Bushwhacking

By far the most amazing thing we did on this trip was bushwhacking - something I'd never heard of until it was offered as an excursion on the boat. By definition, bushwhacking is hiking off-trail through the bush, where there is no cleared path; may require hikers to force their way through overgrown areas and branches. In total, we went on four different bushwhacks, and each of them varied in intensity. The "hard charger" that we did on our fourth day was absolutely insane. There were six of us, plus a guide. There was not even the hint of a trail and we literally crawled straight up to the top of the island (only about 700 feet) on our hands and knees. Getting down was even more difficult and the landscape was fraught with Devil's Club, a plant native to Alaskan rainforests. Its stem and leaves are covered with sharp prickles that can cause serious and severe allergic reactions. We came across Devil's Club in every bushwhack and it always made the hike more challenging. Lee was constantly on the lookout for bears and it is a little crazy that although we were smack dab in the middle of bear country, we never saw any while we were out there. We did every bushwhack with friends that we made the first day - and we really enjoyed our time with them. Safe to say, no one on our boat had the same experience that we had on land! I could definitely spend an entire week in Alaska just bushwhacking.