THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees
by Robert Glenn Ketchum
In 1985, I began a 2-year commission to explore the Tongass rainforest, the largest forest in the United States Forest Service (USFS) system AND the largest temperate rainforest in the world. It was a unique, old-growth environment under siege from industrial logging. The resulting investigative book I published helped to pass the Tongass Timber Reform Bill, protect 1,000,000 acres of old-growth, and create 11 new wilderness areas. This is the story of how that was achieved.
~Robert Glenn Ketchum
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #199,
Tongass, #199: In 1986, I return to the Tongass rainforest for a second summer to complete my commission. In the previous summer, my assistant had been my friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter. This summer, I will be joined by various other friends at different points of the project, spread over several months. The first trip I organize is to return the Ketchikan, from where I intend to access a US Forest Service cabin on the shore of Goat Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument. Philip and I had seen the lake and cabin in a flightsee the summer before, and I had yet to use the resources of these many USFS cabins, spread throughout the Tongass, so I wanted to see what they would be like. I am joined now by another photographer and his wife, Krys and Jan Cianciarulo, who will be my first assistants of this year. Goat Lake is large, and it sits in a granite basin about 1,800ft. above a fjord. It has a spectacular waterfall pouring out of it, and the reason the USFS built a cabin in such a place was to provide goat hunters access to the high country. To get there, we will take a float plane out of Ketchikan, and land on the lake. We will only be there for three days, but they will be quite unique because this is high alpine rainforest, in one of the wettest parts of all of the Tongass, often receiving 325” of rain, and sometimes more.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, June 9, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #198,
Tongass, #198: In 1992, I was invited to have a major one-person exhibition at the Houston FotoFest. When I received the diagrams of the various galleries I would use, the entrance to the space featured large, curved walls. Since there were ample galleries throughout, rather than hang framed images on the curved walls, I decided to do something else, and I created unique prints for that room. Taking advantage of the new Fuji Crystal Archive digital print materials, I created several prints that would be hung without frames, just using clips and pins, allowing them to curve with the wall. The image above is “Roads to Nowhere (5,000 miles and growing)” measuring 48”x 150”. I took this photograph on Prince of Wales Island the first summer of my Tongass rainforest commission. The print incorporated the text you see to the right, which is too small to read as a jpg., so here is what it says:
The Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, and nurtures North America’s greatest concentrations of eagles, and grizzly bear. Freshwater river systems support abundant wild salmon populations, and the marine environment sustains a healthy diversity of shellfish, crab, halibut, seal, and whale.
In spite of this, over one billion dollars of the American taxpayer’s money has been spent as corporate welfare, subsidizing timber companies to build more than 5,000 miles of road in order to access and clearcut the forest. Most of the usable wood from these clearcuts is shockingly undervalued, and sold at this discount to Japan. The clearcuts also damage or fragment valuable habitat, negatively impacting the recreational tourism, and wild commercial fishing industries, whose long-term contributions to the state economy are sustainable, and ultimately have greater value.
According to a 10-year schedule recently published by the Department of the Interior, $165 million additional tax dollars will be spent to underwrite a substantial amount of new corporate road building. Many of the roads proposed will be constructed in 50 areas presently designated to be roadless.
Our tax dollars are being used to assist profitable private industries in building roads that lead to nowhere, and damage valuable public resources. At the same time, the nation’s infrastructure of highways and bridges is deteriorating, and most urban areas suffer crippling traffic and gridlock, because they lack the necessary federal funding to repair, improve, and expand transportation systems that already exist.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #196,
Tongass, #196: After the previous day of interviewing loggers at a log camp, and then being driven indoors by a torrential rain, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, awake to an overcast sky at our B&B in Craig, but the rain has stopped. We are due to return to Ketchikan by ferry around midday, so we decide to eat breakfast, check out, and do one last cruise through some of the clearcut areas, closest to us, and along the road to the ferry terminal. As you have seen from the last 10 posts, most of the images I have made are singular frames, and most often of expansive views, so the first few shots of this morning start with that was as well, but it seems redundant. How many pictures of this destruction can one make, until they all start to look the same? As I ponder this dilemma, the overcast seems to be dissipating, and although there is still no sun, the day grows considerably brighter. With plenty of time still, before our departure, Philip and I wax philosophical about my artistic dead end of the moment, and in that conversation, he casually suggests that it is unfortunate that no one picture can capture the scale of the miles and miles of destroyed old growth forest that we have seen in the last three days. Prince of Wales is a vast island, and even though my pictures suggest the expanse of the destruction, sitting where we are, and looking out over the terrain, provides a very different sense of it than any one picture can do. Then a thought occurs to me. In my recently completed work in the Hudson River Valley, I occasionally used multiple frames to explore an expansive view. In that project, those views were grand, and most of the subjects beautiful. Here, perhaps I might render this subject in the same way to reveal the hideous.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 19, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #195,
Tongass, #195: After our morning in a logging camp on Prince of Wales Island doing interviews, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, go on a “field trip” with one of the loggers to see where he has been working. Nicknamed, “Woodie,” he takes us to a cut where he is currently gathering slash (debris wood to be burned), and after explaining the extent of the tract, he brings us to a “view” location for some picture taking. While I do take some overview shots, on an increasingly gray and rainy day, I am draw to the matching tonal colorations of a pile of slash timber and the gray sky above. When Woodie sees me making a picture there, he announces that this is a burn pile he accumulated entirely by himself, a sizable task. Acknowledging his considerable accomplishment, I make the image that appears in the previous post, one of my most purchased industrial image prints. Shortly thereafter, the sky falls in and it begins to rain hard, so we return to the logging camp where we share further conversation with the loggers,..and drink. Philip and I have now been “in country” long enough to drink with the best of them, so we do. Not really in condition to drive shitty roads back to Craig, we do so anyway, and I am just crazy (and drunk enough) to still stop and take pictures (above). Finally, driven into our car by rainfall, we wend our way back to town, where we crash at our bed-and-breakfast, BUT not before some food and further drinking in a “local favorites” bar. Really? Really!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 12, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #194,
Tongass, #194: After our first day of road-tripping on Prince of Wales Island (last 6 posts), my friend, and assistant for the summer, Philip Slagter, and I return to a B&B in Craig for the night. In the morning we are met by a “guide” who is willing to take us into a logging camp where we will be allowed to photograph and do interviews. The loggers have been told we are just “observing” for a book I am writing, but the point-of-view in my work is not mentioned. Even so, totting cameras and tape recorders, and dressed in state-of-the-art Patagonia gear, they clearly treat us with polite suspicion (as well they should). We spend the morning in the “mess” shack, drinking coffee and having a “round-table” discussion with several of them, and then one of them named “Woodie,” offers to take us to a cut where we can make pictures. It is a cold, grey day, raining off-and-on, and although I do make a number of pictures of larger overviews, the one that has resonated in my book and throughout my exhibits is above. The silver-grey tonalities are amplified by my Cibachrome printing process. This is a pile of slash that has been collected to be burned, and Woodie hauled all of this here, by himself, something he was quite proud of. I am sure it was A LOT of work, SO, this is, “Rootwads and Slash/Ode to Woodie.” The sad end to a patch of old growth Tongass rainforest.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 5, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #193,
Tongass, #193: My last post jumped one summer ahead to show you a map of what Philip Slagter, and I, are discovering on the ground in our first summer. Prince of Wales Island has a very few “main” roads, but off of those main roads, hundreds of spurs, extend out into thousands of even smaller spurs, and they penetrate every stand of timber they can find, accessing and clearcutting the forest into a patchwork of destroyed old growth habitat, and decimating hundreds of salmon spawning streams. The cutting is reckless, and wasteful, leaving massive amounts of down timber to rot, and referencing it as unusable “slash.” This kind of management of a rare and valuable PUBLIC resource is the disgrace of the US Forest Service. If our politicians really want to reform and reduce government excess, they should start by “clearcutting” all those who manage “harvesting” the resource they should enriching. These people draw their salaries from our tax dollars, but they work for a few select timber companies, some of which are not even American owned. This habitat and its MANY renewable resources are OUR trees, and OUR salmon, and they are being devastated by corporations, in many cases from abroad, that could not care less, they just want to be profitable turning the Tongass into pulp, so they can sell diapers to the 3rd World. To me, this is a CRIMINAL activity.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 28, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #192,
Tongass, #192: By the second summer of my visits to the Tongass, what I am doing there is known to many. My wife Carey has joined me to do interviews with people, and we talk to quite a range of them including fishermen, loggers, retail merchants, and cruise operators. One day, however, stands out as particularly unique. We are in a hotel in Juneau when the phone rings, and the caller identifies himself as a US Forest Service employee that wants us to show us something he thinks will be VERY revealing about the timber harvest on Prince of Wales Island. Interested, we agree to meet him for lunch, and he asks that we do so at a remote cafe, well outside of town, where none of his fellow employees might see us together. When we meet, he is also out of uniform as a further precaution. While having casual conversation about our project, he asks if we had been to Prince of Wales, and if we know the USFS public line about their limited roadbuilding. We have, and do. USFS “press” claims their roading activities are VERY limited, and especially respectful of all salmon streams. At this point, he casually passes several rolled maps over to Carey, saying “This is what is actually being done. Don’t open them here.” He then asks if we really intend to publish such documents, and when we respond, yes, if they are pertinent, he says we will surely anger A LOT of people, and some will lose their jobs. Then he asks if we use USFS wilderness cabins when we trek, advising that if we do, we should no longer register for our permits under our actual names, because “hunting accidents happen all the time in the rainforest.” When we get back to our hotel and unroll the maps, this (above) is what we find. On the USFS maps that have been released to the public, there is fine print text at the bottom, in a little noticed disclaimer stating, “no roads under two miles in length are shown because of scale.” On these maps we have been given, literally thousands of “spur” roads under two miles in length scrawl every which way, blanketing the island. We published these maps in our Aperture book, The Tongass: Alaska’s Vanishing Rainforest, making the real truth public for the first time.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #191,
Tongass, #191: In many cases, the logging corporations try to make their deforesting operations, more “discreet” to the tourist’s eye. Cruise ship passengers are the largest group of visitors, so many cuts are on an island's interior. Near a shore where it might be more visible, loggers may leave a “screen” of trees at the edge of the beach, then clearcut everything behind it. On the roads around Prince of Wales, a similar game is played with many of the cuts being “screened” from the most driven roadways. traveling these main roads, you do see cuts, but should you turn on to one of the smaller side roads, within a short distance you will arrive at an epic “ground zero” with a complex hatch-work of roads and spurs, eating into the forest in every direction. This road engineering and design is one of the most publicly deceitful acts that the logging companies pursue, and it is all done with the approval of the US Forest Service. Please stay tuned for the next post - I will show you the “map trick,” from actual USFS maps, leaked to me by a disgruntled employee, who was opposed to the further destruction of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #191,
Tongass, #191: In many cases, the logging corporations try to make their deforesting operations, more “discreet” to the tourist’s eye. Cruise ship passengers are the largest group of visitors, so many cuts are on an island's interior. Near a shore where it might be more visible, loggers may leave a “screen” of trees at the edge of the beach, then clearcut everything behind it. On the roads around Prince of Wales, a similar game is played with many of the cuts being “screened” from the most driven roadways. traveling these main roads, you do see cuts, but should you turn on to one of the smaller side roads, within a short distance you will arrive at an epic “ground zero” with a complex hatch-work of roads and spurs, eating into the forest in every direction. This road engineering and design is one of the most publicly deceitful acts that the logging companies pursue, and it is all done with the approval of the US Forest Service. Please stay tuned for the next post - I will show you the “map trick,” from actual USFS maps, leaked to me by a disgruntled employee, who was opposed to the further destruction of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #190,
Tongass, #190: On most of the clearcuts on Prince of Wales Island, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, find massive amounts of timber waste, material that was not “harvested” and will be left on the ground to rot. If you think that is just the small, spindly trees, and larger bushes,..it is NOT. Large tree trunks lie scattered everywhere as well. This is not a “harvest” of anything. This is a massacre of an old growth forest ecosystem that is thousands of years old and thriving. This is the misguided management of turning a healthy, productive, renewable, living system, into a desert of thrash and decay. Most insultingly, these clearcuts are subsidized by about $60,000 in our taxes, EVERY year, as they have been for nearly 50yrs. now. We gain little by taking the timber, but we do loose renewable fisheries and desirable recreational habitat. NOW in fact, we loose something even more important - the Tongass is one of the largest carbon sequestration environments on the planet. As we face the challenges of climate change and warming, the value of the intact Tongass is becoming irreplaceable, but still the politicians support the industrialized assault on the trees. I hope they are among the first to perish in the heated years ahead.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 7, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #189, Tongass, #189: There is very little actual enforcement and monitoring of the clearcutting on Prince of Wales Island by the US Forest Service, as a consequence, the companies that do the logging regularly ignore mandated restrictions, such as building a road on a hillside deemed too steep (above). Deforesting a steep hillside is a death knell for the valley and streams below, because during the torrential rains of late fall, winter, and spring, everything washes down into the creek, destroying salmon spawning habitat, and choking the waterway with debris. These are some very dangerous roads as well. The one shown here is just barely wide enough for our car, and several times pushing up one of these, we could not find a place to turn around, and so we had to back down, often over a good distance - VERY freaky! It is hard to imagine a loaded logging truck driving through this same terrain, but it was done many times a day, while the cut was in operation.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #188, Tongass, #188: My assistant for the summer, Philip Slagter, and I, wend our way along road after road, seeing where they might lead. These roads are called “spurs,” and none of them go more than a mile or two. In that way, the US Forest Service does not have to map them, and can excuse their existence with a disclaimer on their public maps, that roads of less than two miles, are not depicted. The deceit is that there are hundreds of these non-mapped roads built everywhere timber can be accessed, and the landscape has been reduced to rubble in wide patches. As I have pointed out in the last few posts, not only are the cuts destructive to the old growth rainforest habitat, but the volume of waste is staggering. The arrogance of obliterating a thriving ecosystem, and then leaving all of this to rot, is criminal. On one of the roads we attempted, we found this log avalanche blocking our further passage. These were brought down off of the steep hillside, most likely during a torrential rain. None of this wood will ever be claimed for use. This is a VERY STUPID management of this resource, and Americans help build these roads by allowing Congress to subsidize them with $50 MILLION+ tax dollars EVERY year. It is time for US to stop this waste of money and habitat: #rainforestrebellionrising
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #187, Tongass, #187: Clearcutting in the Tongass is not only tax-payer subsidized destruction of rare old growth rainforest, it is stunningly wasteful of the harvest. As you saw in post #182, the drift logs blanketing beaches in the Tongass, are those that have “escaped” from the tug towing the logs to market, and they will never be reclaimed. Here, on the ground on Prince of Wales, every cut we see is buried in timber debris NOT taken, and it is not just brush and little trees. It IS, however, a disgraceful use of the resource, that is transforming the habitat of Prince of Wales, in profound, unfortunate, and long-lasting ways. The logging industry pushes back when the commercial fishermen say the cuts impact the fishing, but I don’t think this stream will see the annual salmon migration to spawn this year, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of these “crossings,” on virtually every side road we explore.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #186, Tongass, #186: The ferry from Ketchikan is now destined for a small port and highway roadhead, in a huge fjord bay on Prince of Wales Island, where cars and passengers will offload. It is not an especially long trip, and when we disembark, we are immediately upon the most seriously developed roadway on this entire, huge island. This highway will take us from the ferry port to a junction south, leading to the sizable Native village of Hydaburg. Passing that turn, we continue on to the other side of the island, which host the large Native Village of Klawock, and the commercial fishing township of Craig. Philip (Slagter) and I, will explore Klawock, and overnight in Craig, but our real mission is to drive the logging roads through terrain much further into the island. After our pass-through with lunch in Craig, we return to Klawock, following the highway out of town to the north. The “highway” disappears rapidly, leading us to a narrow crushed-rock road pour that dives into backcountry. As we drive on, we are lucky not to encounter logging trucks, and we discover that every few miles, a spider web of short roads spin off the one we are on, and they all lead to clearcuts. We have no idea what goes where, so trying not to get lost, we begin taking different roads to see what they might lead to. As you can note above, these roads are scary-narrow, rock crush as well, and it becomes obvious why they would only rent us a “beater” for this drive.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 10, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #185, Tongass, #185: My assistant for this summer, Philip Slagter, and I, conclude our exploration of Sitka, and return to Ketchikan, where we have already spent a good deal of time (many earlier posts to this blog), so we already have a feel for the community. In spite of the large timber mill in town, the inhabitants are mostly fisherpersons, and live by, and with, the sea. They are also the wettest residents of the Tongass rainforest as Ketchikan gets an average of 325” of rain annually. Yeow! Bring your raingear, and keep your knee-high boots handy. While Philip and I do indulge our knowledge of the town and friendships with its residents on this visit, our mission is to rent a car, and take the ferry to Prince of Wales Island (POW) in order to view the most extensively clearcut island in the Tongass, and to see what that looks like from ground level. In previous excursions, I have seen the logging from boats off shore, and from the air, but I have yet to take it in on-site, so this is to be our final mission of this summer. The roads on POW are nearly all dirt, relatively narrow, often truck worn, and primarily used by the loggers. A painter and a photographer in a rental car are not particularly welcome. In fact, when we rent the car, and tell the agent where we are going, he will only rent us a “beater,” a car already so beat up, we can’t make it much worse, unless we destroy it entirely. He also suggests that we might want to be armed for our own protection,..and he was not talking about bears. Thus, early one morning, Philip, and I, find ourselves in our “beater,” awaiting the ferry gate to drop, so that we can drive aboard, and begin our next adventure. We did not know it at the time, but we would soon see “ground zero.” A forest DESTROYED by an industrial bombing know as a clearcut. Only criminals would do this. #rainforestrebellionrising.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #184, Tongass, #184: In these pictures (last post and this), I am trying to show you examples of the magnificent things that can be done with select cut trees, and with relatively no damage to the old growth habitat. I am doing that now because in the next posts, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, are going to return to Ketchikan from our exploration of Sitka, and then we are going to rent a “beater” car and take the ferry to Prince of Wales Island, one of the largest islands in North America, and also the one that has sustained the most extensive clearcutting. If you think the lost logs strewn across the beaches of Southeast as forgettable debris are disgraceful (post #182), wait until you see what gets LEFT ON THE GROUND! Prince of Wales, or PRISONER OF WAR ISLAND (POW), as it is referred to by locals opposed to this damaging industrial logging, is a prisoner of war! A corporate war on the public’s natural resources. Two posts from now, you will be on a car tour with Philip and I as we skirt the out-of-state-hired corporate loggers, and view their careless, and COMPLETE DESTRUCTION of the RARE, temperate rainforest, old growth habitat. It pretty much looks like ground zero after a nuke drop. WE must make this STOP! #rainforestrebellionrising. Goodbye to the grinning ass, Governor Mike Dunleavey; the cowardly Senator, Lisa Murkowski; and the 24-term, Walrus-penis waving pawn of big money, Congressman Don Young. REALLY, 24-terms in office!?! Criminals are clearly keeping their “boy” in charge. When will the voters wake up?? "You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!"
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #183, Tongass, #183: The Tongass rainforest is being imperiled by corporate greed and DISGRACEFUL waste. This is an OLD GROWTH rainforest that does not restore itself after the practice of industrial clearcutting and reforestation. Yes, the trees do grow back, little, spindly ones that are WAY too close together, but the understory of mosses, berries, devil’s club, bear, deer, wolves, and salmon will take generations beyond our lifetimes to return,..if they EVER do. I believe this engineered deforestation is a criminal act. Can people cut trees in the Tongass without doing it significant damage? Yes! And, they have been doing it for centuries going back into the original Native cultures that call it their homeland. Boats, houses, lodges, totems, and much more, are made from these trees, but the trees being used are select cut and sustainably harvested. They are also put to good use and NOT wasted like trash on the beaches (previous post). Above is a beautiful, full-log home built by the hand of the owner, and all harvested from the forest, but you would NEVER know that. One last DISGUSTING corporate fact - the international companies doing this damage, high-grade the timber with real value, selling it to the Japanese, who sink some of it in cold ocean waters, intending to recover those prime cut logs when wood of that stature is no longer available in the remaining forests of the world. Except for these high grade trees, the ENTIRE rest of the cut is turned into pulp. If this does not make you mad enough, consider this - OUR TAX DOLLARS SUBSIDIZE THESE INDUSTRIES TO THE TUNE OF $50,000,000 or more in any given year, and they have been doing so for more than 40yrs. now. If you truly want to Make America Great Again, stop this corporate welfare. #rainforestrebellionrising #RainforestRebellionRising
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 18, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #182, Tongass, #182: What lies before you now, is further evidence of “stinking weasels,” who not only thrive on their corporate greed, but do so by laying waste to public largess, with complete disregard. If it is not enough to rob the public of the unlimited renewable wealth of the Tongass rainforest, this confirms the criminal act of it. We are standing on one of the inumerable beaches that form the shorelines of the islands of the Tongass, all of which are strewn with endless miles of logs,..and I do mean endless miles. It is stunning to actual see this in person. Now, you may think, in an old growth rain forest, did all of these wash to the beaches because they fell in the forest, and were carried to the ocean by the rivers? AND, YOU WOULD BE WRONG. These logs line the beaches because they have “escaped” from rafts of timber, cut down by the timber industry, while they are being transported to various mills and shipping docks. They are ENTIRELY WASTED. They will never be reclaimed. The industry could care less about this disgraceful behavior. Yet there is MORE! Local people, white, and Native, alike see this for the disrespectful discard that it is, and go to these beaches to salvage this timber, some of which is used to build their homes, their boats, and sustain their fires during the cold winter months. To add further insult to injury, the timber companies, with an eye-wink from the politicians, have informed the local population, that anyone caught removing these logs for personal use, will be arrested and prosecuted for theft! So what we have is for-real criminals, making criminals out of those that would use the disgraceful corporate waste of the rainforest, for a meaningful purpose. This is WAY F$*%ed-up, and I hope intelligent voters will eventually put them, and all their political co-conspirators in jail, where they belong! #RainforestRebellionRising
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 11, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #181, Tongass, #181: Not all weasels are beautiful (last post), however. Some are “stinking weasels,” a classification to which this company is ascendant. This is the “home office” of Alaska Pulp and Lumber Company, and when I say “stinking weasels,” I mean quite literally, this place stinks. Pulping timber requires a lot of cooking and chemistry, and the process is odious. The practice of turning the Tongass, a rare, temperate rainforest into pulp is odious as well. This is the practice of corporate and political greed, this is NOT “more jobs for Alaskans.” This is the robbery from Alaskans of one of their greatest natural resources, and one that historically will attract more dollars in fishing and tourism, than any timber industry ever will. BUT HEY, that does not stop Senators Stevens, Murkowski, and Representative Don Young, from braying on about forest destruction being good for the economy. Even today Senator Lisa Murkowski is following this misrepresentation, started by an earlier generation. This is STUPID political leadership of the worst kind. The current governor is part of this group of jackasses, as well. If, and when, Alaskan voters wake up and realize what is actually happening to them in the real world, I can only hope they put all of these idiots in jail for crimes they are committing against the planet. The Tongass is one of the few remaining ecosystems of this size that serves to sequester carbon, and as the denied global warming, in FACT, descends on us, Alaskans are going to be among the first to have their world altered for the rest of their lives. “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone!” Joni Mitchell had it exactly right.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 4, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #180, Tongass, #180: In the cast of characters that comprise the residents of Sitka, there is a group I shall refer to as “weasels,” - these (above) are beautiful, and VERY silly, weasels. On an especially stormy day, while I am wandering around in the neighborhoods, I come upon this schoolyard filled with playing children, oblivious to rain. (It is raining while I make this picture.) What strikes me is that, in spite of the weather, everybody is outside running around. True southeast Alaskans, and residents of the Tongass rainforest, they know water falling out of the sky means nothing, and life should go on as it does every day. (Of course, it rains nearly every day, so get over it,..and PLAY!) I am seeking cover under a shed roof, so that I can set up my camera without having to cover it, and then these two approach. They want to know what I am doing, and when I explain I am making a picture because I think it is unusual to see kids playing in the school yard when it is raining, to which they reply, “What? Where do you live?” When I tell them California, and ask them if they want to say “Hi!” to my viewers in California, this is their response, “Splzzzz!” Then, they ran off squealing, “Tell YOUR” friends to get a life!” Beautiful weasels!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, January 28, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #179, Tongass, #179: Beyond downtown Sitka, and past the adjoining Native village, the roads stretch out paralleling the shoreline. One direction takes you briefly through a residential area, eventually brining you to the beautiful Sitka National Historic Park, then on beyond to Sawmill Cove, after which it becomes very wild, and rural, stretching to Silver Bay. In the other direction the road runs through several communities, mostly comprised of predictable, nice, family homes, many that host boats in their yards, and worksheds in their backyards. Sitka's preponderance of people who fish and hunt is visible everywhere. As you get farther out along this road, another aspect of American culture comes into play as well, very rural living. Many of those toward the end of the road, are now off the grid, and have larger property, or get away with infringing on property that do not actually own. MANY people living in Alaska, tend not to discard things (engines, cars, boats) which they might, at some time in the future, scavenge from, in order to repair something else. BUT, just as in the rural backroads of the Lower ’48, some of “collecting” becomes more obsessively hoarding, and this is one of my favorites. This image is only a portion of the total grounds, but in this view alone, there are 3 trucks visible, and 4 boats. The “resident” lives in the small trailer, and there is no traditional house. I am sure there is enough to scavenge here to do repairs for almost everyone else in the rest of the city. When I was confronted over making this picture, he yelled, “Get off my land, you're trespassing!”, to which I had to point out that I was standing across the street on city property, and that he was illegally on land the maps indicated as national forest, to which he flipped me off, and went back inside.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, January 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #178, Tongass, #178: On the first day my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, take a walk through the Native village part of Sitka, it is all new to us, so we are noting the unique evidence of village culture, fish being dried, animal skins hanging from clothing lines, and the other evidence of many people living either partially, or totally, subsistence lifestyles. I want to take pictures because it is a very different looking neighborhood, but I am also aware that many in the village do not want to be seen as spectacles of tourism photographers. Then we arrive here, and neither of us can resist getting a closer look, so we approach this house, trying not to be too obvious. Both Phil and I LOVE Tlingit design and symbols, so this is irresistible, but as we draw close, we hear a voice from inside asking, “Can I help you?”, and then the gentleman to the right appears from beneath a skin-draped door opening. I have not yet raised my camera, so we begin by explaining what we are doing, and who we are - a photographer, and a painter, exploring another culture, and not intending to capitalize upon it for touristic images. To which the person confronting us, asks us if we would like to come inside and “smoke a pipe,” and so we do. This person is Boyd Didricksen, an elder hunter and craftsman of the village, who is half Russian, and half Tlingit. This is a house of his design and building, and he also runs a store in town, Three Guys across from the Church, selling very high-end art and artifacts to the throngs a visitors off the cruise ships. He is amazing, funny, and his art is spectacular, as well as controversial. Boyd crafts remarkable objects from, and of, the animals he hunts. ONLY Natives may hunt animals they then craft into salable objects, and although he can legally do both, he often crafts things that cause the ADF&G and the FWS to question the actual historical lineage of the product. (Did historical Tlingit really use Auk beaks as buttons and jewelry?; Did the previous culture decorate their traditional cedar storage boxes with sealskins, and polar bear furs?) Boyd was unabashed, however, and besides creating well-crafted objects, he fought back against his critics, and often found himself in court, arguing about one practice or another, and frequently winning. He is/was what white cultures call “a character.” I would return to Sitka many times over my 24yrs. of coming to Alaska, and Boyd became a good friend, and someone I looked forward to seeing on each visit, regardless of the politics of his behavior.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #177: As I have noted in earlier posts, Sitka is a unique mix of cultures. A large, daily tourist population comes in from, literally, all over the world on cruise ships - virtually every country you could possibly imagine. The majority of year-round residents are divided between Americans, Russians, and the Native population of Tlingit. Within walking distance of the tourist burdened downtown, the Native village, is very apparent in a concentrated area, and then the other residents have built out along the roads that parallel the shorelines. This “tribe" of Tlingit is referred to as Sheet’ka K’waan, and their village is truly Native, which is evidenced in many ways. A great number of those who live in Sitka, white and Native alike, fish, either commercially, or for subsistence. Those living subsistence also hunt many different animals and birds, and as a consequence, the houses and yards of the village have a very different look. Some Native homes are fully modern, yet many have no central heat, and may not even be hooked to the city's infrastructure conveniences. Many houses have adjacent lots that sport racks for drying fish and/or pelts and skins. Many houses also have tubs or outside tables, used for cleaning whatever animals have been taken. Especially fun, on certain days, the village hosts Native food, outdoor markets in parking lots along the shoreline. There is always a lot of activity, and A LOT of good, and different, edibles to be had. Above is one of my favorites, Grace’s Fryed Bread. While not exactly health food, it is quite tasty, and Grace is both funny, and amazing to watch while she manages her “kitchen.” Check out the giant bowl of dough next to the oil fryer.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, January 7, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #176: Aside from various totem carvings, the small museum and visitor information center at Sitka National Historic Park, has other artifacts displayed nicely. My appreciation of the totems is equaled by my appreciation of another Tlingit artifact, the STUNNING Chilkat blanket and robe, shown above. These were ceremonial objects for the village that lives in the Chilkat River valley, and they were used in dancing ceremonies. The elaborate detail and brilliant yellow color, make them unique among all the tribal objects. Ones in good condition are also quite rare, so to see good ones displayed is a great opportunity, and the display here, and at the state museum in Juneau, are unparalleled. Tlingit presence is not just apparent in this park/museum environment in Sitka, as it is a actual village, so in next week’s post, we will talk a walk through the village, where Philip Slagter, and I, will meet some interesting people, and eat some interesting food. I hope you will join us.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 31, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #175: In spite of the Russian occupation of Sitka, the Tlingit culture and its influence never really went away, and today, Sitka is a Native village for all intents and purposes, invaded more recently by hordes of cruise boat tourists. Just outside of downtown, there is truly a Native village of MANY homes, and in the other direction from downtown, is Sitka National Historic Park, which offers beautiful woodlands trails and streams, interspersed with probably the finest carved totem displayed ever assembled in one location. A walk in the park is a must for a visitor, and something I have always done on my, now, many visits. There is also an EXCEPTIONAL museum and information center, well worth a visit. The totem above, of which you are just seeing a portion, is one of the more spectacular parts of the many things displayed. The details, such as abalone shell eyes, and the vivd colors make this a showcase of Tlingit totem design. If you ever visit, don’t miss this, it is well worth the walk from downtown.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #174: As I stated in the last post, Sitka reflects a diversity of cultural influences, one of which is certainly Russian. The church, in the center of downtown, is the most obvious symbol, and although it is a true church, it is also a tourist destination that allows specific visiting hours. I find the elaborate artifacts very beautiful, and I especially appreciate the many variations of “the Madonna of Sitka.” The one above is in the church, but I have another striking one that I purchased from the church’s commercial tourism store, across the street from the church. A tale of interest about the Russian “occupation,” when they returned to bombard the Tlingit fort, the Native residents held out for 6 days, then, in the dark of night, abandoned the entire village, fleeing by canoes, into the Peril Strait. Peril Strait is so named because of an epic tidal current that flows through when the tide changes. This current is so strong, most boats avoid passing through when it peaks, and many that do have been spun aground. The escaping villagers went through at slack, or with the flow. The Russians were punitive, however, and even though they were now in control of the city, they sent troops in canoes, to hunt down the fleeing village. Those troops hit Peril Strait at a bad time in the tide cycle, and they spent their strength trying to push through. When the tide slacked, the exhausted troops found a slim beach on which to seek refuge and food. They dug up local clams as part of that food, and after eating them, they all died from shellfish poisoning, hence the beach is called “Deadman's Reach."
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #173: Besides its beautiful setting, the other elements that make Sitka so interesting, are its history of cultures, culture clashes, and now, cultures integrated. Sitka was an important Tlingit village, settled more than 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately for them, Russian settlers seeking wealth in the sealskin and otter fur trade moved in, in 1799. Not happy about the “occupation,” in June of 1802, the Tlingit attacked the Russian settlement, killing most of them. Not unexpectedly, the Russians did not take that kindly, and in 1802, Alexander Baranov returned with a sizable force, and a gunship to bombard the village and its fortress. The Tlingit endured the assault for 6 days, finally abandoning the village, and fleeing by canoe through the nearby Peril Straits. After the Battle of Sitka, Baranov became governor, designating the town as the capital of Russian America, and naming it, “New Archangel.” In 1867, Sitka was also the site of the transfer ceremony, when America purchased ALL of Alaska from the Russian for 2¢ an acre,..one of the greatest real estate deals of all time. (I bet Putin wishes that never happened - LOL !). Nonetheless, to this day, Russian influences are part of the character and fabric of the city, most obvious being the Russian church at the center of the downtown area. Although still a practicing church, it is also a huge tourist destination. Seen above is the church bell tower, set against Mount Verstovia and the Arrow Head.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #172: Philip Slagter, my wife, Carey, and I, arrived in Sitka late in the afternoon, and by the time we were in our hotel and, settled in, it was getting dark (post #170), so we explored the downtown area a bit, had dinner, and retired. Our following day is more serious, and Carey is flying back to LA, so after we get her to the airport, Philip, and I, begin an extended walk-around, trying to acquaint ourselves to this city that is new to us. Downtown is expectedly commercial, serving both the residents, AND the large numbers of tourist, many of whom just come in for the day, offloading from huge cruise ships. Like Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway, on any given day, several cruise ships can deliver more people to downtown than those that actually live there. The existing roads lead for some distance out of town in both directions, but for our first day of exploring we just walk. Weather has rolled over us throughout the day, but it has been a broken sky with no rain, and it has been unexpectedly warm. As the clouds are above the mountains tonight, unlike the previous post, I want you to see the double-summit of Mount Verstovia and the Arrow Head. Verstovia is in the foreground being kissed by a cloud, the slightly higher Arrow Head is behind on the left side. It is pretty clear why residents call it Arrow Head.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #171:
Sitka is a unique city and environment, so I would like to offer some description. Like so many other urban areas in the Tongass, Sitka is not connected by road to anywhere else. You come and go by plane, ferry, or boat. The center of town sits at the foot of some VERY impressive summits, and there is a considerable mileage of roadways that can be driven, leading to some very interesting places. Sitka is a fun place to be, and if I were to move to Alaska, it would be my choice to live here. The airport is on a large offshore island, that also hosts a car rental system, and other administrative buildings, but no homes. That island connects to downtown with a bridge, which you can see in the background of the above picture. In this view, which is the reverse of my last post, I am looking from the airport island, toward town, and clouds are obscuring Mt. Verstovia and the Arrow Head, that rise behind downtown. Did I mention A LOT of boats!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #170:
Having completed our canoe traverse of Admiralty Island, our group leaves the outer shore of Mitchell Bay, for a short paddle across a deepwater channel to arrive at the Native village of Angoon. We are met there by an innkeeper, who transports us to our lodging for the night. We will all return to Juneau by ferry tomorrow afternoon, but for now it is good food, welcome showers, and an actual bed to sleep in. The inn is quite nice, and they are also aware of my Tongass project, so in the morning, while others enjoy lounging about, the innkeeper takes Philip Slagter, Carey, and me, to visit Chief Dan George, in the actual village of Angoon. Chief George and his village are Tlingit, and they identify their family lineage with the stylized animal carvings on totem poles, and lodge walls. We sit for some time talking with Chief George about the village's relationship to the forest, and why they are opposed to the timber cuts, and Carey takes many notes. I also tell the Chief that I admire the animal drawings done by his daughter, which I have seen on card sets being marketed in Juneau and Ketchikan. It pleases him to realize that I have taken note of her artwork. After an enjoyable and informative morning in his home, he offers us a gift before we return to the inn, and presents us with a bag of halibut jerky. Shortly after our re-uniting with our group, we are all shuttled to the ferry, and then cruise to Juneau. Philip, Carey, and I, say our goodbyes to the group, then depart immediately for the airport, as we intend to fly to Sitka. Aboard the short plane flight, it is an unusually warm day, and many passengers, ourselves included, notice a strange smell in the cabin. On arrival, we discover the smell is our bag of jerky, that we stashed in the overhead. (Sorry everybody - LOL!) From the airport to our lodging, evening begins to descend, and as we have not been to Sitka before, we go out for a stroll around town. Sitka is a BEAUTIFUL setting with an island-dotted harbor, many, many boats, both fishing, and recreational, and the western horizon bears the distinct silhouette of Mount Edgecombe (above), a now dormant volcano on nearby Kruzof Island.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, November 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #169:
THE TONGASS, #169: After a successful crossing of Mitchel Bay, racing with the outgoing tide to prevent being stranded on the soon-to-be fully exposed seabed, our crew takes a lunch break before crossing the deepwater channel that will deliver us to our last destination, the Native village of Angoon. We munch a good deal of our remaining supplies, I shoot some pictures, and then we reload the canoes for our one last paddle. The group decides that before we launch, however, we should have a collective picture at the end of our successful 10-day, Admiralty Island traverse. I seldom take these shots, but I am carrying a small tripod, so I set it up, get everyone positioned, trip the delayed shutter release, and join my comrades-in-paddle. My wife, Carey, is to the far left, I am front, off-center in the dark glasses, my friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, is to my immediate right, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is behind him. A good time was had by all,..well, most of the time anyway - LOL!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #168:
THE TONGASS, #168: Philip Slagter and I, flip the last canoe in our descent of the tidal falls (last post), but we opt not to unpack and change our clothes, rather, choosing to "wear them dry.” One of the beautiful things about the “new” high-tech, Patagonia gear, is that it not only stays warm while wet, it will actually dry out on your body through radiant heat created by activity. Since time is of the essence now, there is none to loose, and we must get moving with the outgoing tide, to cross the expansive Mitchell Bay, before it goes dry, potentially stranding our party, if we do not reach deeper water first. Thus, Phil and I, dump the water out of our boots, wring our capilene longjohns out, then put them back on, and return to assist the loading of the canoes. As soon as our group completes that task, we launch, and begin a long, tiring, and very determined paddle with the flow, out into bay. The bay is a broad complex of rock shoals, around which the water flows in some very strong and confusing currents. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, knows where the deepest channels lie, so he expertly leads us through the maze. As we paddle, before our eyes, jagged rock “islands” begin to appear, revealed by the quickly dropping tideline. The rate of this is amazing to watch, and worrisome to be caught in, so we all bear down, and stroke as hard as we can to keep moving quickly along. As the water shallows beneath our canoes, we can see a myriad of kelp, starfish, and jellyfish, as though we are looking into an aquarium. Unfortunately, we can also see the seabed getting ever closer to the bottom of the canoes, so I never stop paddling to take pictures, until we finally hit the deep water channel. Eventually, we will cross it to arrive at the Native village of Angoon, but having successfully completed our journey, we are collectively exhausted, so we stop for one last lunch prior that final effort. The break for food leaves me with a moment to walk back into the now completely exposed bay, where I shot this (above) - seabed rocks, draped with various grass strands and colorful kelp growth, like some crazy abstract painting.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #167:
THE TONGASS, #167: After a truly pleasant afternoon, and evening in camp, we all retire early because we know the next morning will start early, being dictated by the timing of the 18ft.+ tide reversal. We must have an early breakfast, load the canoes, and begin our paddle across huge Mitchell Bay, while the tide runs out. Part of this will be fun, because we will be paddling WITH the tidal flow. Part of this will be serious, because if we linger, the bay will go nearly dry at low tide, stranding us for many hours, until the tide comes in again. When morning arrives, our sunny afternoon of the previous day has vanished, returning us, once again, to the possible promise of rain (It IS a rainforest!). It is not terribly cold, so everyone is comfortable, and breakfast proceeds with great camaraderie, as we have nearly completed our Admiralty Island canoe traverse, and expect to paddle out to the Native village Angoon today. First, however, the “slack” tide is starting to flow out, so it is time to take the canoes below the emerging tidal falls, load them, and leave. We break camp, pack our packs, and arrange our gear near a ledge that will emerge shortly, and from which, we can load and go. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, has intentionally offered us one last thrill - we can choose to “line” the canoes through the falls, OR, we can paddle them through the increasingly turbulent waters. Guess what everyone choses? My friend/assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, offer to be first. Wearing as little as possible, and with no gear in the boats (in case we might roll), we “drop in,” and succeed with little effort. Things are happening very quickly, however, and the falls grows more challenging with every passing minute. Above, you see the third canoe, with our guide, Jeff Sloss, in the rear. Note, the now-exposed rocks and kelp in the foreground. THAT was underwater just minutes ago. With only one canoe left to bring through, the falls are now raging, and no one seems eager to do the “descent,” so once again, Philip and I volunteer, emboldened by our first success. We are fine, until we hit the first of the small standing waves at the “bottom” of the falls, and then the fierce current begins to swing us sideways. Both of us respond incorrectly, and make the fatal mistake of putting our paddles, and body weight on the same side. In seconds, we are swimming in freezing cold water, and the canoe is being carried away by the current. Philip is closest to it, so he retrieves it, dog-paddle-dragging it into a stillwater eddy. I try to find a place to get ashore safely, as the rocks and kelp make exiting very difficult. AND, the water is f*%#ing cold!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, October 29, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #166:
THE TONGASS, #166: With our camp established, our Admiralty Island traverse canoe crew, is enjoying a sunny, warm, and nearly bug free afternoon. As you can see here, my colleague/friend/assistant/fellow artist, Philip Slagter, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, have gone topless, and the fishing fun has begun. The huge 18ft.+ tide is still incoming, filling the salt “chuck” lake in the background, before reversing itself, and creating a “tidal falls” that will start right about where Philip is standing. When the present inflow peaks, the water will have risen to the edge marked by where the blackened rocks, distinguish themselves from the lighter colored ones. That marks the full reach of the high tide line, still some hours away. For the moment, we fish, photograph, sunbath, and relax, as this is our last overnight campsite, and the are NO MORE PORTAGES! (Yah!). As evening falls, we go through the ritual of setting up for dinner, and planning for the events of the next day. Jeff explains that, we have timed our arrival here to take advantage of the outflow, due to begin the next morning. We will rise early, have our last breakfast of this trip just about the time the tide turns, and then it is IMPERATIVE that we load the canoes, and go out with the tide, because we must cross the large, and complex, Mitchell Bay, before it becomes nearly dry at the lowest point of the receding tide. Were we not to do this in timely fashion, we might actually ground the canoes, and be stuck to await the tide’s return.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, October 22, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #165:
THE TONGASS, #165: Our Admiralty Island traverse is now nearly completed, and we have set up our last overnight camp, adjacent something defined as a tidal falls. The surroundings are beautiful, the afternoon is sunny and warm, and remarkably, the normally intense insect population has abated to the point that many of us are “sunbathing,” as you see Philip Slagter, doing here. Notable to this picture, and to explain why Philip is pointing, he is standing at the place where the “tidal falls” will begin, when the incoming 18ft.+ tide, reverses itself. At the moment, it is still flowing in, filling the salt “chuck” lake, out of view, in the direction he points. We crossed those waters to arrive here, earlier in the day. Note the floating kelp behind Philip, as well as the spot where he is standing. The incoming tide has not yet peaked, and when it does, that kelp will be underwater, as will the rocks on which he is standing. In fact, the water will come to where I am standing. In two posts, this will be a VERY different POV. For the time being, however, everyone is enjoying our sunny afternoon, and several have decided to try a little fishing.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #164:
THE TONGASS, #164: Having established our final campsite before paddling out to the Native village of Angoon, we all settle in and begin various late afternoon activities. The tidal falls adjacent our narrow forest terrace is nowhere to be seen because the tide is still incoming, and it appears that we are simply next to a slowly moving body of water, which is in fact “filling” Salt Lake, which we traversed to get here. With the dream of fresh salmon in their minds, several of our crew, break out their fishing poles. I, on the other hand, break out my camera and tripod, determined to capture some of our surroundings dappled with the glow of late light. The terrace that hosts our tent sites abuts a relatively steep embankment of trees and old growth understory that rises 30ft., and more, above us, finally leveling off on what appears to be a forest “floor,” populated by ever larger trees that just get bigger and bigger, as they recede into the interior. Before our guide, Jeff Sloss, notices my activity, I climb a series of fallen trunks to have a marginal view of this woodland above our encampment. When Jeff sees me, he suggests I be extremely careful, so I don’t fall into a “hole” beneath the logs. Finding his words a bit unsettling, I downclimb to ask what he means. To better explain his comment, he takes me over to the towering wall of trees and vegetation, and pulls up part of the vertical, mossy carpet. Sunlight floods into the exposed hole, revealing a deep recess of tree trunks lying atop one another, as far beneath the forest floor above us as the light will reach. When I was a child, periodically National Geographic magazine would publish a story about a particular habitat, accompanied by a “cut-away” illustration showing all the creatures living in that domain, revealing not just those on the surface, but those above it, and beneath it as well. I loved the idea of these secret worlds revealed, and I now I stood before an actual one. The moss here, and on the forest floor above is just a thin layer, covering, hundreds, if not thousands, of years of fallen tree trunks and forest debris, accumulated beneath the covering vegetation. It may well be the big trees we see above us, are simply branches of even bigger trees that have fallen, but are still growing, or serving as “nurse” logs. Were I to have stepped off my log ladder onto the forest floor above us, I might have easily plunged into a “hole” such as the one into which I am now peering. I am also fairly sure there are creepy, crawly things in this deep, dark entanglement, I want NOTHING to do with, so I assure Jeff, I now get it, and will forgo my exploration. I also make sure we replace the moss cover on the open whole, as I don’t want any of the “things” living in this ancient world, coming out tonight to visit us - LOL!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #163:
THE TONGASS, #163: With our last portage to the shore of Salt Lake complete, we uncover our stash of “saltwater” canoes in the forest, load them up and cross the lake. Salt Lake is named so, because it is actually comprised of ocean water that gets cycled through twice a day by the 18ft.+ high tides of southeast Alaska. As the incoming tide flows over Mitchell Bay and the water level rises, it comes to a 14-15ft. slope up into the forest. During the peak of the high tide, it breaches the slope and continues to flow inland, creating Salt Lake. When the tide reverses and starts to flow out, that slope becomes a tidal falls that features fast water and good sized waves. We plan to camp adjacent to it for the night, and enjoy seeing the falls occur, before we finish our Admiralty Island traverse, paddling out through Mitchell Bay to the Native village of Angoon, where the ferry will carry us back to Juneau. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, also thinks I will find this campsite “old growth beautiful” in a very particular way. To start with, when we arrive, the tide is high and slack, the sun is out and streaming, and very surprisingly, there are almost no attacking insects - either that, or we smell so bad by now, that they don’t want to come near us - LOL! Our camp is on a narrow wooded terrace, literally abreast of the tidal falls, and backed up against a 30ft-tall wall of old growth understory. It is, indeed, quite beautiful in the late afternoon light.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #162:
THE TONGASS, #162: Almost to Lake Guerin, my partner, Carey, is in a better mood now that our portage is almost completed. It has not rained, and the bugs are manageable, which makes everyone much happier. How about the guy in front of her, using five canoe paddles lashed together as his walking stick - haha! We will camp at Guerin tonight, and tomorrow we will cross it to find a small, but navigable stream that will take us into Lake Davidson. We have a lengthy paddle across Davidson, and then we will stash our freshwater canoes in the forest, and do the last portage, 4.1-miles to the shore of Salt Lake, so called because it is actually a lake at the edge of the forest that is created by the flow of high tide into Mitchell Bay. When we reach Salt Lake, we will find “saltwater” canoes stashed in the forest, which we will use to cross the lake and camp, just abreast of the tidal falls. What are tidal falls, you may ask? Stayed tuned and you will find out. It is a unique phenomenon of having an 18ft.+ tide, twice a day.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #161:
THE TONGASS, #161: It is now late in the day, and it has been a LONG day involving 3 lake crossings and 2 portages, the last of which was 1.7 miles one way. We are tired and hungry, but it has not rained, and the bugs are manageable. More importantly, at this moment, we are finishing the last portage carry, having taken the canoes, and camp gear to Lake Guerin. Supposedly this last carry is your “personal” gear, but on this trip that is not just clothes, and a sleeping bag. We have fishing poles, life vests, canoe paddles, and sling chairs, that are now “personal” gear. Then, there is always stuff that gets “left” someplace, so the last ones to leave the site, sweep those items up as well. While the overload rigs above are not true Alaskan Overloads, they are pretty seriously stacked up, and neither Philip, nor Carey seem particularly happy about it. (Just FYI: The true Alaskan Overload is a laden backpack, with a daypack hung over your chest and stomach. It is optional, but you may also add sling bags over your shoulder, and/or a shotgun.)
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #160:
THE TONGASS, #160: Halfway through our day, hiking and canoe traversing Admiralty Island, we still have a paddle and a portage left to go, so we are refueling with a lunch. We are on the swampy shore of Hasselborg Lake, and the gods are being kind to us because it is not raining, the bugs are at a minimum, and the food is plentiful. There is no solid ground on which to stand, sit, or set up a food table, so our guide, Jeff Sloss, has flipped a canoe over as a table substitute, and we are all just wandering around through the reeds, ankle deep in the lake, testing the waterproofness of our Goodyear Xtra-tuffs (LOL!) After lunch, we spend serious time crossing the lake because it is so wide, and then we must slog the 1.7-mile portage to Lake Guerin - that is 2.4 miles round trip x 3, after which we are completely fried. You will have a better sense of that when you see next week’s post. Please tune in. AND, PLEASE HELP SAVE THE TONGASS, the Trump Administration is trying to undermine logging restrictions, deny roadless protections, and open more mining leases.
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Tuesday, September 10, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #159:
THE TONGASS, #159: For our morning, the Admiralty Island traverse camping canoers, have had a long paddle across Lake Alexander, then into connecting Beaver Lake, and across Beaver Lake to its far end. From there, we accomplish a .4-mile portage to the very squishy shore of Hasselborg Lake, one of the largest on the island. Most of the trail is so soggy it is boardwalked, and I don’t mean like in Atlantic City - it is many single planks strung end-to-end, and there are no handrails. At this moment we still have a VERY big day ahead, as we are going to cross the width Hasselborg to another portage trail of 1.7-miles, taking us Lake Guerin, where we hope to camp. With that much work still to do, it is time for a hearty lunch. The portage boardwalk terminates here, at a point where the canoes can be put in the water, BUT in the shallows of the lake, or on the boardwalk, are the only places to stand, and there is nowhere to sit. We have gotten used to standing for meals, but we have nowhere to set up a food table, so flipping a canoe does the job.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #158:
THE TONGASS, #158: The sky above our Lake Alexander camp remains dark and overcast, but it does not rain, so we actually break down a relatively dry camp, after a good breakfast, and launch ourselves in the canoes. We head across Lake Alexander for a connecting stream to Beaver Lake, and then we traverse Beaver Lake to a trailhead that in a .4 mile portage that will take us to the shore of Hasselborg Lake. We will camp there, and move again the next day. We are well into the interior of the island now, and things are swampy and wet. Although no water is falling out of the sky at the moment, it is everywhere around us, and the trails and campsites are very squishy to say the least. Just finding a place to put your tent down that is not actually in the water, is often quite challenging. The forest floor offers nothing, as it is either impenetrable, or too rugged. Our next few days will be spent on the scenic, but soggy, margins of these lakes we are trying to navigate. If you are curious, I have float bags in which I keep my cameras while we paddle, so they are dry but easily accessible. On the trail, my cameras are around my neck, but both have plastic garbage bags attached where the strap clips meet the camera. The bags then hang down, covering the cameras from weather, until I lift one, pull the bag back to shoot, and then move on. Should I get drops on the camera, I also have a bandana tied to my rain jacket pullcord, which I can use to wipe things off. Managing moisture becomes an integral part of making photographs out here, over so many days of exposure to rainforest weather.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #157:
THE TONGASS, #157: Kindly, the torrential rain backs off in the early morning hours of our camp at Lake Alexander on Admiralty Island. Breakfast is a bit “soggy” as we mill around, but we have all survived without any great discomfort, and while some work on meal prep, the rest of us break down camp, because today will continue our traverse of the island by canoe, across this lake, and on to others. Above, you see the ACTUAL map our guide, Jeff Sloss, used on our trip. At the far right is Mole Harbor and the trailhead that brought us to Lake Alexander - 2.2 miles long, one-way. Today we will paddle across Lake Alexander, through the connecting creek to Beaver Lake, and then across Beaver Lake. On the far shore of Beaver lies a .4 mile trailhead, where we will portage to Hasselborg Lake. We will cross the width of Hasselborg to a 1.7 mile portage connecting us to Lake Guerin. We will paddle the length of Guerin, to a navigable creek feeding into Davidson Lake. We will then paddle the length of Davidson, and at the south end of Davidson, we will hide the “freshwater canoes” in the forest. From there, we backpack 4.1 miles to the head of Salt Lake, where we will find a stash of “saltwater canoes” that we will use to cross Mitchell Bay and reach the Native village of Angoon. And NO, we did not do all of this in one day!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #156:
THE TONGASS, #156: With a good deal of rain falling, our guide, Jeff Sloss, and I, end our lingering on the boardwalk trail to Lake Alexander for the sake of making pictures, and focus on getting to camp. After the traverse of the blackwater swamp, the boardwalk once again becomes an earthen trail, and the canopy of the forest around us opens a bit. Not much further on, we encounter the rest of our group, who have already arrived at the Lake Alexander lean-to, created by the USFS, and they are sheltering from the rain under its roof. The lake lies close by, and appears to be quite large. Immediately around us there is some heavily vegetated forest floor in relatively flat openings between large trees, and it is in these places we will try to find decent tent sites. We will store our packs, and cook our food in the shelter, and the rest of the time we will stand and sit about in full rain gear. Although a rain has already begun, we are all lucky to get our tents up when we do, because just as we finish that task, it begins to rain TONGASS-style,..OMG! It rains so hard sometimes, it is hard to see the lake nearby. The dripping in the forest is LOUD. Water is sheeting off of everything. Dinner is prepared as those in the group either contribute prep, or work to assure their tents sites will survive the night. It rains so hard during dinner, people are actually laughing about it, and everything glistens in the light of the lamps. After dinner it is still early, so Philip, Carey, and I, do one last check on our tents, which seem relatively dry, and then instead of going to bed, or standing around, we grab our stash of libations and head for the canoes. The three of us paddle out into the middle of the lake, and then just float there for several hours, taking in the spectacle and rhythm of the downpour. I am not sure anyone sleeps soundly, because I see flashlight checks-for-leaks throughout the night, and every so often a big leaf unloads captured water with a noisy splash, which I am sure most fear might be a visiting bear.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #155:
THE TONGASS, #155: At the top of the stairs on our boardwalk trail (last post), we look out over this - a multi-layered, blackwater swamp. The "piling-up" of previously fallen trees is quite deep and visible here. A few old growth, and many younger trees sprout in profusion, nursed by a rotting log bed that goes down through several generations of forest. As the rain picks up, and we are getting closer to Lake Alexander to make camp, the rest of our troupe has gone ahead, as I linger with our guide, Jeff Sloss, taking pictures, and he helps me to understand what lies before my lens. There is an energy about this particular place that is primeval, and with the rest of the group out of earshot, the dripping of water is the only sound to be heard. It is a transcendent, timeless moment for both of us, and we hold our breath as though in suspended animation. The rain picks up, preventing our reverie from lasting much longer, so we turn our attention to the remainder of the hike. Fortunately, Lake Alexander supports a slightly drier, rise in the landscape at this end of the lake, and the USFS has built a large lean-to structure there, where we will cook and store gear. We will then attempt to find spots on the nearby forest floor that are not flooded, for our tents.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #154:
THE TONGASS, #154: When I tell you the trail gets wetter, the further into the interior of Admiralty Island we go, I do not kid. The established earthen path is now so wet as to be a mud slog, so the US Forest Service makes constant improvements to correct or circumvent those trail conditions. This is a boardwalk path over a grassy marsh, that leads to a staircase that will carry us above a large area of blackwater swamp. These boardwalks take work to maintain, are slippery when wet, and intimidating when covered with bear poop, which indicates that the bears use this walkway as well. I have logged a lot of miles on this trail system today, portaging gear and canoes, and while I am sure it can be made better, I am grateful, and impressed that this exists at all, or this traverse would have taken all day. Shortly after ascending the stairs, the canopy of the trees grows VERY dense, and the rain begins to increase. While it does not fall directly on us, it is beginning to make the forest drip and glisten.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #153:
THE TONGASS, #153: A light rain has started, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is being very patient with me because he knows I am on this trip to get specific pictures of Tongass old growth rainforest, and THIS IS IT! The trail we traverse between Mole Harbor and Lake Alexander grows more dense and wet as we penetrate the interior, and one form of vegetation layers upon another as the forest evolves. Amazingly, we can only see a small portion of the layering. As Jeff is pointing out here, what I see is a really old, rotting nurse log, from which new trees have sprouted. Mosses and ferns also grow from it/on it, and here, there is much water in the soil, so skunk cabbage thrive in the soggy decay. Also VERY present are numerous, ground-sprouting saplings. BUT, are the truly ground-sprouting? Is there any “ground” to sprout in? Jeff says that we will see by the end of this trip, that the forest floor upon which we stand, rests on layers upon layers of prehistoric fallen trees, and previous forest floors. We are traversing Admiralty Island which is one of the greatest examples of this complex biome, one that has been here for thousands of years, building upon itself.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #152:
THE TONGASS, #152: The further that we go along the trail to Lake Alexander, the forest grows wetter and more dense. Once you understand what you are looking at, you become aware that remnant, fallen old growth trees lie EVERYWHERE. Some of the ancient trunks not only support newer, younger trees, but their decay is feeding ferns, and layer upon layer of moss. The huge rootwad above is part of a really rotting, fallen tree that runs off to the left. A large, younger tree has sprouted from the now-horizontal “nurse log.” The fallen tree is also being torn apart by bears searching for grubs. Mushrooms feed and grow on the decaying trunk, as well. The rootwad base is so festooned with moss, it does not even seem to be part of the tree, but more like a free-standing sculpture - one that is draped and dripping, many feet above my head. From the start of the morning, weather has been moving in, and as we work to complete our gear portage, it grows more threatening. There is no rain as yet, but it makes the forest REALLY DARK, and many of my exposures are 4-10secs. in length.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #151:
THE TONGASS, #151: As our backpack presses further into the interior of Admiralty Island, the forest off-trail becomes impenetrable. A jumble of fallen tress and swampy blackwater holes, it makes us all grateful a trail exists. Under the dense canopy of shade, mosses and mushrooms flourish, unfortunately, so does the evil, Devil’s Club. This seemingly beautiful plant with giant green leaves that float in a breeze, is ENTIRELY covered with thorns, except on the leaf tops. The branches are thin and spindly, but festooned with thousands of hard, sharp spikes that will even penetrate gloves. As you can see, the forest is now so dense in places, we could be within feet of a bear and never know it. As our guide, Jeff Sloss, has suggested, we all talk out loud to each other as we walk, and occasionally someone yells out, “Hey bear, hey bear!” This seems to work, as we do find “evidence” they are present, but in our many traverses, we never see or confront one all day (thankfully). As our trail brings us closer to Lake Alexander, the entire terrain becomes increasingly swampy. Many, many things are in a state of “elegant decay."
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #150:
THE TONGASS, #150: The start of our trans-Admiralty Island canoe traverse begins with our “gear army” portaging the canoes to Lake Alexander for our first run. It gives us some sense of the trail which has been developed by the U.S. Forest Service, but the canoes are heavy, and awkward to manage, so there is little time on the first pass to take anything in, or to make pictures. We all do note that the forest is dense, and swampy in places. Although we do not see any bear, on this first roundtrip, we cross a boardwalk over blackwater that hosts massive skunk cabbage. There is no bear poop on the boardwalk. After dropping the canoes, on return, that same boardwalk features a giant fresh bear poop, and all the skunk cabbage has been torn up. Yup! They're here! On our second pass, we carry most of the remaining gear and/in our backpacks, as you can see in the last post. It is more convenient in this rig to bring out my cameras, and so I do. Like all the excellent guides that work(ed) for Alaska Discovery, Jeff Sloss is also a knowledgeable naturalist. He knows I have a mission to “understand” the Tongass rainforest, so he lingers with me along the trail, explaining various things unique to this rare ecosystem. Above is an excellent example - running a GREAT distance along the right half of this shot, is a HUGE, fallen, old growth tree. In this position it becomes a “nurse log,” a seed bed in which other trees can establish themselves. This massive nurse log has spawned three trees visible in this image, two of which are mature and large in their own right. This gigantic organism represents multiple generations, and hundreds of years of growth.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #149:
THE TONGASS, #149: Even though it was stunningly clear all day yesterday, and into the evening, we awake to the patter of a light rain. We arise early, because it is going to be a long day of portaging A LOT of gear and canoes, so we quickly eat breakfast, break down our campsite, and load our canoes for the short paddle across Mole Harbor to the trailhead leading into Lake Alexander. This does not take long, and the rain does not increase, so our group is cheerful, in spite of the work ahead. Ashore once again, we unload everything and transfer it all to our backpacks, of which have yet to see much use. Carrying our canoes is a burdensome task that takes two people. You must lift them overhead, and then they can be lowered onto your shoulders, because they have well positioned padding on the crossbars. Regardless, after the 2-1/2 mile hike into the lake, your legs muscles burn, and your shoulders hurt. Now you must walk back, and carry in your very full (and heavy) backpack. The picture above is our entire crew (minus myself) fully rigged for the second leg of our portage. Jeff Sloss, our guide, sports “Alaska Man” bare arms once again. My friend and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, stands next to him in the red bandana. My partner, Carey, is to the far right. The bug assault is rising as the day warms, and many of them are sporting their headnets. At this point, the canoes have all been moved to the lake. There and back is just short of five miles. Now, fully loaded, we will do 2-12 more. BUT WAIT! The day is not over, there are still a number of paddles and life vests lying around in the grass. We will return for them after lunch, to gather the last items not already transported, like the life-vests, and do the in-hike for the third time today,..that is about 12 miles of some serious heavy carry. Welcome to adventure in Alaska!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #148:
THE TONGASS, #148: After our morning of fishing, and lunch, to avoid the insect swarm, and anticipating our rigorous day tomorrow, most of us retire to our tents to sleep, or at least, to find some relief from the biting-fly-storm. Our tent is hot, but Carey and I find it VERY comfortable to get out of of our gear, and simply relax without concern for being attacked. As the day wears on it remains clear and warm,..and really quite beautiful. In the late afternoon, she, I, and our friend, Philip Slagter decide to go out for a short paddle in the cooling air, and because being offshore takes us out of the insect assault. While floating about, we can see the dinner crowd is slowly assembling, and since everyone has chores to do, we linger until the sun sets, and then return to join the others, and perform our various tasks. I am part of the kitchen set up, which has begun by the time we reach the shore of camp, so I go up to join Jeff Sloss, our guide, as we erect tables and break out various food bags. In the midst of this prep, I look up to see this lovely vision of the day’s end, while two of the guests are anchoring the canoes for the night. The bugs are still attacking, but the cooling day is driving down their numbers, and the meal ahead is full of very tasty trout. A good day is had by all, unfortunately, that is about to end.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #147:
THE TONGASS, #147: In reading my last post, I see I got a little ahead of myself by ending the day in my storytelling. In fact, after Philip Slagter, Carey, and I, did our very successful fishing expedition to the opposite shore of Mole Harbor, then we returned to the our collective group for lunch. The others involved in our trans-Admiralty Island canoe traverse, chose to stay closer to home for their morning of fishing, and while they did catch some fish, none are the size of those that we caught. Not that it matters, as they all will be well enjoyed at the evening meal. For the time being, however, it is lunch, so we join our fellow paddlers/hikers on the shores of the stream they have been fishing, and dig in. The day is VERY sunny, and actually HOT, not a term often associated with the Tongass rainfrorest. Given tomorrow is going to be a long and strenuous day of portaging, some have even stayed in their tents today, and slept. Nonetheless, our previous days of long paddles and rigorous exercise, makes meals necessary to keep us fueled, and it always brings everyone to the table,..if that is what you can call this setting. In the true HEAT of midday, we sit, or stand about on the shore of a stream, while we dine (above). As you can see, most of us are hiding from a horrid profusion of biting insects, or constantly waving them away. Philip is showing some arm flesh, but Jeff Sloss, our guide, has gone “Alaska Man” on us once again, and he has stripped down to nothing but a pair of shorts. It is amazing he can do this, because he does NOT seem to get bitten much. An aside note about our predators: there are certainly mosquitoes, but they are the least of our worries. The true culprit is called a white-sox fly, so named because the tips of its feet are white. This fly, and its cousin, the black fly, bite, feed on the blood they draw, and usually cause an infection at the site of the bite. Enough infected bites can actually cause severe problems in wilderness conditions. Most insidiously, the white sox fly is a clever team player. While one of them distracts you by diving at your face, and particularly your eyes, others land on your clothing. Guided by your radiant body heat, they then work their way to your collar, or your wrist cuff, where they attack the exposed skin. This is the part of these trips that the outfitters don’t explain to you in the brochures!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #146:
THE TONGASS, #146: With camp established in Mole Harbor, we have a day of rest, before we must portage all of our gear, AND the canoes to a large lake in the interior of Admiralty Island. That is going to be A LOT of work, and it will take all day, so having this day off, suits everyone. Many just sit in camp, or nap, but Philip came to fish, and so he does. He also reasons that of the many rivers flowing into this large bay, the lesser ones on the far shore will also be less fished. So, he, Carey, and I paddle across the bay to one of those. Last night, our group did catch fish, but not a lot, and nothing of notable size. At our new location, it is a hot, sunny day, the breeze helps keep the bugs away, and Philip catches large fish on every cast. Does he look happy? We are too, as it means we will have a great meal tonight, before our long day tomorrow. Back at camp, it IS a great meal, and a beautiful evening, but the bugs are horrendous, so most of us have covered our bodies and are wearing headnets. In the morning, after breaking camp, we will paddle to an indented part of the shoreline across from us, where there is a trailhead to Lake Alexander, about two miles inland. That will be our camp tomorrow night. (I want to remind my readers to use the Google map links I provide, and BE SURE to “enlarge” the image as the detail is incredible.)
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #145:
THE TONGASS, #145: It is going to be a LONG day of paddling from our shoreline camp to Mole Harbor, but at least today we have the wind at our back and it is breezy enough to gives us some momentum. I am in the bow seat of a canoe being steered by our guide Jeff Sloss, and abreast of us, Philip steers, and Carey sits in the bow seat. As we were the last off the beach, the others in our party are well down-canal from us. By mid-morning the breeze has become a steady, refreshing wind that is clearly pushing us, and I have an idea, if Jeff does not feel it too risky. Our canoe holds one of the huge blue tarps, and I suggest that we rig it between Carey and I, to make a sail. To roll a loaded canoe would be disastrous, so Jeff ponders the idea cautiously, but agrees that we could try it. After bringing the canoes together, we tie two corners of the tarp to my paddle, and the other two corners are tied to Carey’s paddle. None of us are quite sure how this might work, but I tell Jeff that at the first sign of any trouble, Carey and I will just drop the tarp in the water. With that, we raise our paddles, and winds fills our “sail.” There is so much force, it takes some considerable strength to hold the paddles up and the sail open, but we get the hang of it, and we are DEFINITELY OFF! Philip and Jeff discover that the sail wants to pull the noses of the canoes together, so they just place their oars in the water, against the “out" side of their respective canoes, steering each against the tendency to be pushed together, and the balance is PERFECT. Once we all get our techniques dialed in, we are not only sailing, we are picking up speed. We can see the others in our group, who started well before us, and they are even farther ahead now, because we stopped to rig our “catacanoe,” but in just a very short amount of time, we are closing the distance. In fact, we soon blow by all of the others, and NONE of us is taking a stroke. Of course that infuriates Sierra Club crabbypants, who yells at us about what a dangerous thing we are doing, but as we leave them in our wake, Jeff assures them, we are completely in control. We are, ALL THE WAY to Mole Harbor! Mole Harbor is a huge bay surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and fed by several rivers. Jeff chooses a grassy meadow on a shore that offers a stunning view, we have our tents up and camp set, before the others arrive. Thus is born the Mole Harbor Royal Catacanoe Club. Little more is said about our stunt, given its great success, and as you might expect, once everyone gets established, they all go fishing (you can see three of us illuminated by sunlight, middle-lower, right in this image.)
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #144:
THE TONGASS, #144: The Seymour Canal is a lengthy body of water, and from the floating home of Stan Price at Pack Creek to Mole Harbor, it is LONG paddle. We, literally, paddle all day, and camp on the shoreline at night. At the beginning of our traverse, we have a relatively sunny day, but then weather moves in, and the wind turns against us. It makes the paddling very difficult, because it is strong enough to push us backwards if we stop to rest, and intermittently we are also pounded with rain squalls. Toward the end of the day, we are all exhausted, but kindly, the weather finally breaks off, the wind dies down, and we find a nice campsite for the night. Carey and Philip are cleaning up after dinner (above), in a pleasant twilight, that appears to promise better conditions for us in the morning. Worn out from the effort of the past 8hrs., we retire early, expecting another VERY LONG day of paddling tomorrow. We awake to clear skies, sun, and what seems to be a rising breeze, this time coming from behind us. Even though we all know there is a grueling amount of work to be done in order to reach Mole Harbor, the promise of a nice day, puts everyone in a better mood, so we eat, break camp, and get started as quickly as we can. Carey and Philip paddle together today, and I will be in the canoe with our guide, Jeff Sloss. We four are the last off the beach, after making sure camp is clean and “disappeared.” Not long after we launch the wind at our backs, picks up,..and I have an IDEA!
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #143:
THE TONGASS, #143: We linger with Stan (Price) the Bear Man at Pack Creek awhile longer, but we have miles to go (paddle) before we sleep, so our group must get on with the rest of our day. The rain has stopped, and the sky actually seems to be clearing, so we return to our canoes and launch ourselves once again, heading south, down the Seymour Canal. Within an hour or so, the sun breaks out of the clouds, and it appears we are going to have a really nice day. Thus, we paddle, and paddle on! It actually gets HOT because of the effort we are exerting. The Tongass is a temperate rainforest, but it is also the northern-most forest in the world to claim this, so “temperate” means most days are in the 60’s, at best. However, when the sun comes out, the “real” Alaskans come out as well, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is the first to strip off his shirt and paddle “topless.” The other significant factor (as far as I am concerned) of this Alaskan rainforest in the summer months, is the astounding, predatory insect population, ONSHORE. Most visitors spend much of their time wearing full clothing, and mosquito head nets for protection. One of the delightful advantages of being offshore, paddling in the canoes, is that there are VERY FEW insects once you get away from the shoreline. Hence, when our party stops for a rest, we always do so at islands and rock outcrops, in the middle of the canal, where we can snack and rest without an insect assault. After a long morning paddle, that is exactly what we do, then we stop for lunch. Philip also decides to go “topless”, and for more than 1hr., we are all eating, fishing, and clamming. I want to point out the gentleman (upper, right) looking at the camera with his hand extended. He is old-school, part of the Sierra Club group, and from the first night in camp, he has made it clear he believes Philip, Carey, and I are “suspect,” because we are wearing “weird” (Patagonia) clothing, and he thinks, that without wool, etc., we are at risk. Funny he says things like that and then dons a cotton flannel shirt, which when wet in cold weather, is like wearing a hypothermic jacket. His choice of clothing also adds about eight extra pounds to his pack. He will have more to whine about shortly, when he views our Mole Harbor Royal Catacanoe Club Regatta.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #142:
THE TONGASS, #142: After some time perusing Stan (Price) the Bear Man’s cabin, our canoe-camping group all return to his “front yard,” a small, grassy bluff that provides a good overview of Pack Creek and the meadows through which, it wanders. The rain has stopped, but at the moment, no bear are in sight. Continuing our conversations with him, someone asks about his naming the bears, because that has been reported in the press. Stan seems immediately offended by the question, and states that he has never done such a thing, and the press has made that rumor up. About 15-minutes later, however, two Grizzlies walk out of the woods and into the meadow grasses, where they begin to forage and play. Of course we are all excited to see bear, especially as we are relatively close to them, and still feel safe. One of us asks if we are watching a mother and cub, to which Stan responds, “Yup! That’s Mary and her 1-year-old looking for breakfast.” A quiet grin spreads across all of our faces, when we hear this. Then, things get decidedly more dramatic. On the other side of the meadow, a VERY large, much darker griz comes out of the trees. Stan immediately suggests that Mary is not going to be happy about this. Stan says this third bear is a newly arrived male, and male bears will kill cubs that are not their own. At first there is no activity, but the bears can all see each other clearly. Then, acting nonchalant, the big male starts to drift closer to Mary and her cub. This goes on for a little while, and he actually starts to get pretty close them. Stan suddenly murmurs quietly, “I think she has had about enough of that,” and almost like she is on-command from him, Mary stands bolt-upright, front paws held high, and starts “huffing,” a VERY bad sign. The big male then stands as well. On their hind legs, both of these standing bear are more than 6ft. tall. Their size, and this visible face-off is impressive. The male does not make a sound, but Mary continues to vocalize, and although I have no idea what she is saying, it must be something effective, because suddenly the big male begins backing up at a quick trot, then twists himself around, dropping to the ground on all fours, and sprinting away from her, into the cover of the trees. Stan looks pleased, and states, “Mary doesn’t take shit from anybody.” Once again, we are all impressed.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #141:
THE TONGASS, #141: All of those in our group know about Stan (Price) the Bear Man, who lives in a floating log house at Pack Creek. Stan and Pack Creek are legends in Alaska, so our troupe is eager to meet him and see his place. Having been there just a few weeks previously, I also thought it likely that we would see bears. The morning we are to visit, dawns with a light rain, but that does not seem to deter enthusiasm in our beach camp. Our excitement results in a quick breakfast, a breakdown of camp, the packing of the canoes,..and we are off! Our camp has been situated to the north of Pack Creek on the Seymour Canal, so the paddle to Pack Creek goes by quickly. Like all rivers, Pack Creek has an estuary, and Stan’s floating log home is anchored on the south side of it, so we paddle past the mouth of the river, and then nose ourselves into shore. Jeff Sloss, our guide, does not want to leave our food-laden canoes too close to the concentration of bears, as they might smell it and grow interested. After going ashore, we have about a 1/4 mile beach trek, and then we round a tree-lined point, and the estuary and meadows of Pack, appear before us, Stan’s log house tucked into the trees discreetly to our left. He sees us as we arrive, and waves, so we know we are welcome. After we introduce ourselves, we stand with him in front of his “property” on a slight hill overlooking the meadows through which the creek winds. Finally someone asks if we can see inside his home, to which he obliges. ALL Alaskans are gear heavy by need: guns, knifes, motor parts, endless tools,..you name it, they might need it, so they collect it, and Stan has done just that. There is “stuff” everywhere. Consider this, life out here is not easy. Stan used to live here with his wife, but since her death, he lives here ALONE, and he is in his 80’s. He also is pretty deaf, as you can see from his hearing aid. The longer our group wanders, and ponders his domain, the more they begin to realize how remarkable this man is, to be out here at his age, entirely alone, and tending to himself, with Grizzly bears as his primary “friends."
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Tuesday, April 30, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #140:
THE TONGASS, #140: On the first night of our 10-day canoe traverse of Admiralty Island, we camp on a beach just north of a small estuary and river mouth called Pack Creek, where Stan Price, a.k.a. Stan the Bear Man, lives. I have visited Stan previously, and am looking forward to returning. Just after we establish camp, a torrential rain starts, so we dine standing under a gigantic blue tarp, and retire early. It rains hard throughout the night, but just before dawn it breaks off. We all rise to a good breakfast, break camp without rainfall, and continue our paddle south to visit Stan. Stan is in has 80’s, and he lives “alone” in a house that floats on huge logs. For many years now, he has anchored his home at Pack Creek, also a favorite fishery and play meadow for grizzly bear. Stan and the bears apparently get along quite well, and he has never been attacked, so visiting him means we are almost assuredly going to see bear as well, and Stan will assure us he does NOT live alone, he lives with the bears.
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Tuesday, April 23, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #139:
THE TONGASS, #139: After our tidal food collection extravaganza, we climb back into the canoes and continue our journey. Seymour Canal is VERY long, and we will paddle down it to Mole Harbor for several days. Along the way we have other places to visit. Tomorrow we hope to stop and see Stan the Bear Man at his floating log home. I met Stan several weeks earlier, when a boat on which I was touring, stopped to see him, and I really looked forward to seeing him again. With that destination in mind, we eventually turn our canoes into the beach, just north of Stan’s small tidal bay at Pack Creek, and set up our first camp. The gods are kind, as we get the canoes unloaded and the tents up before the sky falls in,..which it does. This IS the Tongass rainforest, and now it is REALLY raining. One of the first lessons we all learn from our guide, Jeff Sloss, is the pitching and use of a gigantic blue tarp as our group kitchen cover. The tarp is HUGE and it takes numerous paddles to support it, but once up, we can all stand beneath it while we eat dinner standing up. Sipping soup from their Sierra cups, Philip and Carey stare out at the torrent of rain, so dense the opposite shore has nearly disappeared in the haze of droplets. Note the 1st generation Patagonia hooded trench coats they are both wearing,..so chic! Stylish brims as well!
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #138:
THE TONGASS, #138: Our guided group adventure has begun. We have loaded our canoes at the head of the Seymour Canal and are now adjusting to paddling them, as we begin to work our way south to Mole Harbor. Because the canoes are carrying a lot of food and gear, they are heavy, making steering them more difficult. They are also a little cramped, and we all get stiff sitting in the cold breeze as we paddle. Jeff Sloss is the Alaska Discovery guide leading us, and although he is younger than Philip and me, he has been doing trips like this for a long time, and we have much to learn from him. In fact, this trip would form a bond of trust between Jeff and me, and we would remain friends, working together many more times in my 25yrs. in Alaska. At the moment, however, we have been paddling for several hours and everyone needs a break. The tide has been dropping, and some significant shellfish beds are being revealed, so Jeff suggests we stop for some fishing and clamming. THIS is why you want to trust your guide in Alaska - shellfish poisoning, and sometimes death, is common, so you want someone who really knows what they are doing to make the decision when to feed off the tideline.
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Tuesday, April 9, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #137:
THE TONGASS, #137: Our guided Alaska Discovery group, assembled for a 10-day canoe traverse of the Seymour Canal and Admiralty Island lake system is an interesting mix. Philip, Carey, and I, have joined men and women of the Sierra Club for this adventure, and I am struck by how many of them are older, old enough in my mind, that this trip will prove difficult for them. I am expecting the next 10-days to be QUITE challenging. This morning, however, we are just getting used to each other, and how we work together in our canoes,..or not! The canoes are stashed with a lot of gear and food, then once everyone is aboard, they are heavy in the water. That makes paddling more tiring, and any out-of-sync strokes will most likely create an “s-canoe” by momentum. An “s-canoe” is what happens when the paddlers cannot keep the canoe in a straight line. There is A LOT of that! At first, it is funny. Then, it is just tiring. In fact, there are times when it seems no one wants to paddle at all (above - LOL!). BUT, paddle we must. The day is young, and we have miles to go before we sleep.
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Tuesday, April 2, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #136:
THE TONGASS, #136: From one floating conveyance to another - following our kayak camping trip into Misty Fjords National Monument, Philip Slagter and I, return to Ketchikan, pack our gear for the next travel, and have a departure dinner party with some of the friends we have made while based there. We depart for Juneau the next morning, where my wife, Carey, awaits us. We are about to do an epic, guided Alaskan adventure. I have been advised to contact Ken Leghorn, who has founded a guide group called Alaska Discovery. I am told, Ken will teach us much about the Tongass, and how to enjoy exploring it, and to do so, he has placed us on a 10-person, 60-mile, canoe traverse of the Seymour Canal, the lake system of Admiralty Island, and Mitchell Cove, ending at the Native village of Angoon. Time in Juneau is spent getting and checking gear, and connecting with AD. As we have not yet seen a bear, Philip has been increasingly anxious about this trip because Admiralty has the greatest concentration of grizzlies in the world. His first question to Ken is to ask if we will see one, which Ken thinks is likely. Philip then asks if he can go in on the first flight with Ken, to get over his apprehension. That is fine with all of us, so the next morning, Ken and Philip are the first out, carrying a lot of supplies. The canoes we will be using first, are stashed in the forest at the north end of the Seymour canal. To find their stash spot, the pilot flies the length of the canal, and as they approach the location, the roar of the plane engine draws a curious bear out of the forest, RIGHT WHERE THE CANOES ARE SHELTERED. That pretty much answers Philip’s question. The bear continues down the beach. Ken and Philip go ashore to drag out the canoes, and the rest of us are delivered by successive flights. The image above, is the Alaskan “moment of truth” - the plane or boat that delivers you, leaves. It is raining (surprise, surprise). We load the canoes, and start a long, multi-day paddle, down-canal, to a location called Mole Harbor.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #135:
THE TONGASS, #135: Philip Slagter and I are leisurely paddling our kayaks towards the mouth of Rudyerd Bay, where we expect to be picked up by a boat and taken back to Ketchikan, following our several days of camping in the fjord. There is a stiff breeze blowing right at us, and we find there is some protection from it by paddling close to the towering walls. With still some hours to go before our boat is due, he and I can hear the sound of a motor for the second time today, only this time it is not a cruise ship (post #132), it is an airplane. We can hear it long before we see it, but it is most likely a flight-seeing group out of Ketchikan, visiting Misty Fjords. As it comes into view and flies down the center of the fjord, it eventually passes above us. The flight path then goes down to the junction of arms, near where we camped, and turns back toward us, beginning what appears to be a descent path for a water landing, eventually touching down when it is parallel to us. Philip and I figure the tourists want to take pictures, perhaps of us. Surprisingly, the plane shuts down, the doors open, and the passengers step onto the plane float that faces towards us. They are a long way out in the middle of this huge bay, and it is hard to see more clearly what they are doing, but they have our attention. In fact, they start calling to us, motioning us to come over. It seems weird, but what the hey, it’s Alaska, so we start paddling. When we get closer, we realize everyone is wearing a mask, and is dressed in long, trench coats. One of them throws a floating object in the water with balloons tied to it. We are clearly puzzled and draw closer slowly, when suddenly - the reveal - as it turns out, these are women we know from Ketchikan, and in one synchronous moment, they all open their coats to reveal lingerie or bikinis. Two of them drop their pants and moon us. There is a little salacious dancing, then they tell us the float has survival supplies in it, jump back into the plane, and take off. Bewildered and amused, we retrieve the floating supplies: Candy bars, cannabis, condoms, several pair of women’s underwear, and instructions about where to appear for dinner, once we are back in town. A short time later, our boat picks us up, and some hours later, we do join a very fun dinner party.
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Tuesday, March 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #134:
THE TONGASS, #134: After paddling along the base of one of the most verdant wall sections in Rudyerd Bay - an astounding visual - I want to see the bigger picture, so in spite of the wind blowing into the fjord, I leave Philip and paddle out to attempt a more encompassing POV. Philip and I have been riding on an outgoing tide, and in picture-left, at the bottom, you can see the dark band in the rock that marks the high tide line. Kelp is visible below that now because the tide has been dropping during our several hours of paddling. The wall here is truly sheer, glacially carved, fjord, probably 1,500+ft. vertical. Yosemite-like, were it not for the astounding opulence of vegetation. It has become a part of architectural fashion these days (2019) to create “living” walls for houses and corporate buildings, but this is my first encounter with that idea 35yrs. earlier. To get these shots, I change lenses, which means I am NOT paddling, so I am losing ground rapidly, and my kayak is rotating around as I am trying to shoot. There is no “holding” my position. It is actually exhausting (and cold), so after a few frames, I rejoin Philip along our reasonable shelter at the base of the wall. We have a few more miles to paddle, and hours to expected boat pick-up, so we leisurely continue our traverse.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #133:
THE TONGASS, #133: While we are riding an outgoing tide in Rudyerd Bay, Philip Slagter and I, are paddling into a growing “breeze.” Knowing nothing about kayaks at the start of this trip, the ones we have are loaned to us. They are inexpensive, one-piece, cast plastic shells, intended for limited tourist use, and they do NOT have rudders. As a consequence, we get constantly blown from one side to another, and it is hard to keep your kayak tracking in a straight line, unless you are right up against the vertical walls. Furthermore, if you stop paddling for any length of time, you are blown backward and turned sideways. In that position, a gust could be a dangerous thing, and roll you. Phil and I enjoy the amazing walls, however, so we have no problem hugging them closely, even when they occasionally drip on us. We are paddling along the southern walls of Rudyerd Bay, and they are in shade most of the year, so they are layered with mosses, and trees grow out of every crack. Scale is difficult to read this close to the wall, but I can assure you that this is a SUBSTANTIAL overhanging slab.
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Tuesday, March 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #132:
THE TONGASS, #132: It is good we go to sleep early the last night before we are to be picked up down-fjord by a boat, because we are awakened early by an entirely different kind of boat. Well before dawn, the summer Alaskan sky is bright, so about 5:30am, Slagter and I are half asleep, and we can hear a loud engine AND loudspeaker voices, talking about the fjord and the “garden walls.” It seems, whatever it is, is also coming closer to us, so in our capilene long-johns, we crawl out of our sleeping bags, and tent. Before us, at the widest juncture of Rudyerd Bay and its arms, is a full-blown cruise ship. There are hundreds of people lining the rails of decks and balconies, and they are being given a lecture on the boat-wide PA-system - so considerate! Our beach is dark rock, with dark trees, but our kayaks are banana yellow, and we are in white-with-stripes Patagonia underwear. As we stand at our shoreline, rather startled, we suddenly hear the PA-voice say, “If you will look carefully with your binoculars, over against that cliff are some kayakers that must be camping.” With that, in perfect Phil-fashion, he goes to the tent, brings out the rifle (unloaded), joins me back at the beach, and we wave to all who are looking. The PA broadcast ends, and the ship turns around by doing a 360˙ with its thrusters, retreating back down the bay. Not much later, the sun rises on a clear day, so we breakfast, break camp, and are excited to paddle once again along the amazing walls of Rudyerd. The tide is dropping, so we are riding with it, and several hours and miles from now, we should encounter our pick-up boat.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #131:
THE TONGASS, #131: It is not much farther to the terminus of the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, from the slot canyon river we explore (last two posts), and it is good to finally arrive, as we have been in our kayaks for several hours and we need to stretch, and walk around a bit. At the end of the arm, a large river flows in, and it has created a sizable sand and log debris delta. We have a good line-of-sight, because the beach and meadows are flat for some unobstructed distance before entering the forest, and if a bear were to approach, we would see it coming. For sure there are bear here! Appropriately, before we settle in to have some lunch, Philip gets the rifle out of the kayak, so it is more easily at-hand. The rain has stopped, the insects are minimal, and a large gathering of gulls bathes and gossips not far from us. The paddle has been longer than we expected, and we are tired, but eating refuels us, and the tide shifts to outgoing, so that will help us as we can “ride it” back to our campsite. Even so, it is nearly dark before we are “home.” We are due to be picked up the next day, so in waning light, we eat a good dinner and pass out early.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #130:
THE TONGASS, #130: Philip Slagter and I have nearly reached the terminus beach of the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, but before arriving there, our shoreline exploration reveals a considerable river, flowing out of a sheer cleft in the fjord walls, and we paddle up it “to see what we can see.” The granite towers 2,000 absolutely vertical feet above us, making the slot canyon quite dark, but lushly overgrown with ferns and Devil’s Club. Most of our paddle has been in deep water, then we finally come to a sandbar. We can cross over easily in our kayaks, but as we are pondering whether to do so or not, two big salmon riffle the water, crossing over the bar, as they swim upstream to spawn. Our first thought is that seeing salmon is cool. However, another thought dawns on both of us very quickly. If there are salmon in the stream, there are bears in the forest, who fish the stream. Philip then points out that the shore on either side is quite close, and that the rifle we have is in the hull of the kayak. It would take some effort to get it out, without getting out of the kayak first. On that note, I also realize that the river has narrowed to the point we cannot turn around, so if we are to extricate ourselves from here, we will have to paddle backwards,..a task we begin to do IMMEDIATELY! At the first widening that will allow us to rotate our boats, we do, and before we paddle back out into the greater fjord, I catch this one last shot. I think the look on Philip’s face says it all - LOL!
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Tuesday, February 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #129:
THE TONGASS, #129: During our leisurely paddle into the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, Philip Slagter and I see many spectacular waterfalls, and explore the vertical shore that is often deeply cleaved by flowing streams. Near the terminus of the arm, however, something MUCH larger than a cleft stream appears. This is an absolutely vertical canyon on both sides, with a true river of water flowing out of it. It is so narrow, I am sure sunlight rarely touches the forest floor, and since it has been raining on-and-off for several days, the walls glisten and stream with water, and the river is bordered by dense, verdant, and very entwined trees, snags, ferns, and Devil’s Club. It is quite dark, but strangely beautiful, and Philip and I realize we can paddle up it some distance, so we do. At first it just seems that we have found a kind of “lost world,” but as we progress, the river narrows even further, and the growth onshore, begins to overhang the river, making it ever darker. To this point, the river has been relatively deep, but just ahead of us, we can see it grows more shallow as the water passes over a sandbar. These kayaks we are using do not have rudders, and they are extremely light and buoyant, when they are not loaded with gear, so we could float over the bar easily. While considering whether to do so or not, something else occurs that gives us pause for thought,..2 large salmon splash up big riffles in the water, as they pass over the bar, swimming upstream to spawn.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #128:
THE TONGASS, #128: Paddling on, up the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, Philip I discover a spectacular array of waterfalls. In the narrowing fjord. They are all around us, and we can always hear water noise as glide along. The tide has been incoming this morning, so we are riding it, as it floods into the end of the fjord. We are hoping to reach the terminus of this arm before the tide shifts to flow out. It seems like that might be a good place to eat, and rest, before the tide turns, and then we can ride the outgoing flow, back toward our campsite. Besides the myriad waterfalls, there are also numerous streams that flow in through some VERY deep clefts in the fjord walls. These are true streams, often running through some narrow, tree-stump-choked slots that dive deeply back into a separation in the vertical rockl. Most of these are interesting to peer into, but offer no navigable way into them,..well, except for one we find that is considerably larger than the rest.
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #127:
THE TONGASS, #127: It rains hard on-and-off during the night, but we have a great pitch and a great tent, so we are warm, dry, and we do not have any bears visit us. As we start breakfast, the clouds lift, and we get some fleeting sunlight here and there, as they drift pass. Excited that we may have a reasonably nice day with a minimal amount of rain, Philip and I scarf down our breakfast, load up our daypacks with food, squeeze back into the boats, and head out to explore the north arm of Rudyerd Bay. Some hours roll by, as we are in no hurry to be anywhere. We are just kayak sightseeing. The further into the arm we go, however, the narrower the fjord becomes, and it seems the walls around us grow even higher. As you can see in the shot, Philip is approaching a bend that is littered with the log debris of massive trees. It must have been some kind of flooding circumstance to do this. We are now surrounded by a deepening forest, and much more of a shoreline with embankments and meadows. This IS definitely bear country. The pilot of the boat that brought us here, also gave us a rifle for protection, and Philip has that in his kayak. I am not sure we intend to get out of our kayaks and walk around, but if we do, at least we will have some defense.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #126:
THE TONGASS, #126: The small beach and forest terrace Philip and I have discovered, finally offer us a place suitable to set up a camp. Our tent is well above the high tide line, and there are numerous, small freshwater streams coming down through the cracks in the rock wall to provide water. As a bonus, except for the small patch of flat land we have found, the walls rise sheerly beyond the screen of trees, and make an unexpected approach by a bear, virtually impossible. Once out of the kayaks, we get camp squared away, and set up for the night. We have been in the kayaks most of the day, and it feels good to be out of them and moving around. Rainy weather rolls through periodically, and the fjord walls around us put on a show. As we study our map of the Rudyerd Bay pondering what we might do tomorrow, we can see that the north arm runs more deeply into the fjord, and we have not paddled any part of that, as yet, so as we eat and settle as night falls. It is our plan to paddle that north arm in the morning.
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #125:
THE TONGASS, #125: Nearing its terminus, Rudyerd Bay splits into two arms, running roughly north and south. Philip Slagter and I have paddled most of the main fjord’s southern wall, and then rounded the bend, into the southern arm, the less lengthy of the two. In search of a campsite, we carefully explore every possibility, but nothing is forthcoming. Having circumnavigated the entire southern arm, our paddle brings us to a point where we can once again see the juncture of the main fjord. We are close to the rock ledges of the eastern shore as we pass around a small point, covered by dense trees. On the other side of the point, there is a little cove with a gradual, sloping beach that runs up into the trees. In the lowering tide, there is exposed seaweed and mossy rocks, but they are on a relatively flat, graveled “beach,” and there is no doubt we can ground the boats and get out in safety, so we do. We can see freshwater available in numerous places, so the question that remains is, does the forest offer any open floor, or are the trees too close together to squeeze a tent in? While Philip holds the boats, I walk up the grade of rocks and push through the first trees,..where I find an open floor behind a screen of trees, and no evidence of tidal inundation or bear poop. We are home!
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Tuesday, January 8, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #124:
THE TONGASS, #124: After his pit stop, Philip carefully slides back into his kayak without rolling it, and once again we start a slow paddle, searching for a campsite. There is freshwater everywhere, there just are no beaches or accessible flat ledges. The stunning vertical walls are a spectacle of rainforest extravagance. Lush mosses and lichens drip off of rocks, and dense brush and large trees grow directly out of the rock. I am not sure how that happens, but it is an amazing thing to behold, especially when you are looking up at it towering above you for thousands of feet. All that being said, these dramatic walls are not helpful to our search for a flat spot above the tideline, that is also accessible. We explore the entire shore of the southern arm of Rudyerd Bay, and find nothing. The north arm is much deeper, and we were hoping that we would not have to paddle it today, but as yet, there is no place for us here.
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Tuesday, January 1, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #123:
THE TONGASS, #123: My colleague, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter , and I have been paddling our kayaks into Rudyerd Bay fjord for several hours now, in hopes of finding a location that would support a campsite. The towering vertical walls have yet to even offer a ledge, and worse, as the tide is dropping 18+ feet, extremely slippery, seaweed covered rocks have emerged that make any thought of ascending the wall, a stupidly dangerous thing to consider. As I have noted, the walls are so sheer, and vegetated, there has not been one place to even try to get out of our kayaks. Unfortunately, now that several hours of paddling have gone by, Philip needs to pee, and there is no simple place to do that. Finally, about half of the way around the cove of the fjord’s southern arm, the tide has exposed some large rocks flat enough for Philip to stand upon. Even so, as I watched this, extracting yourself from a kayak onto a slick surface surrounded by freezing cold water, looked tricky to say the least, and then he had to get back in. After that, we both agree that any campsite MUST have a non-threatening access point. There is no chance we can unload these boats and move bags of gear around, under the circumstances he just experienced.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #122:
THE TONGASS, #122: Philip Slagter and I continue our kayak paddle into the southern terminal arm of Rudyerd Bay, hoping to find a usable campsite. The tidal outflow in the arm is less extreme which makes our paddling easier, but the wall we are presently next to, is even more congested and unscalable then those we saw previously. It is beautiful to look at, and the increasing amount of vegetation makes for some dramatic ledges, and dark, drippy coves, but nothing offers us a place to establish a camp above the high tideline. In fact, we have not yet seen a place where we could even access a point above the high tideline, the walls are so steep and slippery. This is our first fjord camping, and it is less inviting than we might have hoped. Methodically, however, we carefully follow the shoreline, and inspect every possibility. Of course, it would be nice if we could find a site, but it would be even better if we could find one near a freshwater stream. At least these walls have plenty of those.
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Tuesday, December 18, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #121:
THE TONGASS, #121: As Philip Slagter and I paddle our kayaks into Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument, we are astounded by the lush sheer walls and the massive 18ft+ tidal exchange, but we are also concerned because we have found no possible places to camp. As Rudyerd Bay terminates, it divides into two arms, and we make a right turn into the shorter one, continuing to paddle close to the wall in hopes of finding a workable site to pitch a tent, or even get up the wall. The turn into the shorter arm brings us into a different world. Where we presently are, the sheer walls are still massive, but with much greater vegetation density. As the arm reaches terminus, the far shore is not as sheer as ours, and it is more heavily forested. The “smoking” trees, and yes, that is an eagle, encourage me, somehow, and I feel somewhere in this arm we might find a sheltered position.
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Tuesday, December 11, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #120:
THE TONGASS, #120: As Philip Slagter and I slowly paddle down-fjord in Rudyerd Bay, we are paddling against an outgoing tide that will drop 18ft. You can clearly see how much is slowly being exposed. At the top of the dark rock band, the sheer walls are covered with lush mosses that cannot survive exposure to saltwater - that is the high tide mark. At the bottom of the dark rock band, seaweed is growing profusely, and soon a myriad of other plants, and some sea creatures will appear as the waterline continues to lower. We are almost to a point where Rudyerd Bay divides in to two arms. The shorter of those two arms is around this wall to the right. We are scouting every crevice of shoreline, hoping to find a campsite, and there certainly has not been one offered as yet, so we are hopeful things will change when we round the bend.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #119:
THE TONGASS, #119: My campmate, friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter and I are in the sheer-walled fjord of Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument, and we are paddling kayaks towards its terminus, where we hope to find a place to camp. The tide has turned, and is now outflowing, so we are working against the current, and staying very close to the fjord walls, where there is minimal current. As we paddle, and the tide falls, one of our first realizations is the twice-a-day, 18ft tide, is going to expose some very growth-covered, slippery rock, making access tricky, if not impossible. Some hours and several miles along, the exposed walls are rising before our eyes. In places we now look up at starfish. Freshwater is flowing down everywhere. Seaweed grows everywhere. Then we have our second realization - in our paddle so far, not only is the shoreline treacherous, we have not seen one camp-able site. It is finally dawning on both of us, it IS a fjord. The rest of this day and night might prove interesting, and no one is coming to get us for four more. Looking for a home...
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Tuesday, November 27, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #118:
THE TONGASS, #118: Our transport boat has just left Philip Slagter and I with our gear-stuffed kayaks in the huge fjord of Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument and the Tongass rainforest. It has rained hard all morning, but now it is intermittent, nonetheless the sheer rock walls stream with a myriad of waterfalls. Our boat put us off in mid-fjord, and while I take pictures and try to comprehend scale from my new point-of-view, Philip paddles closer to one side and up against the big walls. With him in the frame, it gives scale a new dimension. We are ants in this landscape. Even the trees growing out of cracks in the rock are HUGE! It is exciting to paddle beneath these towering, growth decorated faces as we proceed down the fjord toward a junction of two arms. Although we are managing our kayaks decently, never having done it before, as we paddle, we have two realizations. The first is just starting to materialize in this image. Note the banding along the shoreline at water level. The top of the dark band is high tide - twice a day. To the far left, you can also see seaweed growth being exposed as the tide drops. Starting right now, the tide is against us, outflowing and dropping..,18-FEET! In this fjord, that will be 18ft. straight down, exposing some very slippery walls.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #117:
THE TONGASS, #117: My friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, and I, come off of a cabin camping trip into Misty Fjords National Monument with a desire to be more mobile during our next outing. After a quick turn-around resupply in Ketchikan, we now have kayaks and have just been delivered by boat to a huge, steep-walled fjord called, Rudyerd Bay. As these past days have just marked the beginning of our exploration of the Tongass rainforest, we have yet to camp on the ground and out in the weather (and bears), so this is our first experience. Oh yes! We have never been in kayaks before either! Rudyerd is huge, and a there is a bit of winding around after we enter the fjord, but eventually it straightens out for quite some distance, and about halfway down that stretch, we stop and disembark. If you have never done this, it is quite an amazing thing to do. The kayak is gear-packed to the limit, leaving barely enough room for you, and when the transport boat stops, you lower your kayak overboard, and clamor around to get in it. After some adjusting and double-checking that we have everything, the mothership departs AND WILL NOT REUTRN FOR FIVE DAYS. We are VERY on our own, and the first thing I notice is how much taller the world seems from my new water-level viewpoint.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #116:
THE TONGASS, #116: Philip Slagter and I, regroup in Ketchikan after our cabin camp at Walker Lake, and prepare for our first kayak camping trip. We plan to go into Rudyerd Bay, one of the many fjords in Misty Fjords National Monument. We have a boat operator that will drop us, and pick us up, and we have even found someone to loan us a rifle, so that we finally have some bear protection. It has been an unusually warm and sunny summer, as we experienced at Walker Lake, but today, as we head for Rudyerd Bay, Misty Fjords and the Tongass RAINFOREST are doing what they do best,..raining. Really raining! Philip and I wish it were otherwise, but we do have to get used to it, so we are off for another adventure to add to our learning curve. It is not especially windy, but it is raining hard, and does so for most of our boat trip. It seems to abate as we motor into the Behm Canal, and when we turn into Rudyerd Bay, it stops for a brief while. We are hopeful, and about halfway into the fjord bay, we have our boat pilot drop us. This is a drill I will repeat many times over the ensuing years, but the thrill of it never seems to change - the loaded kayaks go over the side, you squeeze down into the them through all of the gear packed around you, everybody confirms time and place of pick up, the mothercraft departs,..and you and your crew are sitting in a deepwater fjord wilderness, encapsulated in a skinny, funny looking boat with one big, weird paddle, and looking for a place to call home. It has not yet occurred to us that a fjord might not offer a lot of campsites,..especially one that has an 18ft. tidal swing twice-a-day. Oh well, there certainly is no going back now!
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Tuesday, November 6, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #115:
THE TONGASS, #115: We climb in our flight path, leave the fjord, and emerge above the huge Behm Canal which we will follow home, so I can flightsee in the late light, and we can scout a location for our next adventure out. When I look back, I am amazed at where we have just been, and I realize how much snow there still is at high elevation. With days as warm as this one, it will not last much longer, but it is impressive to see the extent of the coverage. In this picture, where we were at Walker Lake is beneath the distant peaks in the upper right. Philip and I have found our cabin camp enlightening, and now we want to try another trip, but this time in kayaks with a tent,..time to learn how to manage camping with bears, in the rain. So, on our flight back, we briefly diverge to scout the location we plan to kayak, Rudyerd Bay. Like Walker Cove, it is another deep fjord cut running back into the heart of Misty Fjords National Monument and it is surrounded by very dramatic summits and sheer walls down to the waterline. Philip and I both agree that it looks like it will be an exciting thing to do, so now it is time to find a hotel, eat a few restaurant meals, and re-supply ourselves. We have already contacted someone who will rent us kayaks, and we have a boat operator that will take us to Rudyerd Bay, drop us off and, hopefully, pick us up.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #114:
THE TONGASS, #114: The warmth of the day begins to fade as evening approaches, so Philip and I load our gear into the plane and and say goodbye to Walker Lake. For the last few days we have been in a relatively contained POV, as there were few places we could go aside from the immediate perimeter of the lake. Once the plane lifts off, however, I am immediately reminded of what an amazing platform it is to be in the air. It brings us close-up and eye-level with things that we have been viewing at a distance, and that were well above us. Basins, waterfalls, and the sheer, sheer vertical walls pass close by our wings as we head down-fjord and back to Ketchikan. The late light casts a glow on everything at the end of a very sunny day.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #113:
THE TONGASS, #113: It is such a beautiful day to fly that the pilot has brought his son along, and here you see them talking to Philip, and taking in the late light and warmth of the day at Walker Lake. Phil and I have been a bit bored as our movement in the landscape has been very limited, but at the moment, we all appreciate the clear, temperate evening, and no one is in a hurry to be anyplace. When we tell our pilot about our experience, and our frustration with being limited in where we could go, he suggests if we try another cabin, we use ones used by goat hunters, because they are located on high altitude lakes, and offer access to granite ridges and summits, so we could move about more easily. He also thinks we should go kayak camping in these fjords, as that will give us a lot more mobility, as well. Since this has been our first camping in the Tongass, and we have not died, his suggestions are well taken. Phil and I also agree it would be nice to have a rifle, because it would make us feel safer, and more willing to wander in the woods.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #112:
THE TONGASS, #112: Our morning dawns, bright, clear, and hot, and we do not expect our plane until the afternoon, so I go out and shoot for awhile. Once again, I am eventually overwhelmed by insects, so Phil and I get back in the boat and return to the middle of the lake. With no need to fish for dinner, we just float around killing time and getting stupid. Lunch brings us back to the cabin, and now it is time to pack. About the time we finish with our gear, and replace some of the firewood we used, it is mid-afternoon. You can hear it, long before you can see it,..a low droning noise that seems to be echoing from the other end of the fjord. As it grows steadily louder, it is clear that it is our pilot, coming for the pick-up. Many minutes pass before we can actually see the plane, and when we do, it is just a speck against the surrounding walls, reminding us once again, of the scale of this landscape. Eventually the plane comes directly over the lake and cabin, and we acknowledge each other with a wave. A nice smooth U-turn, a perfect landing on glassy water,..our ride has arrived. We are about to leave Walker Lake and return to Ketchikan.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #111:
THE TONGASS, #111: Our day of fishing, and avoiding insects is actually boring, because we are so limited in what we can do. At least it is warm and sunny. We have explored the lake perimeter, gone ashore in a few places, getting nowhere, and now we are resolved to just await our plane pick-up, which, weather permitting, is supposed to be the next day. As evening approaches, Philip and I row back ashore, and swat our way back to the cabin. The cabin has cooled down a bit, and is always welcome relief from attacking bugs, so we have a nice slow meal, consume our remaining alcohol supplies, take a brief walk in the very bright moonlight, and sleep. From the look of the skies at this moment, the plane WILL be here tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #110:
THE TONGASS, #110: After awhile, we have enough trout for a great evening meal, and there is little else to do, but there is no chance we are going to return to shore so the bugs can feast on us, and the cabin is way too hot to sit in. Philip decides the best solution is to take a nap, so we pull alongside a partially submerged tree trunk and settle in for a snooze. Eventually, this vision of our Alaskan wilderness adventure was too humorous, not to make a picture. So, here is to you Patagonia! Thank you for supporting my Tongass project and giving us many layers of your new clothing system. I hope you feel your capilene base-layer is well modeled here. In years since, Patagonia has told me my pictures are not “fun-hog” enough to use in their advertising, but I guess that depends on what you consider your level of “fun” is. Philip and I are having fun, and this picture is certainly “fun-ny."
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Tuesday, September 25, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #109:
THE TONGASS, #109: It is a lazy, HOT day at Walker Lake, and Philip Slagter and I have fled the insects and the hot cabin, taking the boat to the middle of the lake where the bug population declines significantly. There is little to do except try to avoid being bitten, and perhaps catch a few trout for dinner, which we do. Out on the lake with no trees immediately around us, we have a more expansive view as well, which is nice, because the fjord walls that surround us are dramatically steep, and streaming with waterfalls. It is also clear from the exploring we have done on previous days, that we are VERY limited in our ability to get around in this terrain. Besides the immediate perimeter of the lake, and the lake, itself, there are not really any other places for us to go. Perhaps we could bushwhack, but as we are NOT armed, and there are definitely bear out there, we are not doing that. So, we while away our time swatting bugs and collecting dinner. We are in a learning curve about the Tongass rainforest, and this is the first time we have camped, so we can begin to see what our limits might be, AND it does seem a good idea to carry a weapon in the future.
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Tuesday, September 18, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #108:
THE TONGASS, #108: The day is hot and clear. The cabin in which Philip Slagter and I are camped is also very hot. Outside, the insects are in a frenzy, and we are their target. So, we are left with little choice. Only in the middle of the lake can we relax without being attacked, and besides, Philip wants to go fishing. Back into the boat, it is a great relief to row away from shore because with each passing stroke, the bugs decline in number. In the middle of the lake we are nearly bug-free, so Philip settles into the pursuit of our dinner,..trout! He has great success as you can see, and we are finally comfortable, except for the unusual heat. The Tongass is usually cold and rainy, but this summer it has been surprisingly warm, and on this day, it is flat-out blazing. If you wondering about Philip’s prison stripes, what you see is a “first” layer of Patagonia’s new clothing system. He sports a capilene top and long-john bottoms. This material Patagonia has introduced acts like wool, keeping you warm, even when it is wet, BUT it is much lighter than wool. We have been wearing this capilene layer beneath our rain gear, but it SO hot today, being in our rain gear is intolerable, so we have both stripped down to just the capilene. Given the conditions, this is the perfect wardrobe. We are comfortable and not overheated, and the full clothing layer protects us from the few bugs that do find their way out to us in the lake. Fish-on!
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Tuesday, September 11, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #107:
THE TONGASS, #107: During the night, the weather dissipates completely, and Philip Slagter and I arise to a warm, sunny day with just a few passing clouds in the sky. I eat quickly and then go out for a camera stroll that brings me to a little bonsai garden area of Walker Lake. There are tiny, stunted trees, and sloughs of crystal blue water, sprouting lily pads. There is also a psychedelic meadow grass/tundra that comes in every color of the rainbow. Of course, I feel impelled to get down on my hands and knees and graze. Unfortunately, the lovely day is warming quickly and there are others out here who are grazing also,..mosquitoes and white socks flies are grazing viciously on me. I do mean viciously,..so much so that I am forced to retreat to the cabin as I cannot work, I am being so attacked. When I report this news to Philip, we agree that it is far to boring and hot to stay in the cabin, so our hope is to retreat to the middle of the lake (almost no insects), and spend the day fishing.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #106:
THE TONGASS, #106: As Philip Slagter and I float around Walker Lake in MIsty Fjords National Monument, the very rainy weather we have been experiencing seems to finally be breaking off. We can see occasional patches of blue sky, and many of the surrounding summits are now more visible because the clouds are lifting. It has actually snowed at the highest elevations. At lake level, Philip and I are quite comfortable though, and Philip is excited to see trout lurking about, so we plan to fish in the morning. At the moment, however, evening is descending upon us and we decide to head back to the cabin for food and libations.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #105:
THE TONGASS, #105: Paddling around in the boat that comes with our rental cabin, Philip Slagter in Misty Fjords National Monument. What we discover is that except for a few moss meadows and rocky points, the forest is impenetrable. In the few places where we can actually reach a rock wall, they are so abruptly steep that they are unscalable. It is clear to us that our domain is a very contained area, and we will only be able to wander just so far from our cabin. Nonetheless, our surroundings are quite beautiful and dramatic, so we resign ourselves to floating in the middle of the lake, and watching the world go by.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #104:
THE TONGASS, #104: Philip and I have taken the available boat at Walker Lake for a little row-about. For awhile we just drift and look at the steep walls and waterfalls that surround us (last post). Eventually we decide to explore, hoping to find rock that can be scaled, allowing us to gain elevation. It is a big lake, so there is much to see, but after several approaches, there seems to be two consistent results - this is one of them. Besides the fact the forest is swarming with bugs, it is pretty impenetrable as well, and we are sure there are bear watching us at all times, hoping we come ashore so THEY can have dinner. There is no way either of us is going to go thrashing around in this. Much of the shore is defined by where this “green wall" meets the waterline. We find an occasional moss meadow, but they too terminate rather quickly as they approach the forest cover. There are, however, several “break-throughs,” where if we tried, we might actually reach rock. That presents problem number two...
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #103:
THE TONGASS, #103: Walker Lake is larger than it looks, and now that Philip and I are out in the available boat, there is much shoreline to explore. To start things off and adjust our POV, we simply row into the middle and drift for awhile. The rain lets up, and the clouds lift a bit, so Philip and I just float around for awhile, taking in the view of big walls and waterfalls. It is a HUGE fjord basin, and we are only just beginning to grasp that. Although we have not brought our fishing rods with us from the cabin, we can see fish, so we plan to have trout tomorrow. At the moment, the day is wearing on and there is still much to investigate. We begin a tour around the entire shore, trying to cypher what we discover, and hoping to find access to rock that we might scale to get higher. It does seem the weather is breaking, and it has become a bit warmer and a lot more humid. The bugs love it! Offshore, at a distance, they seem to leave us relatively alone, but as we approach the edge of the forest, their numbers become exponential.
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #102:
THE TONGASS, #102: The rainy, soggy day is actually quite amazing, everything seems so lush, so verdant. This is the first time that either Philip or I have camped in a rainforest, so we are just soaking it in (LOL)! Our raingear and knee-high boots keep us both in an insulated, humid-warmth system that is very comfortable, and the tall boots make us child-like because we can slog anywhere we choose. At one point on the return to the cabin, we come upon a very squishy, moss meadow, interesting enough that we both got down on our hands and knees to examine it more closely. Once back at the cabin, we have some snacks, but remain restless with cabin fever, so out we go again, this time headed for the boat. The rain has let up a bit, and because of our walk, we realize the limits of overland travel, so exploring Walker Lake with the boat seems a good idea.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #101:
THE TONGASS, #101: Full raingear and knee-high rubber boots are clothes most southeast Alaskans wear a good bit of the time, today being a perfect example for their need. It is pouring, but Philip Slagter and I, are warm and dry inside our clothing layers. Patagonia recently started marketing new tech clothing, and before coming into Southeast, I approached them for field support. They were VERY generous, giving me full raingear, layers of fleece tops and bottoms, and their newest material to replace wool or silk long-johns, Capilene, a thin, but warm synthetic, that like wool, could be worn wet. As a consequence, Philip and I are styling some trick clothing, and we are VERY comfortable in it. We wander for about two hours, and everything is squishy, boggy, buggy, and saturated. We finally go as far as we dare without weapons, halting at the dense bush beyond the lakeshore, at the foot of the surrounding granite domes. There is no way we are wading into this without suitable protection, so we linger for a while, marveling at the lushness of it all, and then meander back to the cabin.
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Tuesday, July 24, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #100:
THE TONGASS, #100: There is a boat available to us at Walker Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument, and the nearby cabin is a well maintained and in good condition. Philip and I realize almost immediately how important that is because it begins to pour, and biting insects are everywhere. We immediately scoop up our gear and hustle it into the cabin, where we find a great working stove, a number of bed racks, a table, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, undamaged screens on all the windows. Inside, there are few bugs, so once we purge them, we spread out our stuff and settle in. The rain continues unabated, so we cook, eat, and drink, but inevitably “cabin fever” becomes manifest, so we don our rain gear and mosquito head nets, and go out for our first walk-about the neighborhood.
PINTEREST: pinterest.com/LittleBearProd/
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #199,
Tongass, #199: In 1986, I return to the Tongass rainforest for a second summer to complete my commission. In the previous summer, my assistant had been my friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter. This summer, I will be joined by various other friends at different points of the project, spread over several months. The first trip I organize is to return the Ketchikan, from where I intend to access a US Forest Service cabin on the shore of Goat Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument. Philip and I had seen the lake and cabin in a flightsee the summer before, and I had yet to use the resources of these many USFS cabins, spread throughout the Tongass, so I wanted to see what they would be like. I am joined now by another photographer and his wife, Krys and Jan Cianciarulo, who will be my first assistants of this year. Goat Lake is large, and it sits in a granite basin about 1,800ft. above a fjord. It has a spectacular waterfall pouring out of it, and the reason the USFS built a cabin in such a place was to provide goat hunters access to the high country. To get there, we will take a float plane out of Ketchikan, and land on the lake. We will only be there for three days, but they will be quite unique because this is high alpine rainforest, in one of the wettest parts of all of the Tongass, often receiving 325” of rain, and sometimes more.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2020, @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, June 9, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #198,
Tongass, #198: In 1992, I was invited to have a major one-person exhibition at the Houston FotoFest. When I received the diagrams of the various galleries I would use, the entrance to the space featured large, curved walls. Since there were ample galleries throughout, rather than hang framed images on the curved walls, I decided to do something else, and I created unique prints for that room. Taking advantage of the new Fuji Crystal Archive digital print materials, I created several prints that would be hung without frames, just using clips and pins, allowing them to curve with the wall. The image above is “Roads to Nowhere (5,000 miles and growing)” measuring 48”x 150”. I took this photograph on Prince of Wales Island the first summer of my Tongass rainforest commission. The print incorporated the text you see to the right, which is too small to read as a jpg., so here is what it says:
The Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, and nurtures North America’s greatest concentrations of eagles, and grizzly bear. Freshwater river systems support abundant wild salmon populations, and the marine environment sustains a healthy diversity of shellfish, crab, halibut, seal, and whale.
In spite of this, over one billion dollars of the American taxpayer’s money has been spent as corporate welfare, subsidizing timber companies to build more than 5,000 miles of road in order to access and clearcut the forest. Most of the usable wood from these clearcuts is shockingly undervalued, and sold at this discount to Japan. The clearcuts also damage or fragment valuable habitat, negatively impacting the recreational tourism, and wild commercial fishing industries, whose long-term contributions to the state economy are sustainable, and ultimately have greater value.
According to a 10-year schedule recently published by the Department of the Interior, $165 million additional tax dollars will be spent to underwrite a substantial amount of new corporate road building. Many of the roads proposed will be constructed in 50 areas presently designated to be roadless.
Our tax dollars are being used to assist profitable private industries in building roads that lead to nowhere, and damage valuable public resources. At the same time, the nation’s infrastructure of highways and bridges is deteriorating, and most urban areas suffer crippling traffic and gridlock, because they lack the necessary federal funding to repair, improve, and expand transportation systems that already exist.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2020, @RobertGKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #196,
Tongass, #196: After the previous day of interviewing loggers at a log camp, and then being driven indoors by a torrential rain, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, awake to an overcast sky at our B&B in Craig, but the rain has stopped. We are due to return to Ketchikan by ferry around midday, so we decide to eat breakfast, check out, and do one last cruise through some of the clearcut areas, closest to us, and along the road to the ferry terminal. As you have seen from the last 10 posts, most of the images I have made are singular frames, and most often of expansive views, so the first few shots of this morning start with that was as well, but it seems redundant. How many pictures of this destruction can one make, until they all start to look the same? As I ponder this dilemma, the overcast seems to be dissipating, and although there is still no sun, the day grows considerably brighter. With plenty of time still, before our departure, Philip and I wax philosophical about my artistic dead end of the moment, and in that conversation, he casually suggests that it is unfortunate that no one picture can capture the scale of the miles and miles of destroyed old growth forest that we have seen in the last three days. Prince of Wales is a vast island, and even though my pictures suggest the expanse of the destruction, sitting where we are, and looking out over the terrain, provides a very different sense of it than any one picture can do. Then a thought occurs to me. In my recently completed work in the Hudson River Valley, I occasionally used multiple frames to explore an expansive view. In that project, those views were grand, and most of the subjects beautiful. Here, perhaps I might render this subject in the same way to reveal the hideous.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2020, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 19, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #195,
Tongass, #195: After our morning in a logging camp on Prince of Wales Island doing interviews, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, go on a “field trip” with one of the loggers to see where he has been working. Nicknamed, “Woodie,” he takes us to a cut where he is currently gathering slash (debris wood to be burned), and after explaining the extent of the tract, he brings us to a “view” location for some picture taking. While I do take some overview shots, on an increasingly gray and rainy day, I am draw to the matching tonal colorations of a pile of slash timber and the gray sky above. When Woodie sees me making a picture there, he announces that this is a burn pile he accumulated entirely by himself, a sizable task. Acknowledging his considerable accomplishment, I make the image that appears in the previous post, one of my most purchased industrial image prints. Shortly thereafter, the sky falls in and it begins to rain hard, so we return to the logging camp where we share further conversation with the loggers,..and drink. Philip and I have now been “in country” long enough to drink with the best of them, so we do. Not really in condition to drive shitty roads back to Craig, we do so anyway, and I am just crazy (and drunk enough) to still stop and take pictures (above). Finally, driven into our car by rainfall, we wend our way back to town, where we crash at our bed-and-breakfast, BUT not before some food and further drinking in a “local favorites” bar. Really? Really!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2020, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, May 12, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #194,
Tongass, #194: After our first day of road-tripping on Prince of Wales Island (last 6 posts), my friend, and assistant for the summer, Philip Slagter, and I return to a B&B in Craig for the night. In the morning we are met by a “guide” who is willing to take us into a logging camp where we will be allowed to photograph and do interviews. The loggers have been told we are just “observing” for a book I am writing, but the point-of-view in my work is not mentioned. Even so, totting cameras and tape recorders, and dressed in state-of-the-art Patagonia gear, they clearly treat us with polite suspicion (as well they should). We spend the morning in the “mess” shack, drinking coffee and having a “round-table” discussion with several of them, and then one of them named “Woodie,” offers to take us to a cut where we can make pictures. It is a cold, grey day, raining off-and-on, and although I do make a number of pictures of larger overviews, the one that has resonated in my book and throughout my exhibits is above. The silver-grey tonalities are amplified by my Cibachrome printing process. This is a pile of slash that has been collected to be burned, and Woodie hauled all of this here, by himself, something he was quite proud of. I am sure it was A LOT of work, SO, this is, “Rootwads and Slash/Ode to Woodie.” The sad end to a patch of old growth Tongass rainforest.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #193,
Tongass, #193: My last post jumped one summer ahead to show you a map of what Philip Slagter, and I, are discovering on the ground in our first summer. Prince of Wales Island has a very few “main” roads, but off of those main roads, hundreds of spurs, extend out into thousands of even smaller spurs, and they penetrate every stand of timber they can find, accessing and clearcutting the forest into a patchwork of destroyed old growth habitat, and decimating hundreds of salmon spawning streams. The cutting is reckless, and wasteful, leaving massive amounts of down timber to rot, and referencing it as unusable “slash.” This kind of management of a rare and valuable PUBLIC resource is the disgrace of the US Forest Service. If our politicians really want to reform and reduce government excess, they should start by “clearcutting” all those who manage “harvesting” the resource they should enriching. These people draw their salaries from our tax dollars, but they work for a few select timber companies, some of which are not even American owned. This habitat and its MANY renewable resources are OUR trees, and OUR salmon, and they are being devastated by corporations, in many cases from abroad, that could not care less, they just want to be profitable turning the Tongass into pulp, so they can sell diapers to the 3rd World. To me, this is a CRIMINAL activity.
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Tuesday, April 28, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #192,
Tongass, #192: By the second summer of my visits to the Tongass, what I am doing there is known to many. My wife Carey has joined me to do interviews with people, and we talk to quite a range of them including fishermen, loggers, retail merchants, and cruise operators. One day, however, stands out as particularly unique. We are in a hotel in Juneau when the phone rings, and the caller identifies himself as a US Forest Service employee that wants us to show us something he thinks will be VERY revealing about the timber harvest on Prince of Wales Island. Interested, we agree to meet him for lunch, and he asks that we do so at a remote cafe, well outside of town, where none of his fellow employees might see us together. When we meet, he is also out of uniform as a further precaution. While having casual conversation about our project, he asks if we had been to Prince of Wales, and if we know the USFS public line about their limited roadbuilding. We have, and do. USFS “press” claims their roading activities are VERY limited, and especially respectful of all salmon streams. At this point, he casually passes several rolled maps over to Carey, saying “This is what is actually being done. Don’t open them here.” He then asks if we really intend to publish such documents, and when we respond, yes, if they are pertinent, he says we will surely anger A LOT of people, and some will lose their jobs. Then he asks if we use USFS wilderness cabins when we trek, advising that if we do, we should no longer register for our permits under our actual names, because “hunting accidents happen all the time in the rainforest.” When we get back to our hotel and unroll the maps, this (above) is what we find. On the USFS maps that have been released to the public, there is fine print text at the bottom, in a little noticed disclaimer stating, “no roads under two miles in length are shown because of scale.” On these maps we have been given, literally thousands of “spur” roads under two miles in length scrawl every which way, blanketing the island. We published these maps in our Aperture book, The Tongass: Alaska’s Vanishing Rainforest, making the real truth public for the first time.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #191,
Tongass, #191: In many cases, the logging corporations try to make their deforesting operations, more “discreet” to the tourist’s eye. Cruise ship passengers are the largest group of visitors, so many cuts are on an island's interior. Near a shore where it might be more visible, loggers may leave a “screen” of trees at the edge of the beach, then clearcut everything behind it. On the roads around Prince of Wales, a similar game is played with many of the cuts being “screened” from the most driven roadways. traveling these main roads, you do see cuts, but should you turn on to one of the smaller side roads, within a short distance you will arrive at an epic “ground zero” with a complex hatch-work of roads and spurs, eating into the forest in every direction. This road engineering and design is one of the most publicly deceitful acts that the logging companies pursue, and it is all done with the approval of the US Forest Service. Please stay tuned for the next post - I will show you the “map trick,” from actual USFS maps, leaked to me by a disgruntled employee, who was opposed to the further destruction of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #191,
Tongass, #191: In many cases, the logging corporations try to make their deforesting operations, more “discreet” to the tourist’s eye. Cruise ship passengers are the largest group of visitors, so many cuts are on an island's interior. Near a shore where it might be more visible, loggers may leave a “screen” of trees at the edge of the beach, then clearcut everything behind it. On the roads around Prince of Wales, a similar game is played with many of the cuts being “screened” from the most driven roadways. traveling these main roads, you do see cuts, but should you turn on to one of the smaller side roads, within a short distance you will arrive at an epic “ground zero” with a complex hatch-work of roads and spurs, eating into the forest in every direction. This road engineering and design is one of the most publicly deceitful acts that the logging companies pursue, and it is all done with the approval of the US Forest Service. Please stay tuned for the next post - I will show you the “map trick,” from actual USFS maps, leaked to me by a disgruntled employee, who was opposed to the further destruction of the largest temperate rainforest in the world.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #190,
Tongass, #190: On most of the clearcuts on Prince of Wales Island, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, find massive amounts of timber waste, material that was not “harvested” and will be left on the ground to rot. If you think that is just the small, spindly trees, and larger bushes,..it is NOT. Large tree trunks lie scattered everywhere as well. This is not a “harvest” of anything. This is a massacre of an old growth forest ecosystem that is thousands of years old and thriving. This is the misguided management of turning a healthy, productive, renewable, living system, into a desert of thrash and decay. Most insultingly, these clearcuts are subsidized by about $60,000 in our taxes, EVERY year, as they have been for nearly 50yrs. now. We gain little by taking the timber, but we do loose renewable fisheries and desirable recreational habitat. NOW in fact, we loose something even more important - the Tongass is one of the largest carbon sequestration environments on the planet. As we face the challenges of climate change and warming, the value of the intact Tongass is becoming irreplaceable, but still the politicians support the industrialized assault on the trees. I hope they are among the first to perish in the heated years ahead.
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Tuesday, April 7, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #189, Tongass, #189: There is very little actual enforcement and monitoring of the clearcutting on Prince of Wales Island by the US Forest Service, as a consequence, the companies that do the logging regularly ignore mandated restrictions, such as building a road on a hillside deemed too steep (above). Deforesting a steep hillside is a death knell for the valley and streams below, because during the torrential rains of late fall, winter, and spring, everything washes down into the creek, destroying salmon spawning habitat, and choking the waterway with debris. These are some very dangerous roads as well. The one shown here is just barely wide enough for our car, and several times pushing up one of these, we could not find a place to turn around, and so we had to back down, often over a good distance - VERY freaky! It is hard to imagine a loaded logging truck driving through this same terrain, but it was done many times a day, while the cut was in operation.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #188, Tongass, #188: My assistant for the summer, Philip Slagter, and I, wend our way along road after road, seeing where they might lead. These roads are called “spurs,” and none of them go more than a mile or two. In that way, the US Forest Service does not have to map them, and can excuse their existence with a disclaimer on their public maps, that roads of less than two miles, are not depicted. The deceit is that there are hundreds of these non-mapped roads built everywhere timber can be accessed, and the landscape has been reduced to rubble in wide patches. As I have pointed out in the last few posts, not only are the cuts destructive to the old growth rainforest habitat, but the volume of waste is staggering. The arrogance of obliterating a thriving ecosystem, and then leaving all of this to rot, is criminal. On one of the roads we attempted, we found this log avalanche blocking our further passage. These were brought down off of the steep hillside, most likely during a torrential rain. None of this wood will ever be claimed for use. This is a VERY STUPID management of this resource, and Americans help build these roads by allowing Congress to subsidize them with $50 MILLION+ tax dollars EVERY year. It is time for US to stop this waste of money and habitat: #rainforestrebellionrising
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #187, Tongass, #187: Clearcutting in the Tongass is not only tax-payer subsidized destruction of rare old growth rainforest, it is stunningly wasteful of the harvest. As you saw in post #182, the drift logs blanketing beaches in the Tongass, are those that have “escaped” from the tug towing the logs to market, and they will never be reclaimed. Here, on the ground on Prince of Wales, every cut we see is buried in timber debris NOT taken, and it is not just brush and little trees. It IS, however, a disgraceful use of the resource, that is transforming the habitat of Prince of Wales, in profound, unfortunate, and long-lasting ways. The logging industry pushes back when the commercial fishermen say the cuts impact the fishing, but I don’t think this stream will see the annual salmon migration to spawn this year, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of these “crossings,” on virtually every side road we explore.
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Tuesday, March 17, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #186, Tongass, #186: The ferry from Ketchikan is now destined for a small port and highway roadhead, in a huge fjord bay on Prince of Wales Island, where cars and passengers will offload. It is not an especially long trip, and when we disembark, we are immediately upon the most seriously developed roadway on this entire, huge island. This highway will take us from the ferry port to a junction south, leading to the sizable Native village of Hydaburg. Passing that turn, we continue on to the other side of the island, which host the large Native Village of Klawock, and the commercial fishing township of Craig. Philip (Slagter) and I, will explore Klawock, and overnight in Craig, but our real mission is to drive the logging roads through terrain much further into the island. After our pass-through with lunch in Craig, we return to Klawock, following the highway out of town to the north. The “highway” disappears rapidly, leading us to a narrow crushed-rock road pour that dives into backcountry. As we drive on, we are lucky not to encounter logging trucks, and we discover that every few miles, a spider web of short roads spin off the one we are on, and they all lead to clearcuts. We have no idea what goes where, so trying not to get lost, we begin taking different roads to see what they might lead to. As you can note above, these roads are scary-narrow, rock crush as well, and it becomes obvious why they would only rent us a “beater” for this drive.
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Tuesday, March 10, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #185, Tongass, #185: My assistant for this summer, Philip Slagter, and I, conclude our exploration of Sitka, and return to Ketchikan, where we have already spent a good deal of time (many earlier posts to this blog), so we already have a feel for the community. In spite of the large timber mill in town, the inhabitants are mostly fisherpersons, and live by, and with, the sea. They are also the wettest residents of the Tongass rainforest as Ketchikan gets an average of 325” of rain annually. Yeow! Bring your raingear, and keep your knee-high boots handy. While Philip and I do indulge our knowledge of the town and friendships with its residents on this visit, our mission is to rent a car, and take the ferry to Prince of Wales Island (POW) in order to view the most extensively clearcut island in the Tongass, and to see what that looks like from ground level. In previous excursions, I have seen the logging from boats off shore, and from the air, but I have yet to take it in on-site, so this is to be our final mission of this summer. The roads on POW are nearly all dirt, relatively narrow, often truck worn, and primarily used by the loggers. A painter and a photographer in a rental car are not particularly welcome. In fact, when we rent the car, and tell the agent where we are going, he will only rent us a “beater,” a car already so beat up, we can’t make it much worse, unless we destroy it entirely. He also suggests that we might want to be armed for our own protection,..and he was not talking about bears. Thus, early one morning, Philip, and I, find ourselves in our “beater,” awaiting the ferry gate to drop, so that we can drive aboard, and begin our next adventure. We did not know it at the time, but we would soon see “ground zero.” A forest DESTROYED by an industrial bombing know as a clearcut. Only criminals would do this. #rainforestrebellionrising.
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #184, Tongass, #184: In these pictures (last post and this), I am trying to show you examples of the magnificent things that can be done with select cut trees, and with relatively no damage to the old growth habitat. I am doing that now because in the next posts, my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, are going to return to Ketchikan from our exploration of Sitka, and then we are going to rent a “beater” car and take the ferry to Prince of Wales Island, one of the largest islands in North America, and also the one that has sustained the most extensive clearcutting. If you think the lost logs strewn across the beaches of Southeast as forgettable debris are disgraceful (post #182), wait until you see what gets LEFT ON THE GROUND! Prince of Wales, or PRISONER OF WAR ISLAND (POW), as it is referred to by locals opposed to this damaging industrial logging, is a prisoner of war! A corporate war on the public’s natural resources. Two posts from now, you will be on a car tour with Philip and I as we skirt the out-of-state-hired corporate loggers, and view their careless, and COMPLETE DESTRUCTION of the RARE, temperate rainforest, old growth habitat. It pretty much looks like ground zero after a nuke drop. WE must make this STOP! #rainforestrebellionrising. Goodbye to the grinning ass, Governor Mike Dunleavey; the cowardly Senator, Lisa Murkowski; and the 24-term, Walrus-penis waving pawn of big money, Congressman Don Young. REALLY, 24-terms in office!?! Criminals are clearly keeping their “boy” in charge. When will the voters wake up?? "You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!"
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Tuesday, February 25, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #183, Tongass, #183: The Tongass rainforest is being imperiled by corporate greed and DISGRACEFUL waste. This is an OLD GROWTH rainforest that does not restore itself after the practice of industrial clearcutting and reforestation. Yes, the trees do grow back, little, spindly ones that are WAY too close together, but the understory of mosses, berries, devil’s club, bear, deer, wolves, and salmon will take generations beyond our lifetimes to return,..if they EVER do. I believe this engineered deforestation is a criminal act. Can people cut trees in the Tongass without doing it significant damage? Yes! And, they have been doing it for centuries going back into the original Native cultures that call it their homeland. Boats, houses, lodges, totems, and much more, are made from these trees, but the trees being used are select cut and sustainably harvested. They are also put to good use and NOT wasted like trash on the beaches (previous post). Above is a beautiful, full-log home built by the hand of the owner, and all harvested from the forest, but you would NEVER know that. One last DISGUSTING corporate fact - the international companies doing this damage, high-grade the timber with real value, selling it to the Japanese, who sink some of it in cold ocean waters, intending to recover those prime cut logs when wood of that stature is no longer available in the remaining forests of the world. Except for these high grade trees, the ENTIRE rest of the cut is turned into pulp. If this does not make you mad enough, consider this - OUR TAX DOLLARS SUBSIDIZE THESE INDUSTRIES TO THE TUNE OF $50,000,000 or more in any given year, and they have been doing so for more than 40yrs. now. If you truly want to Make America Great Again, stop this corporate welfare. #rainforestrebellionrising #RainforestRebellionRising
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Tuesday, February 18, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #182, Tongass, #182: What lies before you now, is further evidence of “stinking weasels,” who not only thrive on their corporate greed, but do so by laying waste to public largess, with complete disregard. If it is not enough to rob the public of the unlimited renewable wealth of the Tongass rainforest, this confirms the criminal act of it. We are standing on one of the inumerable beaches that form the shorelines of the islands of the Tongass, all of which are strewn with endless miles of logs,..and I do mean endless miles. It is stunning to actual see this in person. Now, you may think, in an old growth rain forest, did all of these wash to the beaches because they fell in the forest, and were carried to the ocean by the rivers? AND, YOU WOULD BE WRONG. These logs line the beaches because they have “escaped” from rafts of timber, cut down by the timber industry, while they are being transported to various mills and shipping docks. They are ENTIRELY WASTED. They will never be reclaimed. The industry could care less about this disgraceful behavior. Yet there is MORE! Local people, white, and Native, alike see this for the disrespectful discard that it is, and go to these beaches to salvage this timber, some of which is used to build their homes, their boats, and sustain their fires during the cold winter months. To add further insult to injury, the timber companies, with an eye-wink from the politicians, have informed the local population, that anyone caught removing these logs for personal use, will be arrested and prosecuted for theft! So what we have is for-real criminals, making criminals out of those that would use the disgraceful corporate waste of the rainforest, for a meaningful purpose. This is WAY F$*%ed-up, and I hope intelligent voters will eventually put them, and all their political co-conspirators in jail, where they belong! #RainforestRebellionRising
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Tuesday, February 11, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #181, Tongass, #181: Not all weasels are beautiful (last post), however. Some are “stinking weasels,” a classification to which this company is ascendant. This is the “home office” of Alaska Pulp and Lumber Company, and when I say “stinking weasels,” I mean quite literally, this place stinks. Pulping timber requires a lot of cooking and chemistry, and the process is odious. The practice of turning the Tongass, a rare, temperate rainforest into pulp is odious as well. This is the practice of corporate and political greed, this is NOT “more jobs for Alaskans.” This is the robbery from Alaskans of one of their greatest natural resources, and one that historically will attract more dollars in fishing and tourism, than any timber industry ever will. BUT HEY, that does not stop Senators Stevens, Murkowski, and Representative Don Young, from braying on about forest destruction being good for the economy. Even today Senator Lisa Murkowski is following this misrepresentation, started by an earlier generation. This is STUPID political leadership of the worst kind. The current governor is part of this group of jackasses, as well. If, and when, Alaskan voters wake up and realize what is actually happening to them in the real world, I can only hope they put all of these idiots in jail for crimes they are committing against the planet. The Tongass is one of the few remaining ecosystems of this size that serves to sequester carbon, and as the denied global warming, in FACT, descends on us, Alaskans are going to be among the first to have their world altered for the rest of their lives. “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone!” Joni Mitchell had it exactly right.
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Tuesday, February 4, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #180, Tongass, #180: In the cast of characters that comprise the residents of Sitka, there is a group I shall refer to as “weasels,” - these (above) are beautiful, and VERY silly, weasels. On an especially stormy day, while I am wandering around in the neighborhoods, I come upon this schoolyard filled with playing children, oblivious to rain. (It is raining while I make this picture.) What strikes me is that, in spite of the weather, everybody is outside running around. True southeast Alaskans, and residents of the Tongass rainforest, they know water falling out of the sky means nothing, and life should go on as it does every day. (Of course, it rains nearly every day, so get over it,..and PLAY!) I am seeking cover under a shed roof, so that I can set up my camera without having to cover it, and then these two approach. They want to know what I am doing, and when I explain I am making a picture because I think it is unusual to see kids playing in the school yard when it is raining, to which they reply, “What? Where do you live?” When I tell them California, and ask them if they want to say “Hi!” to my viewers in California, this is their response, “Splzzzz!” Then, they ran off squealing, “Tell YOUR” friends to get a life!” Beautiful weasels!
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Tuesday, January 28, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #179, Tongass, #179: Beyond downtown Sitka, and past the adjoining Native village, the roads stretch out paralleling the shoreline. One direction takes you briefly through a residential area, eventually brining you to the beautiful Sitka National Historic Park, then on beyond to Sawmill Cove, after which it becomes very wild, and rural, stretching to Silver Bay. In the other direction the road runs through several communities, mostly comprised of predictable, nice, family homes, many that host boats in their yards, and worksheds in their backyards. Sitka's preponderance of people who fish and hunt is visible everywhere. As you get farther out along this road, another aspect of American culture comes into play as well, very rural living. Many of those toward the end of the road, are now off the grid, and have larger property, or get away with infringing on property that do not actually own. MANY people living in Alaska, tend not to discard things (engines, cars, boats) which they might, at some time in the future, scavenge from, in order to repair something else. BUT, just as in the rural backroads of the Lower ’48, some of “collecting” becomes more obsessively hoarding, and this is one of my favorites. This image is only a portion of the total grounds, but in this view alone, there are 3 trucks visible, and 4 boats. The “resident” lives in the small trailer, and there is no traditional house. I am sure there is enough to scavenge here to do repairs for almost everyone else in the rest of the city. When I was confronted over making this picture, he yelled, “Get off my land, you're trespassing!”, to which I had to point out that I was standing across the street on city property, and that he was illegally on land the maps indicated as national forest, to which he flipped me off, and went back inside.
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Tuesday, January 21, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #178, Tongass, #178: On the first day my assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, take a walk through the Native village part of Sitka, it is all new to us, so we are noting the unique evidence of village culture, fish being dried, animal skins hanging from clothing lines, and the other evidence of many people living either partially, or totally, subsistence lifestyles. I want to take pictures because it is a very different looking neighborhood, but I am also aware that many in the village do not want to be seen as spectacles of tourism photographers. Then we arrive here, and neither of us can resist getting a closer look, so we approach this house, trying not to be too obvious. Both Phil and I LOVE Tlingit design and symbols, so this is irresistible, but as we draw close, we hear a voice from inside asking, “Can I help you?”, and then the gentleman to the right appears from beneath a skin-draped door opening. I have not yet raised my camera, so we begin by explaining what we are doing, and who we are - a photographer, and a painter, exploring another culture, and not intending to capitalize upon it for touristic images. To which the person confronting us, asks us if we would like to come inside and “smoke a pipe,” and so we do. This person is Boyd Didricksen, an elder hunter and craftsman of the village, who is half Russian, and half Tlingit. This is a house of his design and building, and he also runs a store in town, Three Guys across from the Church, selling very high-end art and artifacts to the throngs a visitors off the cruise ships. He is amazing, funny, and his art is spectacular, as well as controversial. Boyd crafts remarkable objects from, and of, the animals he hunts. ONLY Natives may hunt animals they then craft into salable objects, and although he can legally do both, he often crafts things that cause the ADF&G and the FWS to question the actual historical lineage of the product. (Did historical Tlingit really use Auk beaks as buttons and jewelry?; Did the previous culture decorate their traditional cedar storage boxes with sealskins, and polar bear furs?) Boyd was unabashed, however, and besides creating well-crafted objects, he fought back against his critics, and often found himself in court, arguing about one practice or another, and frequently winning. He is/was what white cultures call “a character.” I would return to Sitka many times over my 24yrs. of coming to Alaska, and Boyd became a good friend, and someone I looked forward to seeing on each visit, regardless of the politics of his behavior.
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Tuesday, January 14, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #177: As I have noted in earlier posts, Sitka is a unique mix of cultures. A large, daily tourist population comes in from, literally, all over the world on cruise ships - virtually every country you could possibly imagine. The majority of year-round residents are divided between Americans, Russians, and the Native population of Tlingit. Within walking distance of the tourist burdened downtown, the Native village, is very apparent in a concentrated area, and then the other residents have built out along the roads that parallel the shorelines. This “tribe" of Tlingit is referred to as Sheet’ka K’waan, and their village is truly Native, which is evidenced in many ways. A great number of those who live in Sitka, white and Native alike, fish, either commercially, or for subsistence. Those living subsistence also hunt many different animals and birds, and as a consequence, the houses and yards of the village have a very different look. Some Native homes are fully modern, yet many have no central heat, and may not even be hooked to the city's infrastructure conveniences. Many houses have adjacent lots that sport racks for drying fish and/or pelts and skins. Many houses also have tubs or outside tables, used for cleaning whatever animals have been taken. Especially fun, on certain days, the village hosts Native food, outdoor markets in parking lots along the shoreline. There is always a lot of activity, and A LOT of good, and different, edibles to be had. Above is one of my favorites, Grace’s Fryed Bread. While not exactly health food, it is quite tasty, and Grace is both funny, and amazing to watch while she manages her “kitchen.” Check out the giant bowl of dough next to the oil fryer.
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Tuesday, January 7, 2020
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #176: Aside from various totem carvings, the small museum and visitor information center at Sitka National Historic Park, has other artifacts displayed nicely. My appreciation of the totems is equaled by my appreciation of another Tlingit artifact, the STUNNING Chilkat blanket and robe, shown above. These were ceremonial objects for the village that lives in the Chilkat River valley, and they were used in dancing ceremonies. The elaborate detail and brilliant yellow color, make them unique among all the tribal objects. Ones in good condition are also quite rare, so to see good ones displayed is a great opportunity, and the display here, and at the state museum in Juneau, are unparalleled. Tlingit presence is not just apparent in this park/museum environment in Sitka, as it is a actual village, so in next week’s post, we will talk a walk through the village, where Philip Slagter, and I, will meet some interesting people, and eat some interesting food. I hope you will join us.
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Tuesday, December 31, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #175: In spite of the Russian occupation of Sitka, the Tlingit culture and its influence never really went away, and today, Sitka is a Native village for all intents and purposes, invaded more recently by hordes of cruise boat tourists. Just outside of downtown, there is truly a Native village of MANY homes, and in the other direction from downtown, is Sitka National Historic Park, which offers beautiful woodlands trails and streams, interspersed with probably the finest carved totem displayed ever assembled in one location. A walk in the park is a must for a visitor, and something I have always done on my, now, many visits. There is also an EXCEPTIONAL museum and information center, well worth a visit. The totem above, of which you are just seeing a portion, is one of the more spectacular parts of the many things displayed. The details, such as abalone shell eyes, and the vivd colors make this a showcase of Tlingit totem design. If you ever visit, don’t miss this, it is well worth the walk from downtown.
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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #174: As I stated in the last post, Sitka reflects a diversity of cultural influences, one of which is certainly Russian. The church, in the center of downtown, is the most obvious symbol, and although it is a true church, it is also a tourist destination that allows specific visiting hours. I find the elaborate artifacts very beautiful, and I especially appreciate the many variations of “the Madonna of Sitka.” The one above is in the church, but I have another striking one that I purchased from the church’s commercial tourism store, across the street from the church. A tale of interest about the Russian “occupation,” when they returned to bombard the Tlingit fort, the Native residents held out for 6 days, then, in the dark of night, abandoned the entire village, fleeing by canoes, into the Peril Strait. Peril Strait is so named because of an epic tidal current that flows through when the tide changes. This current is so strong, most boats avoid passing through when it peaks, and many that do have been spun aground. The escaping villagers went through at slack, or with the flow. The Russians were punitive, however, and even though they were now in control of the city, they sent troops in canoes, to hunt down the fleeing village. Those troops hit Peril Strait at a bad time in the tide cycle, and they spent their strength trying to push through. When the tide slacked, the exhausted troops found a slim beach on which to seek refuge and food. They dug up local clams as part of that food, and after eating them, they all died from shellfish poisoning, hence the beach is called “Deadman's Reach."
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #173: Besides its beautiful setting, the other elements that make Sitka so interesting, are its history of cultures, culture clashes, and now, cultures integrated. Sitka was an important Tlingit village, settled more than 10,000 years ago. Unfortunately for them, Russian settlers seeking wealth in the sealskin and otter fur trade moved in, in 1799. Not happy about the “occupation,” in June of 1802, the Tlingit attacked the Russian settlement, killing most of them. Not unexpectedly, the Russians did not take that kindly, and in 1802, Alexander Baranov returned with a sizable force, and a gunship to bombard the village and its fortress. The Tlingit endured the assault for 6 days, finally abandoning the village, and fleeing by canoe through the nearby Peril Straits. After the Battle of Sitka, Baranov became governor, designating the town as the capital of Russian America, and naming it, “New Archangel.” In 1867, Sitka was also the site of the transfer ceremony, when America purchased ALL of Alaska from the Russian for 2¢ an acre,..one of the greatest real estate deals of all time. (I bet Putin wishes that never happened - LOL !). Nonetheless, to this day, Russian influences are part of the character and fabric of the city, most obvious being the Russian church at the center of the downtown area. Although still a practicing church, it is also a huge tourist destination. Seen above is the church bell tower, set against Mount Verstovia and the Arrow Head.
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #172: Philip Slagter, my wife, Carey, and I, arrived in Sitka late in the afternoon, and by the time we were in our hotel and, settled in, it was getting dark (post #170), so we explored the downtown area a bit, had dinner, and retired. Our following day is more serious, and Carey is flying back to LA, so after we get her to the airport, Philip, and I, begin an extended walk-around, trying to acquaint ourselves to this city that is new to us. Downtown is expectedly commercial, serving both the residents, AND the large numbers of tourist, many of whom just come in for the day, offloading from huge cruise ships. Like Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway, on any given day, several cruise ships can deliver more people to downtown than those that actually live there. The existing roads lead for some distance out of town in both directions, but for our first day of exploring we just walk. Weather has rolled over us throughout the day, but it has been a broken sky with no rain, and it has been unexpectedly warm. As the clouds are above the mountains tonight, unlike the previous post, I want you to see the double-summit of Mount Verstovia and the Arrow Head. Verstovia is in the foreground being kissed by a cloud, the slightly higher Arrow Head is behind on the left side. It is pretty clear why residents call it Arrow Head.
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #171:
Sitka is a unique city and environment, so I would like to offer some description. Like so many other urban areas in the Tongass, Sitka is not connected by road to anywhere else. You come and go by plane, ferry, or boat. The center of town sits at the foot of some VERY impressive summits, and there is a considerable mileage of roadways that can be driven, leading to some very interesting places. Sitka is a fun place to be, and if I were to move to Alaska, it would be my choice to live here. The airport is on a large offshore island, that also hosts a car rental system, and other administrative buildings, but no homes. That island connects to downtown with a bridge, which you can see in the background of the above picture. In this view, which is the reverse of my last post, I am looking from the airport island, toward town, and clouds are obscuring Mt. Verstovia and the Arrow Head, that rise behind downtown. Did I mention A LOT of boats!
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #170:
Having completed our canoe traverse of Admiralty Island, our group leaves the outer shore of Mitchell Bay, for a short paddle across a deepwater channel to arrive at the Native village of Angoon. We are met there by an innkeeper, who transports us to our lodging for the night. We will all return to Juneau by ferry tomorrow afternoon, but for now it is good food, welcome showers, and an actual bed to sleep in. The inn is quite nice, and they are also aware of my Tongass project, so in the morning, while others enjoy lounging about, the innkeeper takes Philip Slagter, Carey, and me, to visit Chief Dan George, in the actual village of Angoon. Chief George and his village are Tlingit, and they identify their family lineage with the stylized animal carvings on totem poles, and lodge walls. We sit for some time talking with Chief George about the village's relationship to the forest, and why they are opposed to the timber cuts, and Carey takes many notes. I also tell the Chief that I admire the animal drawings done by his daughter, which I have seen on card sets being marketed in Juneau and Ketchikan. It pleases him to realize that I have taken note of her artwork. After an enjoyable and informative morning in his home, he offers us a gift before we return to the inn, and presents us with a bag of halibut jerky. Shortly after our re-uniting with our group, we are all shuttled to the ferry, and then cruise to Juneau. Philip, Carey, and I, say our goodbyes to the group, then depart immediately for the airport, as we intend to fly to Sitka. Aboard the short plane flight, it is an unusually warm day, and many passengers, ourselves included, notice a strange smell in the cabin. On arrival, we discover the smell is our bag of jerky, that we stashed in the overhead. (Sorry everybody - LOL!) From the airport to our lodging, evening begins to descend, and as we have not been to Sitka before, we go out for a stroll around town. Sitka is a BEAUTIFUL setting with an island-dotted harbor, many, many boats, both fishing, and recreational, and the western horizon bears the distinct silhouette of Mount Edgecombe (above), a now dormant volcano on nearby Kruzof Island.
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Tuesday, November 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #169:
THE TONGASS, #169: After a successful crossing of Mitchel Bay, racing with the outgoing tide to prevent being stranded on the soon-to-be fully exposed seabed, our crew takes a lunch break before crossing the deepwater channel that will deliver us to our last destination, the Native village of Angoon. We munch a good deal of our remaining supplies, I shoot some pictures, and then we reload the canoes for our one last paddle. The group decides that before we launch, however, we should have a collective picture at the end of our successful 10-day, Admiralty Island traverse. I seldom take these shots, but I am carrying a small tripod, so I set it up, get everyone positioned, trip the delayed shutter release, and join my comrades-in-paddle. My wife, Carey, is to the far left, I am front, off-center in the dark glasses, my friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, is to my immediate right, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is behind him. A good time was had by all,..well, most of the time anyway - LOL!
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #168:
THE TONGASS, #168: Philip Slagter and I, flip the last canoe in our descent of the tidal falls (last post), but we opt not to unpack and change our clothes, rather, choosing to "wear them dry.” One of the beautiful things about the “new” high-tech, Patagonia gear, is that it not only stays warm while wet, it will actually dry out on your body through radiant heat created by activity. Since time is of the essence now, there is none to loose, and we must get moving with the outgoing tide, to cross the expansive Mitchell Bay, before it goes dry, potentially stranding our party, if we do not reach deeper water first. Thus, Phil and I, dump the water out of our boots, wring our capilene longjohns out, then put them back on, and return to assist the loading of the canoes. As soon as our group completes that task, we launch, and begin a long, tiring, and very determined paddle with the flow, out into bay. The bay is a broad complex of rock shoals, around which the water flows in some very strong and confusing currents. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, knows where the deepest channels lie, so he expertly leads us through the maze. As we paddle, before our eyes, jagged rock “islands” begin to appear, revealed by the quickly dropping tideline. The rate of this is amazing to watch, and worrisome to be caught in, so we all bear down, and stroke as hard as we can to keep moving quickly along. As the water shallows beneath our canoes, we can see a myriad of kelp, starfish, and jellyfish, as though we are looking into an aquarium. Unfortunately, we can also see the seabed getting ever closer to the bottom of the canoes, so I never stop paddling to take pictures, until we finally hit the deep water channel. Eventually, we will cross it to arrive at the Native village of Angoon, but having successfully completed our journey, we are collectively exhausted, so we stop for one last lunch prior that final effort. The break for food leaves me with a moment to walk back into the now completely exposed bay, where I shot this (above) - seabed rocks, draped with various grass strands and colorful kelp growth, like some crazy abstract painting.
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #167:
THE TONGASS, #167: After a truly pleasant afternoon, and evening in camp, we all retire early because we know the next morning will start early, being dictated by the timing of the 18ft.+ tide reversal. We must have an early breakfast, load the canoes, and begin our paddle across huge Mitchell Bay, while the tide runs out. Part of this will be fun, because we will be paddling WITH the tidal flow. Part of this will be serious, because if we linger, the bay will go nearly dry at low tide, stranding us for many hours, until the tide comes in again. When morning arrives, our sunny afternoon of the previous day has vanished, returning us, once again, to the possible promise of rain (It IS a rainforest!). It is not terribly cold, so everyone is comfortable, and breakfast proceeds with great camaraderie, as we have nearly completed our Admiralty Island canoe traverse, and expect to paddle out to the Native village Angoon today. First, however, the “slack” tide is starting to flow out, so it is time to take the canoes below the emerging tidal falls, load them, and leave. We break camp, pack our packs, and arrange our gear near a ledge that will emerge shortly, and from which, we can load and go. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, has intentionally offered us one last thrill - we can choose to “line” the canoes through the falls, OR, we can paddle them through the increasingly turbulent waters. Guess what everyone choses? My friend/assistant, Philip Slagter, and I, offer to be first. Wearing as little as possible, and with no gear in the boats (in case we might roll), we “drop in,” and succeed with little effort. Things are happening very quickly, however, and the falls grows more challenging with every passing minute. Above, you see the third canoe, with our guide, Jeff Sloss, in the rear. Note, the now-exposed rocks and kelp in the foreground. THAT was underwater just minutes ago. With only one canoe left to bring through, the falls are now raging, and no one seems eager to do the “descent,” so once again, Philip and I volunteer, emboldened by our first success. We are fine, until we hit the first of the small standing waves at the “bottom” of the falls, and then the fierce current begins to swing us sideways. Both of us respond incorrectly, and make the fatal mistake of putting our paddles, and body weight on the same side. In seconds, we are swimming in freezing cold water, and the canoe is being carried away by the current. Philip is closest to it, so he retrieves it, dog-paddle-dragging it into a stillwater eddy. I try to find a place to get ashore safely, as the rocks and kelp make exiting very difficult. AND, the water is f*%#ing cold!
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Tuesday, October 29, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #166:
THE TONGASS, #166: With our camp established, our Admiralty Island traverse canoe crew, is enjoying a sunny, warm, and nearly bug free afternoon. As you can see here, my colleague/friend/assistant/fellow artist, Philip Slagter, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, have gone topless, and the fishing fun has begun. The huge 18ft.+ tide is still incoming, filling the salt “chuck” lake in the background, before reversing itself, and creating a “tidal falls” that will start right about where Philip is standing. When the present inflow peaks, the water will have risen to the edge marked by where the blackened rocks, distinguish themselves from the lighter colored ones. That marks the full reach of the high tide line, still some hours away. For the moment, we fish, photograph, sunbath, and relax, as this is our last overnight campsite, and the are NO MORE PORTAGES! (Yah!). As evening falls, we go through the ritual of setting up for dinner, and planning for the events of the next day. Jeff explains that, we have timed our arrival here to take advantage of the outflow, due to begin the next morning. We will rise early, have our last breakfast of this trip just about the time the tide turns, and then it is IMPERATIVE that we load the canoes, and go out with the tide, because we must cross the large, and complex, Mitchell Bay, before it becomes nearly dry at the lowest point of the receding tide. Were we not to do this in timely fashion, we might actually ground the canoes, and be stuck to await the tide’s return.
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Tuesday, October 22, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #165:
THE TONGASS, #165: Our Admiralty Island traverse is now nearly completed, and we have set up our last overnight camp, adjacent something defined as a tidal falls. The surroundings are beautiful, the afternoon is sunny and warm, and remarkably, the normally intense insect population has abated to the point that many of us are “sunbathing,” as you see Philip Slagter, doing here. Notable to this picture, and to explain why Philip is pointing, he is standing at the place where the “tidal falls” will begin, when the incoming 18ft.+ tide, reverses itself. At the moment, it is still flowing in, filling the salt “chuck” lake, out of view, in the direction he points. We crossed those waters to arrive here, earlier in the day. Note the floating kelp behind Philip, as well as the spot where he is standing. The incoming tide has not yet peaked, and when it does, that kelp will be underwater, as will the rocks on which he is standing. In fact, the water will come to where I am standing. In two posts, this will be a VERY different POV. For the time being, however, everyone is enjoying our sunny afternoon, and several have decided to try a little fishing.
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #164:
THE TONGASS, #164: Having established our final campsite before paddling out to the Native village of Angoon, we all settle in and begin various late afternoon activities. The tidal falls adjacent our narrow forest terrace is nowhere to be seen because the tide is still incoming, and it appears that we are simply next to a slowly moving body of water, which is in fact “filling” Salt Lake, which we traversed to get here. With the dream of fresh salmon in their minds, several of our crew, break out their fishing poles. I, on the other hand, break out my camera and tripod, determined to capture some of our surroundings dappled with the glow of late light. The terrace that hosts our tent sites abuts a relatively steep embankment of trees and old growth understory that rises 30ft., and more, above us, finally leveling off on what appears to be a forest “floor,” populated by ever larger trees that just get bigger and bigger, as they recede into the interior. Before our guide, Jeff Sloss, notices my activity, I climb a series of fallen trunks to have a marginal view of this woodland above our encampment. When Jeff sees me, he suggests I be extremely careful, so I don’t fall into a “hole” beneath the logs. Finding his words a bit unsettling, I downclimb to ask what he means. To better explain his comment, he takes me over to the towering wall of trees and vegetation, and pulls up part of the vertical, mossy carpet. Sunlight floods into the exposed hole, revealing a deep recess of tree trunks lying atop one another, as far beneath the forest floor above us as the light will reach. When I was a child, periodically National Geographic magazine would publish a story about a particular habitat, accompanied by a “cut-away” illustration showing all the creatures living in that domain, revealing not just those on the surface, but those above it, and beneath it as well. I loved the idea of these secret worlds revealed, and I now I stood before an actual one. The moss here, and on the forest floor above is just a thin layer, covering, hundreds, if not thousands, of years of fallen tree trunks and forest debris, accumulated beneath the covering vegetation. It may well be the big trees we see above us, are simply branches of even bigger trees that have fallen, but are still growing, or serving as “nurse” logs. Were I to have stepped off my log ladder onto the forest floor above us, I might have easily plunged into a “hole” such as the one into which I am now peering. I am also fairly sure there are creepy, crawly things in this deep, dark entanglement, I want NOTHING to do with, so I assure Jeff, I now get it, and will forgo my exploration. I also make sure we replace the moss cover on the open whole, as I don’t want any of the “things” living in this ancient world, coming out tonight to visit us - LOL!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #163:
THE TONGASS, #163: With our last portage to the shore of Salt Lake complete, we uncover our stash of “saltwater” canoes in the forest, load them up and cross the lake. Salt Lake is named so, because it is actually comprised of ocean water that gets cycled through twice a day by the 18ft.+ high tides of southeast Alaska. As the incoming tide flows over Mitchell Bay and the water level rises, it comes to a 14-15ft. slope up into the forest. During the peak of the high tide, it breaches the slope and continues to flow inland, creating Salt Lake. When the tide reverses and starts to flow out, that slope becomes a tidal falls that features fast water and good sized waves. We plan to camp adjacent to it for the night, and enjoy seeing the falls occur, before we finish our Admiralty Island traverse, paddling out through Mitchell Bay to the Native village of Angoon, where the ferry will carry us back to Juneau. Our guide, Jeff Sloss, also thinks I will find this campsite “old growth beautiful” in a very particular way. To start with, when we arrive, the tide is high and slack, the sun is out and streaming, and very surprisingly, there are almost no attacking insects - either that, or we smell so bad by now, that they don’t want to come near us - LOL! Our camp is on a narrow wooded terrace, literally abreast of the tidal falls, and backed up against a 30ft-tall wall of old growth understory. It is, indeed, quite beautiful in the late afternoon light.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #162:
THE TONGASS, #162: Almost to Lake Guerin, my partner, Carey, is in a better mood now that our portage is almost completed. It has not rained, and the bugs are manageable, which makes everyone much happier. How about the guy in front of her, using five canoe paddles lashed together as his walking stick - haha! We will camp at Guerin tonight, and tomorrow we will cross it to find a small, but navigable stream that will take us into Lake Davidson. We have a lengthy paddle across Davidson, and then we will stash our freshwater canoes in the forest, and do the last portage, 4.1-miles to the shore of Salt Lake, so called because it is actually a lake at the edge of the forest that is created by the flow of high tide into Mitchell Bay. When we reach Salt Lake, we will find “saltwater” canoes stashed in the forest, which we will use to cross the lake and camp, just abreast of the tidal falls. What are tidal falls, you may ask? Stayed tuned and you will find out. It is a unique phenomenon of having an 18ft.+ tide, twice a day.
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Tuesday, September 24, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #161:
THE TONGASS, #161: It is now late in the day, and it has been a LONG day involving 3 lake crossings and 2 portages, the last of which was 1.7 miles one way. We are tired and hungry, but it has not rained, and the bugs are manageable. More importantly, at this moment, we are finishing the last portage carry, having taken the canoes, and camp gear to Lake Guerin. Supposedly this last carry is your “personal” gear, but on this trip that is not just clothes, and a sleeping bag. We have fishing poles, life vests, canoe paddles, and sling chairs, that are now “personal” gear. Then, there is always stuff that gets “left” someplace, so the last ones to leave the site, sweep those items up as well. While the overload rigs above are not true Alaskan Overloads, they are pretty seriously stacked up, and neither Philip, nor Carey seem particularly happy about it. (Just FYI: The true Alaskan Overload is a laden backpack, with a daypack hung over your chest and stomach. It is optional, but you may also add sling bags over your shoulder, and/or a shotgun.)
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #160:
THE TONGASS, #160: Halfway through our day, hiking and canoe traversing Admiralty Island, we still have a paddle and a portage left to go, so we are refueling with a lunch. We are on the swampy shore of Hasselborg Lake, and the gods are being kind to us because it is not raining, the bugs are at a minimum, and the food is plentiful. There is no solid ground on which to stand, sit, or set up a food table, so our guide, Jeff Sloss, has flipped a canoe over as a table substitute, and we are all just wandering around through the reeds, ankle deep in the lake, testing the waterproofness of our Goodyear Xtra-tuffs (LOL!) After lunch, we spend serious time crossing the lake because it is so wide, and then we must slog the 1.7-mile portage to Lake Guerin - that is 2.4 miles round trip x 3, after which we are completely fried. You will have a better sense of that when you see next week’s post. Please tune in. AND, PLEASE HELP SAVE THE TONGASS, the Trump Administration is trying to undermine logging restrictions, deny roadless protections, and open more mining leases.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, September 10, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #159:
THE TONGASS, #159: For our morning, the Admiralty Island traverse camping canoers, have had a long paddle across Lake Alexander, then into connecting Beaver Lake, and across Beaver Lake to its far end. From there, we accomplish a .4-mile portage to the very squishy shore of Hasselborg Lake, one of the largest on the island. Most of the trail is so soggy it is boardwalked, and I don’t mean like in Atlantic City - it is many single planks strung end-to-end, and there are no handrails. At this moment we still have a VERY big day ahead, as we are going to cross the width Hasselborg to another portage trail of 1.7-miles, taking us Lake Guerin, where we hope to camp. With that much work still to do, it is time for a hearty lunch. The portage boardwalk terminates here, at a point where the canoes can be put in the water, BUT in the shallows of the lake, or on the boardwalk, are the only places to stand, and there is nowhere to sit. We have gotten used to standing for meals, but we have nowhere to set up a food table, so flipping a canoe does the job.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, September 3, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #158:
THE TONGASS, #158: The sky above our Lake Alexander camp remains dark and overcast, but it does not rain, so we actually break down a relatively dry camp, after a good breakfast, and launch ourselves in the canoes. We head across Lake Alexander for a connecting stream to Beaver Lake, and then we traverse Beaver Lake to a trailhead that in a .4 mile portage that will take us to the shore of Hasselborg Lake. We will camp there, and move again the next day. We are well into the interior of the island now, and things are swampy and wet. Although no water is falling out of the sky at the moment, it is everywhere around us, and the trails and campsites are very squishy to say the least. Just finding a place to put your tent down that is not actually in the water, is often quite challenging. The forest floor offers nothing, as it is either impenetrable, or too rugged. Our next few days will be spent on the scenic, but soggy, margins of these lakes we are trying to navigate. If you are curious, I have float bags in which I keep my cameras while we paddle, so they are dry but easily accessible. On the trail, my cameras are around my neck, but both have plastic garbage bags attached where the strap clips meet the camera. The bags then hang down, covering the cameras from weather, until I lift one, pull the bag back to shoot, and then move on. Should I get drops on the camera, I also have a bandana tied to my rain jacket pullcord, which I can use to wipe things off. Managing moisture becomes an integral part of making photographs out here, over so many days of exposure to rainforest weather.
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Tuesday, August 27, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #157:
THE TONGASS, #157: Kindly, the torrential rain backs off in the early morning hours of our camp at Lake Alexander on Admiralty Island. Breakfast is a bit “soggy” as we mill around, but we have all survived without any great discomfort, and while some work on meal prep, the rest of us break down camp, because today will continue our traverse of the island by canoe, across this lake, and on to others. Above, you see the ACTUAL map our guide, Jeff Sloss, used on our trip. At the far right is Mole Harbor and the trailhead that brought us to Lake Alexander - 2.2 miles long, one-way. Today we will paddle across Lake Alexander, through the connecting creek to Beaver Lake, and then across Beaver Lake. On the far shore of Beaver lies a .4 mile trailhead, where we will portage to Hasselborg Lake. We will cross the width of Hasselborg to a 1.7 mile portage connecting us to Lake Guerin. We will paddle the length of Guerin, to a navigable creek feeding into Davidson Lake. We will then paddle the length of Davidson, and at the south end of Davidson, we will hide the “freshwater canoes” in the forest. From there, we backpack 4.1 miles to the head of Salt Lake, where we will find a stash of “saltwater canoes” that we will use to cross Mitchell Bay and reach the Native village of Angoon. And NO, we did not do all of this in one day!
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Tuesday, August 20, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #156:
THE TONGASS, #156: With a good deal of rain falling, our guide, Jeff Sloss, and I, end our lingering on the boardwalk trail to Lake Alexander for the sake of making pictures, and focus on getting to camp. After the traverse of the blackwater swamp, the boardwalk once again becomes an earthen trail, and the canopy of the forest around us opens a bit. Not much further on, we encounter the rest of our group, who have already arrived at the Lake Alexander lean-to, created by the USFS, and they are sheltering from the rain under its roof. The lake lies close by, and appears to be quite large. Immediately around us there is some heavily vegetated forest floor in relatively flat openings between large trees, and it is in these places we will try to find decent tent sites. We will store our packs, and cook our food in the shelter, and the rest of the time we will stand and sit about in full rain gear. Although a rain has already begun, we are all lucky to get our tents up when we do, because just as we finish that task, it begins to rain TONGASS-style,..OMG! It rains so hard sometimes, it is hard to see the lake nearby. The dripping in the forest is LOUD. Water is sheeting off of everything. Dinner is prepared as those in the group either contribute prep, or work to assure their tents sites will survive the night. It rains so hard during dinner, people are actually laughing about it, and everything glistens in the light of the lamps. After dinner it is still early, so Philip, Carey, and I, do one last check on our tents, which seem relatively dry, and then instead of going to bed, or standing around, we grab our stash of libations and head for the canoes. The three of us paddle out into the middle of the lake, and then just float there for several hours, taking in the spectacle and rhythm of the downpour. I am not sure anyone sleeps soundly, because I see flashlight checks-for-leaks throughout the night, and every so often a big leaf unloads captured water with a noisy splash, which I am sure most fear might be a visiting bear.
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Tuesday, August 13, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #155:
THE TONGASS, #155: At the top of the stairs on our boardwalk trail (last post), we look out over this - a multi-layered, blackwater swamp. The "piling-up" of previously fallen trees is quite deep and visible here. A few old growth, and many younger trees sprout in profusion, nursed by a rotting log bed that goes down through several generations of forest. As the rain picks up, and we are getting closer to Lake Alexander to make camp, the rest of our troupe has gone ahead, as I linger with our guide, Jeff Sloss, taking pictures, and he helps me to understand what lies before my lens. There is an energy about this particular place that is primeval, and with the rest of the group out of earshot, the dripping of water is the only sound to be heard. It is a transcendent, timeless moment for both of us, and we hold our breath as though in suspended animation. The rain picks up, preventing our reverie from lasting much longer, so we turn our attention to the remainder of the hike. Fortunately, Lake Alexander supports a slightly drier, rise in the landscape at this end of the lake, and the USFS has built a large lean-to structure there, where we will cook and store gear. We will then attempt to find spots on the nearby forest floor that are not flooded, for our tents.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #154:
THE TONGASS, #154: When I tell you the trail gets wetter, the further into the interior of Admiralty Island we go, I do not kid. The established earthen path is now so wet as to be a mud slog, so the US Forest Service makes constant improvements to correct or circumvent those trail conditions. This is a boardwalk path over a grassy marsh, that leads to a staircase that will carry us above a large area of blackwater swamp. These boardwalks take work to maintain, are slippery when wet, and intimidating when covered with bear poop, which indicates that the bears use this walkway as well. I have logged a lot of miles on this trail system today, portaging gear and canoes, and while I am sure it can be made better, I am grateful, and impressed that this exists at all, or this traverse would have taken all day. Shortly after ascending the stairs, the canopy of the trees grows VERY dense, and the rain begins to increase. While it does not fall directly on us, it is beginning to make the forest drip and glisten.
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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #153:
THE TONGASS, #153: A light rain has started, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is being very patient with me because he knows I am on this trip to get specific pictures of Tongass old growth rainforest, and THIS IS IT! The trail we traverse between Mole Harbor and Lake Alexander grows more dense and wet as we penetrate the interior, and one form of vegetation layers upon another as the forest evolves. Amazingly, we can only see a small portion of the layering. As Jeff is pointing out here, what I see is a really old, rotting nurse log, from which new trees have sprouted. Mosses and ferns also grow from it/on it, and here, there is much water in the soil, so skunk cabbage thrive in the soggy decay. Also VERY present are numerous, ground-sprouting saplings. BUT, are the truly ground-sprouting? Is there any “ground” to sprout in? Jeff says that we will see by the end of this trip, that the forest floor upon which we stand, rests on layers upon layers of prehistoric fallen trees, and previous forest floors. We are traversing Admiralty Island which is one of the greatest examples of this complex biome, one that has been here for thousands of years, building upon itself.
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Tuesday, July 23, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #152:
THE TONGASS, #152: The further that we go along the trail to Lake Alexander, the forest grows wetter and more dense. Once you understand what you are looking at, you become aware that remnant, fallen old growth trees lie EVERYWHERE. Some of the ancient trunks not only support newer, younger trees, but their decay is feeding ferns, and layer upon layer of moss. The huge rootwad above is part of a really rotting, fallen tree that runs off to the left. A large, younger tree has sprouted from the now-horizontal “nurse log.” The fallen tree is also being torn apart by bears searching for grubs. Mushrooms feed and grow on the decaying trunk, as well. The rootwad base is so festooned with moss, it does not even seem to be part of the tree, but more like a free-standing sculpture - one that is draped and dripping, many feet above my head. From the start of the morning, weather has been moving in, and as we work to complete our gear portage, it grows more threatening. There is no rain as yet, but it makes the forest REALLY DARK, and many of my exposures are 4-10secs. in length.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, July 16, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #151:
THE TONGASS, #151: As our backpack presses further into the interior of Admiralty Island, the forest off-trail becomes impenetrable. A jumble of fallen tress and swampy blackwater holes, it makes us all grateful a trail exists. Under the dense canopy of shade, mosses and mushrooms flourish, unfortunately, so does the evil, Devil’s Club. This seemingly beautiful plant with giant green leaves that float in a breeze, is ENTIRELY covered with thorns, except on the leaf tops. The branches are thin and spindly, but festooned with thousands of hard, sharp spikes that will even penetrate gloves. As you can see, the forest is now so dense in places, we could be within feet of a bear and never know it. As our guide, Jeff Sloss, has suggested, we all talk out loud to each other as we walk, and occasionally someone yells out, “Hey bear, hey bear!” This seems to work, as we do find “evidence” they are present, but in our many traverses, we never see or confront one all day (thankfully). As our trail brings us closer to Lake Alexander, the entire terrain becomes increasingly swampy. Many, many things are in a state of “elegant decay."
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Tuesday, July 9, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #150:
THE TONGASS, #150: The start of our trans-Admiralty Island canoe traverse begins with our “gear army” portaging the canoes to Lake Alexander for our first run. It gives us some sense of the trail which has been developed by the U.S. Forest Service, but the canoes are heavy, and awkward to manage, so there is little time on the first pass to take anything in, or to make pictures. We all do note that the forest is dense, and swampy in places. Although we do not see any bear, on this first roundtrip, we cross a boardwalk over blackwater that hosts massive skunk cabbage. There is no bear poop on the boardwalk. After dropping the canoes, on return, that same boardwalk features a giant fresh bear poop, and all the skunk cabbage has been torn up. Yup! They're here! On our second pass, we carry most of the remaining gear and/in our backpacks, as you can see in the last post. It is more convenient in this rig to bring out my cameras, and so I do. Like all the excellent guides that work(ed) for Alaska Discovery, Jeff Sloss is also a knowledgeable naturalist. He knows I have a mission to “understand” the Tongass rainforest, so he lingers with me along the trail, explaining various things unique to this rare ecosystem. Above is an excellent example - running a GREAT distance along the right half of this shot, is a HUGE, fallen, old growth tree. In this position it becomes a “nurse log,” a seed bed in which other trees can establish themselves. This massive nurse log has spawned three trees visible in this image, two of which are mature and large in their own right. This gigantic organism represents multiple generations, and hundreds of years of growth.
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Tuesday, July 2, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #149:
THE TONGASS, #149: Even though it was stunningly clear all day yesterday, and into the evening, we awake to the patter of a light rain. We arise early, because it is going to be a long day of portaging A LOT of gear and canoes, so we quickly eat breakfast, break down our campsite, and load our canoes for the short paddle across Mole Harbor to the trailhead leading into Lake Alexander. This does not take long, and the rain does not increase, so our group is cheerful, in spite of the work ahead. Ashore once again, we unload everything and transfer it all to our backpacks, of which have yet to see much use. Carrying our canoes is a burdensome task that takes two people. You must lift them overhead, and then they can be lowered onto your shoulders, because they have well positioned padding on the crossbars. Regardless, after the 2-1/2 mile hike into the lake, your legs muscles burn, and your shoulders hurt. Now you must walk back, and carry in your very full (and heavy) backpack. The picture above is our entire crew (minus myself) fully rigged for the second leg of our portage. Jeff Sloss, our guide, sports “Alaska Man” bare arms once again. My friend and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, stands next to him in the red bandana. My partner, Carey, is to the far right. The bug assault is rising as the day warms, and many of them are sporting their headnets. At this point, the canoes have all been moved to the lake. There and back is just short of five miles. Now, fully loaded, we will do 2-12 more. BUT WAIT! The day is not over, there are still a number of paddles and life vests lying around in the grass. We will return for them after lunch, to gather the last items not already transported, like the life-vests, and do the in-hike for the third time today,..that is about 12 miles of some serious heavy carry. Welcome to adventure in Alaska!
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Tuesday, June 25, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #148:
THE TONGASS, #148: After our morning of fishing, and lunch, to avoid the insect swarm, and anticipating our rigorous day tomorrow, most of us retire to our tents to sleep, or at least, to find some relief from the biting-fly-storm. Our tent is hot, but Carey and I find it VERY comfortable to get out of of our gear, and simply relax without concern for being attacked. As the day wears on it remains clear and warm,..and really quite beautiful. In the late afternoon, she, I, and our friend, Philip Slagter decide to go out for a short paddle in the cooling air, and because being offshore takes us out of the insect assault. While floating about, we can see the dinner crowd is slowly assembling, and since everyone has chores to do, we linger until the sun sets, and then return to join the others, and perform our various tasks. I am part of the kitchen set up, which has begun by the time we reach the shore of camp, so I go up to join Jeff Sloss, our guide, as we erect tables and break out various food bags. In the midst of this prep, I look up to see this lovely vision of the day’s end, while two of the guests are anchoring the canoes for the night. The bugs are still attacking, but the cooling day is driving down their numbers, and the meal ahead is full of very tasty trout. A good day is had by all, unfortunately, that is about to end.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #147:
THE TONGASS, #147: In reading my last post, I see I got a little ahead of myself by ending the day in my storytelling. In fact, after Philip Slagter, Carey, and I, did our very successful fishing expedition to the opposite shore of Mole Harbor, then we returned to the our collective group for lunch. The others involved in our trans-Admiralty Island canoe traverse, chose to stay closer to home for their morning of fishing, and while they did catch some fish, none are the size of those that we caught. Not that it matters, as they all will be well enjoyed at the evening meal. For the time being, however, it is lunch, so we join our fellow paddlers/hikers on the shores of the stream they have been fishing, and dig in. The day is VERY sunny, and actually HOT, not a term often associated with the Tongass rainfrorest. Given tomorrow is going to be a long and strenuous day of portaging, some have even stayed in their tents today, and slept. Nonetheless, our previous days of long paddles and rigorous exercise, makes meals necessary to keep us fueled, and it always brings everyone to the table,..if that is what you can call this setting. In the true HEAT of midday, we sit, or stand about on the shore of a stream, while we dine (above). As you can see, most of us are hiding from a horrid profusion of biting insects, or constantly waving them away. Philip is showing some arm flesh, but Jeff Sloss, our guide, has gone “Alaska Man” on us once again, and he has stripped down to nothing but a pair of shorts. It is amazing he can do this, because he does NOT seem to get bitten much. An aside note about our predators: there are certainly mosquitoes, but they are the least of our worries. The true culprit is called a white-sox fly, so named because the tips of its feet are white. This fly, and its cousin, the black fly, bite, feed on the blood they draw, and usually cause an infection at the site of the bite. Enough infected bites can actually cause severe problems in wilderness conditions. Most insidiously, the white sox fly is a clever team player. While one of them distracts you by diving at your face, and particularly your eyes, others land on your clothing. Guided by your radiant body heat, they then work their way to your collar, or your wrist cuff, where they attack the exposed skin. This is the part of these trips that the outfitters don’t explain to you in the brochures!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, June 11, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #146:
THE TONGASS, #146: With camp established in Mole Harbor, we have a day of rest, before we must portage all of our gear, AND the canoes to a large lake in the interior of Admiralty Island. That is going to be A LOT of work, and it will take all day, so having this day off, suits everyone. Many just sit in camp, or nap, but Philip came to fish, and so he does. He also reasons that of the many rivers flowing into this large bay, the lesser ones on the far shore will also be less fished. So, he, Carey, and I paddle across the bay to one of those. Last night, our group did catch fish, but not a lot, and nothing of notable size. At our new location, it is a hot, sunny day, the breeze helps keep the bugs away, and Philip catches large fish on every cast. Does he look happy? We are too, as it means we will have a great meal tonight, before our long day tomorrow. Back at camp, it IS a great meal, and a beautiful evening, but the bugs are horrendous, so most of us have covered our bodies and are wearing headnets. In the morning, after breaking camp, we will paddle to an indented part of the shoreline across from us, where there is a trailhead to Lake Alexander, about two miles inland. That will be our camp tomorrow night. (I want to remind my readers to use the Google map links I provide, and BE SURE to “enlarge” the image as the detail is incredible.)
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, June 4, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #145:
THE TONGASS, #145: It is going to be a LONG day of paddling from our shoreline camp to Mole Harbor, but at least today we have the wind at our back and it is breezy enough to gives us some momentum. I am in the bow seat of a canoe being steered by our guide Jeff Sloss, and abreast of us, Philip steers, and Carey sits in the bow seat. As we were the last off the beach, the others in our party are well down-canal from us. By mid-morning the breeze has become a steady, refreshing wind that is clearly pushing us, and I have an idea, if Jeff does not feel it too risky. Our canoe holds one of the huge blue tarps, and I suggest that we rig it between Carey and I, to make a sail. To roll a loaded canoe would be disastrous, so Jeff ponders the idea cautiously, but agrees that we could try it. After bringing the canoes together, we tie two corners of the tarp to my paddle, and the other two corners are tied to Carey’s paddle. None of us are quite sure how this might work, but I tell Jeff that at the first sign of any trouble, Carey and I will just drop the tarp in the water. With that, we raise our paddles, and winds fills our “sail.” There is so much force, it takes some considerable strength to hold the paddles up and the sail open, but we get the hang of it, and we are DEFINITELY OFF! Philip and Jeff discover that the sail wants to pull the noses of the canoes together, so they just place their oars in the water, against the “out" side of their respective canoes, steering each against the tendency to be pushed together, and the balance is PERFECT. Once we all get our techniques dialed in, we are not only sailing, we are picking up speed. We can see the others in our group, who started well before us, and they are even farther ahead now, because we stopped to rig our “catacanoe,” but in just a very short amount of time, we are closing the distance. In fact, we soon blow by all of the others, and NONE of us is taking a stroke. Of course that infuriates Sierra Club crabbypants, who yells at us about what a dangerous thing we are doing, but as we leave them in our wake, Jeff assures them, we are completely in control. We are, ALL THE WAY to Mole Harbor! Mole Harbor is a huge bay surrounded by snow-capped mountains, and fed by several rivers. Jeff chooses a grassy meadow on a shore that offers a stunning view, we have our tents up and camp set, before the others arrive. Thus is born the Mole Harbor Royal Catacanoe Club. Little more is said about our stunt, given its great success, and as you might expect, once everyone gets established, they all go fishing (you can see three of us illuminated by sunlight, middle-lower, right in this image.)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #144:
THE TONGASS, #144: The Seymour Canal is a lengthy body of water, and from the floating home of Stan Price at Pack Creek to Mole Harbor, it is LONG paddle. We, literally, paddle all day, and camp on the shoreline at night. At the beginning of our traverse, we have a relatively sunny day, but then weather moves in, and the wind turns against us. It makes the paddling very difficult, because it is strong enough to push us backwards if we stop to rest, and intermittently we are also pounded with rain squalls. Toward the end of the day, we are all exhausted, but kindly, the weather finally breaks off, the wind dies down, and we find a nice campsite for the night. Carey and Philip are cleaning up after dinner (above), in a pleasant twilight, that appears to promise better conditions for us in the morning. Worn out from the effort of the past 8hrs., we retire early, expecting another VERY LONG day of paddling tomorrow. We awake to clear skies, sun, and what seems to be a rising breeze, this time coming from behind us. Even though we all know there is a grueling amount of work to be done in order to reach Mole Harbor, the promise of a nice day, puts everyone in a better mood, so we eat, break camp, and get started as quickly as we can. Carey and Philip paddle together today, and I will be in the canoe with our guide, Jeff Sloss. We four are the last off the beach, after making sure camp is clean and “disappeared.” Not long after we launch the wind at our backs, picks up,..and I have an IDEA!
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Tuesday, May 21, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #143:
THE TONGASS, #143: We linger with Stan (Price) the Bear Man at Pack Creek awhile longer, but we have miles to go (paddle) before we sleep, so our group must get on with the rest of our day. The rain has stopped, and the sky actually seems to be clearing, so we return to our canoes and launch ourselves once again, heading south, down the Seymour Canal. Within an hour or so, the sun breaks out of the clouds, and it appears we are going to have a really nice day. Thus, we paddle, and paddle on! It actually gets HOT because of the effort we are exerting. The Tongass is a temperate rainforest, but it is also the northern-most forest in the world to claim this, so “temperate” means most days are in the 60’s, at best. However, when the sun comes out, the “real” Alaskans come out as well, and our guide, Jeff Sloss, is the first to strip off his shirt and paddle “topless.” The other significant factor (as far as I am concerned) of this Alaskan rainforest in the summer months, is the astounding, predatory insect population, ONSHORE. Most visitors spend much of their time wearing full clothing, and mosquito head nets for protection. One of the delightful advantages of being offshore, paddling in the canoes, is that there are VERY FEW insects once you get away from the shoreline. Hence, when our party stops for a rest, we always do so at islands and rock outcrops, in the middle of the canal, where we can snack and rest without an insect assault. After a long morning paddle, that is exactly what we do, then we stop for lunch. Philip also decides to go “topless”, and for more than 1hr., we are all eating, fishing, and clamming. I want to point out the gentleman (upper, right) looking at the camera with his hand extended. He is old-school, part of the Sierra Club group, and from the first night in camp, he has made it clear he believes Philip, Carey, and I are “suspect,” because we are wearing “weird” (Patagonia) clothing, and he thinks, that without wool, etc., we are at risk. Funny he says things like that and then dons a cotton flannel shirt, which when wet in cold weather, is like wearing a hypothermic jacket. His choice of clothing also adds about eight extra pounds to his pack. He will have more to whine about shortly, when he views our Mole Harbor Royal Catacanoe Club Regatta.
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Tuesday, May 14, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #142:
THE TONGASS, #142: After some time perusing Stan (Price) the Bear Man’s cabin, our canoe-camping group all return to his “front yard,” a small, grassy bluff that provides a good overview of Pack Creek and the meadows through which, it wanders. The rain has stopped, but at the moment, no bear are in sight. Continuing our conversations with him, someone asks about his naming the bears, because that has been reported in the press. Stan seems immediately offended by the question, and states that he has never done such a thing, and the press has made that rumor up. About 15-minutes later, however, two Grizzlies walk out of the woods and into the meadow grasses, where they begin to forage and play. Of course we are all excited to see bear, especially as we are relatively close to them, and still feel safe. One of us asks if we are watching a mother and cub, to which Stan responds, “Yup! That’s Mary and her 1-year-old looking for breakfast.” A quiet grin spreads across all of our faces, when we hear this. Then, things get decidedly more dramatic. On the other side of the meadow, a VERY large, much darker griz comes out of the trees. Stan immediately suggests that Mary is not going to be happy about this. Stan says this third bear is a newly arrived male, and male bears will kill cubs that are not their own. At first there is no activity, but the bears can all see each other clearly. Then, acting nonchalant, the big male starts to drift closer to Mary and her cub. This goes on for a little while, and he actually starts to get pretty close them. Stan suddenly murmurs quietly, “I think she has had about enough of that,” and almost like she is on-command from him, Mary stands bolt-upright, front paws held high, and starts “huffing,” a VERY bad sign. The big male then stands as well. On their hind legs, both of these standing bear are more than 6ft. tall. Their size, and this visible face-off is impressive. The male does not make a sound, but Mary continues to vocalize, and although I have no idea what she is saying, it must be something effective, because suddenly the big male begins backing up at a quick trot, then twists himself around, dropping to the ground on all fours, and sprinting away from her, into the cover of the trees. Stan looks pleased, and states, “Mary doesn’t take shit from anybody.” Once again, we are all impressed.
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Tuesday, May 7, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #141:
THE TONGASS, #141: All of those in our group know about Stan (Price) the Bear Man, who lives in a floating log house at Pack Creek. Stan and Pack Creek are legends in Alaska, so our troupe is eager to meet him and see his place. Having been there just a few weeks previously, I also thought it likely that we would see bears. The morning we are to visit, dawns with a light rain, but that does not seem to deter enthusiasm in our beach camp. Our excitement results in a quick breakfast, a breakdown of camp, the packing of the canoes,..and we are off! Our camp has been situated to the north of Pack Creek on the Seymour Canal, so the paddle to Pack Creek goes by quickly. Like all rivers, Pack Creek has an estuary, and Stan’s floating log home is anchored on the south side of it, so we paddle past the mouth of the river, and then nose ourselves into shore. Jeff Sloss, our guide, does not want to leave our food-laden canoes too close to the concentration of bears, as they might smell it and grow interested. After going ashore, we have about a 1/4 mile beach trek, and then we round a tree-lined point, and the estuary and meadows of Pack, appear before us, Stan’s log house tucked into the trees discreetly to our left. He sees us as we arrive, and waves, so we know we are welcome. After we introduce ourselves, we stand with him in front of his “property” on a slight hill overlooking the meadows through which the creek winds. Finally someone asks if we can see inside his home, to which he obliges. ALL Alaskans are gear heavy by need: guns, knifes, motor parts, endless tools,..you name it, they might need it, so they collect it, and Stan has done just that. There is “stuff” everywhere. Consider this, life out here is not easy. Stan used to live here with his wife, but since her death, he lives here ALONE, and he is in his 80’s. He also is pretty deaf, as you can see from his hearing aid. The longer our group wanders, and ponders his domain, the more they begin to realize how remarkable this man is, to be out here at his age, entirely alone, and tending to himself, with Grizzly bears as his primary “friends."
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Tuesday, April 30, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #140:
THE TONGASS, #140: On the first night of our 10-day canoe traverse of Admiralty Island, we camp on a beach just north of a small estuary and river mouth called Pack Creek, where Stan Price, a.k.a. Stan the Bear Man, lives. I have visited Stan previously, and am looking forward to returning. Just after we establish camp, a torrential rain starts, so we dine standing under a gigantic blue tarp, and retire early. It rains hard throughout the night, but just before dawn it breaks off. We all rise to a good breakfast, break camp without rainfall, and continue our paddle south to visit Stan. Stan is in has 80’s, and he lives “alone” in a house that floats on huge logs. For many years now, he has anchored his home at Pack Creek, also a favorite fishery and play meadow for grizzly bear. Stan and the bears apparently get along quite well, and he has never been attacked, so visiting him means we are almost assuredly going to see bear as well, and Stan will assure us he does NOT live alone, he lives with the bears.
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Tuesday, April 23, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #139:
THE TONGASS, #139: After our tidal food collection extravaganza, we climb back into the canoes and continue our journey. Seymour Canal is VERY long, and we will paddle down it to Mole Harbor for several days. Along the way we have other places to visit. Tomorrow we hope to stop and see Stan the Bear Man at his floating log home. I met Stan several weeks earlier, when a boat on which I was touring, stopped to see him, and I really looked forward to seeing him again. With that destination in mind, we eventually turn our canoes into the beach, just north of Stan’s small tidal bay at Pack Creek, and set up our first camp. The gods are kind, as we get the canoes unloaded and the tents up before the sky falls in,..which it does. This IS the Tongass rainforest, and now it is REALLY raining. One of the first lessons we all learn from our guide, Jeff Sloss, is the pitching and use of a gigantic blue tarp as our group kitchen cover. The tarp is HUGE and it takes numerous paddles to support it, but once up, we can all stand beneath it while we eat dinner standing up. Sipping soup from their Sierra cups, Philip and Carey stare out at the torrent of rain, so dense the opposite shore has nearly disappeared in the haze of droplets. Note the 1st generation Patagonia hooded trench coats they are both wearing,..so chic! Stylish brims as well!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, April 16, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #138:
THE TONGASS, #138: Our guided group adventure has begun. We have loaded our canoes at the head of the Seymour Canal and are now adjusting to paddling them, as we begin to work our way south to Mole Harbor. Because the canoes are carrying a lot of food and gear, they are heavy, making steering them more difficult. They are also a little cramped, and we all get stiff sitting in the cold breeze as we paddle. Jeff Sloss is the Alaska Discovery guide leading us, and although he is younger than Philip and me, he has been doing trips like this for a long time, and we have much to learn from him. In fact, this trip would form a bond of trust between Jeff and me, and we would remain friends, working together many more times in my 25yrs. in Alaska. At the moment, however, we have been paddling for several hours and everyone needs a break. The tide has been dropping, and some significant shellfish beds are being revealed, so Jeff suggests we stop for some fishing and clamming. THIS is why you want to trust your guide in Alaska - shellfish poisoning, and sometimes death, is common, so you want someone who really knows what they are doing to make the decision when to feed off the tideline.
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Tuesday, April 9, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #137:
THE TONGASS, #137: Our guided Alaska Discovery group, assembled for a 10-day canoe traverse of the Seymour Canal and Admiralty Island lake system is an interesting mix. Philip, Carey, and I, have joined men and women of the Sierra Club for this adventure, and I am struck by how many of them are older, old enough in my mind, that this trip will prove difficult for them. I am expecting the next 10-days to be QUITE challenging. This morning, however, we are just getting used to each other, and how we work together in our canoes,..or not! The canoes are stashed with a lot of gear and food, then once everyone is aboard, they are heavy in the water. That makes paddling more tiring, and any out-of-sync strokes will most likely create an “s-canoe” by momentum. An “s-canoe” is what happens when the paddlers cannot keep the canoe in a straight line. There is A LOT of that! At first, it is funny. Then, it is just tiring. In fact, there are times when it seems no one wants to paddle at all (above - LOL!). BUT, paddle we must. The day is young, and we have miles to go before we sleep.
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Tuesday, April 2, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #136:
THE TONGASS, #136: From one floating conveyance to another - following our kayak camping trip into Misty Fjords National Monument, Philip Slagter and I, return to Ketchikan, pack our gear for the next travel, and have a departure dinner party with some of the friends we have made while based there. We depart for Juneau the next morning, where my wife, Carey, awaits us. We are about to do an epic, guided Alaskan adventure. I have been advised to contact Ken Leghorn, who has founded a guide group called Alaska Discovery. I am told, Ken will teach us much about the Tongass, and how to enjoy exploring it, and to do so, he has placed us on a 10-person, 60-mile, canoe traverse of the Seymour Canal, the lake system of Admiralty Island, and Mitchell Cove, ending at the Native village of Angoon. Time in Juneau is spent getting and checking gear, and connecting with AD. As we have not yet seen a bear, Philip has been increasingly anxious about this trip because Admiralty has the greatest concentration of grizzlies in the world. His first question to Ken is to ask if we will see one, which Ken thinks is likely. Philip then asks if he can go in on the first flight with Ken, to get over his apprehension. That is fine with all of us, so the next morning, Ken and Philip are the first out, carrying a lot of supplies. The canoes we will be using first, are stashed in the forest at the north end of the Seymour canal. To find their stash spot, the pilot flies the length of the canal, and as they approach the location, the roar of the plane engine draws a curious bear out of the forest, RIGHT WHERE THE CANOES ARE SHELTERED. That pretty much answers Philip’s question. The bear continues down the beach. Ken and Philip go ashore to drag out the canoes, and the rest of us are delivered by successive flights. The image above, is the Alaskan “moment of truth” - the plane or boat that delivers you, leaves. It is raining (surprise, surprise). We load the canoes, and start a long, multi-day paddle, down-canal, to a location called Mole Harbor.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #135:
THE TONGASS, #135: Philip Slagter and I are leisurely paddling our kayaks towards the mouth of Rudyerd Bay, where we expect to be picked up by a boat and taken back to Ketchikan, following our several days of camping in the fjord. There is a stiff breeze blowing right at us, and we find there is some protection from it by paddling close to the towering walls. With still some hours to go before our boat is due, he and I can hear the sound of a motor for the second time today, only this time it is not a cruise ship (post #132), it is an airplane. We can hear it long before we see it, but it is most likely a flight-seeing group out of Ketchikan, visiting Misty Fjords. As it comes into view and flies down the center of the fjord, it eventually passes above us. The flight path then goes down to the junction of arms, near where we camped, and turns back toward us, beginning what appears to be a descent path for a water landing, eventually touching down when it is parallel to us. Philip and I figure the tourists want to take pictures, perhaps of us. Surprisingly, the plane shuts down, the doors open, and the passengers step onto the plane float that faces towards us. They are a long way out in the middle of this huge bay, and it is hard to see more clearly what they are doing, but they have our attention. In fact, they start calling to us, motioning us to come over. It seems weird, but what the hey, it’s Alaska, so we start paddling. When we get closer, we realize everyone is wearing a mask, and is dressed in long, trench coats. One of them throws a floating object in the water with balloons tied to it. We are clearly puzzled and draw closer slowly, when suddenly - the reveal - as it turns out, these are women we know from Ketchikan, and in one synchronous moment, they all open their coats to reveal lingerie or bikinis. Two of them drop their pants and moon us. There is a little salacious dancing, then they tell us the float has survival supplies in it, jump back into the plane, and take off. Bewildered and amused, we retrieve the floating supplies: Candy bars, cannabis, condoms, several pair of women’s underwear, and instructions about where to appear for dinner, once we are back in town. A short time later, our boat picks us up, and some hours later, we do join a very fun dinner party.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #134:
THE TONGASS, #134: After paddling along the base of one of the most verdant wall sections in Rudyerd Bay - an astounding visual - I want to see the bigger picture, so in spite of the wind blowing into the fjord, I leave Philip and paddle out to attempt a more encompassing POV. Philip and I have been riding on an outgoing tide, and in picture-left, at the bottom, you can see the dark band in the rock that marks the high tide line. Kelp is visible below that now because the tide has been dropping during our several hours of paddling. The wall here is truly sheer, glacially carved, fjord, probably 1,500+ft. vertical. Yosemite-like, were it not for the astounding opulence of vegetation. It has become a part of architectural fashion these days (2019) to create “living” walls for houses and corporate buildings, but this is my first encounter with that idea 35yrs. earlier. To get these shots, I change lenses, which means I am NOT paddling, so I am losing ground rapidly, and my kayak is rotating around as I am trying to shoot. There is no “holding” my position. It is actually exhausting (and cold), so after a few frames, I rejoin Philip along our reasonable shelter at the base of the wall. We have a few more miles to paddle, and hours to expected boat pick-up, so we leisurely continue our traverse.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #133:
THE TONGASS, #133: While we are riding an outgoing tide in Rudyerd Bay, Philip Slagter and I, are paddling into a growing “breeze.” Knowing nothing about kayaks at the start of this trip, the ones we have are loaned to us. They are inexpensive, one-piece, cast plastic shells, intended for limited tourist use, and they do NOT have rudders. As a consequence, we get constantly blown from one side to another, and it is hard to keep your kayak tracking in a straight line, unless you are right up against the vertical walls. Furthermore, if you stop paddling for any length of time, you are blown backward and turned sideways. In that position, a gust could be a dangerous thing, and roll you. Phil and I enjoy the amazing walls, however, so we have no problem hugging them closely, even when they occasionally drip on us. We are paddling along the southern walls of Rudyerd Bay, and they are in shade most of the year, so they are layered with mosses, and trees grow out of every crack. Scale is difficult to read this close to the wall, but I can assure you that this is a SUBSTANTIAL overhanging slab.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, March 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #132:
THE TONGASS, #132: It is good we go to sleep early the last night before we are to be picked up down-fjord by a boat, because we are awakened early by an entirely different kind of boat. Well before dawn, the summer Alaskan sky is bright, so about 5:30am, Slagter and I are half asleep, and we can hear a loud engine AND loudspeaker voices, talking about the fjord and the “garden walls.” It seems, whatever it is, is also coming closer to us, so in our capilene long-johns, we crawl out of our sleeping bags, and tent. Before us, at the widest juncture of Rudyerd Bay and its arms, is a full-blown cruise ship. There are hundreds of people lining the rails of decks and balconies, and they are being given a lecture on the boat-wide PA-system - so considerate! Our beach is dark rock, with dark trees, but our kayaks are banana yellow, and we are in white-with-stripes Patagonia underwear. As we stand at our shoreline, rather startled, we suddenly hear the PA-voice say, “If you will look carefully with your binoculars, over against that cliff are some kayakers that must be camping.” With that, in perfect Phil-fashion, he goes to the tent, brings out the rifle (unloaded), joins me back at the beach, and we wave to all who are looking. The PA broadcast ends, and the ship turns around by doing a 360˙ with its thrusters, retreating back down the bay. Not much later, the sun rises on a clear day, so we breakfast, break camp, and are excited to paddle once again along the amazing walls of Rudyerd. The tide is dropping, so we are riding with it, and several hours and miles from now, we should encounter our pick-up boat.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 26, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #131:
THE TONGASS, #131: It is not much farther to the terminus of the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, from the slot canyon river we explore (last two posts), and it is good to finally arrive, as we have been in our kayaks for several hours and we need to stretch, and walk around a bit. At the end of the arm, a large river flows in, and it has created a sizable sand and log debris delta. We have a good line-of-sight, because the beach and meadows are flat for some unobstructed distance before entering the forest, and if a bear were to approach, we would see it coming. For sure there are bear here! Appropriately, before we settle in to have some lunch, Philip gets the rifle out of the kayak, so it is more easily at-hand. The rain has stopped, the insects are minimal, and a large gathering of gulls bathes and gossips not far from us. The paddle has been longer than we expected, and we are tired, but eating refuels us, and the tide shifts to outgoing, so that will help us as we can “ride it” back to our campsite. Even so, it is nearly dark before we are “home.” We are due to be picked up the next day, so in waning light, we eat a good dinner and pass out early.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #130:
THE TONGASS, #130: Philip Slagter and I have nearly reached the terminus beach of the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, but before arriving there, our shoreline exploration reveals a considerable river, flowing out of a sheer cleft in the fjord walls, and we paddle up it “to see what we can see.” The granite towers 2,000 absolutely vertical feet above us, making the slot canyon quite dark, but lushly overgrown with ferns and Devil’s Club. Most of our paddle has been in deep water, then we finally come to a sandbar. We can cross over easily in our kayaks, but as we are pondering whether to do so or not, two big salmon riffle the water, crossing over the bar, as they swim upstream to spawn. Our first thought is that seeing salmon is cool. However, another thought dawns on both of us very quickly. If there are salmon in the stream, there are bears in the forest, who fish the stream. Philip then points out that the shore on either side is quite close, and that the rifle we have is in the hull of the kayak. It would take some effort to get it out, without getting out of the kayak first. On that note, I also realize that the river has narrowed to the point we cannot turn around, so if we are to extricate ourselves from here, we will have to paddle backwards,..a task we begin to do IMMEDIATELY! At the first widening that will allow us to rotate our boats, we do, and before we paddle back out into the greater fjord, I catch this one last shot. I think the look on Philip’s face says it all - LOL!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, February 12, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #129:
THE TONGASS, #129: During our leisurely paddle into the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, Philip Slagter and I see many spectacular waterfalls, and explore the vertical shore that is often deeply cleaved by flowing streams. Near the terminus of the arm, however, something MUCH larger than a cleft stream appears. This is an absolutely vertical canyon on both sides, with a true river of water flowing out of it. It is so narrow, I am sure sunlight rarely touches the forest floor, and since it has been raining on-and-off for several days, the walls glisten and stream with water, and the river is bordered by dense, verdant, and very entwined trees, snags, ferns, and Devil’s Club. It is quite dark, but strangely beautiful, and Philip and I realize we can paddle up it some distance, so we do. At first it just seems that we have found a kind of “lost world,” but as we progress, the river narrows even further, and the growth onshore, begins to overhang the river, making it ever darker. To this point, the river has been relatively deep, but just ahead of us, we can see it grows more shallow as the water passes over a sandbar. These kayaks we are using do not have rudders, and they are extremely light and buoyant, when they are not loaded with gear, so we could float over the bar easily. While considering whether to do so or not, something else occurs that gives us pause for thought,..2 large salmon splash up big riffles in the water, as they pass over the bar, swimming upstream to spawn.
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Tuesday, February 5, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #128:
THE TONGASS, #128: Paddling on, up the north arm of Rudyerd Bay, Philip I discover a spectacular array of waterfalls. In the narrowing fjord. They are all around us, and we can always hear water noise as glide along. The tide has been incoming this morning, so we are riding it, as it floods into the end of the fjord. We are hoping to reach the terminus of this arm before the tide shifts to flow out. It seems like that might be a good place to eat, and rest, before the tide turns, and then we can ride the outgoing flow, back toward our campsite. Besides the myriad waterfalls, there are also numerous streams that flow in through some VERY deep clefts in the fjord walls. These are true streams, often running through some narrow, tree-stump-choked slots that dive deeply back into a separation in the vertical rockl. Most of these are interesting to peer into, but offer no navigable way into them,..well, except for one we find that is considerably larger than the rest.
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #127:
THE TONGASS, #127: It rains hard on-and-off during the night, but we have a great pitch and a great tent, so we are warm, dry, and we do not have any bears visit us. As we start breakfast, the clouds lift, and we get some fleeting sunlight here and there, as they drift pass. Excited that we may have a reasonably nice day with a minimal amount of rain, Philip and I scarf down our breakfast, load up our daypacks with food, squeeze back into the boats, and head out to explore the north arm of Rudyerd Bay. Some hours roll by, as we are in no hurry to be anywhere. We are just kayak sightseeing. The further into the arm we go, however, the narrower the fjord becomes, and it seems the walls around us grow even higher. As you can see in the shot, Philip is approaching a bend that is littered with the log debris of massive trees. It must have been some kind of flooding circumstance to do this. We are now surrounded by a deepening forest, and much more of a shoreline with embankments and meadows. This IS definitely bear country. The pilot of the boat that brought us here, also gave us a rifle for protection, and Philip has that in his kayak. I am not sure we intend to get out of our kayaks and walk around, but if we do, at least we will have some defense.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2019
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #126:
THE TONGASS, #126: The small beach and forest terrace Philip and I have discovered, finally offer us a place suitable to set up a camp. Our tent is well above the high tide line, and there are numerous, small freshwater streams coming down through the cracks in the rock wall to provide water. As a bonus, except for the small patch of flat land we have found, the walls rise sheerly beyond the screen of trees, and make an unexpected approach by a bear, virtually impossible. Once out of the kayaks, we get camp squared away, and set up for the night. We have been in the kayaks most of the day, and it feels good to be out of them and moving around. Rainy weather rolls through periodically, and the fjord walls around us put on a show. As we study our map of the Rudyerd Bay pondering what we might do tomorrow, we can see that the north arm runs more deeply into the fjord, and we have not paddled any part of that, as yet, so as we eat and settle as night falls. It is our plan to paddle that north arm in the morning.
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019
THE TONGASS, #125: Nearing its terminus, Rudyerd Bay splits into two arms, running roughly north and south. Philip Slagter and I have paddled most of the main fjord’s southern wall, and then rounded the bend, into the southern arm, the less lengthy of the two. In search of a campsite, we carefully explore every possibility, but nothing is forthcoming. Having circumnavigated the entire southern arm, our paddle brings us to a point where we can once again see the juncture of the main fjord. We are close to the rock ledges of the eastern shore as we pass around a small point, covered by dense trees. On the other side of the point, there is a little cove with a gradual, sloping beach that runs up into the trees. In the lowering tide, there is exposed seaweed and mossy rocks, but they are on a relatively flat, graveled “beach,” and there is no doubt we can ground the boats and get out in safety, so we do. We can see freshwater available in numerous places, so the question that remains is, does the forest offer any open floor, or are the trees too close together to squeeze a tent in? While Philip holds the boats, I walk up the grade of rocks and push through the first trees,..where I find an open floor behind a screen of trees, and no evidence of tidal inundation or bear poop. We are home!
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Tuesday, January 8, 2019
THE TONGASS, #124: After his pit stop, Philip carefully slides back into his kayak without rolling it, and once again we start a slow paddle, searching for a campsite. There is freshwater everywhere, there just are no beaches or accessible flat ledges. The stunning vertical walls are a spectacle of rainforest extravagance. Lush mosses and lichens drip off of rocks, and dense brush and large trees grow directly out of the rock. I am not sure how that happens, but it is an amazing thing to behold, especially when you are looking up at it towering above you for thousands of feet. All that being said, these dramatic walls are not helpful to our search for a flat spot above the tideline, that is also accessible. We explore the entire shore of the southern arm of Rudyerd Bay, and find nothing. The north arm is much deeper, and we were hoping that we would not have to paddle it today, but as yet, there is no place for us here.
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Tuesday, January 1, 2019
THE TONGASS, #123: My colleague, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter , and I have been paddling our kayaks into Rudyerd Bay fjord for several hours now, in hopes of finding a location that would support a campsite. The towering vertical walls have yet to even offer a ledge, and worse, as the tide is dropping 18+ feet, extremely slippery, seaweed covered rocks have emerged that make any thought of ascending the wall, a stupidly dangerous thing to consider. As I have noted, the walls are so sheer, and vegetated, there has not been one place to even try to get out of our kayaks. Unfortunately, now that several hours of paddling have gone by, Philip needs to pee, and there is no simple place to do that. Finally, about half of the way around the cove of the fjord’s southern arm, the tide has exposed some large rocks flat enough for Philip to stand upon. Even so, as I watched this, extracting yourself from a kayak onto a slick surface surrounded by freezing cold water, looked tricky to say the least, and then he had to get back in. After that, we both agree that any campsite MUST have a non-threatening access point. There is no chance we can unload these boats and move bags of gear around, under the circumstances he just experienced.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2019, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 25, 2018
THE TONGASS, #122: Philip Slagter and I continue our kayak paddle into the southern terminal arm of Rudyerd Bay, hoping to find a usable campsite. The tidal outflow in the arm is less extreme which makes our paddling easier, but the wall we are presently next to, is even more congested and unscalable then those we saw previously. It is beautiful to look at, and the increasing amount of vegetation makes for some dramatic ledges, and dark, drippy coves, but nothing offers us a place to establish a camp above the high tideline. In fact, we have not yet seen a place where we could even access a point above the high tideline, the walls are so steep and slippery. This is our first fjord camping, and it is less inviting than we might have hoped. Methodically, however, we carefully follow the shoreline, and inspect every possibility. Of course, it would be nice if we could find a site, but it would be even better if we could find one near a freshwater stream. At least these walls have plenty of those.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 18, 2018
THE TONGASS, #121: As Philip Slagter and I paddle our kayaks into Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument, we are astounded by the lush sheer walls and the massive 18ft+ tidal exchange, but we are also concerned because we have found no possible places to camp. As Rudyerd Bay terminates, it divides into two arms, and we make a right turn into the shorter one, continuing to paddle close to the wall in hopes of finding a workable site to pitch a tent, or even get up the wall. The turn into the shorter arm brings us into a different world. Where we presently are, the sheer walls are still massive, but with much greater vegetation density. As the arm reaches terminus, the far shore is not as sheer as ours, and it is more heavily forested. The “smoking” trees, and yes, that is an eagle, encourage me, somehow, and I feel somewhere in this arm we might find a sheltered position.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 11, 2018
THE TONGASS, #120: As Philip Slagter and I slowly paddle down-fjord in Rudyerd Bay, we are paddling against an outgoing tide that will drop 18ft. You can clearly see how much is slowly being exposed. At the top of the dark rock band, the sheer walls are covered with lush mosses that cannot survive exposure to saltwater - that is the high tide mark. At the bottom of the dark rock band, seaweed is growing profusely, and soon a myriad of other plants, and some sea creatures will appear as the waterline continues to lower. We are almost to a point where Rudyerd Bay divides in to two arms. The shorter of those two arms is around this wall to the right. We are scouting every crevice of shoreline, hoping to find a campsite, and there certainly has not been one offered as yet, so we are hopeful things will change when we round the bend.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, December 4, 2018
THE TONGASS, #119: My campmate, friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter and I are in the sheer-walled fjord of Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument, and we are paddling kayaks towards its terminus, where we hope to find a place to camp. The tide has turned, and is now outflowing, so we are working against the current, and staying very close to the fjord walls, where there is minimal current. As we paddle, and the tide falls, one of our first realizations is the twice-a-day, 18ft tide, is going to expose some very growth-covered, slippery rock, making access tricky, if not impossible. Some hours and several miles along, the exposed walls are rising before our eyes. In places we now look up at starfish. Freshwater is flowing down everywhere. Seaweed grows everywhere. Then we have our second realization - in our paddle so far, not only is the shoreline treacherous, we have not seen one camp-able site. It is finally dawning on both of us, it IS a fjord. The rest of this day and night might prove interesting, and no one is coming to get us for four more. Looking for a home...
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Tuesday, November 27, 2018
THE TONGASS, #118: Our transport boat has just left Philip Slagter and I with our gear-stuffed kayaks in the huge fjord of Rudyerd Bay, part of Misty Fjords National Monument and the Tongass rainforest. It has rained hard all morning, but now it is intermittent, nonetheless the sheer rock walls stream with a myriad of waterfalls. Our boat put us off in mid-fjord, and while I take pictures and try to comprehend scale from my new point-of-view, Philip paddles closer to one side and up against the big walls. With him in the frame, it gives scale a new dimension. We are ants in this landscape. Even the trees growing out of cracks in the rock are HUGE! It is exciting to paddle beneath these towering, growth decorated faces as we proceed down the fjord toward a junction of two arms. Although we are managing our kayaks decently, never having done it before, as we paddle, we have two realizations. The first is just starting to materialize in this image. Note the banding along the shoreline at water level. The top of the dark band is high tide - twice a day. To the far left, you can also see seaweed growth being exposed as the tide drops. Starting right now, the tide is against us, outflowing and dropping..,18-FEET! In this fjord, that will be 18ft. straight down, exposing some very slippery walls.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, November 20, 2018
THE TONGASS, #117: My friend, and fellow artist, Philip Slagter, and I, come off of a cabin camping trip into Misty Fjords National Monument with a desire to be more mobile during our next outing. After a quick turn-around resupply in Ketchikan, we now have kayaks and have just been delivered by boat to a huge, steep-walled fjord called, Rudyerd Bay. As these past days have just marked the beginning of our exploration of the Tongass rainforest, we have yet to camp on the ground and out in the weather (and bears), so this is our first experience. Oh yes! We have never been in kayaks before either! Rudyerd is huge, and a there is a bit of winding around after we enter the fjord, but eventually it straightens out for quite some distance, and about halfway down that stretch, we stop and disembark. If you have never done this, it is quite an amazing thing to do. The kayak is gear-packed to the limit, leaving barely enough room for you, and when the transport boat stops, you lower your kayak overboard, and clamor around to get in it. After some adjusting and double-checking that we have everything, the mothership departs AND WILL NOT REUTRN FOR FIVE DAYS. We are VERY on our own, and the first thing I notice is how much taller the world seems from my new water-level viewpoint.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, November 13, 2018
THE TONGASS: Stop the Cut, There are Salmon in the Trees, #116:
THE TONGASS, #116: Philip Slagter and I, regroup in Ketchikan after our cabin camp at Walker Lake, and prepare for our first kayak camping trip. We plan to go into Rudyerd Bay, one of the many fjords in Misty Fjords National Monument. We have a boat operator that will drop us, and pick us up, and we have even found someone to loan us a rifle, so that we finally have some bear protection. It has been an unusually warm and sunny summer, as we experienced at Walker Lake, but today, as we head for Rudyerd Bay, Misty Fjords and the Tongass RAINFOREST are doing what they do best,..raining. Really raining! Philip and I wish it were otherwise, but we do have to get used to it, so we are off for another adventure to add to our learning curve. It is not especially windy, but it is raining hard, and does so for most of our boat trip. It seems to abate as we motor into the Behm Canal, and when we turn into Rudyerd Bay, it stops for a brief while. We are hopeful, and about halfway into the fjord bay, we have our boat pilot drop us. This is a drill I will repeat many times over the ensuing years, but the thrill of it never seems to change - the loaded kayaks go over the side, you squeeze down into the them through all of the gear packed around you, everybody confirms time and place of pick up, the mothercraft departs,..and you and your crew are sitting in a deepwater fjord wilderness, encapsulated in a skinny, funny looking boat with one big, weird paddle, and looking for a place to call home. It has not yet occurred to us that a fjord might not offer a lot of campsites,..especially one that has an 18ft. tidal swing twice-a-day. Oh well, there certainly is no going back now!
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, November 6, 2018
THE TONGASS, #115: We climb in our flight path, leave the fjord, and emerge above the huge Behm Canal which we will follow home, so I can flightsee in the late light, and we can scout a location for our next adventure out. When I look back, I am amazed at where we have just been, and I realize how much snow there still is at high elevation. With days as warm as this one, it will not last much longer, but it is impressive to see the extent of the coverage. In this picture, where we were at Walker Lake is beneath the distant peaks in the upper right. Philip and I have found our cabin camp enlightening, and now we want to try another trip, but this time in kayaks with a tent,..time to learn how to manage camping with bears, in the rain. So, on our flight back, we briefly diverge to scout the location we plan to kayak, Rudyerd Bay. Like Walker Cove, it is another deep fjord cut running back into the heart of Misty Fjords National Monument and it is surrounded by very dramatic summits and sheer walls down to the waterline. Philip and I both agree that it looks like it will be an exciting thing to do, so now it is time to find a hotel, eat a few restaurant meals, and re-supply ourselves. We have already contacted someone who will rent us kayaks, and we have a boat operator that will take us to Rudyerd Bay, drop us off and, hopefully, pick us up.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, October 30, 2018
THE TONGASS, #114: The warmth of the day begins to fade as evening approaches, so Philip and I load our gear into the plane and and say goodbye to Walker Lake. For the last few days we have been in a relatively contained POV, as there were few places we could go aside from the immediate perimeter of the lake. Once the plane lifts off, however, I am immediately reminded of what an amazing platform it is to be in the air. It brings us close-up and eye-level with things that we have been viewing at a distance, and that were well above us. Basins, waterfalls, and the sheer, sheer vertical walls pass close by our wings as we head down-fjord and back to Ketchikan. The late light casts a glow on everything at the end of a very sunny day.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, October 23, 2018
THE TONGASS, #113: It is such a beautiful day to fly that the pilot has brought his son along, and here you see them talking to Philip, and taking in the late light and warmth of the day at Walker Lake. Phil and I have been a bit bored as our movement in the landscape has been very limited, but at the moment, we all appreciate the clear, temperate evening, and no one is in a hurry to be anyplace. When we tell our pilot about our experience, and our frustration with being limited in where we could go, he suggests if we try another cabin, we use ones used by goat hunters, because they are located on high altitude lakes, and offer access to granite ridges and summits, so we could move about more easily. He also thinks we should go kayak camping in these fjords, as that will give us a lot more mobility, as well. Since this has been our first camping in the Tongass, and we have not died, his suggestions are well taken. Phil and I also agree it would be nice to have a rifle, because it would make us feel safer, and more willing to wander in the woods.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018
THE TONGASS, #112: Our morning dawns, bright, clear, and hot, and we do not expect our plane until the afternoon, so I go out and shoot for awhile. Once again, I am eventually overwhelmed by insects, so Phil and I get back in the boat and return to the middle of the lake. With no need to fish for dinner, we just float around killing time and getting stupid. Lunch brings us back to the cabin, and now it is time to pack. About the time we finish with our gear, and replace some of the firewood we used, it is mid-afternoon. You can hear it, long before you can see it,..a low droning noise that seems to be echoing from the other end of the fjord. As it grows steadily louder, it is clear that it is our pilot, coming for the pick-up. Many minutes pass before we can actually see the plane, and when we do, it is just a speck against the surrounding walls, reminding us once again, of the scale of this landscape. Eventually the plane comes directly over the lake and cabin, and we acknowledge each other with a wave. A nice smooth U-turn, a perfect landing on glassy water,..our ride has arrived. We are about to leave Walker Lake and return to Ketchikan.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, October 9, 2018
THE TONGASS, #111: Our day of fishing, and avoiding insects is actually boring, because we are so limited in what we can do. At least it is warm and sunny. We have explored the lake perimeter, gone ashore in a few places, getting nowhere, and now we are resolved to just await our plane pick-up, which, weather permitting, is supposed to be the next day. As evening approaches, Philip and I row back ashore, and swat our way back to the cabin. The cabin has cooled down a bit, and is always welcome relief from attacking bugs, so we have a nice slow meal, consume our remaining alcohol supplies, take a brief walk in the very bright moonlight, and sleep. From the look of the skies at this moment, the plane WILL be here tomorrow.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2018
THE TONGASS, #110: After awhile, we have enough trout for a great evening meal, and there is little else to do, but there is no chance we are going to return to shore so the bugs can feast on us, and the cabin is way too hot to sit in. Philip decides the best solution is to take a nap, so we pull alongside a partially submerged tree trunk and settle in for a snooze. Eventually, this vision of our Alaskan wilderness adventure was too humorous, not to make a picture. So, here is to you Patagonia! Thank you for supporting my Tongass project and giving us many layers of your new clothing system. I hope you feel your capilene base-layer is well modeled here. In years since, Patagonia has told me my pictures are not “fun-hog” enough to use in their advertising, but I guess that depends on what you consider your level of “fun” is. Philip and I are having fun, and this picture is certainly “fun-ny."
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Tuesday, September 25, 2018
THE TONGASS, #109: It is a lazy, HOT day at Walker Lake, and Philip Slagter and I have fled the insects and the hot cabin, taking the boat to the middle of the lake where the bug population declines significantly. There is little to do except try to avoid being bitten, and perhaps catch a few trout for dinner, which we do. Out on the lake with no trees immediately around us, we have a more expansive view as well, which is nice, because the fjord walls that surround us are dramatically steep, and streaming with waterfalls. It is also clear from the exploring we have done on previous days, that we are VERY limited in our ability to get around in this terrain. Besides the immediate perimeter of the lake, and the lake, itself, there are not really any other places for us to go. Perhaps we could bushwhack, but as we are NOT armed, and there are definitely bear out there, we are not doing that. So, we while away our time swatting bugs and collecting dinner. We are in a learning curve about the Tongass rainforest, and this is the first time we have camped, so we can begin to see what our limits might be, AND it does seem a good idea to carry a weapon in the future.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, September 18, 2018
THE TONGASS, #108: The day is hot and clear. The cabin in which Philip Slagter and I are camped is also very hot. Outside, the insects are in a frenzy, and we are their target. So, we are left with little choice. Only in the middle of the lake can we relax without being attacked, and besides, Philip wants to go fishing. Back into the boat, it is a great relief to row away from shore because with each passing stroke, the bugs decline in number. In the middle of the lake we are nearly bug-free, so Philip settles into the pursuit of our dinner,..trout! He has great success as you can see, and we are finally comfortable, except for the unusual heat. The Tongass is usually cold and rainy, but this summer it has been surprisingly warm, and on this day, it is flat-out blazing. If you wondering about Philip’s prison stripes, what you see is a “first” layer of Patagonia’s new clothing system. He sports a capilene top and long-john bottoms. This material Patagonia has introduced acts like wool, keeping you warm, even when it is wet, BUT it is much lighter than wool. We have been wearing this capilene layer beneath our rain gear, but it SO hot today, being in our rain gear is intolerable, so we have both stripped down to just the capilene. Given the conditions, this is the perfect wardrobe. We are comfortable and not overheated, and the full clothing layer protects us from the few bugs that do find their way out to us in the lake. Fish-on!
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Tuesday, September 11, 2018
THE TONGASS, #107: During the night, the weather dissipates completely, and Philip Slagter and I arise to a warm, sunny day with just a few passing clouds in the sky. I eat quickly and then go out for a camera stroll that brings me to a little bonsai garden area of Walker Lake. There are tiny, stunted trees, and sloughs of crystal blue water, sprouting lily pads. There is also a psychedelic meadow grass/tundra that comes in every color of the rainbow. Of course, I feel impelled to get down on my hands and knees and graze. Unfortunately, the lovely day is warming quickly and there are others out here who are grazing also,..mosquitoes and white socks flies are grazing viciously on me. I do mean viciously,..so much so that I am forced to retreat to the cabin as I cannot work, I am being so attacked. When I report this news to Philip, we agree that it is far to boring and hot to stay in the cabin, so our hope is to retreat to the middle of the lake (almost no insects), and spend the day fishing.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2018
THE TONGASS, #106: As Philip Slagter and I float around Walker Lake in MIsty Fjords National Monument, the very rainy weather we have been experiencing seems to finally be breaking off. We can see occasional patches of blue sky, and many of the surrounding summits are now more visible because the clouds are lifting. It has actually snowed at the highest elevations. At lake level, Philip and I are quite comfortable though, and Philip is excited to see trout lurking about, so we plan to fish in the morning. At the moment, however, evening is descending upon us and we decide to head back to the cabin for food and libations.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2018
THE TONGASS, #105: Paddling around in the boat that comes with our rental cabin, Philip Slagter in Misty Fjords National Monument. What we discover is that except for a few moss meadows and rocky points, the forest is impenetrable. In the few places where we can actually reach a rock wall, they are so abruptly steep that they are unscalable. It is clear to us that our domain is a very contained area, and we will only be able to wander just so far from our cabin. Nonetheless, our surroundings are quite beautiful and dramatic, so we resign ourselves to floating in the middle of the lake, and watching the world go by.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
THE TONGASS, #104: Philip and I have taken the available boat at Walker Lake for a little row-about. For awhile we just drift and look at the steep walls and waterfalls that surround us (last post). Eventually we decide to explore, hoping to find rock that can be scaled, allowing us to gain elevation. It is a big lake, so there is much to see, but after several approaches, there seems to be two consistent results - this is one of them. Besides the fact the forest is swarming with bugs, it is pretty impenetrable as well, and we are sure there are bear watching us at all times, hoping we come ashore so THEY can have dinner. There is no way either of us is going to go thrashing around in this. Much of the shore is defined by where this “green wall" meets the waterline. We find an occasional moss meadow, but they too terminate rather quickly as they approach the forest cover. There are, however, several “break-throughs,” where if we tried, we might actually reach rock. That presents problem number two...
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
THE TONGASS, #103: Walker Lake is larger than it looks, and now that Philip and I are out in the available boat, there is much shoreline to explore. To start things off and adjust our POV, we simply row into the middle and drift for awhile. The rain lets up, and the clouds lift a bit, so Philip and I just float around for awhile, taking in the view of big walls and waterfalls. It is a HUGE fjord basin, and we are only just beginning to grasp that. Although we have not brought our fishing rods with us from the cabin, we can see fish, so we plan to have trout tomorrow. At the moment, the day is wearing on and there is still much to investigate. We begin a tour around the entire shore, trying to cypher what we discover, and hoping to find access to rock that we might scale to get higher. It does seem the weather is breaking, and it has become a bit warmer and a lot more humid. The bugs love it! Offshore, at a distance, they seem to leave us relatively alone, but as we approach the edge of the forest, their numbers become exponential.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, August 7, 2018
THE TONGASS, #102: The rainy, soggy day is actually quite amazing, everything seems so lush, so verdant. This is the first time that either Philip or I have camped in a rainforest, so we are just soaking it in (LOL)! Our raingear and knee-high boots keep us both in an insulated, humid-warmth system that is very comfortable, and the tall boots make us child-like because we can slog anywhere we choose. At one point on the return to the cabin, we come upon a very squishy, moss meadow, interesting enough that we both got down on our hands and knees to examine it more closely. Once back at the cabin, we have some snacks, but remain restless with cabin fever, so out we go again, this time headed for the boat. The rain has let up a bit, and because of our walk, we realize the limits of overland travel, so exploring Walker Lake with the boat seems a good idea.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, July 31, 2018
THE TONGASS, #101: Full raingear and knee-high rubber boots are clothes most southeast Alaskans wear a good bit of the time, today being a perfect example for their need. It is pouring, but Philip Slagter and I, are warm and dry inside our clothing layers. Patagonia recently started marketing new tech clothing, and before coming into Southeast, I approached them for field support. They were VERY generous, giving me full raingear, layers of fleece tops and bottoms, and their newest material to replace wool or silk long-johns, Capilene, a thin, but warm synthetic, that like wool, could be worn wet. As a consequence, Philip and I are styling some trick clothing, and we are VERY comfortable in it. We wander for about two hours, and everything is squishy, boggy, buggy, and saturated. We finally go as far as we dare without weapons, halting at the dense bush beyond the lakeshore, at the foot of the surrounding granite domes. There is no way we are wading into this without suitable protection, so we linger for a while, marveling at the lushness of it all, and then meander back to the cabin.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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Tuesday, July 24, 2018
THE TONGASS, #100: There is a boat available to us at Walker Lake in Misty Fjords National Monument, and the nearby cabin is a well maintained and in good condition. Philip and I realize almost immediately how important that is because it begins to pour, and biting insects are everywhere. We immediately scoop up our gear and hustle it into the cabin, where we find a great working stove, a number of bed racks, a table, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, undamaged screens on all the windows. Inside, there are few bugs, so once we purge them, we spread out our stuff and settle in. The rain continues unabated, so we cook, eat, and drink, but inevitably “cabin fever” becomes manifest, so we don our rain gear and mosquito head nets, and go out for our first walk-about the neighborhood.
photograph(s) © copyright, ROBERT GLENN KETCHUM, 2018, @RbtGlennKetchum @LittleBearProd #LittleBearProd
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