  He hadn’t even told us the name of the place we were going, but it was clear when we found it that we were in the right place.  We took the main trail straight into the park and then decided on the path to the left.  I’m not even sure it had a name, but it was easy to follow.

Kyle enjoys a sip of water while we decide which trail to take.

There isn’t really much that’s new to report about today.  It was just another absolutely wonderful outdoor experience in the amazing state of Alaska.  The raw, natural beauty is just everywhere here.  Kayla got some photos for her reference library, while Kyle and I used my phone to snap a few pics to share on the blog – and here they are 🙂

This photo was taken near the beginning of the hike, looking directly down the trail.
One of the views along the trail – you can see the water through the trees
A tree covered in moss that caught our eyes
A better view of the water from our hike – not sure if the land masses seen are part of Near Island or Kodiak Island.

After our hike, we did some shopping and picked up some goggles for Kayla and Fred so they could go swimming on the ship.  We ran into one of our favorite crew members (Kevin) outside the store and shared a cab back to the ship.  There is no public transportation system in Kodiak, so the main way to get around is by taxi.

Our next port is in Japan, so you won’t hear much from me over the next week, since it will take almost that long for us to get there!  Talk to you all soon!