July 17th

The forecast called for sunny skies and a high of 78 degrees which turned out to be right on the money. Bob and I decided that today would be an ideal time to stain the high country shelters as the sunny days ahead would give the coats plenty of time to dry.

We hiked in three gallons of stain, brushes, and rollers to the Wrangell High Country shelter - it was in far worse condition. Its location on the ridge-line exposes it to the driving winds that scour the area every winter.

The heat was incredible as we walked the endless set of steps to the shelters - over 4,000 of them in all. The stain dried quickly under the blazing sun and we were able to cover it with two coats before packing up and hiking to the Shoemaker Bay shelter. It was almost as warm and humid as Illinois in July...... come to think it, not even remotely close to Illinois but still very warm and humid.

The views from either shelter are worth the effort required to reach them. From the High Countey shelter, you are rewarded with 360 views of the surrounding island and snow capped peaks on the mainland. The view was partially obscured by a thick haze of smoke that was drifting over SE Alaska. The haze is really smoke from a fire somewhere in the Yukon. If you look carefully, you see the silt line created as the muddy water of the Stikine enters Zimovia strait. The location of the silt line changes daily with the height of the tide, the flow rate if the Stikine, and timing of the tides.

Back at camp, I discovered that I'd left one of our water jugs in the sun. Much to Jack's dismay, I set up a shower using the bear resistant storage box, our cooler, and a second water jug and took a warm shower in the sun right there at our site. It was bliss - not quite what you see in a Kohler commercial but close - the pale man and horse flies being the most obvious differences.