Wrangell, Alaska
It’s an overcast day in Wrangell, Alaska, a tiny town nestled on an island in Southeast Alaska. Overcast days aren’t unusual here, and I count myself lucky that it’s not raining, as I head down the gangway of our larger expedition vessel and step on to our smaller, 7-person aluminum-hulled jet boat. Although I’ve been to Wrangell before, I’ve never left town, so I’m excited! After meeting the team, welcoming our guests onboard, and a quick safety presentation, our adventure begins.
What is said adventure? This is one of the most sought after tours in the Wrangell area: a jet boat ride to a trailhead in the Anan wildlife viewing area of the Tongass National Forest. This area is known to be a hotspot for bear activity later in the season, so although we don’t expect to see any today, we keep our eyes peeled while we enjoy the beautiful scenery en route to our rainforest hike.
Our vessel for the day
Only minutes after pulling away from the dock, our first wildlife sighting! Our local captain Zach spots a Sitka black-tailed deer! I’ve always loved seeing these animals – we don’t have them up in Southcentral Alaska, where I’m from, so they’re a fun treat to see down here in Southeast. I was so engrossed in watching them that I forgot to take any pictures (oops). We watched them for a few minutes, before jetting away towards our destination.
About 20 minutes later, we are stunned and excited to see … a bear! A lovely and active black bear is hanging out and eating right by the waterline. We weren’t expecting any bear activity at all, so our captain quickly slows the boat and we hurry outside – this time, I remember to take my camera!
Black bear checking us out!
The bear lumbered about on the shoreline and we quietly took in its actions in awe, as it paid us absolutely no mind at all. After about 10 minutes, it head back up in to the forest, and we continued our journey. We had to get to our trailhead, after all!
Well, wouldn’t you know it, just a short few minutes later, we see another bear eating and enjoying itself by the waterline! We can’t believe it! We do the same routine – slow the boat, rush outside camera in hand, and take in this amazing animal. This bear similarly is completely unbothered by us, and eventually we have to say goodbye and continue to head towards the trail. Just as we’re leaving, the bear finally brings its head up and looks directly at the boat! We ooh-ed and aah-ed as we jetted away. All of that in our first hour… we hadn’t even made it to the trail yet!
Our second black bear of the day!
Eventually, we make it to our destination. Captain Zach drives the jetboat right up to the shore, and he and Brenda, our guide, lower a ladder right on to the pebbled, seaweed-covered beach. We hop off the boat and get a quick refresher on bear safety, and head off in to the forest. Although our trek is short in distance, it is rich in beauty, and we hike along an incredibly dense, green, rainforested trail for about 45 minutes, stopping often to soak in the beauty.
Excited to hit the trail!
Although it’s certainly not my first time in an environment like this, all four of the guests on the trip had never experienced the Southeastern Alaska rainforest, and it was a true delight to see their enjoyment. Every few meters, they pointed out moss, or mentioned just how alive, or how peaceful, the trail felt. I couldn’t agree more, and it was special to share with “newbies,” so obviously enthralled with the area.
Beautiful creek in the Anan Wildlife Viewing Area
At the end of our trail, we reached a platform that will be used for bear viewing later in the season. Although there was no visible wildlife (unless you count the 3 fisherman we saw on the way up!) we enjoyed the beautiful stream rushing by underneath the platform, and continued to soak up the incredible scenery.
Of course, we eventually had to head back to the beach for our pickup. As we were preparing to leave, we saw small brown creatures swimming and crawling on the rocks – minks! Another animal that’s pretty rare to see up in the area in which I grew up, so this was an exciting sight… and as we were soaking that in, an eagle took flight from a nearby tree and soared over us, wings outstretched. It was an amazing moment.
Our boat left at low tide, and the shore was covered in mussels and seaweed.
The jet boat back was a great experience – our guide broke out packages of meat, cheese, and crackers, and cans of wine! As we toasted to our adventure and enjoyed our snack, we had one final surprise. A brown bear was exploring the waterline! We didn’t get a long look at him, he head in to the trees pretty quickly as we slowed down, but what a special way to end our tour.
We arrived back at the dock happy and excited – for the wildlife, the scenery, and the action. It was a special day, and reminded me, once again, just how proud and lucky I am to call this big, beautiful state my home.
