July 25 - In a Better Mood!

Thurs. July 24, Eagle Trail Rec. Site, near Tok, Alaska

What an eventful few days!  After my rant about Homer, Alaska has redeemed itself with more splendid weather, tons of wildlife, and spectacular scenery.  We hit the coast again in the beginning of fjord country at Seward, a pretty fishing town set amongst a backdrop of steep rocky peaks draped with blue-white glaciers.  The fishing is all on the ocean, so no ugly hand to hand combat on the shore, and the fish boats are in fact quite picturesque.  On a whim we boarded a scenic boat cruise and spent a relaxing afternoon in the sun gawking at sea otters, whales, kittiwakes, and tide-water glaciers.  The geology is stunning!  That wasn't active enough for Norbert, so he spent the next morning hiking up Seward's version of the Grouse  Grind -  three hours of arduous steep hiking over roots, boulders, scree and cliffs.  I had a latte and a waterfront stroll!

We decided to splurge on a ferry in order to shorten our driving to the east, so we zipped around a few mountains and down to Whittier at the head of another fjord for the six hour ferry trip to Valdez.  These coastal towns have had their trials.  In 1964 the largest earthquake ever recorded in NA (9.2) shook the area for five minutes, then sent a series of tsunamis up to 90 feet high up all the fjords, destroying everything onshore.  One native village lost every child (they were all playing on the beach while awaiting the Friday night film in the community centre).  Seward's entire waterfront collapsed into the sea and a freighter was thrown up onto the fleeing people.  Valdez is now situated four miles away from the ruined town where only foundations remain.  Many buildings that survived were moved intact when the town was relocated.  

In 1989 man-made disaster took another heavy toll when the Exxon Valdez went aground as it left Valdez inlet.  We were horrified by the displays and films that reveal the extent of incompetence, greed, denial and stupidity that compounded the initial damage caused by the captain's negligence.  Eleven thousand gallons of heavy crude oil was swept 200 miles along the coast, killing millions of fish, birds and marine mammals.  The entire herring fishery has never returned, many sea bird species are still recovering, the oil is still present in beach sand and rocky crevasses, and the health of the all marine fisheries is in doubt.  Twenty two resident orcas died in the first year, and the population has not recovered.  The visuals of oil covered bodies don't begin to do justice to the horror of this picture.  If you were ever in doubt about shipping oil off the BC coast, here is a salient lesson.  

Despite these incidents, the ocean here is still amazingly abundant.  We had been surprised at how many fish we'd seen jumping while out on the water, and the explanation came in Valdez at the fish hatchery.  The community supports the production of a vast fishery by artificially rearing literally gazillions of salmon - each year they release 230 million pink, 18 million chum, and 2 million coho.  We went to see the hatchery, partly because there were photos all over town of a momma grizzly and her four cubs who frequent the area.  We were completely captivated by the wildlife show - millions of salmon thrashing along the shore attract quite a crowd!  Sea otters were enjoying their salmon dinners on their laps (they reminded me of the 60's when we had TV dinners on trays).  Seals flapped frantically as they hunted.  Sea lions burst from the water to shake their salmon dinner to death with a thrash of their gigantic heads.  Bald eagles dove, claws extended.  And best of all, the bear family wandered along the shore, caught a dozen fish for dinner in a few mighty swats, and then leisurely crossed the road back into the bush!  

So, with all that to enjoy, we now have some very positive memories to take home from Alaska.  We're headed back into Canada tomorrow, and will spend the next week in Kluane National Park.  I'm really looking forward to the Yukon again - great campsites, nice people, and we can fish again!

Posted July 26 Beaver Creek, Yukon!!!!!

Mount Marathon trail in Seward.  If you use a microscope, you can see Norbert's white shirt on the very peak!

The Whittier tunnel.  It goes under a mountain, so looks like a hard rock mine.  Single lane traffic, alternating directions every half hour, unless there's a train, in which case it takes precedence.

Ferry view on the way to Valdez.  Icebergs are calving from the glaciers!

Valdez dock - what a setting!

Salmon fighting for access to the spawning stream outside the hatchery weir.  The water was just alive with them all.



The hatchery, with momma bear and three of her four cubs coming down from the brush on the point.  Momma is still up in the gazebo, cubs on the foreshore.  Sealions and sea otters in the water with the salmon!

July 21 Alaska at it's worst

July 20, Seward Alaska

Alaska has surprised us.  We expected it to be wild, rough and uninhabited, which pretty much describes Alaskans, but not the countryside we’ve seen so far.  The roads we’ve travelled have seemed quite similar to northern and coastal BC, but with a population multiplied by a thousand.  We’ve run into traffic, busy campsites, and overcrowded scenery.  The most striking has been this week in the Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage in the Gulf of Alaska.  It’s salmon season, and it’s chaotic. Along most of the rivers thousands of spawning sockeye and coho are heading upstream.  Many more thousands of anglers are lying in wait for them. 

In the town of Kenai, the banks of the tidal mouth of the channel are lined with tents and vehicles.  Fishermen are lined up 3 deep in the shallows, casting and netting the passing fish.  (Yes, I said netting!)  The most amazing sight is the dip net fishery, where any Alaskan resident can use a 4 foot diameter net on a 10 foot pole to catch up to 65 sockeye.  They stand on the banks or lean out of boats, fighting each other off for a share of the catch.  There’s almost no room to manoeuvre the gigantic nets, and nets are smashing into each other with fury.  They call it ‘combat fishing’!   Along other streams the anglers stand a meter apart, spanning the width of the stream.  By the looks of the full coolers on shore I’d say the fish are loosing.  If you find sockeye in short supply any time soon, blame the Alaskans.   

We spent a couple days at the end of the peninsula in Homer.  It’s a curious blend of Galiano Island and Niagara Falls.  In funky little bakeries hippie clad mommies sip organic lattes while nursing their toddlers.  Along the docks aggressive touts broker fishing trips and wildlife watching cruises like relentless pimps in Las Vegas.  We naively chose a campsite along the beach, thinking we would be lulled to sleep by the pounding surf.  Instead we were awoken by hoards of partying yobs, drinking and screaming around bonfires.  Pleasant.  Tonight we have higher hopes for a nice forest service campground along a nonfishing river. 

Alaska, more than anywhere else in the states, reveals the Americans’ abhorrence of government regulation.  There seems to be no building code and very odd assortments of houses, with or without roofs, foundations, or indoor plumbing , appear in unusual places – sides of mountains, river banks, beaches.  People drive various things – ancient trucks, unlicensed tractors, ATVs – everywhere – beaches, river beds, highways.  Dogs are unneutered, unlicensed, unleashed, and you can imagine where that leads….   Hunting, trapping and fishing are allowed everywhere, including much of the parks.  The rangers in Denali were devastated when one of the dominant male wolves remaining in the park was killed by a trapper last winter, with his radio colour still on.  The occasional sign that states 'Discharge of firearms within 1/4 mile of highway is prohibited for the next 5 miles' has been defaced by numerous bullet holes.  There is an overriding attitude of entitlement to whatever makes you happy.  We find it strange, and so very unCanadian! 

This part of Alaska has been an eye-opener, scenic and beautiful, but overcrowded and unfriendly.  We are heading east to escape, first to the old Russian port of Seward, then on to Valdez, site of the infamous oil spill.  Wiser we hope and still undaunted, we will seek out better landscapes and nicer natives!

 

Posted July 21, Stoney Creek Campground, Seward (a lovely spot!)

We drove up high in the mountains to see this 1920 vintage gold mine.  The fog kept drifting past, ghostly images of abandoned buildings.  Really neat.

 

The muskox farm near Anchorage raises these guys for their wool.  They are only semi-domesticated now after 10 generations in captivity, but these one year olds were very sweet.  Their wool, called qiviut, is amazingly soft and light, as well as expensive!

 

Kenai wharf with fisherman launching to engage in combat fishing.  There are 4 ramps, 4 lanes of traffic waiting to be directed into one, and hundreds of boats in the water. 

 

Ninilchik, an old Russian fishing village on the Kenai Peninsula.  Russian orthodox church on the hill dates back 120 yrs, as do some of the old log homes.  Our campsite was on the hill opposite the church, looking out to sea.  Lovely!

 

One of the nice bits of eclectic architecture in Homer!  The outhouse was positioned right off the public walkway, on the edge of an important migratory bird wetland.  There were 20 old busses and campers parked along the far side.

 

Moose in the wetland, taken from the same spot in front of the house above!

 

A wonderful treat - a 9 piece marimba band playing yesterday at the farmer's market as we left Homer. Very cheering!

 

Today, in Seward, we went on a boat cruise to see sea otters, puffins, and glaciers.  This is one of the largest, 13 miles long, 3 miles across.  The gravel bank on the shore is actually the terminal moraine, which acts as a dam and keeps the broken off bergs floating in a lake behind it.  Very beautiful!

 

Denali Experience - the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly

Sun July 14, Rolly Lake State Park, Alaska

I've just had my first swim in Alaska - in a beautifully warm clear lake at the end of a hot sunny afternoon - heavenly!  Who knew Alaska could be this much fun?  We've just left Denali after a wonderful week in the park.  We climbed several arduous trails, saw lots of wildlife, camped at the end of the road by the foot of Denali itself, and even ate a fabulous seafood dinner!

I'm so glad we took the bus out to mile 85 at the end of the park road and camped overnight at Wonder Lake.  After days of cloud and rain, the sky finally cleared and we set up our tent with our door looking out at the mountain.  Denali is unusual, in that it towers 3000 feet above all its neighbours, and it rises 18,000 feet from its base in the valley.  When it appears out of the clouds it seems to loom in the sky rather than rise from the earth.  It was captivating, and I lay awake, watching the light changing across the peak long after sunset.  Dawn is only a few hours later, and the sky never really gets dark, so the mountain just gradually faded from pink to grey to early morning yellow.  Well worth a night's sleep to watch!  

We were both lying cozily in our wee bed at 5:30 am when we heard a tremendous rumbling, and felt the earth vibrate.  We assumed an major avalanche, but later we confirmed that a small tremor had been recorded.  I guess when you're lying on the ground it makes sense that an earthquake makes quite a racket.  The Pacific Plate is sliding under the North American Plate here, pushing the Alaska Range up as it crunches it's way northwards.  Even Denali is growing - an inch a year apparently.  

The sun continued to shine for us, and we hiked two alpine trails to wonderful viewpoints over the park.  The wildflowers are in full bloom, and as you climb the succession of different blossoms is fantastic.  I'm amazed at the variety of tiny alpine plants that the tundra can support.  Perhaps because the tiny flowers need to be extrordinarily flamboyant to attract pollinators, the  flowers appear in stunningly vivid colours.  The alpine forget-me-not, my favourite, is not just blue, but deepest sapphire with a centre of golden sunshine.  Norbert has probably collected a world class photo album of blooms.  

Denali has been a great stop. Bears from the bus are exactly my idea of wildlife viewing, and we had plenty of that.  We watched 2 cubs frolicking  with mom, and a pair of satisfied grizzlies lolling around the carcass of a caribou.  Moose and caribou posed for us daily, and a golden eagle swooped up to check out our lunch on a rocky peak.  Mosquitoes were plentiful at times, but never overwhelmed us.  By hiking we got beyond the bulk (literally) of cruise ship tourists, and saw the rocks and peaks that make the park famous.  We celebrated Norbert's birthday with a strenuous hike (his choice), then a great dinner out (mine, of course)!  Both my stomach and my knees are complaining today, but it was all worth it.

I shouldn't omit the down side of this trip as well however.  Alaska hosts more than its share of the boorish, the obese, and the terminally dimwitted.  The park rangers and bus drivers are unfailingly polite in the face of appalling ignorance, but my capacity for tolerance and compassion is sorely challenged daily.  We have seen men abusing their dogs, their wives, and their children.  We have been passed on the highway by bikers with no helmets, BMWs going 180, and rocking campers with mom and the kids jumping around in the back making lunch.  It is nearly impossible to hold a door open for anyone, because the next 11 people will barge through too.  Few people pause to smile and say hello, and a distressing number grunt and spit instead.  Alaska - the last frontier of the culturally disadvantaged!  

We will try to achieve a more zenlike appreciation of life in Alaska, and certainly there are enough really nice people to make it possible, as well as continuing scenic beauty to enjoy.  Tomorrow we will head south, and reach the Gulf of Alaska in Anchorage, full circle from Inuvik on the Beaufort Sea.  Adventures continue.....

Posted July 16, Gold Nugget Campground, Anchorage

Moose antlers on display at a stop in Denali.  They're amazingly heavy - I could barely hold one above my head.



Denali appears as if by magic out of the clouds.  It surprises because you don't expect to find it appearing so high. 

The view from our tent at about 11pm.

Our tent at Wonder Lake, late evening again. 

Of course the classic photo with fireweed in the foreground.  There's not many clear days like this!

Arduous doesn't begin to describe this climb!  We're 1400 ft above the visitor centre in the valley.



Another wonderful peak, great trail, amazing views.  This is a hiker's dream park.

Alaska at last!

July 10, Denali National Park, Alaska

On the road again, and we’re in Alaska!  Unexpectedly, it’s quite different from the Canadian north, and I suppose that’s just a reflection of how our two countries differ.  Alaska is definitely more populous, and even the smallest dot on the map has services and often even a coffee shop!  The parks so far are much busier, and on the July 4^th weekend every private campground was jammed with celebrating families.  The tone on July 4 was considerably wilder than our July 1 festivities – we arrived in Chicken, Alaska, pop. 238, to find about 1000 people at a BBQ in a field, 200 campers jammed into a parking spot, and crazed bikers making exploding oil cans in front of the tiny café/bar.  Lawless doesn’t begin to describe the scene!  We found a quiet lake to stay at a few miles down the road, far from the madding crowd.   

The scenery is just as wonderful, but forest fires are burning all over the state, and some of our driving has been through dense smoke, limiting the sightseeing.  From Fairbanks one afternoon we had a clear view of Denali (the mountain formerly known as McKinley) 200 km away, but next morning we could barely see across the campsite.  We decided not to head to a popular hot spring resort due to fires in the area, and heard the next day that all the residents had been evacuated when the wind changed suddenly.  Lucky us! 

My only other complaint about Alaska is the complete lack of recycling!  I can forgive the absence of composting, given that most of the state has permafrost, but having to throw wine and beer bottles into the garbage is beyond forgivable.  There is no deposit on any drink containers, no returnables, and no recycling except aluminum cans.  (You know that fine print on the bottom of all our glass bottles – that somehow excuses Alaska from charging a recycling fee!)  For a state with massive climate change challenges – loss of boreal forests, retreating glaciers, permafrost regression, insect invasions, and increasing wildfires – there seems to be very little public acknowledgement of the need for change.  Everyone drives massive trucks, leaves them idling when they go into a shop, burns tons of wood and coal for heating, and throw absolutely everything in the garbage.  I’m pretty amazed at that disconnect. 

But the place isn’t without redeeming value, thankfully.   We’re now in mid Alaska, in the massive Denali National Park, encompassing the highest peak in North America at 20,320 ft.  The park is stunning – scenery so varied and spectacular, abundant wildlife, hiking from valley floors to glacial peaks.  There is only one road, 92 miles in length, and you can only travel it by park bus.  This keeps the wildlife protected and also surprisingly accessible, since they are seldom disturbed by people and unafraid of the familiar bus traffic.  Hiking is accessed anywhere along the road, although most park visitors seem to go no further than the Starbucks in the parking areas.  That leaves most of the park wonderfully empty and untraveled.  We have booked to tent camp at the most distant point of the road tomorrow - there are 4 or 5 accessible campsites along the road, as well as the entire park to backpack in. The weather has been very wet this week, so we’ve got fingers crossed for improvement soon!  Photography has been severely limited lately – smoke, rain, low cloud, and my incompetence combined.  We’ve seen bears, moose, caribou and ptarmigan at close range, but most of my photos seem to look only like willow thickets.  Aaargh!  Will try to do better and have more to entertain you with once we’re back in civilization. 

 

Posted July 10, Riley Creek Campground, Denali

 

Top of the world highway, most northerly border crossing from Canada into the US, all above the tree line.

 

Forest fires lend an unreal air to the clouds.

 

Great entertainment - water bombers picking up from the lake in front of our campsite.

 

Low clouds cover the top of the Alaska range.  Denali should be straight ahead!

 

Use your imagination, and a magnifying glass, and you will see 3 moose in the pond.

 

The park patrols in the winter with sled dogs and  maintains a large kennel.  They breed their dogs for friendliness, long legs for deep snow, strength for towing heavy loads, and apparently sloth!  They are the happiest sled dogs!

 


One of the large braided rivers draining the mountains in the park.  Amazing geology and beautiful river rocks.  It was very difficult not to fill my pockets. 

Even I could photograph this big grizzly along the side of the road!

Paused in Dawson City

July 2, Dawson City

Yes, still Dawson City!  The saga of the truck goes on and on….although, the end may be in sight at last.  And it’s not a bad place to be stranded for a week, I have to admit.  Nothing is ever instant way up here, and when the Ford dealer in Whitehorse has to order some obscure part from Edmonton, then ship it here, and a long weekend intervenes, things slow way down.  While we are waiting for a wheel part, which is part of the damage from the Dempster, we have had lots to do, and a great place to stay. 

Dawson City is just full of history and hiking, two fabulous rivers, and sufficient amenities to be a great town to visit.  We have also been lucky to connect with an old friend who has given us a luxurious camping spot just outside of town near his place, so life hasn’t been too tough!  I was worried about filling our time for a week, but we’ve had a ball.  The annual Yukon River Quest took place over the weekend, a 714 km paddle race from Whitehorse to Dawson on the Yukon, so we volunteered and saw plenty of exciting moments.  The boats range from 8 person Voyageur canoes to single kayaks, the racers from all over the world, and the grueling race takes them upwards of 50 hrs of paddling with only 2 mandatory rest stops along the route.  At the finish line they are knackered!  We dragged exhausted racers out of their boats, pulled canoes out of the way of others arriving in a cluster, sorted garbage (yes, the recycling queen is working overtime here!), and then celebrated at a steak BBQ on Sunday.  Met a lot of really nice people – paratroopers from the UK, Japanese adventurers, wild women, and as usual, lots of local characters.  Now I’m convinced I’d like to come up in the winter to volunteer for the Yukon Quest – the dog sled race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse.  Wouldn’t that be fun? 

When I look at our schedule I’m amazed at how much we’ve packed in to the past week.  There’s lots of good local trails – some more arduous and buggy than others – and we’ve done most of them.  We swam in the Klondike (icy but refreshing), paddled on both the Klondike and Yukon (a lifelong dream of mine), explored gold claims old and new, searched through graveyards, both human and paddlewheeler, and drunk martinis on the lawn of the Commissioner’s House.  Dawson really does Canada Day too – pancakes made from the same sourdough starter that was brought over the Chilkoot Trail, gold panning, parades, cakes, costumes and music.  I think there were fireworks, but we had collapsed into bed by then, and besides, it’s not dark here at night! 

We’ve had a bear encounter too this week, in the camp where we’ve been staying.  We had just arrived back yesterday when we heard the kitchen screen door slam.  We both assumed it was one of the guys who live here, but when we turned around to say hi, a little black bear was hightailing it out of the kitchen across the driveway.  ‘Oh no’ I thought – just imagine what a mess he’s made inside.  We circled round to the back, came through the cabin shouting, in case he had a partner in crime, and found he had torn open the screen door, swiped all the baking, fruit, bread and butter that was laid out on the side table, but hadn’t gotten much farther.  Luckily he hadn’t done any damage in the kitchen itself, and the only mess was an overturned garbage pail and some sticky foot prints covered in mashed banana.  Very funny!  But he was back throughout the evening, and we slept with our door closed for a change.  Today he’s been taken away to bear rehab – trapped by the Conservation Officer who says there’s several other charges pending against this miscreant.  I’m sorry to think that may mean he won’t be amenable to retraining. 

Tomorrow we will tidy up, fill up and then with any luck, giddy-up on Thursday after our truck repair.  We’re bound for Alaska, via the Top of the World highway, and we might be in beautiful downtown Chicken for July 4!  Cross your fingers for us – or at least for this sorry old truck we’re driving – and we’ll keep you posted!

 

Posted July 3, Goldrush Campground, Dawson City

Sluice box for sorting the gold from the rocks the old fashioned way.  Gold is 19 times heavier than water, so falls into the matting on the bottom of the box.  The water and gravel is sluiced back down and out into the river.

Dredging with huge machinery followed the hand mining, and whole valleys were torn up, rivers rerouted.  The giant machines worked 24 hrs per day and collected tons more gold in the early 1900's.

 
 

Paddle wheeler still plying the Yukon, but only for tourists now.  Prior to the roads and the rail lines there were dozens of these, and only a few are preserved. 

Grave of an early miner, with his gold pan, and a car jack????

 

First finisher in the Yukon River Quest - two hardy Aussie rugby guys who said this race nearly killed them!!!

 
 

Canada Day in Dawson City!  Mounties, fire trucks, antique vehicles, and balloons - fabulous!

 

Paddling into Dawson on the Yukon.  The Moosehide Slide on the mountain has been marking the destination for hundreds of years.  As soon as it was spotted as the paddlewheelers arrived from Whitehorse they would give a blast on their horns to announce their arrival.  We just whistled!