This was a long time coming…mainly because I had a
hard time with the words…and partly because I’ve had projects this week…and let
myself get addicted to The Tudors (precisely why I don’t watch tv). Anyway, at
long last, our 15+ mile hike last Sunday. :)
Over the past 3 weeks, Tara and I have really tried to
maximize on our time in Ketchikan. With only a few days left here, we knew our
last 2 weekends would be pretty packed. One of our goals was to do all of the
hiking trails in the area (and there are a lot!). While we had done most, we
saved our biggest hiking excursion for last. Four mountains, four trails, one
day.
The grand plan was to do all of the lakes: Carlanna, Perseverance,
and Ward. According to the maps we had, Carlanna and Perseverance where
interconnected via Minerva; and the trail head for Ward was just a few hundred
feet from Perseverance. We had it all mapped out. We’d start out closest to
town and work out way farther out North: Carlanna to Minerva to Perseverance,
then finishing off with a quick easy 1.3 mile hike around Ward Lake. A total of
8 miles, which, we estimated would take us approximately 10 hours. While I was
determined, I was also apprehensive at the very thought of an 8 mile , 10 hour hike.
I am simply not as fit as Tara is, and this time around, I was having
flashbacks of the Hell that was Deer Mountain. I was however, better prepared
this time around. Since I’d survived
Deer Mountain, I knew what to expect, what to pack, and how to mentally and
physically prepare myself for the tough climb ahead.
We set out early Sunday morning at 7:45 AM and caught the
bus to our first stop – the closest to the Carlanna lake trailhead. The early
morning chill was refreshing and the hike to the trailhead was a good warm up.
It took about 20 minutes to reach the trailhead from where the bus had dropped
us off a little over a mile away – partly because the uphill climb took some
getting used to, and partly because we ran into what we thought might be a wolf
who seemed to be eyeing us for breakfast (Tara claimed it looked like a small
bear…it turned out to be an enormous dog).
[Trail head #1...to Carlanna Lake Dam]
From the trailhead, the hike up to the Carlanna Lake Dam was
approximately ¼ mile. The trail up the mountain began from the dam.
[Carlanna Lake Dam]
By the time
we reached the trail, it was nearly 9:30. Because I knew we had to cover a lot
of ground in a very short time (we had to be done with our trek for the day by
6:30 pm to catch the last bus back home), I took off along the trail – knowing the
only way out was through, and worried we wouldn't finish on time. The weather was rather nice until we got to
the dam, however, soon after we began the trek along the mountain trail, it began
to lightly drizzle, and by the time we reached the bottom of the waterfall, it
was pouring (so much for the 0 – 10% chance of rain they predicted for Sunday).
Thankfully, we were hugely spared from the downpour due to the cool canopy of red
woods and hemlock. The climb at Carlanna Lake is 1.1 miles one way with an
elevation gain of 150 feet. Approximately ¾ mile into the treck, the rain
turned to hail, and we were “pelted”…with sea salt sized ice. The hail stopped almost
as quickly as it came, and by the time we reached the end of the Carlanna
trail, it was raining again. I don’t know if it was the fear of not finishing
on time, the attempt at avoiding slowing Tara down, or simply the fact that my
body seems to finally have adjusted to the all the hiking (doubtful), but I
really blazed through the trail. The Carlanna trail ended at a stream which
stemmed from a waterfall that was running down the face of the
adjoining mountain.
[Waterfall between Carlanna and Minerva Trails]
On the other side of the stream was the back end of Minerva
trail, so we forged ahead. We didn’t make it far however. Minerva trail is
still being laid. We made it ¼ of a mile along the trail when the definitive
path ended. Without a definite trail to follow, we had no choice but to
backtrack. We crossed the stream and went back down Carlanna…and all the way back
to the bus stop (where the sun was shining and there was no evidence of the
rainclouds that we had just encountered along the trail). Since we couldn’t
loop around to Perseverance via Minerva, the only other option was to catch a
ride to Perseverance. Thankfully we were able to do Carlanna fairly quickly. By
the time we got to Perseverance, it was 11 am.
[Read the Sign]
While the Carlanna Lake trail was fairly easy, Perseverance
surely earned its name. The 2.3 mile trek with a 450 feet elevation gain was
more difficult for sure; though, surely not as difficult as I imagined it would
be – perhaps Carlanna had been a good way to warm up to the uneasy climb of
Perseverance. Despite the difficulty, it really was a very beautiful and
relaxing trail. I found that I wasn’t so worried with trying to capture
everything through the lens – mainly because this was now our fourth or fifth
hike and let’s face it, once you’re in the woods, everything looks the same. In
any event, refraining from clicking pictures allowed me time to just be one
with nature and really take it all in. When I finally turned my attention to
where I was and what I was doing, the true beauty of it, which I so vainly
tried to capture through the lens, came to life: the rush of the waterfall a
few hundred feet to our left, the soft trickle of water from the streams, the
birds singing an Alaskan summer song, and the occasional shuffle of wildlife in
the underbrush. It sounded like something directly out of one of those “sleep
sounds” meditation/relaxation CDs. It was beautiful. Much of the trail was
lined in boardwalks just above the bog which covered the forest floor.
[Latter portion of Perseverance Trail - through the muskeg]
Perseverance trail ended at Perseverance Lake (go figure). It
was a breathtaking sight – an expansive lake tucked between a ring of
magnificent snow capped peaks. We reached there at approximately 2 pm…just in
time for lunch. If we timed it perfectly, we could sit for an hour and head
back down the trail. If we reached Ward Lake by 4:30, we’d make the 6 o’clock
bus back home. We perched upon a log in
comfortable silence taking in the beauty and nature around us, and for the
first time in a very long time, I felt relaxed…and utterly content. The woods
are a splendid escape…they transport you to a time and place far from the
materialistic world. The silence and isolation were soul-stirring.
[Perseverance Lake]
[Soul-stirring Serenity]
[This guy was beautiful & loving the photo-op. Dr. Escobar was kind enough to ID him: Cyanocitta Stelleri: Steller's Jay]
We were sitting there for a mere half-hour when the clouds came in low enough for the mountains to magically disappear (this is one of
the things I love about Ketchikan –
the fog makes the mountains completely disappear – as if they were never there
at all). And as quick as the clouds rolled in, it began to rain (and got
ridiculously cold). Lunch was cut short and we had to head back. We reached
Ward Lake early, which was nice because it allowed for time to lay by the lake
and wonder about our good fortune which had led us to that place and time.
[Ward Lake]
[One of those 'Is this my life right now?' moments]
Ward Lake trail is a popular picnic spot for all the locals
in the area. It is a simple 1.3 mile trail with zero elevation gain which
circles the lake. It was the perfect easy way to end a long tough day (every
bone and muscle in my body was aching by this point…especially my left hip. I
know, I sound like an old man…). Along the trail are tree swings and picnic
tables. Many families were out enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon…I even
ran into a German Sheppard/Husky mix with one blue and one brown eye – what are
the odds? [It was torture. I have really missed my puppy these last few days.]
The sun was shining down as we lay by the lake and rested up for our one
mile trek back to the bus stop; the warmth it provided was quite a treat after we'd hiked through the rain for the 3rd time that day. As hard
as that final mile was, we made it back in time to catch the 5:16. On the bus
we ran into the same hiker we met near the summit of Deer Mountain (Ketchikan
is a small town...). As we told him
about our day, it occurred to us that we may have walked/hiked more than we had
originally thought. We were sure by this point that we had done at least 11
miles instead of 8…and in just 7 hours, no less. When we got home and
calculated exactly, it turned out we had done 15.6 miles. In one day. Insane. I
was sore from head to toe for the rest of the week. It was totally worth it.
PS: My goal for the day was to get a good picture of an
eagle. We finally saw them flying above our heads as we waited for the bus back
home at the end of the day. Clearly I need a new camera lens – the one I have
isn’t sophisticated enough to capture things flying hundreds of feet overhead.
None-the-less, I like this picture. :)
PPS: All of the pictures from last Sunday's hike to the lakes can be found here: http://
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