Off the beaten path in Juneau with Above and Beyond Alaska

Jennie and Jay are joined by Becky Janes and Liz Barlow from Above and Beyond Alaska to talk about ways to get away from it all in Juneau as well as some of their favorite hikes and restaurants in Juneau.

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Jennie Flaming: 0:05

Our sponsor for the month of February is the Unalaska Visitors Bureau. We'll tell you more about them in a little bit, but for now, thank you Unalaska for your support of the podcast. Welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me, your host, Jennie Thwing Flaming, my occasional co host and full time husband, Jay and I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska travel and life in Alaska. Before we start the episode, we would like to thank our Patreon members for making this podcast possible. You can join them at the link in the show notes. We are so grateful for your support of independent podcasts. Enjoy the show you are you interested in hiking or kayaking or other outdoor activities when you go to Juneau, I hope so, because that's what we're talking about today. You you Our guests today are Liz Barlow and Becky Janes. Becky is a lifelong resident of Juneau, and when she's not busy at Above and Beyond Alaska, you'll find her trail running, hiking, paddle boarding, surfing, traveling, having other adventures with family and friends, including her husband and 13 and 17 year old boys. Liz has been a resident of Juneau for 12 years, and when she's not at Above and Beyond Alaska, you'll find her playing with her new puppy and finding creative ways to get out of roadless Juneau for road trips So Liz and Becky, welcome to Alaska, uncovered. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having us. Thanks. I'm just disappointed you didn't bring the puppy. Hi. I'm sorry she would have loved she's a husky Rottweiler mix. Her name is Gertie. Gertie, oh, and she is, she's great.

Unknown: 2:26

Love it. Well, it is very exciting that today we are actually recording in person, because, as our listeners know, most of the time, we don't get to do that, but every once in a while, we do so thank you to travel Juno for letting us do a few interviews here in their office today. So to get us started, Liz and Becky, it would be great to hear your story of how you got to Alaska. So maybe Liz will start with you and then Becky, yeah, sure. So I'm originally from Wisconsin, and I actually graduated with a degree in recreational tourism, and that brought me down to the Florida Keys, where I worked there for a few years, years, and I met a couple down there that did the back and forth for a while between Ketchikan and they were just moving up to Juneau. Like, you should try it? Like, okay, sure. Why not? So I packed up my four tourists and headed up to Juneau for 2013 and I worked at a zip line company, and then did the seasonal thing back and forth for a few years, and finally decided to stay for the winter in 2016 2017 and here I am, and I started with ABAC in 2018 and and ABAC is above and beyond, above and beyond, yeah, so we'll talk more about it. Yeah. The shortened version for above, beyond Alaska. We also refer to it as ABAC. Yeah. And then the person that got me up here is actually one of my good friends, and still lives in Juneau. So full circle. Wow. You know the coming from the keys to to Southeast Alaska, that's, that's as far across the country as you can go, yeah, pretty much in different climates. Oddly, some similarity in some way, water, lot of water, colder water. Yeah, much colder water. You know, no state income tax, which is great. Yeah, no, right, no, no. It's great. And like the, you know, the, it's a very similar, I would say, attitude, you know, that between the keys and up here, too, very laid back, very welcoming. So, good key. Largo, yep, yep. Cool, nice. So, how about you? Becky, yes. So I grew up in Juneau, and my my dad was a longtime dentist in Juneau for about 30 years and retired here. But I kind of got really interested in tourism through my dad and my mom, because they were Rotarians, and so my dad was the president of rotor. He was also the director of their international program. And student exchanges. So we had a lot of exchange students come in into our house from Russia, Belgium, fun, you know, from Italy and Japan, so various different locations. And so they would stay with us, typically, in Rotary, you stay in a in a sponsored house for about two, three to four months. So that kind of got, kind of gained my interest there, and then from there, I ended up applying as a rotary exchange student in Brazil. So I spent a year in Brazil, and my brother spent a year in Japan. And when I got back is when I took my first tourism job. I just love travel. I love meeting people from around the world. I knew that something I wanted to do, yeah, so I worked in with Princess tours for my first summer. And then I worked over at gas no guiding, which is a long time hiking and whale watching company in Juneau. Worked over at North Star trekking, which is helicopter glacier trekking tours in Juneau. And then I met my husband and my best friend, John, at gas no guiding. So when I returned from Brazil, we met each other and and then we started above and beyond Alaska in 2002 and we wanted to have a company that kind of focused on kind of high quality, small group experiences that were more off the beaten path. That's what we like to do, yeah. And so we really wanted to our our mission was always to have kind of a smaller company, higher quality experiences, and, you know, invest a lot into our staffing and our our gear and equipment. So that's where we launched above and beyond 2002 and then from there, it's just grown over the last 22 years, and now we have a team of people that are year round and work for us. So, and that's kind of where we got our start with tourism. Yeah, that's awesome. And you know, lots of people who listen to this podcast, and people who, you know, hire me to plan their trips to Alaska, who often find me because of the podcast, are often looking for experiences like the ones that you offer. So that's one of the reasons I'm really excited to that we can talk to you about this today. So let's hear a little bit about above and beyond. And what I'd love to know is, what are the I know that there are a variety of different tours that you offer, but just a little more about like, what that experience is and maybe, what type of traveler is going to appreciate what you offer the most? Yeah, definitely. So, so, you know, we've been catering to independent travelers, cruise ship travelers, since the start of the company, so back in 2002 so over 20 years, a lot of the travelers that come with us are looking for that intimate experience. They want that small group. They want to go with a company that's passionate about the environment, sustainability and really that off of beaten path adventure that you're going to find. And the beautiful thing is is, you know, at Above and Beyond Alaska, we do specialize in three main areas, Glacier, bears and whales. So we do have something for everybody who's looking for that adventure. You know, one of our main tours focuses is, sorry, is Mendenhall Glacier. So we have two glaciers that we access. So we access the Mendenhall Glacier, and you can do that via canoe. We operate eight passenger or 14 passenger canoes to get out. Yeah, that's amazing, yeah. So a lot of our guides refer to our largest canoe, which is a Langley as like the Cadillac of canoes, and that's our 14 passenger canoe. So it heard me while I google this, yeah, totally, we can show you photos that, yes. So it's 12 guests with two guides. And so our client to guide ratio is eight to one. So anything that goes past that, we add another guide to really keep that small group, you know, that personal touch, that one on one. So, yeah, so they can canoe out to the glacier, and they actually get 100 Did you just see it? Canoe, the lately, canoe, we should start doing canoe testing. You know, people that want to purchase the canoe, they can start paddling the canoe. Just test it out. Yes, like test drive in a car. So they get about 100 to 200 yards from the face of the glacier, which is the closest you can get without getting on a helicopter, yeah. And even closer, you know the how it has receded, like, even if you hike out to nugget falls, you really cannot see the glacier anymore, yeah. So it's a great way to get up close. And then the alternate, because paddling is not for everybody, some people really enjoy hiking is we do provide a hike that gets you to the panoramic viewpoint that really overlooks the glacier. You have nugget falls, you have the shiny mountain. So it's just a really beautiful way to experience Mendenhall. And then with our partnership with Alaska sea plains, we were able to launch our fly in Norris glacier hike in pack raft, which is a world class. Adventure. You get flight scene, you get pack raft, and you get glacier trekking all rolled into five hours. So you actually touch down on the glaciated Lake, which hasn't really been done before with the full plane. So yeah. And then once you get out, you hike over to what is known as pack raft Cove, and you get into your pack rafts, which they're a lot of fun. They're like, if you ever done bumper boats, yes, reminds me of a pack raft is because they you just have that, that feeling, yeah. Can you describe the pack raft for folks who haven't seen Yeah? So it's, it's a single person. We have single and double, and it's, it's not quite like an inflatable kayak, but that's kind of the closest that you can compare it to. It's a little bit wider than an inflatable kayak. Very stable. We have, we go through tons of training our guides do, and they've, you know, try to capsize and things like that, of just in case that happens, and it's just really hard. Like they're very stable. Inflatable. Comment to Jennie, because there's a really beautiful photo of of guests, of your guests at the airport in the arrivals area. And I was just telling Jennie how stable they looked. Yeah, we actually had a conversation about it, because yeah. And I was like, wow, those look great, like they look very Yeah, and they're super lightweight too. That's the other thing we like about them. That's what's unique about pack routing, is that, yeah, they're just, they're like, five to seven pounds compared to kayaks, can be 50 to 100 pounds totally for polymer boats. So it really is. They're real portable. And why they're popular in Alaska, I mean, around the world, but you can use them. You can deflate them and put them in your backpack, and then carry them into lakes and rivers and ocean areas and just they're just so packable. You can take them into cabins flying by float plane. So they're very versatile. I used to work up in Gates of the Arctic and the Rangers carried them. Oh, nice, even just for river crossings, yeah, if you're so very cool, yeah, very neat. Um, yeah. So that's a really, I mean, it's we launched that and, well, last year was our full operating year, so 2023 so developed in a 2022 launched it last year. So this was our second season operating that tour. And it's just, it's just an amazing adventure. It really combines everything that you want to do into this five hour, yeah. It's like, yeah. And the flight, I mean, it's beautiful. I mean, you're going down the Gaston channel. Yeah, you turn around and you go up the taco inlet, which is just the gateway to, yeah, the all the glaciers, and then the Norris glacier is right next to the taco glacier, which is actually the largest of the ice field. So you do get that, yeah, as well. That's really cool. You know? It's interesting, because one of the things that I often recommend for people who are taking a cruise, but they're worried about crowds and sometimes, sometimes they're doing it because they want to do the cruise for other reasons. Sometimes they're doing it because a family member is like, we're doing this. They're like, okay. Or they just want to go to lots of different places and realize that that's really complicated in Alaska, but whatever the reason, one of the biggest pieces of advice that I have for people who want to avoid crowds which which often means they want more local experiences, I've learned that sometimes what people mean is To find a small group tour of some sort, because you're gonna get that more intimate experience and get to know your guide a bit more. And, yeah, so, and especially, you're talking about Mendenhall Glacier. I know you also talked about other glaciers and other places, but that's a place that can get very bananas. So this is at the Visitor Center, like, yeah. So getting beyond that, how big are the groups that go to Norris glacier? Six? Oh, yeah. So we take a Havlin Beaver, yeah, and they only hold six. And so next year too, we're exploring, you know, taking a little bit more, like two planes at the same time. But we can't, really, we can't go beyond like that 12, yeah, but so still very small, and yeah, og, oh yeah, it's, yeah, it's gorgeous, yeah, cheap of the North. It is, it really is, yeah. So that's kind of our glacier options that we have. And then we do what is called a paddle with the whales. So it's a kayak adventure that is wildlife focused, and that is still that small group, six to one. We operate two six pack boats, so we can take up to 12 and it's just a nice spin on your classic Whale Watch you get a nice unique perspective from the seat of a kayak. Yeah, we do. You know, we are members of whale sense, so we abide by the 100 yards regulations that are put in place. But sometimes whales, you know, they're unpredictable, so they can get closer, yeah. And that's when you kind of stop paddling. But you know, our paddle locations vary, and that's what's kind of great, too, about that, too. Where it really is like, depending on where the whales are, the wildlife is, will determine where we launch those pipes Exactly, yeah. So it does give us that flexibility with a couple. On top of the boat of Right, yeah, go into the power boat. You can get Yep, to where, and then Exactly, yeah, yeah. So they have, like, a little wheel watching the way out. Then we kayak, and then we'll watch them lay back. So that's a total and that tour was actually for two years, has been rated as the top 10 in USA Today. Yes, it is a really high quality with great equipment, yeah, yeah, yeah. And, you know, it's a more of a boutique experience too, Yep, definitely, definitely, and it's still that small group. And especially, I mean, whale watching still popular in Juneau, it just gives that different spin. And then our third zone, essentially, is our bears. So we are lucky enough to be able to access two different locations. The first one, which is well known as Pat Creek bear sanctuary. So yes, on animal tea Island, it's protected environment, and so we have permits to go in there. That one, it definitely is a great location. You can only take up to 24 a day. So that's split between commercial operators, and it is also open for the public. And so, you know, really, for that one, like, the kind of the peak time is, you know that mid May to mid June, when it's more the mating season of the bears. And then there's a natural law, just because the salmon hasn't started running yet. And then you get that mid to end of July through August, when the salmon is running again. And that's another peak time. And then the other location we go, it's actually to chitchat Island. It's called waterfall Creek. And that one is going to give you kind of that classic waterfall background, drop of brown bears fishing in the street right there. That one we only operate the very end of July through August, just because it is solely focused on the salmon run. Yeah. And that one is definitely going to give you more closer encounters. Should you say there is a viewing area that's like, right there at the bottom of, like, the waterfall Boat, boat oriented? Is that the transportation plane, float plane? So we Yes, it's about a 25 minute float plane ride into both locations. Okay, okay, yeah, and that that is not a hiking or kayaking situation that I'm assuming, but that's what Creek has a little bit more movement involved, because there is a about a mile hike out to what is known as the observation tower, yeah, um, whether you know, clients go to that or not is really dependent on the bear activity. If they're really great at the main viewing spit, chances are the guide is going to stay there. If they're a little, if they're kind of hit and miss, then they'll chances are they're going to do the hike to just add a little bit more variety. So but waterfall, you are at that main spot the whole time. There is no minus the short beach hike to get to it. There is no additional Yeah. So much fun. And it still keeps with that small fur bears is only five people, yeah? So that sounds like a really great tour for for the photographer, too. Oh, hands down. Hands down. Influencers like that tour. I mean, because you really are remote wilderness, I mean, you're out, you're flying out by float plane land, yeah, on the island or chitchat, and I mean, those have highest concentration of brown bears in the world. And so it really is a special place to take visitors. And we've been doing it for quite some time, and our guides love that trip. It's one that they seek out to build up to as a guide, just because you're out there for eight hours, really with your website, really special place to be. And then the other thing too, kind of talking about small groups, but private trips has really been at the core of our business. I mean, that's why we also started our our company, is that we not only want to take small groups, but we wanted the opportunity to offer private trips because it makes it so you can go to these really great locations. And you know, you have to book out privately, but you can go with your family and your kids. Or if you just several couples are traveling together, and they know each other and they want to book it out, it makes it so you can really have the trip catered to your pace and ability. And I just know when my husband and I and kids travel, I sometimes seek that out if we're going to do anything, like whether it's private tourism, museums or whatever it is, just because I know we can get through quicker, and we get kind of that special specialized attention, yeah, not waiting in lines as long and things like that. So yeah, I feel like, you know, having that option to book privately is really important, and we that's been a kind of the backbone of our business that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I'm interested in so in the kayaking and pack rafting experience, are those beginner friendly and and if, what do you need to know or prepare like, do you need if you're going to come and do that, do you need to bring special clothing or anything like, what? What do you folks need to know if they want to go on the kayak or pack rafting? Yeah, definitely. I mean, all of our tours are, you do not have to have previous experience to participate, just the ability to do the full tour. So pack crafting for the full duration, hiking for the full duration, kayaking or canoeing for the full duration. We do provide rain gear and rubber boots on all of our tours, and depending on which tour, we also provide dry bags or dry bag backpacks. And then. Yeah, everybody gets a souvenir aluminum water bottle and just do a very hardy snack pack. So we provide all of that. So really, clients need to be able to, you know, bring any layers that they want to bring. You know, if they're more prone to being cold, we definitely recommend more layers if they run hotter, you know, maybe less, especially during the peak of the summertime. But we take care of all the outer shells and additional supplies, yeah. And one of the things I was going to say is that, you know, our Yeah, our trips are set so anyone can come in and take them like you could have no experience doing any activity before, as long as you meet the physical requirements of the of the trip. And we have that outlined on our website or through our agents or Whoever sells us. And so we make it easy for people. It's really kind of turnkey. They come in and have this wonderful experience. One of the other things though, too, is that, you know, back in 2007 we purchased a kayak rental shop in Juneau and and it's now been out at Ark Bay for for a long time. And that business, it's just basically a part of our company. And that business is catered toward locals and independent travelers. And it's really a great opportunity for people who do want to go, maybe self guided or unguided, as you know, yeah, if you're more experienced, too, yeah, yeah. And you want to do something lower cost, too. I mean, again, you want to make sure you have your you're capable of going on your own. But our kayak rental shop is great because we rent kayaks, single and double kayaks all summer long, from May through September, we have paddle boards. That's cool, and you can just go out of the harbor there. So it's actually, even as a beginner, it's actually relatively safe, because we're not going to a send people out if the weather is, you know, windy and choppy, so we monitor conditions on a daily basis, so it's nice. So if people do want to go independent, whether you're on a cruise or you're coming in by plane, that is a really low cost, affordable option, and really fun still, because you can go out and paddle the harbor for a couple hours. You can come back and the harbor has some restaurants, so you can eat food there. You can go up to Ford Benton peak, which is the brewery. So just the, you know, again, it's a nice opportunity for an activity at a at a affordable price. So, and it sounds like too you know, the option of the of a private tour opens up too, if you're, if you are, if you have a either highly experienced and want to do something particularly you know, or or, on the other hand, if you're really nervous about going to smile, you could book a private and, yeah, exactly. And all of our in same with our kayak rental shop, and then all of our tours, our guides go through, like, a safety briefing and an orientation of, like, going over, you know, paddling strokes, what to expect, everything like that, to get everybody prepared for the tour. So that's a that's a big part of the pre trip part. Can I ask also on that, on that note, are these tours likely to be canceled for weather, or is this like, you know, can you because sometimes I think, I think guests are either shocked, like, Why? Why is this canceled? You know, like, I wanted to go, and you're like, there's the whale watching tour is canceled because there are seven foot ways, you know. Conversely, people are like, Oh, why didn't they cancel my tour? It's raining today? Yeah? Ketchikan, yeah, no, that's a great question. How do you guys interact with weather and your Yeah, well, we say, you know, on our website, we go, rain or shine. It is a rain forest, and if we cancel through the rain, we would you never go, you never go, be happy. Um, but you know, there is different variables with, you know, we operate in a lot of different zones, so we're constantly looking at Aviation Weather, marine conditions, and then late conditions for the men and Hall. So you know, zone by zone, the biggest thing that would affect paddle with whales would be, are the marine conditions. So if there's a exactly unsafe sea Small craft advisory, the nice thing with that too is with having that kayaks on top of the boat, we do have the ability to adjust locations. So there is different areas where we're, you know, where it's calling for unsafe weather. So we adjust to a different location. Our captains all do weather checks. And then for the aviation, really, it just comes down to, you know, that forecast, like the ceiling, you know, the cloud ceiling, can we get in? Can we get out? How low is it the visibility? And we work really closely with Alaska sea plans on those calls, yeah, and then they make those safety Yes. And then on the lake, the biggest thing that hits us on the mountain Hall Lake, which you wouldn't think would be those sunny days actually, right? It's those catamatic winds they tend to pick up when it gets super hot and sunny, and that actually creates pretty unsafe paddling conditions for clients so well. And that's people think there's this, there's good weather and bad weather. Yeah, we actually love on the lake. We love when it's rainy, overcast. Those are the best days to go. I know a lot of people want to go to Mendenhall, like because it's Mendenhall Glacier, but it's actually probably the riskier place to go. And you definitely don't want to go unguided if you don't have experiences, because not only do we get the winds in the afternoon, but we also that those temperatures are like 36 to 38 degree water. Yeah, it's ice water. It's ice water. If you capsize, you're going to be hypothermia immediately. So it's really a wild place still to paddle. So going guided is the best thing, or hiking up sneaky too, because it's right on the edge of town, just. Be on the edge of the seat from downtown. Well, the other thing too, it's a lake. And so people often think, Oh, it's a lake. It's but it's, it's a glaciated lake. So it's a lot different, and it's very dynamic and changing, as we know all the time. So the best paddling place, you know, for beginners, is definitely Aqua harbor at a Juneau or a lake, those are two locations that are really relatively protected or just go on a guided trip if you've never paddled before. Yeah. So our kayak rental shop, though, what I love about it, and I I worked our shop for years when we first purchased it, but, you know, we we get so many independent travelers coming in by ferry and air, wanting to do multi day trips, so you're almost trip planning for them and helping them with their self guided adventure. And I love that. I love the logistics and the gear and equipment that's involved, but they're essentially taking our kayaks for maybe week long trips. They might go down to Tracy Arm. They might go to Admiralty Island. You know, again, they have savviness. They've had experience because, you know, you got to have some bear awareness when you're going in the back country, but it's really fun to be part of their trip, planning their adventures. And to me, that was really fulfilling is just our kayak rental shop kind of fills that need of people who do want to go out on their own, people that are travelers coming in from all over the world. We also have so we have a kayak rental shop in Ock Bay, but we have one at Amalga Harbor, which is just north of Juneau. And what's good about that is it gets you a little bit into the more scenic part of the coastline up there. And then we have a more remote location over on Windfall Island, which is right next to Pat Creek. So you can fly in by float plane. You have to get your own charter out there. And then you land at Windfall Island, and we have a kayak rental rack location there. And then you can take the kayaks into Pat Creek go view the bears on your own. You get a permit through the forest service, and then you can stay the night on Windfall Island, and which is great. So it's a great two to three night trip for somebody who wants to get out there and do it on their own. Adventurous. And more it's more adventurous, yeah, but it is more self, yeah. Who's, you know, people who are, you know, federal, independent, yeah, they're capable. They've had a lot of back country wilderness adventures in their own, but we get substantial travelers doing that. It's just really, you know, again, it's, it's a, an awesome way to see Juno, if you want to come in by plane and spend a good solid week here, yeah, and experience kind of that, which listeners, I think you already know this, but going to Juneau on your own is amazing. We've talked about Juno in lots of episodes of this podcast. And I when I'm working with clients too, if they're looking for an independent way to visit Alaska and really see things, I think coming to Juneau is a really great choice for that. So, yeah, I'll just kind of throw that out there again. Everybody listening, I feel like we need to have like, a board of our like, frequent things. We tell people like, Yes, look with your eyes, not just your camera. Don't worry about the weather. You know where you were at Juno is not very far from Seattle. It's only two hours from Syria delta. So yeah, I think it feels a little bit overwhelming. But really, if you kind of break it down, like you can hop over to Seattle and from there go to Juneau. I think that the most challenges there's so many places. Alaska is so spread out. It's a large Yeah, so how do you where do you start? But, you know, is a great starting point. It's the capital city. You can see glacier spares whales here. You can fly in, you can run an air you can have the quintessential southeast Alaskan experience here, yeah, I always say there's, like, several Alaska's too, right? There's the interior Alaska, yeah. And going to see Alaska in one trip is you can, it's not a thing like, yeah, yeah. And Juno is, like, a really good base camp in general for Southeast, because you can access Gustavus Glacier Bay from here. You can get down to Tracy Arm. You can fly to Sitka, go to Skagway, go to hay, yeah. You can get the local fair, yeah, just the you can get Eric jet service here, and Alaska sea planes, or somebody, yeah, operator, yeah, yeah. It's a great like starting point. And you can literally just base your whole trip out of here and just totally it's such a good idea. A couple years ago, working with Jennie on this podcast, how good Gino is for that. Yeah. Well. And then the other thing I was gonna say, one thing that is great about cruising is that it gives people the opportunity to kind of see the different communities and towns and dabble in kind of what is Southeast Alaska. And often we've seen our visitors come back. So they come back and stay a week here in Juneau after they've taken a cruise. So I think that's a really great opportunity, just to to show people hey, you know, Juneau does have a lot to offer. Come back and spend more time here. And we see that on a regular basis. It's almost like the cruise ship is like the taster flaming, yeah, I'll come back and have a full punch. Love it, yeah? Okay, well, we're gonna take a break here. In a moment. I'm gonna put the info both for above and beyond, as well as your kayak rental stuff in the show notes. So. People who are looking for how to book that one question before we go to the break. So if someone is coming to Juneau on a cruise, do you sell your tours through the cruise ships? Or would they need to book with you independently? Yeah. So we are partnered with several cruise lines that we do sell our tours through, but not all of our tours. So they're looking for more specific like bears, who would need to book directly through through us and then. And we're not on all the cruise lines either. So depending on which cruise line guests arrive by, got it kind of determines where booking through us or through their cruise ship. Yeah, but we do, you know, we've never had an issue getting people back by their all board. So people do get independently through us. That's always a common question we get asked. We make it back by all our board. We we have the cruise ship calendar. We have it open. Every time we get a booking, we're cross checking, making sure it works. Our guides are very well trained in timing, so we haven't run into that issue yet. So really comes down to, you know, what they're comfortable booking with, or who and what crew and what cruise lines. Yeah, awesome. Okay, well, we're gonna take a short break, and when we come back, we'll transition to a few other topics. Sounds great. Sounds good. Thank you. Our sponsor for the month of February is the Unalaska Visitors Bureau. Unalaska is located in the Aleutian Islands, and the Aleutian Islands pepper the southwest region of Alaska, halfway out on the Aleutian chain, a dramatic emerald green landscape greets visitors to one of Alaska's most remote communities. It feels a world away, even though it's just a two hour flight from Anchorage. Unalaska has a rich history of the youngagon people that have lived in this region for over 10,000 years. Un Alaska is also located 50 miles from the great circle route, which in turn makes the international port of Dutch Harbor a bustling working community. The island is known for their indigenous culture and abundance of seafood. World War Two history outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, beachcombing, beautiful wildflowers and marine life to view as you walk or drive by the surrounding ocean. If you are looking for something really unique to add to your Alaska itinerary, make sure that you check out on Alaska and Unalaska. Thank you for being our February sponsor. And we are back with Liz Barlow and Becky James, and we're talking about outdoor adventures in Juneau and with above and beyond Alaska. So now we're gonna transition into a few other topics, both about Juno, but also travel in general. So one thing that I know is important to your company, but also important to a lot of travelers is in places like Juno, with large amounts of cruise ship visitors coming, and not just Juneau. Of course, this is a challenge all over the world. What are some of the biggest challenges related to sustainability, environmental conservation, that are facing travelers and companies in Juneau, and what are some of the ways that you all are working with that? Yeah, I'll go ahead and well, first of all, you know, we, you know, as a company, that's been, again, at the core of our values is being a sustainable operator. And, you know, we've naturally, kind of organically, been doing this from the beginning, and so for us, you know, I think it starts with why we wanted us to take out small groups to begin with, be off the beaten path, have as low as a footprint as we can, and so that's our mission, and that's why we continue to keep the small groups that we do. So for us, that's really important, because we definitely feel like sharing education leads to conservation and other activities that we do. So our goal is always to spread that message and so others can see how impactful it is being in the wilderness and appreciating it and loving it as much as us. And so we always train our staff and our team to share that message, and they're all aligning with that message with us. So I think as a team and a company culture, you have to be on board with that. So that's kind of a good starting point, and then also practicing it in your day to day operations, and which, again, we've been doing from the beginning. And so, you know, one of the things that we've actively done as a company is, not only do do we reduce, reuse and recycle in so many different ways, which I'll talk about, but we also were the first tourism company in 2022 Two to to donate an offset portion per guest that comes out with this to the Alaska carbon reduction fund. And the Alaska carbon reduction fund, basically what they do is they take they they provide heat pumps for low income housing families, which then reduces their heating bill right and makes up the cost of living more affordable. So we to date through 2024 now we have raised $22,000 for the Alaska carbon reduction fund. And for us, this is a huge win, just to be able to put some financial investment into that program. And we also really want to put it locally. Like I'm a big, you know, supporter of local organizations. There's a lot we can contribute outside that are sustainable companies, but we really want to bring it back to the community. This is what has backed us our whole life, backed my dad's dental practice. And so we want to make sure that money stays in Juneau, yeah, doing it to an organization like this. So it's been really great and again. And then our company, when we We purchased our building in our warehouse for our office back in Oh, and I know 2015 20, 2015 Yeah, I wasn't here. Then she's my memory person, yeah. So we actually had heat pumps installed. So we had those from the get go in 2015 so things that we were kind of progressive movement forward we were already doing as a company, because that was just at the core of what we what we want to be. And we also are part of different programs. There's an adventure green program. It's a sustainable certification program in Alaska. It's voluntary, but we make sure we are doing what we can as a company to, you know, again, reduce our carbon footprint. I think that's really important, you know, one thing is just, I want to talk about reducing we've we, you know, reducing our use we, from we went to online waivers and electronic waivers because we wanted to print less paper. That was one of our initiatives that we've talked about. It was really trying to figure out, how do we make this happen? So we know every single waiver is being signed. So that was a big thing we implemented this year. That's been very successful. We reuse so much of our gear and equipment, like we fix gear and equipment, as long as it stays up to that high standard, we'll kind of fix what we can. So we're just reusing whether it's rain gear or, you know, Glacier gear, paddle gear. The other thing too, is for gosh, I don't know how long Liz probably knows. Maybe over 10 years we've been using reusable snack bags. So we have snack bags on every trip that we fill with hearty snacks, and then we just wash those snack bags and reuse them, instead of having plastic zip block bags cool. So that's what I'm super proud of. And then you probably heard Liz talk about the water bottles. So gosh, that again. I don't even know what year that was before I started, but yeah, it's a really nice aluminum souvenir water bottle, but it's cool, eliminated plastic water bottle, yes. So everyone gets a water bottle, and then if at the end of the season, if some people don't like, if some guests decide not to take the water bottle. We'll wash them, and then we'll donate them to second hand or something like that. Yeah, they kind of go back in, of course, then we recycle everything. That's something, again, from the from day one, we've been doing with its plastic, cardboard, glass, and so that's something, yeah, this additional measures we've implemented. And so I guess you know the challenges. Yeah, we you had mentioned your question. For us, this is just a way of life, and I think the challenge is really sticking true, staying true to your beliefs and your mission, and practicing that. And so as you know, tourism even grows. You know it's important to remember your values, and I think we talked about that as a company, and know that what our mission is, is to take people in really cool places we do our best to offset those emissions, which is why we are partnered with Alaska carbon reduction fund and contributing to organizations in Juneau, whether it's through donating, you know, kayak rentals and trips and so just being able to put back into the community as much as we can and show that we really do value our partners here and members that live here. Yeah, that's awesome. This is an ironic question for me to ask. Longtime listeners may have heard me in the past say that I only hike for money. Jennie is a hiker, but some people like me hike for fun. I know I don't understand unlike hike when they travel, but I'm guessing that it sounds like both of you are hikers, and you probably hike for fun. Weird to me, but I understand you get your steps in though. Yeah, you don't understand it, Jay, but you know how to smile and nod. I can smile. Ironically. I've hiked, you know, 10,000 miles of my life. But like, for money, for money, yeah, so. But with that, with that said, What are your favorite hikes in the genome area? Like, What? What? Personally, or for that, where do you like to take? Gertie, yeah, let's see. Perseverance is great. That's just located right here downtown. And cool thing with perseverance, it also spins off into, yeah, other trails, like you can hike mount Juno, you can do the ridge. You can do the Red Mill trail, yeah, you know, get to mount Roberts Treadwell ditch trail is really cool. That runs the length of Douglas. We also like, you know, windfall cabin, that hike is just, I mean, a you're going to the cabin, but the lake is just beautiful. One really neat resource, which I get humor out of the name is 90 short walks of Juneau. It's there. None of them are short. I mean, it's all the hikes, I think the shortest one, there are some that are, like a half a mile to a mile. But then there's also the longer ones that are 14 miles. But that's a great resource. You can get it at any bookstore, just locally, for anybody you know who's looking for hiking trails. But those are probably some of my favorite ones. And then, you know, there's some shorter ones, like the it's called the bag dog Trail, which is a great spot to bring your dogs off leash. And, oh, and that's right by the airport. So, yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's a nice, a nice, a nice walk to do, yeah? I mean, I think one thing about Juno is that we have more miles of trail than we do road here. So, you know, it's kind of an extension of our road system. And you know, everywhere you go, you can find just incredible trails. And they're working on trails more each year. My father in law has been working on the Treadwell ditch trail for years now, and that one is incredible. It extends really Eagle Crest all the way to Douglas. In fact, my son just ran 14 and a half miles yesterday on the whole trail. Oh, I was impressed. And my father in law biked it with him. So that was really cool. So it's just, again, even in, you know, cold temperatures, there's lots of recreational opportunities. As a trail runner, growing up in Juneau, we would train on the trails. I mean, you know, I just love being out in wilderness. And every around every corner is different. You don't know who you're going to see, what you're going to see. And it's just, I mean, I feel like I'm so appreciative of being in a place where you can walk out your door and literally go to a trail and there's hardly anyone there, and so that's even if the trail heads covered in cars, yeah, like you, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's just really just special. And then coastal trails, I love some of the coastal trails out the road. You have even awk rec, which is a beautiful place to walk hike. You can go out to Amalga harbor. There's some trails out there, over by Eagle Valley Center, which is a place that you can stay out and rent. It's like a lodge. And from there, there's many trails. One of the things too, that's really great about our trails is that often they lead to a forest service or a state cabin. So as far as independent travelers, another great itiner Is you fly into Juneau, if you line it up ahead of time, you have to book out, like six months, because they do go out. You rent a couple cabins, and you stay there for cheap. You hike out to them so you get the hiking in. You have the cabin experience again. You just have to be a little bit savvy on how to bring your backpacking gear in, but it's Gordon. You're in these gorgeous settings, yeah. And then you get the, you know, again, get the exploration component. So it's really a cool thing to do if you want to do it for affordable price. So absolutely, and that's what I love about all the trails. Oh, yeah, just to orient listeners who have not been here before, there's when we talk about Douglas. Is an island just across a very narrow channel, so downtown Juneau, it's actually on the mainland of the US, even though it's not connected to the road system. But then there's a little bridge across to Douglas, which is 1880s mining. So there's anyway, there's Juno Douglas of kind of the Twin Cities. So when you're talking about Douglas, we're talking about stuff on the island over there related to the treadmill mine, a lot of the and then out the road, means north of Juneau, to the end of the road, which is, what, 20 some miles, something like that. Yeah. And then Thane, which is a few miles to the south, and that's the end of the road. That's the road system, yeah, geography, yeah. So, and then mount Roberts is right in downtown, downtown, yeah. And that's another great hike too. Is Mount Roberts you catch from perseverance, kind of basin Road area, and you can ride the tram down. Or you can ride up the tram and hike around up on top. Yeah, you could, yeah. That cuts out about a 45 minute to an hour hike, yeah, drive the tram up, and typically, like, what's, you know, I love the from basin Road, though. You hike up to the tram. It's about two miles you get to the tram. I used to do this with my boys when they were younger, and then we'd have like, a lunch or a snack at the tram, and then we take the tram down for like, $5 or so, yeah, I don't know if that's still, you know, available, but it was really perfect, because we got a couple mile hike in and got beautiful views of the gas in a channel. And then we got to have some, you know, you know, incentivize them. I should say, okay, yeah, bribing a little bit. And then we, and there was a wrap. Or there was a raptor center. I don't think there's a raptor up there anymore, but it was just a really cool thing to do with kids. Yeah, so and then take the tram down. And that was a fun experience. So mount Rob even done that, and I didn't get paid to do it, yeah? Well, you know, another really cool trail is the flume, which is next to basin road. So if you don't like necessarily, hiking. It's a nice, leisurely walk, board walk, beautiful, great for dog walking, and I just love it because you're right next to Gold Creek. I mean, it's, yeah, fantastic, and pretty, yeah, cool. Okay, so tough question. We're moving into our wrap up questions now. There's two of them, and the first one is, what's your favorite restaurant in Juno, which is super tough, because Juno has amazing so many. That's why we ask you, does my house count? Yes, only if it's open for reservation. All of our podcasts. But because what's your address. A lot of a lot of people who've been on the pod, especially in Juneau, have like, but not only in Juneau, have like, it like a I don't really do that because, you know, my salmon cooking is pretty bomb, which I could totally relate to. Yeah, um, yeah. So that's a totally acceptable answer, especially if you want visitors coming over, we'll just, we'll just write your address. I actually love to cook, though, that's why. Yeah, I grew up cooking in my household and Italian food and stuff, so I love to cook. I have so much joy from cooking, so I don't go out very often, but if I was to go out with my husband and kids, I would say our favorites are spice, which is an Indian restaurant downtown, which is fantastic. And then el Boca, Boca, el Lupo. Oh, yeah, I would say that's one of my top ones. That's an Italian restaurant in downtown, next to the silver bow. Oh, so that's fantastic food too. And then I love la salsa, which is a little Mexican eatery and nugget Mall. And the people that own are amazing. So I know them because I'm regulars there and and so I usually they have great shredded beef tacos, just to say no so, and they're affordable too, and so, and I like supporting, you know, again, family run businesses. So, yeah, yeah, I would say Boca is on my list too, especially during the summer. I mean, I love fish tacos, so ducking and Dave tacos, yes, oh yeah. I mean, and then the oyster bar right there too. It's just really good oyster Yeah. Have you guys been to the food truck place downtown? Yes, yeah, that's a hot spot. Yeah? They did that so well. They did it like all our staff, I think just so many people, yeah, go there, yeah. Got every variety there, which I kind of like, and you can just grab it, sit out in, you know, next to some outdoor heaters. Walking distance from walking distance from downtown? Yeah, no, definitely put Island pub on there too. Did you so good? That's my boys favorite place. Actually walk around the old Oh, nice. I didn't get paid for that. I was just gonna ask, did that, walking around with my camera for the purpose of being outdoors, taking pictures. That's not hiking, yeah, of course, not. Completely different activity. Clearly, the treadmill is great because historical models, yeah, and it's cool because there was, like, forest and beach and, yeah, mountain views, and there was a lot going on. There views last night, up the channel, yeah, just at sunset. Yeah, it was awesome. I think we asked our last wrap up question for each of you, which is, it is, if there's something, is there a piece of advice or something you wish visitors to Juneau knew in advance of coming here? What would it be? I would say there's no roads in and out of Juneau. So the only way to get here is by Alaska Airlines delta or coming in by territory or cruise ship, or you get birthed here Yeah, I would say too, that, you know it, it is a rainforest. So just understanding that there's a high probability it's going to be rather wet, yeah, and we need the rain, you know, the rainforest, it's what is here. Yeah, yeah, but just kind of understanding the weather dynamics is pretty big answer, yeah. And if we get about 100 inches of rain a year, so it's quite substantial. So it's definitely dressed in lots of layers and but again, I think that's what kind of keeps and stabilizers our. Population. I mean, the weather, you know, it's, it could be rainy and cold, but yeah, if you can get through those challenging times, it's, you know, such a great place, you know. And love the rain. It makes everything green and lush, and yeah, and then also the rain. When it's raining down here, it's typically snowing up high elevations during the winter, yeah, winter, yeah, which is great accumulating at the ice field. So yeah, and you don't need your passport, yes, and we do accept American dollars. And can you use a US stamp? Yeah, surprised me, as people would ask what the altitude was, yeah, and they're standing on the cruise ship docks, yeah, 25 feet. Yeah. Well, Liz and Becky, thank you so much for coming and joining us today. It was great chatting with you, to talk to you guys. Yeah, thank you so much for having us. Yeah, you'll have to try it too. Yeah, it's a blast. It's so much fun. Awesome. Anything needs to close. Jennie, Are we done? We're good, okay?