Alaska by the numbers

My head is still spinning a bit from our recent Alaskan Cruise. It's one of those things where you're left thinking to yourself, did I really do that? Or am I just dreaming? We loved our first glimpse of the Alaskan wilderness and are already working on a way to get back there. 

I'm still not sure where to begin with sharing everything (literally have thousands of photos), so I thought starting out with a fun list would be a good way to get things organized. And since sharing Europe by Numbers, this seemed like the best way to share an overview of our trip. 

2,066 nautical miles sailed on the Emerald Princess. Plus 76 statute miles hiking through Alaskan wilderness, strolling through mountain towns, and walking all the laps around the cruise ship to take in gorgeous views.

using every form of transportation possible to get to explore Alaska since many of it's cities don't have roads in or out: 3 plane rides, one cruise ship, 2 ferry boats, 1 very steep railroad ride, & 1 aerial tram dangling off the side of the mountain 

36 dolphins all swimming in a pod across the ocean

47 waterfalls before I stopped counting, even still we didn’t get our full share

3 Alaskan cities visited…Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway

stumbled upon 1 very intent porcupine focused on his meal

4 bald eagles spotted soaring through the trees

endless stops to take in the scent of Ocean Air and Sitka Spruce all in one breath

7 black tail Sitka deer along the river bank

3 wild salmon caught with our bare hands, that were then promptly released to swim the salmon run with thousands more and spawn

9 visits to the cruise hot-tub with mountain views involved, can you blame us?  

14oz of an Alaskan King Crab devoured all in one sitting

6 ice glaciers, 2 floating and 4 hanging thanks to a trip through the Juneau Ice-fields

3 black bears, well 1 and 2/3 actually…a Mama and her 2 cubs

5 humpback whales spotted while eating dinner, BEST MEAL EVER 

2 Fjords visited within as many days

More than anything, I'm amazed with how much wildlife we got to see since most of our time was in reality spent on the cruise ship. We are avid outdoor adventurers, so we're already dreaming up an Alaskan hiking trip to plan all on our own. In the meantime, we're loving this first trip Alaska, can't wait to share more later this week. 

linking up with weekending & mondays