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“Kissing a banana slug is good luck,” our Uncruise Alaska, Adventure Guide, proclaims.

My love of creatures is far reaching. With a blubbery body and fun antennae, the banana slug looks adorable wiggling around in my palm. Always on board for procuring an extra bit of luck, I lightly touch my lips to the slug’s sticky body.

Thanks for the luck little guy. Hopefully having a human kiss you brings you good luck as well.

It’s our first bushwhack, both with Uncruise Alaska and in life.

No, we don’t have machetes. A wise decision by Uncruise Alaska, given my propensity for clumsiness.

Bushwhacking is essentially hiking without using human made trails (wildlife made trails are acceptable).

The “bear talk” is extra relevant today. Fortunately the only part of the bear we see are his tracks.

Our boots make silly slurp, slurp, slurp, sounds, as we trek across a neon green bog.

Bushwhacking requires team work. Offering a helping hand is part of the experience.

Everyone on our Uncruise Alaska ship says the same thing after returning from a bushwhack,

“It’s like being a kid again.”

I agree. Growing up with woods behind my house, I spent many days with friends, running amok through creeks and trees.

Slightly taller now (emphasis on slightly), I joyfully scramble under lichen covered logs,

splash through water, and munch on nature provided snacks.

Suddenly, the dense forest thins. A magical view opens before us.

Lauren, our Uncruise Alaska Adventure Guide, informs us that we are standing in a muskeg.

A muskeg is an acidic, peat, bog, found in northern climates.

I had never heard of a muskeg before this day. I had no idea of their existence, but had I known, seeing a muskeg would have been on my bucket list. No words or pictures could do this breathtaking landscape justice. Only your eyes in this place can deliver all of the amazement and feels.

Even the ground beneath our feet is fascinating. It’s odd and spongy, like walking on sofa cushions.

If faeries exist, they surely live here.

Lauren gives us time to linger. A chance to bask in the awe.

She snaps a few group photos, asking for poses that say, we conquered the bushwhack.

Sadly, we can’t stay in the muskeg forever.

Though our bushwhack isn’t over just yet.

We spend more time ducking under branches, and having tall grasses brush along our knees.

Holes, hiding beneath the grass, seek to twist ankles. Pointing the holes out to fellow bushwhackers, is an important task.

The ground swallows our steps, as we trudge back across the bog.

A little reluctant to leave our landscape of dreams, we board the ship, but the day isn’t over yet, and there is still more awe to come.

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