Trail work

Our ward did a day of service for the State of Alaska Parks Department. When the day turned out to be miserably wet, we still had a blast. 

September 20th, we headed out to Point Bridget State Park to do some trail work. All decked out in rain gear and rubber boots, we shoveled pit run into wooden frames like this one.

Fortunately for us the rocks had be helicoptered in, so after our six hours of work we only had to carry back the empty bags for the state park to reuse.

We had people of all shapes and sizes. At one point I was explaining to a four and six year old how they could go into the trees and pick out clumps of moss to re-vegetate some of the eroded trail. The four year old started out enthusiastically, dropping tiny pieces of moss down the middle of the trail like Gretel from the old fairy tale. The crew chief bust his gut laughing at them.

I was relieved when about three hours into our project a couple Tongan men arrived, and they led the gravel bag dragging team like they were hitting the grid iron.

Afterward Mr. X said his back was sore and he injured it further helping some senior citizens cutting down a tree the next week. I may have had a run in with the shovels on Mr. X's shoulder. Thankfully my hat took the brunt of the impact. The next day I was shocked at the soreness of my fingers from all the shoveling.

When we hiked out to the Blue Mussel Cabin in January, we were pleased to see our efforts peeking out under the snow.

Blue Mussel cabin

We've been to the Blue Mussel Cabin several times, but this was our first overnight trip. The weather report called for snow squalls, a gale warning with gusts to 40 knots, and waves to six feet. I convinced Mr. X to leave the packrafts at home.

We met up with Brad after work and drove out to Bridget Cove State park near the end of the road. Part of the road is dirt and shard because they are still widening it.

The first part of the trail (i.e. 2.5 miles) was covered in snow. After the first mile I put on my yak tracks. We hiked through Cowee Meadow and were met by six or seven swans hanging out near the beaver den.

We took a break at the Cowee Meadow cabin and were greeted by a nice, if territorial, golden retriever.

The going was good until we crested the small hill to the beach. Then the wind hit us and I was ready to make run for the trail through the trees. I was pretty cold. Don't ask me how Mr. X managed. He was wearing his swimsuit.

We hiked along the bluff, through the trees passing lichen and hearing varied thrushes in the bushes. We came upon a windfall and collected firewood - guess we didn't need to carry the two duralogs.

After another twenty minutes we dropped down to the beach near the cabin. The Chesire cat moon and remains of sunset greeted us. The first stars began to glitter in the sky. And yes, there were 6 foot crashing swells.

We all split up doing camp chores. Brad got the fire going right away and Mr. X spent an inordinate amount of time splitting wood with his kukri and newly carved mallet. I unpacked bags and got fresh water coming off the cliffs directly behind the cabin.

After a snack we went out to the front deck and looked at the stars. Brad knows alot of constellations so we spent time looking at Bootes the Bear chaser, Lyra, and many others that I don't recall. We spotted three satelites and noted the light pollution from the Kensington Mine across the water.

About 11:30 I spotted some new lights in the sky and asked Mr. X what they were. Brad confirmed our suspicions that they were northern lights. We watched the white-green lights dance over Berners Bay and the surrounding mountains.

You're really supposed to bring a gallon of diesel #1, but I don't like how that smells in the car and we don't have a place to store a gas can, so we opted to use the "emergency" mini wood stove. You can see the oil stove next to it in this picture.

In the morning, I gazed out the windows at the waves crash on the beach in front of cabin and the brilliantly white Chilkats across the Lynn Canal. Around 8 am, I started a duralog in the stove and got some heat going. Brad and Mr. X took a walk along the beach looking in tide pools. After some chores I followed them around the point, scrambling over the boulders.

With the rough seas we didn't see much in the way of wildlife. Just some eagles and gulls catching the air between the sea and the bluffs.

With that we packed up camp and headed out. By the end of the hike I was pretty much toast. I've got to figure out why I've stopped sleeping on these trips. Otherwise, some of our hiking plans might not work too well this summer.

  

 If you look close at this picture you, can see the blue mussels on the rocks. They look kinda-purple.

Seward's Day at Blue Mussel Cabin

The last day in March is Seward's Day. We had the day off and our friend asked to be invited to our plans. We didn't have plans, so we made some up, "How about the Blue Mussel Cabin?"

The sky threatened rain and we know that the trail is typically muddy so we dressed for success, hiking in boots and rain gear. Rather than mud however we found snow and ice and after lunch the sun appeared.

We looked at sea anenomes and crabs in tide pools and crunched through the mounds of blue mussels piled along the beach.

Mr. X taught our friend to sling rocks in front of the cabin while I explored the 15 - 20 foot ice slides on the cliffs.

The cabin was a mess, so we gathered up the junk, washed windows and attempted to repair the windows in the loft.


Rather than taking the trail back to the car Mr. X wanted to bushwack. So we made our way through leaf-less Devil's Club. Eventually, I decided I was finished getting stung by the prolific, prickly bush, so I took off toward the road. Mr. X and our friend had no other choice but to follow.

It was an easy but enjoyable hike. Perfect for starting out the hiking season.