Greg -

My friend Joy asked for a picture of a bear.  This is the best that I could do today.  I took this picture around ten o'clock this morning about a half-mile from our site.  National Geographic it ain't.  They aren't easy to capture an image of unless you are willing to walk around in the woods with a camera held to your face.   Combine that with the fact that you've first got to determine which way they are going to run - away from you or at you and then grab the appropriate equipment  - by that time, the bear has almost always vanished from view.  This one was a bit more inquisitive.

We'll be seeing "Snow White and the Huntsman" tonight  - Jack should have his review ready sometime tomorrow.

   Try these much clearer shots of the past few days.

Andrew Creek

Mount Rynda Cabin

Mount Rynda Cabin

Mount Rynda Cabin

Greg -

Jack, Janet, and I just returned from our two night trip up the Stikine River to the Mount Rynda cabin.   Wednesday afternoon, we loaded our gear onto the Recreation and Lands hauling skiff and the crew gave us a lift to the cabin.  An hour or so later, they dropped us at the cabin, which is situated on the bank of Andrew Creek (a feeder creek) about twelve miles from the mouth of the Stikine.  The waters from Andrew Creek are crystal clear and slow flowing.  Where the creek meets the Stikine's roaring fload of chocolate brown water, the waters stay suprisingly separate creating a clearly visible  delineation between the two bodies of water.    Floating out onto Andrew Creek you can see large, cumulous cloud-like formations of the Stikine's silt beneath the surface of the creek's clear water.  

The cabin is an old style A-frame situated about twenty feet from the bank.  I don't think that I've ever experienced a cabin so full of mosquitoes.  We began swatting them and didn't stop until left earlier this afternoon.   We must have killed over two hundred of the blood sucking demons over the two days that we were there.   There are no hiking paths to speak of around the cabin and it rained steadily the entire time we were there so it was a great excuse to relax and read next to the oil stove.  I would ventured out each afternoon to fish the creek and paddle up the south fork of the Andrew.   The salmon have yet to hit the stream and the heavy rains had killed the fishing so I was content to just take in scenery along the banks. 

The crew picked us up early this morning so that we would reach the mouth of the Stikine on a rising tide - helpful should you become stuck on the way out.  

The ranger program at the potluck tonight is about spiders that live throughout SE Alaska.

Andrew Creek

Mount Rynda Cabin

Greg -

We're heading up Stikine with the Rec crew tomorrow morning.  The crew is heading to the Mt. Flemmer cabin to finish the boardwalk.   They'll be dropping us at the Mount Rynda cabin for two nights with our gear and our canoe and will be picking us up again Friday morning.  I won't be able to post again until Saturday.  Please check back then - thanks.

Greg -

Sunday was a twin of Saturday - at least until early afternoon.   We drove some of the logging roads that we'd yet to explore.  From each, we were rewarded with incredible views.   No wildlife spottings yesterday or today - other than a few deer.   The rain began again yesterday afternoon and has been with us since. 
We had dinner at the Stikine Inn yesterday.  It's a restaurant/hotel with a great outside deck situated on the waterfront.  Wrangell has one of the best seaside seats in SE Alaska.    At the risk of tempting fate, I have to declare that our mouse problem has been solved.  We've had no further incidents or unwelcome noises. 

We fished Thom's Creek today at a spot recommended by locals.  We hiked back into the woods and over a large muskeg field to get to the spot.   Jack and I both caught several small rainbows.

Greg -

The rain continues this morning.  I'm giving Jack the day off so that he can spend some time with his mom.  I'm going to venture back to the far end of the island today to check on some sites that we've not yet visited.   We're planning of fishing again today at a saltwater site located on the west side of the island - weather permitting, of course.   King Salmon on the grill tonight - rain or shine.

Thom's Creek

Thom's Creek "Trail"

 

Greg -

Spectacular day today - not a cloud in the sky.  Jack and I spent the day working the main road.  We saw a black bear on the east side of the island and had reports of several others from campers.   We also had several people that they had seen a pair of male moose near the Upper Salamander site.   We've yet to see a moose on the island.  

Much to Jack's dismay, there is no movie playing tonight - a wedding is being held at the Nolan Center.

Sunset from our site

Falls along Thom's Creek Road - the first time I've ever seen them in direct sunlight.

 

Jack-
Yesterday we went to the Anan bear observatory. But, sadly we didn't see any bears. We had to repaint the whole observation deck. This morning my back was SO sore it wasn't funny. My dad and I saw two more bears today so that brings the total bear count up to five. Please comment so we know how we are doing.  We need more feedback! Thanks!

Greg -

We caught another mouse - the last remaining mouse, I hope - Thursday night.   Jack asked if it was possible to capture and release them back into the wild unharmed - "no" was my reply as I stepped outside to toss the critter off into the trees.  I'm not opposed to mice necessarily, just those who choose to reside in my house.   I spent about an hour Thursday afternoon caulking holes and repairing the aluminum sheeting that closes in the underside of our camper in the hope of preventing any additional unwelcome intruders.  So far, so good - I heard no scurrying or gnawing last night.

We left the Wrangell office early Friday morning.  The Anan crew was to have Friday off but were called back in to take advantage of the clear weather.  We spent the day resealing the observation deck and shelter.  It took the six of us about six hours to cover the entire structure.  The sun was out the entire day and I actually felt hot working in the sun.  We saw several seals and bald eagles while we were there and although the trail was littered in scat, we didn't see even a glimpse of a bear.  Apparently, they don't like the heat and limit their movement to shaded areas when the weather turns warm.

We eventually got back to our site around four o'clock and by six, the site had roughly twenty-five folks.  The Forest Service had a group of adzers who are working on the reconstruction of the Chief Shakes Tribal House on the water in Wrangell who spoke about making an adze, learning the skill, and the work that remains to be done on the lodge.

More information on the Chief Shakes Tribal House

Jack booting up for a day of work

On the skiff ride from the floathouse (in the background) to the trailhead.

Jack staining away

The recreation cabin at Anan Bay

Greg -

Our site looking toward Wrangell

The rain subsided yesterday afternoon and the day was very dry, although the clouds hung in there for until "sunset".   Rain returned around three this morning and by six had progressed to a steady downpour.   It was around then that I recieved a text from Dee telling me that the conditions were too poor for boating and that we'd have to postpone our Anan trip another day.    As soon as I received the text, however, the weather began to steadily improve and by eleven we had a nearly cloudless day.  Any day that you need sunglasses is a good weather day in Wrangell.  I let Jack sleep in until he awoke around ten thirty, at which point he asked "why did you let me sleep in so long?"   I believe that the term is "ingrate".

I had a long night.  Soon after turning in, Jack asked me if the scraping sound was coming from me?    I was just about to ask him the same thing.  I got up and checked outside and saw nothing (I checked through the window first).   I jumped back into bed and had just started to drift off when I heard a sound similar to that of rain blowing off the trees onto the camper.   The night was absolutely still so I just wrote it off to a night of strange noises.  The rain sound continued occasionally until I came to the realization that I was hearing the scurry of feet.   I jumped out of be and shined my flashlight through a space between the foot of my bed and the closet and saw a mouse crawling over the plumbing.   I looked through every cabinet and closet that I thought might contain the mousetrap that I set in the camper each winter with no luck.  I was just checking the last cabinet when I saw the thing running across the floor.   It ran under our table where it squeezed through a small opening between the seat and the wall.   I sat for a while and thought about how I might remedy the situation and while I thought, I noticed that the mouse would crawl back out of the hole over and over again.   I opened our gear hatch at the back of the camper and grabbed the net that I use for trout fishing.  I set an amber nightlight it on the opposite cushion, crawled onto the cushion, and held the net over the small opening.   It took about twenty minutes but, eventually, out he came.   I waited until he was perfectly placed and slammed the net down over him pulling him off of the small ledge onto the carpet.  I never thought that I could actually catch him so I really had to no plan other than to try to net the thing.   I thought and thought but couldn't come up with a way to get the net and the mouse out of the camper without losing him so I took a tube of caulk and dispatched the little guy.   The most amazing thing is that Jack never once stirred during the entire thing....not when I smacked the net down, not when I smashed the caulk container against the floor, or when I opened the door to fling him into the woods.   This morning, Jack remarked to me after asking me why I let him sleep so long, "you know Dad, I've got this sleep thing down."   Truer words have never been spoken.

Today, I went directly to the hardware store and picked up a few mousetraps.    I want to make sure that all of his descendents - probably five or six generations since it entered the camper - meet the same fate.  

Devil's Matchstick Lichen

 

 

Greg -

In the Blake (or "back" as the locals refer to it) Channel looking toward the mainland.

Our trip to Anan was cancelled early this morning.  It was raining when we awoke and the ceiling was under 500 feet.   The Anan Manager, Dee, told me that we'd try again tomorrow morning.  The following link is an interesting video taken last year at Anan of a woman trapped in an outhouse.   Please let me know if this doesn't work - I'm new to the blogging business.

Anan Video

We had a relaxing morning off.  I'm currently reading "The Barefoot Bandit - The True Story of Colton Harris-Moore".  It's the story of the kid from the Pacific Northwest who broke into hundreds of homes, stole over fifty cars, scores of boats, and a dozen or so airplanes, all before the tender age of twenty.  It's an incredible story about a kid with a tortured upbringing and his incredible run from the law.  I remembered hearing about this kid but never knew much about his story.  I'll give it 4.5 stars on the Jack Carver film rating scale of five stars. 

Once we finally pulled ourselves from the camper, we stopped by the bunkhouse and threw two large loads of laundry in before heading to the pool.  I warmed up on the treadmill and then ran from the pool to Shoemaker Bay and back (stopping back at the bunkhouse to move the clothes to the dryer) while Jack swam.  We spent about a half an hour in the gym afterward.  

We had lunch at one of three food stands run by area high school girls, each competing in the 4th of July Queen competition held annually in Wrangell.   The winner receives a hefty scholarship funded by local merchants and the proceeds earned from raffels, lunches, and bake sales that they hold throughout the month of June.

We're at the library now.  It's such a relief to have speedy internet.   I've spent hours trying to get pictures to load from our site without any success.    It must be the weather.....or sunspots.

Earl West Creek

 

Conk (or Bear Bread) Fungus

Jack-
The greatest thing has happened, the radio has stopped working! Because of this wonderful event I get to sleep in fifteen minutes more, it may not seem like much but to me it is Heaven. This morning we were going to to Anan bear observatory to help paint the fence. But as you heard from my Dad ( If you read his post first) the trip was canceled. But hopefully we will go tomorrow instead. So instead of going on a long boat ride we went to the pool and then soon after to the weight room. After that my father an I went down town to have lunch at on of the food booth that are run by the people who are running for queen.
There are three girls every year that run for fourth of July queen. They generally sell food and raffle tickets. The person who sells the most wins $10,000 for collage or something like that.I don't really know the details

Greg -

The radio system for the district is down and is expected to remain down through the weekend.   Until then, we've been asked to stay near camp so that we remain within radio range of the district office.   We've limited our trips to the road used to access the most popular areas on the island.   I believe that the price of gas keeps most locals from venturing to the more remote areas on the south end of the island - the roughness of the road combined with the feeling that you're driving too far into the Alaskan bush keeps most non-locals out.  

I met with the lead ranger on the district this afternoon.  He asked that I begin to map out areas of timber that could be cut to enhance views around the island.   He certainly came to the right person as I'd already come up with six or seven viewpoints that are being obstructed by a thin row of trees and alder.   I know that I could open up each of these views single handedly within a few hours.  You could open ten with a full timber crew.   We also spoke of several obrstucted views of waterfalls that could be cleared and made into idyllic viewpoints for both tourists and locals.  He then asked that Jack and I begin to map out berry picking spots that could be enhanced by selective cutting of trees or brush.   He knows that many of the seniors on the island are unable to access some of the best spots due to the ruggness of the terrain.   He felt that we could easily enhance access to some of the better, existing recreation areas by adding turnouts, clearing trees, or cutting new trails.  

Jack and I are scheduled to head out to the Anan Observation station early tomorrow morning.   I've assured Jack that he'll receive a day of rest in compensation for the work that we'll be doing tomrrow.  We'll be assisting in the installation of the photo blind, staining the obsevation deck if weather allows which I'm confident that won't, and cutting brush along the trail.  
 

Greg -

We had a slow day today.  Our boss, Bob called to let us know that the radio system was down.    He asked that we stay close to camp, or within cell range, so that we'd be able to reach someone in the event of an emergency.  I cut brush around our site and at the area up the road.    After determining that we could reach the Wrangell Ranger office, we decided to head out and hit the more popular areas close to our site.  

We're at the library now awaiting lap swim at the pool.

Petroglyph beach

Banana slug Earl West landing

The view from the road to the Middle Ridge cabin

Home Sweet Home



Greg -

Happy Father's day as well.  Especially to my dad who taught me the importance of hard work, generosity, and common sense - he's a great man and I admire him greatly.  One of the great drawbacks of this trip is the fact that I miss out on time with him.   

I've seen a bear every day this week.  Today's sighting was the best yet with the bear stopping to look take a long look at us before ambling off into the woods.    Jack and I listened to several podcasted episodes of "This American Life" on the radio while we made our rounds.     KSTK is the only station that can be heard from the south end of the island and reception is not great.   As a result, we usually have it turned off unless we're listening to an audio book or a podcast.  

The rain finally stopped late this morning so we were able to do most of our work without our rain jackets.    We met a nice couple from Michigan camped on the far end of the island - both retired school teachers.   They are sea kayakers and were very interested in learning more about paddling destinations near the island and our role with the USFS.    

We also made our first drive up to the Middle Ridge cabin.   As the name implies, this cabin was built on a ridge roughly 2,000 above the rest of the island.   The views are spectacular and the cabin is a beautiful full log cabin with a loft and wood burning stove.   The winter brought heavy snowfall to the island this year and there is still a considerable amount at higher elevations.  The road was completely snowed under until only recently.  Even when clear, the road is incredibly rough and steep with vertigo inducing drop-offs.  It's an exciting ride every time we go.     After checking out the cabin and cleaning up after the last renters, we returned to Wrangell to have dinner with our friends, Trina, Wayne, and Beth.    Wayne cooked up a dinner of flounder and halibut that he had caught earlier in the day.  Jack and I both had a great time catching up with our good friends from last summer.   Keeping in contact is not one of my strengths.

Friday afternoon, Jack and I went out to Petroglyph beach.  It's located north of town near the ferry dock and is home to about twenty rock carvings created by native Tlinglits anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 years ago.   

Petroglyph Beach

Jack at the well fetching a pale of water

Downtown Wrangell - under construction

Driving down from the Middle Ridge cabin



 

Jack-
     Happy Fathers Day everybody. Especially to the world's greatest dad. My own father. Wow. I feel REALLY guilty for not blogging in almost two weeks. So there is a lot that I have to catch you up on. Every weekend there is a movie, the first weekend my dad and I saw The Avengers. Wow, that was one of the best movies that I have ever seen. I would give it four stars out of five stars. This most recent weekend the movie Men in Black 3 was in Wrangell. That was a one of the most weird movies that I have ever seen. But overall, it  was a pretty good movie. I would give it three and a half stars out of five. My mom will be coming on the 23 of June and will be staying until the third of July.   Last weekend my father and I took a  boat trip up the Stikine with our boss Mr. Lipert and the lumber crew. We were taking a load of lumber up to the natural hot tubs to fix a bridge that had been broken.   Yesterday my dad and I went down to a petroglyph beach and looked at the stone carvings there. Four days ago I shot my first gun. That was one of the most terrifying experiences ever.   I do not plan to shoot another gun for a very long time.   The current number of bears that we have seen is three!   But that means that we have seen more porcupines than we have bears. The total numbers of porcupines that we have seen is five. The librarians here are some of the nicest in the world. Last year, when we went back to Colorado after staying in Wrangell for three months, all the librarians at our local library seemed really mean in comparison. I will post some pictures when I have a better internet conection.

Greg -

The view from a position near our site at Nemo Point looking toward Wrangell

 

The weather made the second potluck a pretty miserable experience.  The rain started about three o'clock and by four it was pouring.    The deluge continued through the night and slowly turned into a heavy drizzle by morning.  We had a late morning - I let Jack sleep in until around nine o'clock as the last of the guests left well after ten the night prior.  

I invited a three couples from Texas to the potluck earlier in the day.   Two of the husbands stopped by our site around five and asked if it was still on.  They said their wives had insisted that it would be and, if not, that only men would be in attendance.   I assured him that social activities are never cancelled for rain in Wrangell and that there would be far more women than men in attendance.    While the weather did sour attendance, roughly fifteen diehards showed up and before long, we had the table set with a wide array of eats - crab slaw, homemade bread, baked beans, etc.  Corree from the Forest Service gave a talk on invasive plants found on the island and how the government is working toward their eradication.   The couples missed the dinner but did show up for drinks and Corree's talk.  It is always interesting to see people's reaction to some of the characters who frequent the dinner.  There are a wide variety of personalities at these events and most of them are known not only for their extreme views but also for their willingness to share them. 

I let Jack turn in well before the last of the guests left.   When I saw him sticking hand warmers into his stocking hat, I felt that he'd had enough.  

A juvenile bald eagle resting near Salamander Creek

Upper Salamander Creek

Upper Salamander Creek

Corree presenting at last night's potluck

Upper Salamander Creek

Greg -

I was up early and off by 7:15 this morning.   I gave Jack the day off and I know that he appreciates the sleep.   Mother Nature gave me a break with the rain until about 1:00 today  - - it was actually pretty nice this morning.   I don't tell Jack but I keep the heater off during the night and run it first thing in the morning to break the chill inside the camper.   It also seems to help dry things out.  

After making the rounds at the sites nearest our camp, I stopped by the camper to refill the truck with firewood and to check on Jack.     When he came out to greet me, he was moving like a ninety year old.  He said that he's never been so sore before.  After swimming yesterday, he and I spent about an hour in the gym.   He told me that he was going to use every machine once - there are probably a dozen machines.   He was also doing a core workout that he does with his swim team, the Hurricanes.   He asked me if this is what old age feels like at which point I grounded him.

Other than another black bear sighting, I didn't see a single vehicle on the road or at any of the sites.   I had the south end of the island to myself.    Even though Jack is a good working companion, the alone time was pretty nice.   Here are a few shots of my day.

Bald Eagle nest just south of our site on the Nemo Loop

Wrangell muskeg

Greg -

Our first official day off.    I had the morning planning out so that Jack could sleep as long as he wanted........what do you know, he woke up at 8:00 sharp - not far from when I normally wake him at around 7:15. 

We went into town for the 11:30 lap swim - he swam for ninety minutes while I ran.  I've agreed to occasionally start lap swimming with him after Bearfest - we'll see many laps I can do sidestroke. 
The pool is located inside the high school building and is a very nice salt water pool.   We're almost always the only people there besides the staff. 

I did a second load of laundry while we swam - between loads, Jack and I ventured out to the shooting range off the spur road.   Jack has expressed an interest in learning to shoot and I brought a .22 caliber rifle for him to use.    I knew that he'd be a natural judging from his ability to shoot his BB gun and his performance with the rifle was impressive.   He was able to nail a can of OFF! at fifty yards - sharpening his shooting skills while simultaneously and warding off biting insects.

 Killing gallon milk jugs.

We've got a few more errands to run....fishing license, water, laundry, and the store.   I've decided to give Jack the morning off since he was forced to wake at 5:45 Wednesday morning.   He needs the sleep.    We're now at the Irene Ingle library - I just took this photo of him moments ago.   Over the winter, the library made the transition from a card catalog to a computerized system.  I somehow took comfort in the fact that there was still one library that used the system that I knew as a kid........the one with the due date slips stuck into the pocket glued to the inside of the front cover, drawer after drawer of index cards (many misfiled), the rotating metal rubber date stamper..........yes, the super inefficient and frustrating one that didn't work very well....that one.

Greg-

Jack and I arrived at the Wrangell Ranger District offices at 6:30 today.  We helped the Rec and Lands crew load a huge diesel powered jet barge with two 14 X 14's (20 feet long).   The yellow cedar timbers were cut at Mike Allen's  sawmill at the 12 mile marker on Zimovia Highway  and would be used to replace a footbridge at one of the rec sites on the Stikine River.   The USFS maintains two cabins near the Chief Shakes Hot Tubs shelters (fed by a natural hot spring) on the Stikine and the bridge leading to them had been severely damaged by early spring floods.   Helping us load and unload these beasts were six members of the USFS timber crew.  The barge also carried pressure treated posts and yellow cedar planks which would be used in the reconstruction of the deck and path surrounding the Mount Flemer cabin.  After dropping the timbers at the hot tub landing, we motored off up one of the branches of the Stikine to the Mt. Flemer cabin where we offloaded the rest of the lumber.  The mosquitoes and other flying insects were pretty epic and we moved as quickly as we could to get the lumber offloaded.   Jack and I took the barge back to Wrangell as the crew would be staying overnight. 

The Stikine (Tlingit for "bitter waters") is the fastest flowing river in North America and is considered one of the last remaining truly wild rivers in British Columbia.  The Grand Canyon of the Stikine is a 45 mile stretch that John Muir called the "Yosemite of the North".  The whitewater in this canyon is legendary - it's been successfully kayaked only 15 times since it was first tried in 1981.

The majority of the Stikine's 310 mile length falls within Canada with only the last 40 miles falling within Alaska's border.   The mouth of the Stikine falls just north of Wrangell and navigating a boat through the narrow, constantly shifting channels deep enough to support a propeller driven boat is best left to the experts.    The mouth must be five miles across and looks plenty deep at high tide.   Outside of the channels, the water can be only inches deep - stranding many.   Most prop boaters  rely on GPS to help them navigate to the main channel.


Information on the Mt. Flemer cabin

En route to the Chief Shakes hot tubs.

Bob Lippert in action.

Jack and company in action.

Mt. Flemer cabin

Greg -

We saw our first bear today.   I was a large black bear about a mile from our campsite.

It was another beautiful day with intermittent showers.   Speaking of showers, Jack and I hit the rec center last night.  He swam one of the workouts that his coach provided and I ran on the treadmill.  We've already had more showers this summer than we had during the entire ten weeks last year.  Here are a few shots from earlier in the week.   

One of many waterfalls along the Thom's Creek road.

On the Garnett Road - a logging road off the Nemo Loop.

"Fairy Barf" lichen (I'm not kidding) - it's the collection of pale discs on this rotting stump.

On the Long Lake boardwalk.

Tern Island Beach