Living in an Inside Cabin

Downtown Juneau from the Mt Roberts Tram

I may have to buy another pair of jeans.  We are in Juneau and are hiking 2.5 miles up Mount Roberts in the rain. My jeans are taking on mud as we climb.  My backside is getting a workout taking the high steps necessary to climb some parts of the trail.  Fortunately the rainforest is so thick that we are actually sheltered for most of the climb.  There is some open area where the rain penetrates but for most of the time we are out there we are surprisingly dry.

The many colors of green present themselves to us as we walk.  Bright green new growth ferns, deep green in the evergreens and everything in between everywhere we look.  The leaves are huge, like you see in the tropical rainforest of Central America.  I was not expecting that.  It is too dark between the shade and the rain to take photos.  The colors would just not be done justice.  It is peaceful away from the crowds of the ships shopping in town; we meet just two couples hiking down as we ascend.  No one else is climbing, as it is late in the afternoon.  Just over an hour hiking brings us to the nature center on the mountain where we can catch the tram back to town.  It is too wet, dark and late to hike down for which I am thankful, as is my gluteus maximus.

The view shows us downtown and all the docked ships, the harbor and Douglas Island across the way.  On a sunny day, it is gorgeous.  It is a quick few minutes almost straight down to town and the crowds  on the streets to which we are we are accustomed.  The shoppers don’t know what they are missing.