My family and I  awoke on an early Monday morning, yawning and groaning at the scene of light  piercing the curtains. My mom was already in the shower getting prepared for her excursion that would take her around the wild parts of Ketchikan, Alaska.

“Are you almost done?” my sister shouted from outside the bathroom door.

“Yes, I’ll only be a couple more minutes.” my mom called back from the shower.

“Ok hurry up, I want to go to breakfast!”

“Caitlin! Chill, mom’s excursions leave before ours.” I interrupted her.

“Ok, but I need to get in the shower! Caitlin whined as she gathered her clots from her royal blue suitcase. I walked over to the balcony of our room. The cruise was docked peacefully, it seemed as if it was listening to the sounds of the eagles and the chatter of the Alaskan people.

The room was quiet now. My dad sipping his coffee and my sister in the shower. The only noise was the crashing of the icy cold waves into the boats that lined the dock like a flock of seagulls that surround a man who dropped a sandwich at the beach. After my sister got out of the shower we headed down stairs to the café to eat breakfast. They had all sorts of food, from pancakes to hash browns. I got a couple of waffles, some sausage, a few hash browns, and a muffin. We all stuffed ourselves with the delicious foods and talked with family.

After breakfast, my mom and the rest of our family that was on the trip went to do the walking tour that took them around the city of Ketchikan. My dad, my sister, and I stayed aboard the ship. We played put put, went rock climbing and enjoyed the scenery Alaska had to offer. We left the boat a little early so we could walk the grounds a bit before our excursion. We walked around the city going into shops and taking in the atmosphere of Alaska because after all it was our first stop in Alaska so there was a lot to see. Soon, we were met by a van with the title “Zip-lining Alaska” that was already half way full. We climbed into the van letting my dad sit up front my sister and I climbed into the back row. We drove for about a half hour or so and arrived at a place I the middle of nowhere. There was a little shop and two old bathrooms a mens and a woman’s. The guide lead us to a little tree house sort of thing where we were told about safety rules and guidelines. We then received our harnesses and helmets. We walked a ways through trees and climbing up the side of the mountain to our first  zip line. The first zip line was short, but it lead to a long series of obstacles such as a spinning log,  swaying cable with wood steps, or a tight rope. Of course there was a cable above us that we clipped into in case we fell, but it was still really cool to be so high and see everything beneath you. My dad went first so he could video tape us coming across from the other side. I went after my dad and flew effortlessly across the spinning log, as did my sister who followed closely behind me. Next was the tight rope which required much less speed and much more balance. Again all three of us soared across the skinny cable to the next platform. Finally, the wooden, swaying steps. The hardest part of these was they were so far apart you had to merely jump from one to the next or do a very good split in order to get to the next step. Everyone struggled with this one. The steps sent them swinging and slipping across the steps but everyone somehow managed to make it across without falling.

Now the real fun began, the actual zip lines. There was eight, all in an order that would bring us right back to our starting point. The first one went right over the woods. It required one leap of faith and it would do the rest. A little oddly there was nothing to step on. It was like you came around the tree on which the platform was bolted into and then there was a little spot to put maybe one foot and then you have to jump or the tree will push you off. The guide went first and he nonchalantly pushed of and flew across the zip line. My dad went after him and I followed. My sister went last out of my family on the zip lining trip (which consisted of my dad, my sister, and I). My sister, Caitlin, reluctantly hopped off the first zip line and let out a “woooooh yeeeeaaahhhh” as she glided across the zip line. The view from the zip lines is absolutely amazing it’s like I couldn’t even imagine it being any more beautiful.

The second zip line was even bigger. It was longer, higher, and the view was even more amazing then the first. It took the rider over a series of forest and a huge body of water that whispered of its coldness through the crystal clear water. I went first this time getting a running start to ensure I go as fast as possible of course, but more so that I have enough speed to get all the way across to the other side. I took off as fast as I could and gave a faithful and powerful jump at the end of the ramp. All you heard was a “zzzzzzzzzzz” and saw a little dot in the distance. My sister followed after me and let out another “woooohooo” as she did the same and ran down the ramp. Finally, my dad went and got the fastest run as possible and zipped right to where he was supposed to get to effortlessly and gracefully put his landing gear down.

The last zip line took us back to the beginning where our extraction point awaited us. One by one we took off and landed easily on the ground. We took off our harnesses and our helmets. Finally, we commenced the last of our energy and strength and loaded the bus for the 30 minute ride back to the loading dock where the cruise sat patiently waiting in the icy waters of Alaska. We drove back safely and walked back to the ship. After out showers we went to dinner and had a 4 course meal at the cruise diner. Since it was formal night the men were dressed in suits and the women in dresses. We took many pictures, way to many pictures. But all in all it was probably one of my favorite excursions in Alaska.