Alaskan Adventures Day 5: At sea to Juneau

Today, we got up at 530am (thanks, Syd!) and went outside. It was gorgeous but COLD! We were supposed to be sailing to Tracey Arm Fjord, but the ice pack was too thick so we diverted to a glacier. It was a gorgeous route and crazy how the water was a different color in that area. We both felt pretty draggy today – between time changes, eating way too many calories each day, and bartenders who make some really strong drinks, we have definitely over indulged. We forced ourselves to the fitness center while Sydney was in childcare and enjoyed some fitness-induced endorphins.

Sunrise from our balcony

Iceberg!

Alaska. Ahhhh. 

Seals on a 'berg!

Random waterfall! 

And another.

No words. 

The glacier. It was really foggy and hard to get a pic. 

Around 2pm local time, we arrived in Juneau.  As much as I have enjoyed being disconnected, I hate that I couldn’t call my mom on her birthday morning so I looked forward to finding a phone signal for that.

We got off the boat and did a little exploring. It is crazy how there are waterfalls coming down the mountains just outside of town. It killed us not to hike up to them right then. 

Looking for mountain goats. 

After some exploring, we were off to meet up for our next adventure – Dog Sledding with the Gold Mine Dog Camp. We got into vans and took off up an off-roading path to the camp. It was literally nestled between two mountains. On the way, we passed an old gold mine and learned about that. When we got to the top, we saw at least 150 dogs chained to their houses in the lot. At first, I was concerned for their happiness and well-being. As many people know, we are pretty much on a quest to rescue every needy animal on the planet. Soon, we realized that these dogs are just as well-loved as ours at home – and honestly probably treated better in many ways. These dogs LOVE pulling sleds. They told us about the way they determine who likes to pull, when it is time for someone to retire from pulling, and how they take care of them each day. 

Dog & human camp.

Getting ready to pull!

They eat a raw food diet that sounds cleaner than any human I know, get at least 20 miles of running in most days, and are really just visiting this camp to stay in shape during the summer because it is cooler in Juneau than in their home areas.

Syd and her "favorite"

Zooming along!

Chilling after their run.

The dogs who pulled our sleds actually live in Colorado . We loaded onto a metal sleigh on wheels and the dogs got hooked up. As they each got hooked, they got more and more excited, dying to pull us down the path. Soon, we were off and you could tell the dogs were loving it. When we got back, we were able to love on each of them. It is funny how different they each are – none “purebred” and all mutts. Some male, some female. Even more interesting, each “camp” of dogs had their own caretaker. He or she lives on site in a tent, cares for the dogs night and day, and is typically either a racer him/herself or works for the racer who owns the dogs. These caretakers are so in love with these dogs that you can hear it in the way they talk about them and see it in the way the dogs follow them around and take orders happily. It really does seem like a seriously happy family.

These dogs were hilarious in this giant hamster wheel 

Troy trying to be a real Alaskan sledder. 

Momma doggie - pups due any day!

After our ride, we learned a little about the history of sledding and then met 6 week old puppies. They were adorable and super cuddle-y, as Sydney says. Soon, we were headed back down the mountain over the rugged terrain and into town. We hit a local restaurant called The Twisted Fish for some seriously good fish tacos and local brews and then we were off to do some shopping. They shopping here was definitely more expensive than in Ketchican, but still fun! Then, it was back to the ship to turn in for the night and get ready to head out to Skagway!

She was in love!