Wandering Through Ketchikan

We are boondocking in the forest so we have no electricity (unless we run the generator). Boy was it dark last night and absolutely silent. It was wonderful.

Up early this morning to make the most of our day.

We took a mile hike on the trail that goes around Ward Lake. It's in the 40's and beautiful. The path took us through forest and a boggy area that came out onto a stone beach. There were groups of school age kids walking the beach and sitting in the beach huts where some park rangers had a nice fire going. A lady was standing on the beach next to the path and we asked what was going on. She was a teacher and told us the park rangers do programs for the kids at different times during the year. Some programs are on wildlife and others on fauna. Wow what a great experience for the kids. We continued on down the path and a beautiful Stellar Jay followed us. He sat on a branch about a foot away! We watched each other for a while and then he flew off. It was a nice walk and now we are ready to explore.

Leaving Signal Creek (campground) we turned right towards Lake Harriet Hunt. We are in the Tongass National Forest which stretches more than 500 miles along Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage. Seventeen million acres leaves plenty of room for more than 2000 species of plants, 150 or more species of birds and mammals and of course us. This is the largest national forest in the United States. Something like 14% of the world's total rainforest is in the forest and all that water makes the Tongass an ecological wonderland.

We turned up the 1st gravel road we found and saw Sitka blacktailed deer as we drove along Ward Creek. The road ended shortly in a gravel parking lot at a dam and another lake. We think it was the town reservoir. The forest is full of Sitka Spruce, Red Cedar, and Red Alder trees, but no leaves here, we are back to spring buds. We back tracked to the main road and followed it until it turned into a narrow gravel road. As we climbed along a ridge we got into rain and then sleet. There were mountains to our left and soon the road narrowed and we came to a gatehouse. We had no idea where we were but it was beautiful. A guy (Dugan) and his dog was sitting in an old lime green pickup that used to have a US Forest Service logo on it. We pulled up and he got out of the truck and explained the land past the gate was owned by Natives and you needed a permit to enter. Then he asked us where we were gong. We talked for a while and he gave us pointers on what to see. We asked about bears in the area and he told us they are just waking up but most were seen on the other side of the island. Finally he told us how to get to Lake Harriet Rd. Off we went. Lake Harriet was really pretty and we could see Thornton Mountain. We decided to have a picnic lunch there.

After lunch we drove back to the Tongass Hwy and went north. The clouds have lifted and we can see the mountains. Next stop is Totem Bight Park. This is a great place that explains about the Native cultures. In the early 1900's with the growth of non-native settlements in Southeast Alaska, and the decline of a barter economy, Natives moved to communities where they could find work. Their villages and totem poles were left behind and soon were overgrown and eroding. In 1938 the Forest Service started a program to salvage and reconstruct these large cedar monuments. They hired carvers from among the older Natives and two things happened. Young artisians learned the art of carving totem poles, and totems which were left behind were repaired or duplicated.

The heritage of the Northwest Coast Tribes place an important part in the Ketchikan lifestyle. 20% of the residents can trace their Alaskan heritage back to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes.

There were many totems in the park and we learned why sometimes there are carvings at the bottom and top and nothing in the middle. This can show the rank or stage of someone in a clan or that they have traveled a long way. We learned the totems describe stories and events that happend in the different clans. Sometimes the various clans and communities interpreted the totems differently. Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of totem poles.

The parks paths follow the shores of the sparkling blue Tongass Narrows. A Bald Eagle lazily flew over head and landed right on top of a totem. This was the first Alaskan Bald Eagle we've seen! We sat on a bench and watched him and soon there was a pair that hovered above us and then flew off. They are really beautiful birds.

Leaving the park we continued up the road to Settler's Cove. This is the end of the highway. We took the Lunch Falls trail through the rainforest and down to the beach. We sat on a log and just enjoyed the view and serenity.

With all roads in Ketchikan covered we headed for town to return the video and then made a stop at Wal-Mart. (Yup they have one...)

Our ride was beautiful today and we learned a lot about the Native culture . Ketchikan was really pretty.

Pictures: Path around Ward Lake, View from Ward Lake Path, Camp site at Signal Creek, Lake Harriett Road, Entrance to Totem Bight, Clan House (2), Eagle on top of totem, Lunch Falls Trail