I’m writing this while overlooking the blue-green waters of the Chilkoot Lake. Eric is off in the moss covered woods foraging mushrooms and shooting macro photography. Joni is in the van napping off her morning walk. The sun is shining and has been for the past week. It’s the best week we’ve had in Alaska. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that has made Haines, Alaska so special to us. It’s likely a combination of a lot of things, towering mountains, abundant land and marine wildlife, friendly locals, magical forests, and absent hordes of tourists. Honestly though, I think it’s mostly a general feeling, this has been the first place I’ve felt completely and truly relaxed since being in Alaska.

We left Valdez a week and a half ago, it’s a place I’d love to go back to when the weather is right. Like most of July and August though, it rained the entire time we were there. We made the most of it, visiting the salmon hatchery and watching the sea lions feast, and kayaking through ice caves in Valdez Glacier Lake. The waterfalls were roaring which was an impressive sight to see. All things considered, our time in Valdez was awesome. But the constant rain was getting to us. 

It’s hard to see the impact certain things have on your mood until you’re on the other side of it. We made every effort to get outside even in the rain, but we ended up spending a lot of time in the van either on our phones or on our computers. Being cooped up and having constant access to the internet is never a good thing. Though we had unfinished business in Valdez, (we never did get out on the water to see the glaciers) it was time to chase some sunshine and see new sights.

We left Valdez and drove thirteen hours to Haines over three days. Our drive through Canada was the perfect digital detox I needed. As an added bonus to said detox, Instagram has glitched and the app no longer functions on my phone. It’s been a blessing, I’ve felt myself being less addicted to my phone, I’m more creative, and I’m reading more. Honestly, even if this glitch ever resolves, I’m not sure I’ll re-download the app. 

Less connected to the digital world and more connected to the actual world, we drove into Haines via one of the most scenic routes we’ve ever driven down the Haines Highway. Our border crossing was incredibly relaxed, the border agent glanced at our passports, asked no questions, and welcomed us back into the United States. Feeling relieved to have our sixth crossing completed this year (eight for me if you consider flights back to the US this summer), we continued along.

Jagged peaks towered around us as we came into the Chilkat Valley. A large portion on the Haines Highway after the US border is a bald eagle preserve. We learned that in November, this river is host to the largest congregation of bald eagles in North America, with over 3,500 of them stopping through. That day, we only saw a handful, many of them must be summering elsewhere. After a long day of driving, we stopped to make camp along the riverbed. We were lulled to sleep by the white noise of water rushing past us. In all of the camp spots we’ve stayed in, the ones near rivers are always our favorite. 

We came into town on a Sunday and quickly learned that almost nothing in Haines is open on Sundays. Luckily the grocery store was, as we needed to stock up. Most of Alaska has been significantly pricier for groceries, but Haines may be the worst we’ve seen. More peanut butter and jelly sammies on the menu! The main grocery store in town is an IGA, and it felt straight out of the 70s. The produce selection was pretty dismal, and the first bread we picked off the shelf was five days past date. It’s beautiful here, but there’s a price to pay for remoteness.

Our wallets light, but our pantry fuller, we headed down along the Lutak Inlet where we had heard you could camp in several pullouts. We found a level spot far enough off the road and called it home for the night. We threw open our side doors and gazed out into the ocean, catching glimpses of curious seals a few times. 

The next morning we headed up the Chilkoot River to watch the bears feasting on the salmon run. We were lucky enough to watch a mama bear and her two cubs fishing the salmon weir. Though we’ve seen our fair share of bears between our trip to Katmai National Park and Russian River in Cooper Landing, it never gets old watching these majestic creatures. Over the next few days, we would see this mama bear two more times.

It’s rare that we will pay for a campsite, but as we drove up the road we found the state park campground on Chilkoot Lake too gorgeous to pass up. We snagged the prime spot overlooking the water and set up camp. I inflated the kayak and took Joni out for a paddle on the lake while Eric went off to the woods to forage and take pictures. It’s not often that we get time apart so this was a healthy afternoon for us both. We actually had stories to tell each other for once! The next morning we stayed until we were forced to check out and decided to head back into town to see some of the shops that were closed on Sunday. 

The first stop was, of course, the brewery. We first tried their signature beers, the Spruce Tip Ale and Black Fang Porter, both were delightful. We were too intrigued by the barleywine so we split a glass of that too. Next we headed to the local bookstore, aptly named The Bookstore. In our two years on the road, we have loved browsing bookstores but rarely take any with us, we don’t have a bookshelf (one of our greatest mistakes in our van build). The owner of The Bookstore, Amy, has curated a selection that proved too tempting, we came away with FIVE new books. We are now the proud new owners of a book basket in the van, a long overdue renovation.

We initially picked out four books but after chatting with the owner, we ended up being gifted another. Amy graciously gave us a signed copy of “If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name” written by Haines local celebrity and Alaskan Laureate of the Year, Heather Lende. I ended up devouring the book in two days, gaining insight into Haines and making me fall in love with this small town even more. Thank you again Amy, I will be recommending this book to everyone! After The Bookstore, we bopped around the various galleries in town featuring local Haines artists. Haines has one of the highest concentrations of artists in a rural town. We’ve been told the long winters here allow for a lot of time to be creative. 

We spent the rest of our time in Haines bouncing back and forth between downtown, the Chilkat River, and Chilkoot Lake. Joni’s favorite was the Chilkat River where she ran and howled like a puppy and waded in the chilly water. Off leash camp spots are her absolute favorite, it was fun to see her show off her energy. We drove down to Chilkat State Park once (mostly to say we drove every inch of road in Haines) but didn’t stay long, it was windy and not any prettier than the other places we’d seen. *I retract this statement, as we passed on our ferry, I realized the Davidson Glacier was behind clouds when we visited, the view was STUNNING, we just couldn’t see it.*

On our last full day in Haines, we celebrated Eric’s birthday. We enjoyed a slow morning sipping coffee on the river. After breaking camp, we headed down Battery Point Trail for a hike through possibly the most lush forest we’ve ever been in. Everywhere we looked there was a bed of moss and more kinds of mushrooms than we’ve ever seen. On trail, we met a local man who grinned widely as he held up a bag of foraged mushrooms as full as our own and said “There’s a lot of food out here!” He told us that since the landslide in the area, a river had been diverted and making the forest a lot wetter than it previously was. These were the perfect conditions for a fungi explosion! We’ve decided wherever we settle down (if we ever do ;-)) we have to live near a forest like the one here. 

After frolicking in the forest for way longer than we intended, it was time to sample the local flavors. We started with cocktails at Port Chilkoot Distillery where they make all their own spirits in a renovated building of the old fort. My drink had absinthe made with locally sourced spruce tips and wormwood. Before you ask, no, I didn’t hallucinate. Eric tried a drink with their award winning gin, which is also made using spruce tips. Both were delicious. We chatted with the bartenders who advised us that Juneau, our next port of call, was “Ok, but it wouldn’t be Haines.” They made recommendations for the pizza parlor where we headed next. On their suggestion, we ordered the Money Penny which was smothered in goat cheese, mushrooms, and truffle oil. My mouth is still watering thinking about it.

To top off the night we paid a visit to the Three Northmen, a meadery fit for a Viking. Kid you not, they still throw peanut shells on the ground! We felt like we walked straight into a Texas Roadhouse from the 90s, although this place had a more Nordic rustic vibe than southern roadhouse. We sampled a flight of their meads and ciders which were strong but delicious. With full bellies, we headed back to camp on the ocean. The golden sun shone on the peaks across the inlet before slipping below the horizon, a perfect end to a full day of celebration.

It’s been six days in Haines and I’m feeling bittersweet about leaving. When John Muir visited this area, he warned young men not to visit. He said they would either have to stay, or live the rest of their lives disappointed. I’m not sure I could live here, there are a lot of drawbacks, but I’m sure that I will often be disappointed by the views any other place has to offer. Haines has stolen our hearts but as we board the ferry to travel down inside passage, I’m anxious to see what Juneau and Ketchikan have to offer. If you feel inspired and want to learn more about how to plan a trip to Haines for yourself, read up on the best things to do. Bon Voyage until next time!