We recently traveled to Sitka, Alaska with the loose agenda of hiking during the day and seeing music at night for the final installment of Homeskillet Fest. As it tends to happen when exploring a beautiful new place, we immediately lost track of time. The views we found atop each ridgeline we hiked to reminded us more of landscapes we had seen on tropical islands than Alaska. The mild, coastal climate and high precipitation around Sitka provide the surrounding coastal volcanic islands with a lush-green coating of hearty plants and trees. While exploring one of the lower riverside trails, Pink Salmon were swimming upstream creating black clouds of fish for us to follow up the trail to Indian Falls. After about an hour of walking in wonder, we found ourselves standing barefoot on a mossy stack of rocks and unable to resist the urge to jump into the glacier-fed river to swim with the fishes.
Photography by Megumi Arai
Hiking: Gavin Hill to Harbor Mountain and Indian River Trail
Food: Ludvig's Bistro and Homeport Eatery
Music: Homeskillet Fest