|
Grex > Travel > #74: The Return of the Alaska Item | |
|
| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 122 responses total. |
furs
|
|
response 95 of 122:
| 
May 29 17:19 UTC 2007 |
you should get hiking poles. They are actually great for your arms and
help take some pressure off your legs and help you feel stable.
Anyway, I love mine.
|
marcvh
|
|
response 96 of 122:
|
May 29 17:39 UTC 2007 |
Sounds good, yep. And yes, poles can be handy, although if you hike enough
you may find that your legs get stronger and you no longer need them. I
wish it were possible to climb a mountain twice rather than go up and
then down -- down is just so much harder on you.
|
slynne
|
|
response 97 of 122:
|
May 29 17:41 UTC 2007 |
That is an excellent idea, furs! I havent thought about those for
years.
|
tod
|
|
response 98 of 122:
|
May 29 17:59 UTC 2007 |
We went hiking in Lyon Canyon Park this weekend but poles weren't really
something I'd want to lug along. I think the idea to make it fun is to
descent on a different path..preferably the shadier/cooler one ;)
|
mcnally
|
|
response 99 of 122:
|
May 29 19:00 UTC 2007 |
re #95: I have a spring-loaded hiking pole (made by Comperdell, I think)
that I used to use when I hiked in the Cascades when I was living in the
Seattle area. I agree that on some trails having the extra shock-absorbtion
from the pole was a big plus, especially on the downhill. It was also useful
when crossing streams or picking my way across talus slopes where an extra
balance point was really handy.
I almost never bring it when hiking around Ketchikan, though, because many
of the local trails have long sections of boardwalk and/or steps. The poles
work well on a traditional dirt or gravel trail, but on boardwalk they're
pretty useless. And the boardwalks are pretty necessary around here unless
you're OK with the possibility of falling into a bottomless pocket of muskeg.
re #94: The trail is moderately steep up to the lake -- about 500 feet of
climb, most of it in the middle mile of the three mile trail. After the lake
the climb becomes significantly steeper.
The climb up to the lake, and most of the climb beyond the lake, are stairs.
I find that easier on the way up, but more jarring on the way down. However,
the steps above the lake seem to be sized and spaced pretty well -- they
weren't bad at all coming down (except for the spot where I slipped on a
patch of black mold (which has the unpleasant property of making wood almost
frictionless, or so it seems when hiking..))
|
furs
|
|
response 100 of 122:
|
May 29 19:06 UTC 2007 |
lynne, you are welcome to take mine for a spin if you want, that way you
can try them out before getting your own.
|
slynne
|
|
response 101 of 122:
|
May 29 19:37 UTC 2007 |
Thanks Jeanne! Maybe next time I come over, we can go for a short walk
or something
|
keesan
|
|
response 102 of 122:
|
May 29 21:26 UTC 2007 |
Who put in all the stairs and boardwalks?
|
mcnally
|
|
response 103 of 122:
|
May 29 21:44 UTC 2007 |
The US Forest Service. In addition to forest management, part of their
instutional mandate is to provide recreation opportunities on some of
their lands and this trail is one example of that mission.
|
marcvh
|
|
response 104 of 122:
|
May 29 23:40 UTC 2007 |
I'll bet that a fair amount of the work was done by volunteers. The USFS
isn't known for being adequately funded, and trail work often isn't exactly
considered a priority. Maybe it's different in Alaksa, where USFS funding
might be regarded as an important form of pork.
|
mcnally
|
|
response 105 of 122:
|
May 29 23:55 UTC 2007 |
AlAksa? isn't that a mosque? Pork would probably be unwelcome.. :-p
I'll ask sometime about who does the work, but I'm pretty sure it's not
mostly done by volunteers. Even if the trail construction itself is done
by volunteers that's only a portion of the work required. Getting lumber
and gravel and tar paper and nails and tools where they're needed is quite
an undertaking around here. Try to imagine not just hauling yourself and
your own equipment four miles into the woods and up a climb equivalent to
a hundred-story building, but also bringing in enough material to build a
mile worth of boardwalk. Usually they're dropped off by helicopter if
there's a clear space close enough to the trail route.
As you might guess, there are not all that many trails of this construction
quality near Ketchikan.
|
marcvh
|
|
response 106 of 122:
|
May 29 23:57 UTC 2007 |
Yeah, my impression is that volunteers mostly do things like re-grading,
fixing drainage issues, or trimming encroaching foliage rather than the
"big" work.
|
mcnally
|
|
response 107 of 122:
|
May 30 05:49 UTC 2007 |
After a bit of research, I've decided the woodpecker-like birds I
mentioned in #93 were red breasted sapsuckers. I often saw the
yellow bellied sapsuckers in Michigan but wasn't familiar with the
red breasted variety, which are mostly a west coast bird. I'm not
sure why I haven't seen them around here before; perhaps they favor
certain parts of the forest.
|
mcnally
|
|
response 108 of 122:
|
Jun 4 00:57 UTC 2007 |
I'm tired tonight (and it's only afternoon!) after a high-energy
short-duration visit from my sister Cathy, who was on her way back
to the lower 48 after visiting Juneau for three days to celebrate
with several friends who were receiving promotions and one who was
getting married.
Here's what a whirlwind visit from my sister looks like:
6:30 AM -- wake up, shower, dress, load my day pack.
7:20 AM -- pick Cathy up from Revilla-side airport ferry terminal.
7:25 AM -- stop at Safeway for breakfast (bagels) and lunch
(sandwiches to go.)
7:45 AM -- arrive at marina, greet friend who happens to be in
parking lot, proceed to boat.
7:50 AM -- start engine warming up, load gear, check boat over.
8:00 AM -- cast off lines, leave marina, headed towards fuel dock
8:30 AM -- finish fueling, set out for destination.
9:30 AM -- arrive at float pier at head of Naha River. load food
and spare clothing into backpack, then set out on trail.
11:00 AM -- arrive at bear observation lookout over waterfall
(no bears -- it's too early in season for salmon to be that
far up the rivers, but the river was gorgeous) eat lunch.
11:20 AM -- begin return hike
12:45 PM -- return to boat
1:30 PM -- return to marina
1:50 PM -- arrive at house, shower, change
2:05 PM -- leave house headed for downtown.
2:10 PM -- shop for smoked salmon for Cathy to give as gifts to
people she knows in New England
2:45 PM -- depart for airport ferry terminal
3:08 PM -- say goodbye at the top of the ramp before boarding 3:15
airport ferry.
In a little bit less than 8 hours we crammed in breakfast, lunch,
5 miles of hiking, 60 miles of boating, visits with three people
who stopped in the street to say "Hi" to Cathy and two who wanted
to talk to me, a visit to my house and tour of the renovations,
a shower and change of clothes, and about an hour of gift shopping,
and then got her back to the airport in time to catch her flight.
I'm beat!
But it was a nice way to spend the day.. It didn't hurt that the
water was calm (great boating..) and instead of showers and 40%
chance of solid rain (which was the prediction) we got 74 degrees (F)
and sunny instead. The hike along the Naha River is always pretty
remarkable, but today was particularly lovely -- something about
the light, I think, though it could have been partly due to good mood
as well.. Unquestionably it was one of the best days I've had so far
this year (though as 2007 has been a pretty grim year so far, that's
not saying an awful lot..)
|
denise
|
|
response 109 of 122:
|
Jun 4 02:32 UTC 2007 |
Wow, it tires me out just reading all this! :-) Seriously, though,
it sounds like an awesome day!
|
mcnally
|
|
response 110 of 122:
|
Jun 10 03:28 UTC 2007 |
At the moment I'm sitting at my window watching the trees bend and
sway as a new weather system blows in, bringing wind and rain. A
few seconds ago a pair of large birds -- a raven chasing an eagle --
flew by my window and disappeared from sight, last seen headed
over the house. I'm sure there's a story there, though I'm not
sure what. The two species are often at odds with one another.
They compete for food and in other ways and in my experience the
ravens usually have the last laugh (and they do often seem to be
laughing..) At first glance the eagles would seem to be the more
formidable of the two, thanks to size and strength and sharp beak
and talons. But the ravens prevail (usually) through craftiness
and agility, and I love watching them get the best of the conceited,
(comparatively) clumsy eagles.
Although it's June I've just turned the heat on (for the first time
in several weeks) because I'm still chilled, despite a recent hot
shower and warm dinner, from being soaked by the cold rain that was
blowing in when I was trying to get the boat cleaned and put away
after today's earlier fishing expedition. I took two friends from
work and one of the friends' friends (visiting from out of town)
fishing for the penultimate day of the annual king salmon derby
(wherein anglers compete to see who can catch the largest king
salmon.) Our largest fish, alas, was a respectable (but nowhere
near derby-winning) 25+ lb king. Warren (one of the work friends)
filleted the big king for Dale, a different co-worker (not present)
who's moving away from Ketchikan and who has expressed a desire
for some salmon to take with him. So 20 or so pounds of king salmon
fillets will be our parting gift to Dale. The rest of the fish
(one smaller king salmon, one silver salmon, and a good-sized ling
cod) we distributed among us according to preference and appetite.
As I've noted above, I'm a bit tired and cold and plan to sign off
soon and maybe read for an hour or two before turning in to bed early.
I wouldn't care to bet on it right now, but the forecasters say
tomorrow should be partly clear and mostly dry, so I've got a hike
planned for late morning/early afternoon if the predicted weather
materializes. I'll be tired on Monday, but summer weekends around
here aren't something I care to miss..
|
edina
|
|
response 111 of 122:
|
Jun 11 15:58 UTC 2007 |
Mike, every time I watch "The Deadliest Catch", I think of you. Not
because I think you're a crab fisherman in the Bering Sea, but because
you get to see a lot of beautiful nature shots when they are in port
and I know you see things like that daily.
|
slynne
|
|
response 112 of 122:
|
Jun 11 16:09 UTC 2007 |
I have some friends who just got back from an Alaska cruise. They had
lots of nice photos. It is a beautiful place to be sure!
|
edina
|
|
response 113 of 122:
|
Jun 11 16:16 UTC 2007 |
Hey - me too! My friends had their honeymoon in Alaska.
|
furs
|
|
response 114 of 122:
|
Jun 11 16:44 UTC 2007 |
we're considering that as a trip next year.
|
slynne
|
|
response 115 of 122:
|
Jun 11 17:18 UTC 2007 |
Well, if you go, let me know and maybe I can go with you (unless you
were planning for a romantic thing or something)
|
mcnally
|
|
response 116 of 122:
|
Jun 11 17:42 UTC 2007 |
Well, if any Grexers wind up passing through Ketchikan (and if you're
visiting Alaska on a cruise there's a very high probability you will..)
contact me ahead of time for advice and possibly a meet-up.
re #111: The terrain here is very different than the areas you're
probably seeing on "The Deadliest Catch" and the waters around here
are considerably safer (not *safe*, but *safer*) but there are probably
some similarities. Of course Dutch Harbor is about 1400 miles from
Ketchikan (or about the same distance as Ann Arbor is from, oh, say
Bozeman, Montana.) Distances in Alaska are on a scale that takes some
getting used to..
|
edina
|
|
response 117 of 122:
|
Jun 11 17:54 UTC 2007 |
So you don't sit around bars, chain smoking and discussing your latest
opilio crab haul? I'm so disappointed....
|
mcnally
|
|
response 118 of 122:
|
Jun 11 17:58 UTC 2007 |
No, but if you walked into a bar around here you might find people
talking about "The Deadliest Catch". Is that a little too "meta"?
You'll find plenty of fishing talk in Ketchikan bars. If you wander
into whatever bar the commercial trollers and seiners frequent you'll
probably get a fair amount of conversation about their catch, too.
But for the most part they won't be talking about crab.
|
furs
|
|
response 119 of 122:
|
Jun 11 20:04 UTC 2007 |
re 115
that would be fun!!!!
We just wouldn't allow you to sleep with us. ;)
|