Healthy Living

Sitka, Alaska sits on Baranof Island, and much of Baranof Island (outside the developed Sitka area) is within the Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest ecosystem, so most of Sitka is a rainforest, and it is beautiful! In Sitka, we hiked the Mosquito Cove, Muskeg, and the Old Sitka Trail. Despite the misleading name, there are no mosquitoes in Sitka! There are also no snakes, coyotes, or wolves. There are, however, bears. Lots of them. Where there are salmon streams, there are bears. You’ll also see lots of the diminutive Sitka black-tailed deer, bald eagles, sea otters, and mink, among many other smaller animals. And, of course, there are salmon, humpback whales, orcas, and tiny crabs that wash in (and get caught under rocks) during high tide. In the forest, you’ll find lots of little critters like the banana slug (harmless and cute) and red squirrels (like our squirrels, but redheads). Sitka is also where power transferred from Russia to the United States after the Alaska Purchase (for $7.2 million on October 18, 1867). The double-headed eagle of the Russian flag was lowered, and the American flag was furled. On our way from Sitka to Seward, we took a detour to see the Hubbard Glacier. If you look at the water and notice a line of distinction, that’s where the glacial waters meet the salt water. The Hubbard Glacier is one of the few glaciers that is actually expanding! Well, most years, historically speaking. It has been retreating since 2020, but in most years it has accumulated enough snow to expand.

In Skagway, Alaska, Chanda and I hiked the Chilkoot Trail before taking a raft down the Taiya River. I had no idea that this part of Alaska (including Ketchikan and Sitka) is a rainforest! But the topsoil here is very shallow because of the glacier deposits, so trees have to be creative to grow in 8-12” of topsoil. They use an interlocking system of roots where the young trees extend their roots sideways until they find a mature tree’s roots to latch on to. In some cases, saplings grow on top of a fallen, decomposing tree, using it for sustenance. The photo of the mature tree with what looks like a massive hole at its base shows a tree that grew like this. After our hike, our guide was also our river raft operator, and we took a ride down the Taiya River. We saw lots of eagles on the river! Sadly, I had tucked my good camera into my backpack, which was stowed in a waterproof bag under the bench seat that the raft guide was sitting on. And while the raft ride was not over rapids, we were asked to always hold on with at least one hand, so I couldn’t even try to capture them with my cellphone. No photos to prove it—you’ll have to take my word for it. At the end of this evening, we celebrated MY birthday! Yes, it was actually in April. But the cruise—and everyone joining me on it—was everyone’s birthday gift to me for my 60th lap around the sun. So we celebrate!

In Juneau, Alaska, the five of us (Leah, Mackenzie, Vivette, Chanda, and me) began the day with a “glacier photo safari,” which was led by a college student who was uniquely knowledgeable about the wildlife and plant life in Alaska AND photography. We began with a short hike (1-2 miles) to see the Mendenhall Glacier and captured some beautiful scenery along the way. From the Mendenhall Glacier, we moved on to a whale boat adventure and were treated to gold: bubble-net feeding! It’s moving to see a whale in motion and even more magical to see it when feeding as they lunge to the surface, face filled with fish, grab a new breath of air, then their humpback surfaces as they release the air. Lastly, they dive back in, and their tail comes up last. Even more magical than all of that—when they are feeding as a group: that’s bubble-net feeding. A herd of whales circles the herring, keeping the school contained. The “caller” is the whale that dives below the school and emits a loud feeding call at just the right time. The school of herring panics and bunches even closer together. The “bubble blower” positions itself around the school and begins blowing a spiraling ring of bubbles around the herring that acts as a “net.” Finally, the whales gather below the herring, mouths wide open, and accelerate toward the surface. Corralled within the net of bubbles that they won’t swim through, the fish have nowhere to escape. And those of us lucky to be on nearby boats get to witness the surfacing of several whales all at once.

I’ve been remiss in not posting about our Alaska trip sooner, but we were too busy having fun! The cruise to Alaska was my 60th Birthday celebration trip, but my actual birthday was in April; my sister’s was on August 25, and our Mom’s was on September 8, so we celebrated lots of birthdays! Our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska, where we decided to divide and conquer. Chanda and I did the “Salmon Stream Bears: Land & Sea Encounter” while Leah, Mackenzie, and Vivette did the “Deadliest Catch” Bering Sea Crab Fisherman boat. Frankie got a massage on the ship that day, and Mom, who’s been to Alaska twice before, used the day for R&R. We cruised with Silversea on the Silver Moon.

Summer in Saratoga — another summer spent at Adult Summer Camp. I’ve been late to post, but we went straight from Saratoga to Alaska, so I’m just catching up. Highlights: our third and final Embrace the Belmont event at UPH, seeing Jelly Roll at SPAC, hiking and biking with my friend Dorothy, running the Firecracker 4-miler, hiking with the Albany Ski Club, fire tower hikes, a trip to NYC with Frankie—and seeing “Small” while we were there. The annual Racing and Rosé Miss Scarlett Fashion Show, more hiking, the annual NY Race Track Chaplaincy brunch, Fashionable Fillies (and meeting Maura), the THS Phillip Phillips concert, dinners at Solevo, and spending time with our friends Dorothy and Dan. I love you, Saratoga Springs. We’ll be back soon!

How’s retirement going? So far it’s been a fun and productive summer of reading. I always have at least two books going: one on audio (Audible or Libby), and one that I read-read to wind down at night. These are 15 books I’ve read this summer. The Pillars of the Earth (so good!), The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking should be mandatory reading. I wish I’d read it 30 years ago. Don’t Call it a Cult and Scarred are both about the fall and rise of the NXIVM (pronounced nexium) cult. Deacon King Kong takes us deep into the lives of the characters in an interracial neighborhood in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s. One of Barack Obama’s favorite books—and one of mine too. The Vanishing Half was named a Best Book by the NYTimes, Washington Post, NPR, People, TIME magazine, Vanity Fair, Glamour, and me. The God of the Woods is set in upstate New York (the general area of the Adirondacks where I regularly hike) and Summer Place to Be is set in Saratoga Springs. Whistler was slow to get off the ground, but ended up being one of my favorite reads, and one that stayed with me. The Four Winds by the iconic Kristin Hannah is just. So. Good. Read it. The Calamity Club may be my favorite book of the summer, although it’s hard to choose. Rounding out my summer reads are: Saratoga Days by Sean Clancy, The Mother Earth Effect, A Life’s Calling by Tom Durkin, and It Ends With Us. So far, I love retirement!

This is my annual Top 25 Experiences in Saratoga Springs list (link below—copy and paste). I’ve been coming to Saratoga for all or part of the summer for 30 years, and this list has been revised and rewritten annually to reflect my current favs. I hope this list helps make YOUR visit to Saratoga Springs even more enjoyable! https://donnabrothers.com/2026/07/01/donnas-25-favorite-experiences-in-saratoga/

Thrilled to make the Louisville edition of Homecooked magazine ❤️. I am the furthest thing from a “chef” but I do like to cook! Flattered to be in ANY magazine about cooking alongside @chefdphillips, @brittanysrecipes, @verymarymeals, @kentuckypeerless, @georgiassweetpotatopieco, @mayancafenulu, @louisvillecream, @bluegrasspeasant, and @historiclocustgrove 🥰

After five days of skiing at Niseko United, we headed over to Rusutsu. No fresh snow, but we found lots of powder stashes and beautiful terrain, thanks to our friends at Hagen Alpin, who lined up a local Rusutsu guide and then skied with us. Our Hagen Alpin ski buddies were Juliana Hagen (daughter of Rita Hagen) and Edgar Brigel (train_your_passion). Once again, we were blessed with beautiful views. The photos of water in the distance show Lake Toya in the foreground and the Pacific Ocean in the far distance.