It is a well-known but frequently overlooked fact that Juneau is in a temperate rain forest. If you type “Juneau” into Google images, most of the photos portray Juneau as a beautiful coastal town nestled amongst jagged peaks under brilliant blue skies with ships floating placidly on calm, clear water. While the days depicted in the photos are phenomenal and worthy calendar pictures, they do not accurately represent Juneau’s climate. The lush forests don’t just sprout out of rock and sand. Rather they are fed by the 9.51 inches of rain between July and August. For Durango, July and August are part of the rainy season, during which we receive 2.9 inches of rain. A slight difference. Although the rain is more than I’m used to, it hasn’t slowed down my love of hiking and exploring. Granted I can’t see much past my own feet when I reach the top of a mountain, there is something to be said for the calm and comforting feel of low-hanging clouds cloaking the forests in a gentle mist. And, I can vouch that Arc-teryx and Grundens make fantastic rain gear. The pictures above are from one of my most recent hikes up Mount Roberts.
Yesterday, I met up with the Colliers (Maude, Mary, JB, Dave, and Sydney) in downtown Juneau for a bite to eat. The Colliers all lived on Salsbury in Birmingham near my grandparents at one time or another. They were touring Alaska aboard the Ryndam cruise ship. Upon arrival, Maude, Mary, JB, and Sydney took the Best of Juneau excursion, which included a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, a salmon bake, and whale watching, during which they witnessed a playful baby Humpback whale and a pod of orcas eating a seal. Dave opted for a dog sledding tour but was weathered down when the clouds didn’t cooperate. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet up them and look forward to keeping in touch in the future!
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