Posts Tagged: Hiking

Once the capital of Russian Alaska, Sitka is now a gorgeous town nestled among the islands of the Inside Passage. Surrounded by green hills, then larger mountains and icecaps to the east, and the ocean and smaller islands to the west, Sitka is usually listed among the prettiest towns in Alaska, and often among the prettiest in America. I was supposed to visit on my last trip to Alaska, but bad weather delayed our flights, and we had to skip the town altogether.

I’ve spent two summers in Alaska, and a week on the Inside Passage, but I still jump at any opportunity to return to the state. The early summer of 2021 was an unusual time to visit, as much of the state had reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic, but the cruise ships that bring most of the state’s tourists still weren’t permitted to sail.

We arrived in Ketchikan on a Wednesday evening and checked into the Black Bear Inn. Strolling around downtown Ketchikan, we noticed that many of the shops—several which are owned and operated by the cruise ship companies—were shuttered. We got some beers at the Bawden Street Brewing Company and then ate a tasty dinner at the Heen Kahidi Dining Room which, perched in the Cape Fox Lodge on the hills above town, also offers excellent views.

I’ve always been curious about Maine, but I’d never had an opportunity to visit. I’d planned a trip to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic for the fall of 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Americans weren’t allowed to travel to Europe, and our vacation fell through. Maine seemed like a good alternative: the state required that visitors be tested before arrival, and it had implemented safety policies at hotels, restaurants, and bars.

Tucked away in a corner of the John Muir Wilderness, Red Slate Mountain isn’t climbed all that frequently. That’s a shame, because it’s a fun climb, and the summit offers amazing views—at 13,129 feet, the only higher Sierra to the north is Mount Ritter (though some sources list Red Slate at 13,163’, which would make it higher than Ritter), and the next higher peak to the south is nine or ten miles away. It’s simplest to climb the mountain from the east: you start at McGee Pass Trailhead off of Highway 395 (near Tom’s Place), and it’s about 22 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation gain to the summit. It’s typically done as an overnight trip, but can be done as a very long day hike.