In The Beginning...

We are just starting our trip and unfortunately won't be able to post much until we get back to Seattle. Our cruise line specializes in "off the beaten path" itineraries and has no cell or internet connectivity. Here is the planned itinerary of our ship, the Wilderness Explorer

JUNEAU, ALASKA Set sail for the Endicott Arm wilderness.

ENDICOTT ARM OR TRACY ARM Take an early peek out your window. Fjord cliffs reach skyward. Floating ice. And deep u-shaped valleys. Cruise past harbor seals and their pups lounging on chunks of ice. At the end of Endicott, the blue face of Dawes Glacier is stories high. Tides permitting, your skiff driver knows its character and guides you along. It's a mashup of towering walls, temperamental currents, and the Coastal Mountains. So many waterfalls. Mountain goats show off fancy foot work on the cliffs. .

STEPHENS PASSAGE Humpback are frequent visitors of this Southeast passage. Your captain navigates Stephens Passage to Port Houghton. And you're in for a boot-sucking, paddle-smacking day of adventure with your guide team. Slip off the kayak launch and take it slow spotting sea stars and shore birds. Hard chargers take a long wild paddle to the salt chuck at the back of the inlet. Or, hike into the Tongass. It's a landscape of hanging waterfalls and shades green.

THOMAS BAY / WRANGELL NARROWS This is way back backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Glacial landscapes marked by moraines, muskegs, and mud. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier. Or keep it green tromping through a grassy meadow into the forest. Later, pass by the fishing town of Petersburg and wind into the Wrangell Narrows.

WRANGELL Wrangell is one of the oldest towns in Alaska. It's also the only one ever governed by four nations. The Tlingit cultures have deep roots here. And local islanders come aboard this morning with a presentation that brings their stories and legends to life. Venture into town for a view of recently carved totem poles at Kiksetti Totem Park.

BEHM CANAL Wildlife abounds. Black bears, mink, eagles. In Behm Canal, it's all remote waterways and the isolated Tongass National Forest. On Cleveland Peninsula, your expedition team leads a low-elevation hike with wide-stretching views. Good opportunities for panoramic shots of Southeast. In the water orca, porpoises, seals, and otters go about their business. Go about yours on a guided paddle along the canal. An intertidal shore walk circles a tall sea stack covered in green.

MISTY FJORDS NATIONAL MONUMENT Its affectionate nickname, "The Yosemite of the North," is deserved. There are places on the planet that completely overcome you. Misty Fjords National Monument represents nearly every ecosystem found in Southeast Alaska. And that alone is a lot to consider. Glacial valleys filled with sea water. Sheer 3,000 foot cliffs. Sea birds, brown and black bears, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, all find safe haven here. Kayak in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay and you find it's just as easy to paddle and go, as it is to sit and float and take it all in. Or skiff to the base of a waterfall for fjord-released shower. It's an amazing wrap to your week.

KETCHIKAN, ALASKA After breakfast this morning, bid adieu

Many thanks to Sue Pickens of Sapphire Travels and Tours for all her help in arranging the many pieces of this trip.