Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska 2014 | Part 3: Seward to Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge in Aialik Bay

Spire Cove

After a good night's sleep at the Whistle Stop, we walked to the Seward boat office for Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge about a half-block away. The boat, a small catamaran named the Wild Lander, was due to depart at 10:00 am; we arrived at 9:15, with me fully medicated against sea-sickness (hopefully) and ready for this four-hour trip, which touted spectacular views along the Kenai Peninsula of mountains, glaciers, and wildlife. Though I very much wanted to see whales, I tried not to come with that expectation. I looked forward to seeing some interesting landscapes and more sea otters, which, between you and me, I was pretty excited about.

Resurrection Bay

Considering that this part of Alaska is a temperate rain forest, it was not surprising that, once again, it was raining. While we waited to board, I pulled my rain pants on, guessing that various surfaces on the boat would be wet from rain and sea spray. (It would be approximately 5 days before I took them off again.) Once on board, we were given boat safety tips from the skipper, Jessica, and advised of what our trip would entail. Navigating south through Resurrection Bay, west around the tip of Aialik Peninsula, and then north into Aialik Bay, we would have many opportunities to view the fjords and any animals that happened to be around. Lunch, consisting of sandwiches, soup, and other various snacks, would be served on the boat, but the crew warned that the seas were expected to get rough when heading around Aialik Cape, so it was advised that everyone wait until after that segment of the journey to dig in.

The approximate route. (NPS map with annotation)

Apparently the weather had been unfavorable for a while; the seas had been rough, and the previous trip to the lodge was fraught with sea-sickness. At the end of the trip, Jessica admitted that she had been worried that our voyage was going to be more of the same. She was afraid that everyone was going to be miserable and throwing up, and there would be no animal sightings. However, ours would turn out to be the best trip of the summer up to that point in her opinion (maybe not counting the weather, although it's possible that the gloominess contributed to the multitude of animals being out on the water).
 
As the boat pulled away from the harbor, we immediately had our first wildlife encounter of the day in the form of a bald eagle perched on a docking beacon. We headed out into the gloom of Resurrection Bay toward the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska and into an unforgettable experience. 

I cannot attempt to provide a detailed account of this boat trip; it was impossible to keep track of details as we were bombarded with one exciting moment after another. It was a truly spectacular experience. Behold:

Spire Cove

Steller Sea Lions

Orcas

Puffins

Harbor Seals

Humpback Whale

Sleeping Sea Otter and Sea Stars (sea star photo by Andrea)

The scenery was gorgeous, with lush, green mountains giving the illusion of being in the tropics – until one noticed the ice and snow capping them. Jessica constantly scanned the water looking for wildlife, and it was interesting to witness her and various other boat skippers working together to keep each other informed of good wildlife viewing opportunities so everyone could participate. 

About halfway through the trip, I started to feel queasy and worried that the sea-sickness medication was not going to be adequate. This coincided with the rough waters off Aialik Cape, and after spending time in the fresh air off the back of the boat and being distracted by more scenery, the feeling passed and I was brave enough to eat a sandwich.
Before the final leg of the journey into upper Aialik Bay, we took in some picturesque spots where the combination of mountains, trees, and low clouds created painting-like landscapes. Sadly, I don't know where, exactly, these areas were or if they had names, so I can't pinpoint them on a map. We also detoured into Holgate Arm for a close view of Holgate Glacier's terminus – a gorgeous, bright blue wall of ice at the edge of the water.

Holgate Glacier

As we approached our drop-off point – a stretch of cobble beach tucked around a curved, protruding piece of land separating Pedersen Lagoon from Aialik bay – we enjoyed the view of Aialik Glacier at the north end of the bay. We would become more familiar with the upper bay and glacier in the following days during our stay at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge, which is hidden on Pederson Lagoon, a short walk away through the forest, and the subject of the next blog post.

The Wild Lander drops us off in Aialik Bay, then leaves without a trace

The boat drops visitors off, then it's a walk through a meadow and into the woods to Pedersen Lagoon

Wildlife observed:
Bald eagles: 3
Steller sea lions: a bunch
Sea stars: a few
Orcas: 3
Puffins: many
Sea otters: several
Harbor seals: lots
Humpback whales: 2
Cormorants: many
Jellyfish: a few 

To be continued in: Four Days at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge

Snowshoeing in the Upper Peninsula

Giant Pines Trail, Tahquamenon Falls State Park Although not officially winter yet, I'm currently sitting at my dining room table watching my dogs play in what is shaping up to be the first accumulating snow shower of the season in Metro Detroit. Tromping around on some Michigan trails in my slightly obnoxious yellow Redfeather snowshoes soon is an exciting prospect. I got a great deal on them a few years ago and I have to assume it is because few people would voluntarily pay full price for equipment in such a color.

According to last night's weather report, the west side of the state near Lake Michigan and the Upper Peninsula already have a respectable amount of snow. In the cold months the U.P. is a winter paradise so it was fitting that a few years ago my sister Andrea and I traveled to Tahquamenon Falls State Park located near the town of Paradise, MI for a couple of days of snowshoeing. Eight inches of snow had recently fallen atop the already impressive existing white blanket and a phone conversation with a park ranger assured me that the prime winter conditions were not going to change any time soon.

Cold weather attracts many people to Michigan who appreciate the beauty of the northern woods by snowmobiling, skiing, and snowshoeing more than 6000 miles of trails found throughout the state forests. Winter tourism accounts for 1/3 of Michigan's tourism industry and snowmobiling is king in the northern reaches of the state. Generating over $1 billion a year in economic activity, snowmobilers pour into the streets, many of them sporting neon outfits matching the loud hues of their snowmobiles. Unfortunately, this popular sport is also relatively dangerous and before the trip was over Andrea and I would find ourselves in a bar eating lunch next to a booth containing the remaining, uninjured members of a bummed-out snowmobiling party. Their seriously injured comrade was being transported to a hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, 60 miles to the east, leaving them stranded in Paradise while their car was in Newberry, almost 40 miles to the west.

A pink sun rose over the chunky pack ice of Whitefish Bay early in the morning on our first full day in Paradise and after braving the complimentary hotel breakfast, we set out for the Giant Pines Trail. This section of Tahquamenon Falls State Park winds through a stand of huge old growth white pine, many over 150 years old. As we walked across the hotel parking lot to the car, a bald eagle bade us good morning by soaring quietly 10 feet or so above our heads. We decided it was a sign that the day was destined to be a good one.

Despite the recent covering of snow, the temperature was very mild and we had to adjust our many layers upon setting out. Earlier in the season Andrea and I had taken a brisk morning snowshoe in 7º weather and vicious winds at a park near my home, so this was a very unexpected but welcome surprise. The 4-mile Giant Pines loop was in beautiful winter glory and hardly a sound was heard. The heavy snow clung to the trees in such a way that many dead trunks looked as if they held marshmallows on their tips.At some point we branched off the Giant Pines Trail to explore the path that connects the Upper and Lower Falls along the Tahquamenon River. Due to the unstable snow and ice – the weather had bounced back and forth between bitter single digit and below zero temps to almost balmy periods of mid and upper 30's – we weren't able to walk across the river to explore the many tiers of Lower Falls which was a little disappointing. Still, the there-and-back-again side trip was still fun even without the added element of surprise unstable ice could offer. Plus, Andrea got the added bonus of watching me clumsily squeeze into an outhouse like a drunken, yellow snowshoe-wearing Sasquatch. In my defense, the door would only open part way because a mound of frozen snow blocked its path. While I was extremely thrilled to find the outhouse in my moment of need, I was even more joyful that I had the foresight to bring kleenex as the roll inside was completely frozen with many a frozen bug corpse embedded in the first few layers. After finding our way back to the car, we headed to cozy and cabinesque Tahquamenon Falls Brewery for dinner which included pasties and Porcupine Pale Ale. Once back at our hotel, I gazed out the patio door at the lights of the Canadian shore across the 30-mile expanse of Whitefish Bay while Andrea got to have an engaging conversation about what the heck snowshoeing is with a shirtless (of course), crazily colored pants-wearing snowmobiler guy in the vending room. Good stuff!

Backpacking Grand Island National Recreation Area:

Day Four: Trout Bay to Williams Landing

On day four we found ourselves ahead of schedule. We had planned to spend 2 nights in the North Point area so that we could have a day of relaxation and enjoy the beach. However, since the campsites weren't overlooking the water, we had decided to move on. Now that we had a perfect beach campsite, we needed to decide whether to stay on Trout Bay another night or to finish up on the fourth day. Williams Landing and the ferry dock were only around 5 miles away, and we didn't really see the point in packing up and staying at another campsite along that route for our final night since the Little Dune sites were so good. I voted to stay put and spend the day reading on the beach with periodic breaks to go swimming or nap in the tent. Craig is more stir crazy and wasn't sure if he could relax all day without getting bored. In the end, we compromised and planned to spend an unhurried morning eating breakfast, drinking coffee, relaxing, and eventually leave for Williams Landing around noon.

Just as we started to break camp, I spotted a couple of backpackers making their way down the boardwalk with the look of hoping against hope that our site was available. We occupied the last one, and we knew everything else was full. Upon spotting me, the woman's shoulders sagged and she turned to her male companion who pulled out a map and looked depressed. Remembering how Craig and I felt the day before, after trudging all the way to this very place, I ran over to let them know that we were clearing out and the site was theirs. They nearly cried and immediately dropped their packs and set off for the shore. A half-hour later we waved goodbye to the couple on the beach and began the last leg of our trip.

Unfortunately, we had to walk back down that stretch of road which was unprotected from the sun, now high in the sky and beating on our heads. While making our way down the road with our heads down, a shadow suddenly floated across the trail in front of us. We both looked up in time to see a magnificent bald eagle soar directly over us just above the tree line. I missed this perfect photographic opportunity because for once I did not have my camera in hand. The eagle was a beautiful sight, gliding silently against the clear blue sky, and it's presence brightened the slightly boring stretch of trail.
The trail curves sharply south and runs past Duck Lake - a small inland lake with a viewing platform – before reaching Murray Bay Beach which features picnic areas for day use and campsites for overnight stays. Various historic sites grabbed our attention along the shore of Murray Bay. The Stone Quarry Cabin, built in 1845, is one of the oldest standing structures on Lake Superior and was home to various workers such as stone cutters in Michigan's early history.

It is near this spot that we encountered the largest pile of bear scat we have ever seen. The size of a small mountain, it held evidence of a diet of berries and seemed fresh. Would we be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the undoubtedly huge fellow who released this impressive bomb? Did we really want to? Was he, right at that moment, hiding behind a tree and watching the ridiculous humans gawk at his excrement, wondering how we made it to the top of the food chain? We looked around nervously but saw no sign of a large omnivore lingering to receive praise for his accomplishment.

Further south we passed the decrepit remains of tennis courts which used to be part of a resort operated by an iron mining company in the early 1900s. The main hotel is gone, but some of the cottages still remain and are privately owned.

Once back at Williams Landing, we again encountered the forest service volunteers from the day before and chatted about our trip while waiting for the ferry that would return us to Munising. When the boat reached the dock, it unloaded a new group of visitors including a couple of backpackers with their dog who was suited up with her own pack.

We nearly broke down on the water when a huge tree branch that had been floating in the bay lodged itself in the pontoon boat's motor causing us to stall halfway to shore. Thinking fondly of showers and whitefish sandwiches, we returned to town and spent a few days relaxing before beginning the long drive home.