I bet you were wondering what I was doing paddling up to the head of an inlet. Well, there's a handy tram car and track to do the mile long portage over to Oliver Inlet. Had a bit of adventure with that this morning because I could not get the tram up the first steep hill. I even tried unloading everything and carrying it up the hill and then pushing the tram empty. Still couldn't do it. Fortunately, there was a smaller tram waiting at the other end and it all worked out.
I made it to Juneau! very exciting, and it's now been 3 months. hard to believe. the last leg is just icing on the cake, but I'll set off tomorrow afternoon on my way to Glacier Bay. This last leg was a great one. In addition to whales and bears, I met some great people along the way and had more good weather than bad. Saw so many whales because this is a big feeding area for them. Most of the sightings were binocular distance, rather than photo distance, but it was very cool. I could look across Seymour Canal and see 6 spouts at one time (I could see them where they contrasted with the green trees along the shore). Admiralty Inlet's Tlingit name translates to Fortress of the Bears, which is why I saw so many bears there. I saw as many from campsites as from the bear observatory, but enjoyed it much more when I felt like I was watching from a safe vantage point. And they are all brown bears there.
Should sign off now as there are other hostel-ers waiting to use the computer. Happy trails, Amanda
