Two Excursions We Loved!

[sdatex]

Sailed SB on the Coral Princess June 11 - 18. Thought I would describe 2 excursions DH & I took and loved (in our early 50's). When doing my research on CC I didn't find very much info on them. Both were booked through Princess because I could not find a way to book them independently. They are for people who want a bit more action in their excursions.

The first is the Heli-Hike-Train Adventure by Packer Expedition in Skagway. You begin with a wonderful 20 - 25 min. helicopter tour of Skagway, the valley it's in, the mountains around and a quick visit (in the air) to Laughton Glacier. The helicopter takes you up the valley and then sets down next to the train tracks and the Tongass National Forest. We hiked about 3 miles into the forest beside a glacier river. Absolutely gorgeous and a relatively easy hike, although I would not recommend it for anyone with hip or knee problems. There is an Outhouse/bathroom stop at the end of the hike. Then you turn around and hike back the way you came to the train tracks. The hike took about 2 - 3 hrs. Packer has arranged for the White Pass Train to stop on its way back down to Skagway. They reserve the last railcar to hold their hikers. As a bonus they give you a snack of salmon pate on crackers. The train ride lasted about 20 - 25 minutes and the scenery is beautiful. The guides were very knowledgeable about everything.

The second excursion we loved - especially DH as he is a fisherman - was in Keitchkan. It was called the Alaskan Wilderness Fishing and Dining excurision. It took several hours and did use up all our time in port. Make sure you dress warmly for this one - lots of layers, hat, gloves! It's cold when you're flying across the water. We were picked up when we reached the island and walked over to another section of the dock where we were outfitted with rubber rain suits & boots. We did have to buy a fishing license for $20. We were divided into groups of 4 and directed to an aluminum fishing boat with a guide. The guide takes you out into the Inlet to wherever he thinks the best fishing is for about 2 - 3 hours. Everyone in our boat caught fish - rockfish, cod and a halibut. The guide then takes you and your fish to an island where an outdoor kitchen is set up. Very rustic and beautiful. They have a campfire going with hot coffee, tea and hot chocolate. We met other people on the excursion and all sat around the campfire telling of our adventure while our fish was made into a stew. The fish stew was served with sourdough bread and followed by blueberry bread pudding. It was absolutely delicious! When we left the island our guide brought along some of the fish carcasses which he threw out into the water at a certain point. A bald eagle swooped out of a tree and caught the fish carcass in it's talons. Wow! What a way to end a great day!

[PennyAgain]

Thanks for posting about your tours. Some times it just seems like the same old things over and over, but yours are superior experiences.

[vbmom87]

It was great to read about some new adventures. As the poster above mentioned, it seems the same tours are talked about over and over. Glad you took a chance on something different and really enjoyed your experiences. Thank you for coming back to share you experience.

[eh2zed]

Thanks for sharing

[sdatex]

We really enjoyed both of them. Another thing we liked about them is that the groups were small. We live in a major metropolitian area and one of our goals on this cruise was to stay away (as much as possible :)) from all the crowds. On the fishing excursion we saw whales in the Inlet where we were fishing. Another wow!

[Suzanne123]

My husband has taken the Alaskan Wilderness Fishing and Dining excursion five times, and he always has a great time and lots of pictures of huge fish he says HE caught. (I think those college girls who set up the camp site may have something to do with it, too) :)