Mining ruins

The spring whether has bit me like a bug. I can't get enough walking or hiking or relaxing on the beach. One evening I convinced Mr. X to follow some off the beaten path instructions I had found on the internet. There are some old prospector relics north of the West Glacier Trail and I wanted to find them.

Since Mr. X loves bushwhacking, this really wasn't a sacrifice for him and lucky for me, while it wasn't a beaten path, there definitely was a path the whole way. No windfalls to climb over, no trail tape or other markers necessary.

We found the broken glass, tin plates and cast iron pots.

We found the foundation of an old building -- maybe a prospector's cabin. I was delighted to find the trench and heavily veined rock.
A nice walk in a nice forest.

Lena Point

We have a new neighbor who likes to go out Friday nights. The going out isn't a problem, but the coming home at 3 a.m. is. The fact that it's now light at that time means if I'm woken, I'm up for day.

One Saturday I needed to get out and Mr. X and I headed out for a short hike to Lena Point. We were glad to see John Mikesell's Eagle Scout project is still around. Mr. X says though that the base needed some rocks so he carefully scrambled down the cliff face and hauled a couple large rocks up to use as foot stools. He found some prehistoric insects living on the rocks. He was pleased. I was a little grossed out.

While working on rocks, we spotted a large male orca. And then two more. And then a pod of three with a calf. All told we watched a dozen orcas pass by the point.

Bonfires and wildlife cruises

After 3 weeks of steady rain (April was 272% above normal) we finally breathed a sigh of relief at the end of the month. We reveled in the spring weather over a campfire at Auke Rec with Mr. X's sister and brother-in-law.

We used the coals from the previous group and Mr. X had the fire roaring immediately. The pup learned to swim...begrudgingly. And I was a spooked by noises in the bushes -- while pack rafting two days earlier, we had seen our first bear of the season on this beach.

The next morning we took the Audubon nature cruise out to Berner's Bay. We were treated to black oyster-catchers, Bonaparte gulls, sea lions, seals, river otters, and humpback whales.

You should have seen us all leap out of our seat though when the captain spotted a moose on the shore. These animals are a rare find near Juneau. Bet you can't see her though in my picture -- she was far away.

The Chilkats were lovely and it was a great day to be on the water.

Pt. Bishop Trail -- Thane

For Martin Luther King day, Mr. X and I decided to try the Point Bishop Trail which is at the end of the road on the south end of town.

We hadn't previously taken this trail as I had heard it was unmaintained. There are some areas that appear to have be preparing to wash out and there were a few windfalls, but the for the most part it is well maintained. Of course we were in rubber boots and full rain gear, so the muddy, root-y portions were ignored.

For the first mile and and half we were hiking above the Gastineau channel and frequently heard the calls of water birds. Eventually we split off and headed away from the water and into the forest. We wound around moss covered mountains and crossed crystal clear streams running quite quickly in our mild winter weather. 

I was nervous about frosty board walks, and narrow canyons, but thoroughly enjoyed the hike. We had to turn around though because the weak January sun was dropping low, and we didn't want to be out in the dark. We'll go back again and hope to be able to launch the rafts and some point along the trail, perhaps on the Taku River. 

Retreat at Shrine of St. Therese

Our new ward's Relief Society has a tradition of going to the Shrine of St. Therese each fall. I went out after work for dinner, games and a devotional. The theme was PJs party. Prayer, Journals, Scriptures and we had a good discussion of how we fit each into our days.

It was a partly clear evening so I enjoyed looking up at the stars...but cold enough I didn't stay outside for long. 

Late in the evening, the Relief Society President went next door to "the early to bed" AKA post office cabin and, scratching at the window, totally terrified the women. One particularly funny woman came back to the lodge to say that she was so scared she had to change her under pants! 

About 2 am, after two hours trying to sleep and the party still rocking, I packed up and went home. I needed sleep or I was going to be sick.

I was so glad I was able to go back early the next morning for breakfast and exploring of the shrine. I walked out the causeway to the chapel with a couple friends and we watch sea lions swim by.

After breakfast I wandered over to the gap which is a cabin you can use to get out of the weather as you look over the columbarium.

Dog-sitting and Alaska Day

We had ten days walking and hiking with a 15-year old gordon setter named Zoe who lives in downtown Juneau. We had our share of homegrown carrots, lunchtime walks, Taku winds, smoked salmon, and urban bears.

The bear made its appearance on the first night. We were heading the same direction and I wasn't too keen on following him while holding the leash on a dog that could pass for a shaggy bear cub. We tried to go walking in daylight after being stuck waiting for the bruin to head off into someone's yard.

We took Zoe on a 5 mile, 1800' hike to the tram on Mt. Roberts to celebrate Alaska day (we also walked her part-way up the lower Dan Moller trail, but there was frost and ice so none of us really enjoyed that one).

All along the way, we were greeted by others who were amazed by her stamina. "Yes, us too. No, we can't take credit for her health, we're just the sitters."

I was pretty nervous - as in I just can't watch that - when she'd venture too close to the cliff edge...she's deaf and getting cataracts... But she really enjoyed being off leash for a few miles.

At the top the wind had picked up and so we cancelled our goals to hike farther up the mountain.

The last quarter mile of the hike I was calling and clapping and offering treats, just hoping Zoe would return to me to get her leash back on. We waited for her to turn back but she just continued down the trail toward the parking lot. Did I mention that she's a bird dog that never figured out cars? At the road she made a bee-line to greet a stranger. Fortunately she timed it just right to avoid any traffic and finally saw me racing toward her, treat bag in hand.

Ice breaker Healy

When one of the Coast Guard's two ice breakers, the Healy, stopped in town we took the afternoon off work to tour the boat. This 420 foot boat does scientific studies in the Arctic as well as provides support to any distressed mariners up north.

Back in 2012, the Healy lead the Russian tanker Renda through the ice offshore Nome to ensure that the town got their winter fuel. An early storm had prevented them from getting their final shipment. The crew of the Healy gave up their Christmas holiday when they heard that Renda was willing to help and the turned around and headed back north.

It was fun to see the breaker's bridge and skiffs as well as their heliport. We were most surprised by the whole rack of bikes, I assume they use for shore excursions. On the bridge we were impressed by all the handles, floor surfaces, etc. to help them stay on their feet in rough water. I felt bad for the crew, having to constantly tell people not to climb on or swing from various equipment. One crew member  had lost her voice from talking all day, but she was still there answering questions.

After our tour we headed to Sandy beach to attend our neighbor's wedding and reception.