“I followed a man to Sitka. I fell out of love with him, but in love with Sitka. I’m still here. This is home.” A young woman sitting next to us at dinner expresses a common attitude among Sitka residents. They love it here. They’re here because they want to be. This isn’t the type of place you drive through accidentally and end up staying. This little city of 8900 (although it’s the fourth largest city in Alaska) can be accessed only by boat or plane.
Sitka is a destination city where people plan to come. There’s infectious local pride. People know each other. One local tells us “If you make enemies, it becomes a VERY small town, so we all get along.” Alaska in general, and definitely in Sitka, there are lots of colorful characters. We meet a man well into his 70’s who lives on his boat year round, parked in one of the Sitka marinas. We ask how he deals with living on a boat in the cold winter. His response was “It’s not cold here. The North Slope where I used to live, now THAT’s cold.” While I’m not sure I’d be hearty enough to live on a boat year-round here, it’s true that even on the coldest winter days, Sitka doesn’t usually get below 32 degrees F. because of the Japanese current.
It’s beautiful here, and distinctive landmarks make it impossible to forget you’re in Sitka. On a clear day, the Edgecombe Volcano looks over the town from across the bay, and downtown feels protected by the steeples of the Russian Orthodox Church, an ever-present reminder of Sitka’s past where in 1808 Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America.
Sitka is a destination city where people plan to come. There’s infectious local pride. People know each other. One local tells us “If you make enemies, it becomes a VERY small town, so we all get along.” Alaska in general, and definitely in Sitka, there are lots of colorful characters. We meet a man well into his 70’s who lives on his boat year round, parked in one of the Sitka marinas. We ask how he deals with living on a boat in the cold winter. His response was “It’s not cold here. The North Slope where I used to live, now THAT’s cold.” While I’m not sure I’d be hearty enough to live on a boat year-round here, it’s true that even on the coldest winter days, Sitka doesn’t usually get below 32 degrees F. because of the Japanese current.
It’s beautiful here, and distinctive landmarks make it impossible to forget you’re in Sitka. On a clear day, the Edgecombe Volcano looks over the town from across the bay, and downtown feels protected by the steeples of the Russian Orthodox Church, an ever-present reminder of Sitka’s past where in 1808 Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America.
We’ve decided to stay on in Sitka for a few days following the cruise to do some hiking, spend time with the locals and further explore the area.
In planning our Sitka stay, the first decision was “Does it make sense to rent a car where roads end in both directions within ten miles of town?” We decide we will, and we’re glad we now have wheels. The end of the road in both directions brings us to trailheads leading to amazing hikes. Our favorite is the Herring Cove Trail at the end of Sawmill Creek Road.
In planning our Sitka stay, the first decision was “Does it make sense to rent a car where roads end in both directions within ten miles of town?” We decide we will, and we’re glad we now have wheels. The end of the road in both directions brings us to trailheads leading to amazing hikes. Our favorite is the Herring Cove Trail at the end of Sawmill Creek Road.
We are in a rainforest and it is drizzling slightly today, but it’s about 65 degrees and comfortable and the light rain sets the tone for our hike by the creek, next to continuous waterfalls, huge trees, moss, ferns and huge plant leaves.
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