Catching Crabs: A Crab Feast Excursion in Ketchikan, Alaska

On Wednesday I mentioned that I love crab, so today I wanted to tell y’all about one of the neatest shore excursions I have done—pulling out crab pots in Alaska….and eating them at an all-you-can-eat crab feast!

The last time we were in Ketchikan, my in-laws surprised me with an excursion that was right up my alley—learning about how locals set up crab pots for Dungeness crabs. We set off on a small boat, surrounded by the incredible scenery of the Tongass National Forest. Our guide told us all about setting up the crab pots and even had us pull crab pots that had caught crab.

We learned that a crab would stop moving if placed on its back, so the guide flipped the crabs over and handed them to us. I may or may not have squealed as she handed one to me. Then, we headed to the George Inlet Lodge with our crab pots in tow to feast!

There is nothing like eating fresh crab. It was so sweet and practically melted in my mouth (though that might have a little to do with all the butter I used!). It was seriously one of the best meals I have ever had.

After eating all the crab we could handle, we had a crab shell-stacking contest. We kept cracking up as we attempted to make the tallest tower.

I am up for any opportunity to eat crabs, but the scenery and the beautiful George Inlet Lodge made this excursion an experience I would love to repeat.

Have you ever been to Alaska?

Facing My Fears: Landing on Pika Glacier in Talkeetna, Alaska

To me, travel is all about experiencing moments I will remember for the rest of my life. Sometimes, that means taking risks and doing things completely out of my comfort zone.

During our last trip to Alaska, my in-laws suggested we do a glacier landing in Talkeetna, Alaska. My nerves kicked in immediately. As much as I love traveling, I hate flying. I start worrying about it months in advance, and getting on the plane always feels like a huge accomplishment. I especially hate take off and landing, so the idea of landing on a glacier in a small plane was as comforting as jumping into a tank full of hungry sharks.

On the day of our glacier landing, I still didn’t know if I was going to do it. I was so nervous that I couldn’t concentrate on the gorgeous scenery on the way from Anchorage to Talkeetna (thankfully, I got to see it on the way back). As we went through the safety briefing with Talkeetna Air Taxi, I started to feel a little better. Our pilot had flown with the company for over 30 years, and the company knows the weather in the area and doesn’t hesitate to cancel flights if it is too dangerous to fly.

At first, flying so close to mountains and glaciers was intimidating. I tried so hard not to close my eyes. As soon as I mustered up the courage to look outside, I couldn’t look away. The scenery was absolutely majestic.

Landing on Pika Glacier was an incredible experience. Getting off the plane in our sunglasses and snowshoes to see beautiful untouched powdery snow for miles was breathtaking. We had so much fun waddling around with our snowshoes in the deep snow, throwing massive snowballs at each other, and feeling tiny surrounded by such a huge landscape.

On the flight back, I absolutely loved taking in the beauty of the area. At that point, I was no longer scared and actually wished the flight would last longer. I never thought I would say this, but if I had the chance I would do it all over again.

Has travel ever made you face your fears?