Alaska: Glaciers, Gold Rush Towns, and Geocaches

June 16–23, 2022 · Alaska and British Columbia

Carnival Spirit at Icy Strait Point, seen from above.Photo: Steven Pierson

We were about to take the tram back down the mountain in Juneau when I checked the geocaching app. There was an unfound cache about 600 feet away. I was roughly 2,300 miles from home, on an Alaska cruise with bapierson and LEGOexplorer, and apparently I still couldn’t resist a first-to-find.

We’d left Seattle aboard Carnival Spirit with a week of ports and scenery ahead of us. On a road trip I can usually talk myself into one more stop. On a cruise, I have to remember that the ship has a departure time. There was still room for plenty of exploring.

An orca at Icy Strait Point

Our first Alaska port was Icy Strait Point near Hoonah. We took the gondola and looked back down at the ship from the mountainside. Near the waterfront, the Virtual An Orca at Needful Things’ Northern Outpost (GC9P7W4) brought us to Orca Dream, Wyland’s bronze of an orca breaking the surface at Kéet Plaza.

Seeing the ship from above put the place in perspective. From the dock, Carnival Spirit had looked enormous. From up there, there was a whole lot of Alaska around it.

Glacier, waterfall, and one more find in Juneau

Juneau gave us two very different views in one day. Out at Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier (GC1A34J) and Nugget Falls (GC1EHCT) gave us reasons to spend time looking at what the ice and water had done to the valley. The waterfall comes down the rock beside the lake. With the glacier in view too, I had a hard time deciding where to point the camera.

Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls from the shore of Mendenhall Lake.Photo: Steven Pierson

Back in town we took the Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts. That’s where Frosty (GC9W74F) showed up on the app just as we were getting ready to go down. We went for it and signed together as Team LEGOhead at 6:06 p.m. I took the geocoin, and LEGOexplorer claimed the pathtag. An Alaska first-to-find was never on my cruise itinerary. It was a pretty good reason to catch the next tram.

A day in Skagway

Skagway’s Gold Rush history shows up right in town. Camp Skagway No.1 (GCGJ2Q) took us to an unusual old building, while Skagway cliffs (GCG627) sent us to look at ship names painted on the rock. At Centennial Park, the EarthCache Bound and Rebound in Skagway (GC5V2TD) had us look at the valley and think about how glaciers had shaped it.

The Red Onion Saloon along Broadway in Skagway’s historic district.Photo: Steven Pierson

Skagway was also where we took the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway to the trail for Laughton Glacier. It’s still one of my favorite hikes. That outing has a story of its own. From Rail to Ice: Hiking to Laughton Glacier.

Tracy Arm from the water

The next day took us into Tracy Arm. In Juneau I’d stood on shore looking across a lake at a glacier. Here I was looking along a fjord, with waterfalls coming off the steep walls and chunks of blue ice floating past. It’s hard to show how big those walls are until there’s a boat in the frame.

A smaller boat in Tracy Arm gives a sense of scale to the rock walls and ice.Photo: Steven Pierson

Liquid sunshine in Ketchikan

Our Ketchikan stop came with rain, which made liquid sunshine (GC5XYGZ) about as well named as a cache can be. We stopped for the Welcome to Ketchikan! (GC892G1) Virtual and spent part of the day looking around town. Creek Street’s wooden boardwalk and buildings sit right over the water. Even with the rain, I kept finding reasons to take the camera out again.

Creek Street’s boardwalk and buildings above Ketchikan Creek.Photo: Steven Pierson

Victoria after dark

Our last port before Seattle was Victoria, British Columbia. We walked around the Inner Harbour as the light faded. The Fountains at Parliament (GC7B752) gave us a stop at the Parliament Buildings, and by the time I took some of my favorite photos there, the lights on the building had come on.

The British Columbia Parliament Buildings lit up at dusk in Victoria.Photo: Steven Pierson

We ended the evening at Ogden Point Breakwater/Brise-lames de Ogden Point (GC890A9). My log calls it our last cache before returning to the ship. The next morning we’d be back in Seattle with our suitcases and one more stop in mind. A Visit to Geocaching Headquarters — With Luggage in Tow.

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Field Notes

• Ship: Carnival Spirit
• Companions: bapierson and LEGOexplorer
• Route: Seattle → Icy Strait Point → Juneau → Skagway → Tracy Arm → Ketchikan → Victoria → Seattle
• Shared Juneau first-to-find: Frosty (GC9W74F)
• The Skagway town finds were a separate outing from the hike to Laughton Glacier.