The Thompson docked at the Coast Guard station in Ketchikan, Alaska. Morgan took this picture from a sea plane!
At the start of the rain forest trail. (Photo by Jen Boehme)
Eagles were plentiful in Ketchikan. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
In the late afternoon, 6 eagles were diving and grabbing small fish out of the water next to the dock. I snapped this picture as one glided by the ship. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
Natalie mentioned that the forest we hiked through looked like a place where you might find Ents. I would have to agree. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
The trees in the rain forest above Ketchikan were huge and moss covered. (Photo by Lisa Pickell)
An enormous rain forest tree in Ketchikan. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
Ketchikan is known for its totems. This is one in downtown Ketchikan was designed and carved in 1983 by Dempsey Bob and Stanley Bevan to honor the Tongass Tlingit people who historically inhabited the local area. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
KETCHIKAN, AK (June 3, 2007): I have had a particularly busy day with many incubation samples to filter and several to set up. Natalie, a student with Charlie Trick, is helping me since Peggy and Charlie both left the cruise in Ketchikan and now have their feet firmly planted on solid ground. Natalie was a huge help today and I must say we filtered the samples in record time. Tomorrow will be busy as well and I'm beat, so I'll use this post to catch you up on our visit to Ketchikan.
We arrived in Ketchikan in the morning of May 30th. A group of us set off to find a hiking trail that Terrance, the mess attendant told us about. After a bit of confusion, we found the trail and even though it was foggy and rainy, there was a near unanimous decision to hike up to the first lookout which was at 1500 feet. I am glad that we did, because as the trail led us up the side of the mountain, we were surrounded by the temperate rain forest. The trees were huge and moss covered. The mist and the lush vegetation created a primeval setting.
With the help of some occasional and mutual encouragement, we reached the lookout where we took pictures of each other standing in front of the "view" which was a blanket of clouds and fog. Even though I was tired and soaked after the hike back down, it felt really good to get out into the forest and hike amid green living plants again.
An afternoon of shopping and touring and an evening out with good company certainly improved my attitude!
