A trip during the age of COVID. We originally planned this thing in 2019 and got cancelled for obvious reasons. Lots of changes in everything but it was accomplished without anyone catching the dreaded illness. The organizing group, Orbridge, was great in having everyone PCR tested before the trip and rapid antigen tested before boarding the ship midway in the journey. Masks were everywhere and we really got tired of them.

First was Denali via the Alaska Railway and park bus. Just magnificent. We got clear skies and the morning clouds cleared for a great view. Next was the Arctic Circle flight to the small town (11) of Wiseman, and our guide Jack. We made our way to Sitka via Talkeetna to board the ship, Chichigof Dream, a small ship (70 or so). Good food and companionship made for an easy time. Stops included trails in temperate forests, a Norwegian town (Petersburg), a salmon fishery, humpback whales “bubble fishing,” glaciers and icebergs, and a lot more. We ended the journey in a rainy Juneau.

All photos were taken with a Nikon Z 7 with various lenses, a Surface Duo, or an Apple iPhone X. Processing was done with either Capture 1 or DxO PhotoLab 4 and captioned in Windows 11.