24 new of 122 responses total.
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..))
lynne, you are welcome to take mine for a spin if you want, that way you can try them out before getting your own.
Thanks Jeanne! Maybe next time I come over, we can go for a short walk or something
Who put in all the stairs and boardwalks?
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.
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.
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.
Yeah, my impression is that volunteers mostly do things like re-grading, fixing drainage issues, or trimming encroaching foliage rather than the "big" work.
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.
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..)
Wow, it tires me out just reading all this! :-) Seriously, though, it sounds like an awesome day!
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..
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.
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!
Hey - me too! My friends had their honeymoon in Alaska.
we're considering that as a trip next year.
Well, if you go, let me know and maybe I can go with you (unless you were planning for a romantic thing or something)
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..
So you don't sit around bars, chain smoking and discussing your latest opilio crab haul? I'm so disappointed....
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.
re 115 that would be fun!!!! We just wouldn't allow you to sleep with us. ;)
resp:119 OH well, never mind then ;) Seriously though, that wouldnt be an issue. I figure I'll either just get a cabin to myself or else I'll find someone to share with me.
mcnally .. re #108 and 110 ... i hope your $$$ pursuits are sufficnet
to keep haveing cays like those two respones ...
it is resonses lie that that create the yearning in us for other places.
and you have found such a place - kewl 4U.
/dries eyes
[Since Alaska is sometimes a vacation/travel destination, this item has been linked to the travel conference as item 74; it's also item 22 in the spring agora conf. 2007.]
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