Alaska

Hello everyone! Here is our next installment of the Round The World Trip newsletter, jointly written and edited by Adrian Martin and Carrie Johnston. There’s quite a lot of this message (including special features on how to avoid bear attacks and facts about salmon), so those not interested in reading it may feel free to delete it.

This site also features previous news, where we might be, where we were, and pictures.

After our four-day stopover in California with the Johnston family, we are taking off for the international part of the epic on September 17th. We will stop in Ecuador, where we hope to take some crash language courses, and visit Galapagos on the 28th, then proceed south to Peru and Chile.

Even if you don’t feel like reading about our trip, we are very eager to read about what you all have been up to – keep those messages coming and we'll check out our "correo electronico" when we can.
Carrie and Adrian

FERRY (Aug 5-7 and Aug 10-11)

So the first part of the Alaska trip was getting there. We spent some time in California and then drove up through Oregon and Washington states, arriving in Bellingham (in the USA but right next to Canada) on 5th August. From there leaves the 'Alaska state ferry' - a fine invention as it turned out. Our trusty car, veteran of many trips, was left there - well, given away to be exact - and we boarded our first ferry, the good ship Malaspina. The trip to Alaska takes 2 nights, and although the ships provide accommodation, we opted for the put-tent-on-deck method along with a good number of others (see photos), which was very satisfactory.

Carrie taking constitutionals on the ferry.


Campsite on the ferry.

Weather was perfect and the views were great at all times - the ship was even driven around a group of orca for our benefit on one occasion. On the second leg of the trip, between Ketchikan and Juneau, Carrie reckoned she spotted a couple of humpback whales, but I wasn't so sure, but I'll admit they could have been - it was early at the time (and I was still asleep). Each ship was also equipped with a Forest Ranger who was on hand to answer questions about the area and its wildlife and who gave talks on bald eagles, bears, and salmon (obviously we use their scientific terminology in normal conversation; see end for the list).

KETCHIKAN (Aug 7-10)

We had allotted ourselves seven days in Ketchikan, the first ferry stop along the Alaska Marine Highway, but were relieved to find that our tickets were flexible; Ketchikan is charming, but we would have been hard-pressed to entertain ourselves there for more than a few days. We spent our few days there acquainting ourselves with the difficulty of finding out information (what was to emerge as a statewide challenge) and bypassing storefront after storefront filled with tanzanite and other fine jewels aimed at the cruise ship crowds which fill the Inside Passage towns in the summer time.

We managed to make our way into the hills behind town for a two-night backpacking trip, where we saw our first mountain goats and enjoyed the subalpine scenery. (Because of the climate in Alaska, alpine is much lower than in California.) We also toured the attractions of downtown, such as they were, visiting ye olde redde lighte district of Ketchikan ("where salmon and men go upstream to spawn," har har) and viewing many totem poles.


Totem pole.


Downtown Ketchikan, with cruise liner.


Blue Lake, near Ketchikan, where we walked to.

It was interesting to learn a little bit about the Tlingit and Haida people and their clan imagery and legends, as exemplified in the totem poles and in the carvings on some of the buildings. However, our favorite part of Ketchikan was definitely the salmon viewing. We arrived there when the salmon were out in force, and spent hours (literally) gazing at them from various platforms, as they alternately rested (in groups of different species numbering hundreds at a time, in many shades and varying in size from ten to thirty inches long) and assayed the stream, including one absurdly high falls at which they hurled themselves heroically, only to rush back down again in the current. We were to learn more about these fascinating fish as we continued our journey.

JUNEAU (Aug 11-21)

Juneau is the state capital and inaccessible by road from outside. We arrived in Juneau in hopes and some anxiety (on my part; Adrian is ever the more sanguine of we two) about finding a tent spot in the Mendenhall Glacier campground, reckoned by the Lonely Planet guide as the most beautiful camping site in Alaska and "sure to be full." When we arrived, after a couple-mile schlep and a bus ride, we found the place almost empty; it turns out our LP guide was somewhat of an alarmist (its author a man after my own heart) and we, arriving as late in the season as we did, had no problems finding places anywhere in Alaska. The Mendenhall campground is quite lovely and peaceful, and the sites are large and set well apart from each other, in a forest on the edge of the lake into which the glacier's foot extends. We stayed there all but one of the evenings we were in Juneau, and met some other backpackers in the shelter afforded for our convenience in case of rain (which abated for several hours in the ten days we were there).


An organ in the an Alaska State Building.

In Juneau, we took several hikes including ones affording views of the glacier, a dirty blueish mound of ice; visited gold mine ruins; toured a salmon hatchery; frequented the local Carrs supermarket for their ample salad bar and CNN; visited the impressive state museum; toured to the state capitol; and visited the home of Alaska hero Judge Wickersham, among the first to attempt a climb of Denali (he made it to the base anyway). On a riverside walk which we took frequently, we saw a pair of bald eagles, one chirping and preening itself on a tree stump near the glacial-flour-colored river and the other marvelously high in a spruce tree above. We also visited more salmon, enjoying the underwater camera and the spawning view platform at the glacier visitor center. At the latter, we heard other tourists murmuring about a black bear which had been seen down stream, and moments later saw the creature approaching, splashing and intent, in the water. As we watched, the glossy black creature reached blithely into the shallow riffles and plucked a sockeye salmon out onto the bank. Really! This was one of the many wildlife highlights of the trip.
During our sojourn in Juneau, we also managed to resist the temptations of more cruise-ship approved souvenirs, and navigated the crowds who arrived regularly on their behemoth, floating luxury hotels. We enjoyed our regular bus trips to our campground outside of town, during which we surreptitiously observed the locals, many of whom we felt as if we knew after several days of sharing their routine.

FAIRBANKS (Aug 22-27)

Fairbanks was underwhelming, to say the least. We had hoped that we would find the interior a sunny break from the wet of Southeast Alaska, but arrived just in time to endure several days of rain. We made short work of town exploration, trekking along the main drag on our first afternoon and visiting the “flagship” University of Alaska campus the next day. At the latter we did enjoy our visit to the excellent, informative museum, where we learned more about the natural and human history of the state and attended a lecture on canis lupus. We also spent a pleasant few days on a miles-long float/paddle trip on the Chena River. The talkative fellow who rented us our canoe had come to Alaska in time to be involved with the pipeline construction, and regaled us with entertaining anecdotes of Fairbank’s recent frontier past. He also rubbed his hands together in excited anticipation of winter, which he says isn’t bad—although temperatures regularly drop to –40F, the fact that it is a dry cold means it’s not that bad (he claimed, but I was suspicious). And hey, he said—in parts of town it’s as warm as –20F. Shorts weather!


A typical Fairbanks scenic view.


Flowers can grow well in the long sunlight hours in the north of Alaska. But nothing can survive the winter.


Our overnight camping spot on the Chena River.

On our trip, we saw a very cohesive little flock of loon-like creatures with fuzzy red caps who floated snugly along in the current and appeared undisturbed by our proximity. We came around a corner to see a bald eagle, dramatic white shock of feathers standing out, perched on a branch overhanging the river, and watched it take flight. After several hours of paddling and floating, we found a little patch of beach, covered with the footprints of alces alces (and a few nuggets as well), where we pitched our tent. As we were reading in our tent later on, we heard a loud splash, as of a large rock thrown into the water. Minutes later, another. Adrian poked his head out, to see a sleek capped little mammal allowing the current to usher him downstream. (Adrian: At age 34, this was the first beaver I’d seen.)

DENALI (Aug 27-Sep 3)

From Fairbanks, we took the Alaska Railroad south to Denali National Park and Preserve. The day of our journey was quite clear and lovely, so we had a chance to see The Mountain (Mt McKinley, 20320ft) from the dome car. This was to be one of several glimpses we had, none within less than a hundred miles of the huge peak. When we arrived in Denali, our first task was to work out the complicated backcountry permit system – the park has no trails and no private vehicles are allowed in. This involves surveying the large maps on the wall and consulting binders full of photos and descriptions in order to gain some idea of the different terrain found in the 43 units into which the park is divided. After deciding what units sound appealing, you then refer to a white board on which is recorded the availability of permits, by unit, for the next several days. Each unit may have as many as twelve backcountry slots, but the more interesting or accessible areas fill up; we found ourselves returning to the maps repeatedly before we worked out a group of units to visit.


Whacking through the undergrowth of Denali.


Crossing stream in Denali.

Following this decision, all backcountry visitors are required to watch a thirty-minute horror movie acquainting them with the main challenges of camping in Denali: grizzly bears and rushing water. Although the video did intimidate me quite a lot, I thought it was great: no one who saw it could take the challenges and excitement of visiting lightly. Only after viewing the video are campers issued their permits and bear canisters (loaned free to all backcountry visitors), but even then you’re not done—there is a further safety talk by a ranger, there are maps to purchase and outline with the appropriate units and their off-limits areas (so decreed because of wildlife activity, i.e. the increasing denning of a wolf pack), and there is a bus ticket to book.


Camping in Denali. Notice distance between tent and cooking spot.

So we had a total of seven nights in Denali, the first and last at the entrance and the five in between in the wilderness of the park. We got a bus out to our first unit, put on our packs, attached our bear bells, and began to walk. Our first few days we quickly realized that we would have to scale back any ambitious thoughts of hiking far—with no trails and often difficult walking on spongy “taiga” (the Russian term for the low, bushy vegetation), we were certainly not able to match our JMT velocity. We spent a couple of nights in units four and five, which we found quite beautiful, all hues of red, orange and yellow as the alder, willow, and birch turned for the autumn.


Camping on a wide river bed in Denali.


A very wide river valley in Denali.


Cooking in Denali.

Although we hiked well more than the half-mile required distance from the park road, we struggled to fulfill the additional mandate to be out of view. We set up our tent in one area, with our cooking area and food storage area the two other points on a triangle, as decreed by bear discouragement regulations. As we walked, we yodeled, called out “Hey Bear! Hey Mr. Bear! Hey Ms. Bear! Hey sow! Hey boar! Hey bearlet!”, and sang songs from “The Sound of Music” loudly so as to avoid coming upon an ursus unannounced, and when we were eating we sat facing each other with our gazes continually scanning the ridges for wildlife. As it turned out, the only wildlife we saw whilst backpacking were several elegant caribou, one of which walked right by as we enjoyed our evening meal, and the minuscule white dots high on the ridges which we faithfully believed to be Dall’s sheep.

After unit five, we took the camper shuttle to our next unit, 33, where the going was higher, and found the tundra much more solid and easy to walk on than the taiga. On the bus trip, we were awed by the spreading vistas of glacial valleys, stony ridges, and wide rivers. We had our best wildlife sightings from the bus as well, but unfortunately cannot refer you to photos as we were too embarrassed by our tiny cameras to take them out in front of the five-foot lenses which were de rigueur amongst our companions. Our next three days, the rain returned in force, but thanks to Adrian’s sturdy tent we were able to be warm at night and we continued to take hikes during the day. We also took a bus all the way out to the end of the road, and traded experiences with our fellow campers. After several days of wading in our soaked boots, trying not to smell my socks, bushwhacking the high willows, and growing hoarse from yelling at bears, we were glad to dry off and warm up with showers and laundry at the entrance.

Denali was definitely one of the trip highlights, a gorgeous place and a wilderness experience in a way that was totally new to me, accustomed as I am to the cushy hiking of California.

ANCHORAGE (Sep 3-6, 9-11)

By some stroke of good luck we were able to contact Carrie’s uncle and aunt’s ex-neighbours, who live in Anchorage, who were excellent hosts for a few days. Of course having such things as a roof and a working water tap helped, but TV and internet made it like heaven. Anchorage (250,000 people) seemed like a nice city; small and easy to get around but having the facilities of a large city. It’s on the shore, but surrounded by high mountains, and we could easily see Mt McKinley from there on several occasions. We went cycling along some of the bike paths there and encountered 3 moose grazing on undergrowth right next to the path. Locals were not interested, as such things occur all the time probably. Moose are very funny things to see. They are very tall and long, have big antlers and have a long muzzle tipped with flexible grabby lips they use for retrieving leaves, twigs, mosses and flowers from peoples’ gardens. As we had some more time we resolved to view more wildlife and take a trip to the Kenai Peninsula, but returned when it started raining heavily.


Carrie in Anchorage.

KENAI (Sep 6-9)

This area of the country is well known for its glaciers and bays, so we decided to go on a day trip on a small boat to examine them further, and to see more animals as well. The main tourist season having finished in August the boat had only 10 people on it and as the weather was perfect we had a great day. The Captain was the guide and within a few minutes of leaving he spotted a couple of pods of orca and many amusing puffins. Puffins swim underwater very well, because they are quite heavy. However, after a hefty meal, they are unable to fly, only bounce across the water from wave to wave instead. We sailed close to the Holgate tidewater glacier (tidewater means it ends in the sea), where the temperature was noticeably lower than the open sea. Here the ice was 400ft high and half a mile across, so we approached close to a wall of ice. Small icebergs floated in the water and pieces of ice were constantly falling off from the face landing with big splashes. Ice was creaking and banging too.


Carrie with a lump of glacier ice.
EXCITING FAUNA CHECKLIST

Larger mammal:
Ursus americanus (Black bear),
Ursus arctos (Brown bear),
Alces alces (Moose),
Rangifer tarandus (Caribou)

Smaller mammal:
Ovis dalli (Dall's sheep),
Oreamnos americanus (Mountain goat)
Marmota caligata (Marmot),
Canis lupus (Wolf),
Castor canadensis (Beaver)

Birds:
Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald eagle),
Aquila chrysaetos (Golden eagle),
Fratercula arctica (Puffin),
Lagopus mutus (ptarmigan)

Sea creatures:
Oncorhynchus (Salmon, of five species),
Orcinus orca (Orca),
Phocaena dallli (Dall's porpoise),
Megaptera novaengliae (Humpback whale) [alledgedly],
Huso huso (Beluga whale)

Miscellaneous:
Wormus frigidae (Ice worms)

FASCINATING INFORMATION ABOUT SALMON

- they are born in streams, spend most of their life in the sea and return to the streams to reproduce (spawn)
- they return to the stream in which they were born to spawn and then they die
- when spawning they do not eat and take on strong colourations
- when spawning they decay somewhat before dying, with parts falling off on occasion
- salmon jump up waterfalls and obstructions in the river to return home
- where dams are built, salmon ladders are constructed so that they can still return home

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A GRIZZLY BEAR

Scenario A
1 Remove camera from case
2 Take pictures of friend next to bear, avoiding self getting closer than friend to bear.

Scenario B
1 Always talk or sing to alert bears before stumbling upon them
2 If bear is far away and hasn’t seen you, proceed while keeping an eye on it
3 If bear has seen you and you are walking towards it, walk around it to stay out of its way.
4 If the bear is close, or approaches, wave arms and talk. Do not run away.
5 Bear may stand on its hind legs to get a better view of you. Group together, continuing to wave and make noise.
6 Bear may charge you if feeling threatened. Do not give ground but stand still. Most charges are false and will be stopped before contact.
7 However, if the bear approaches to within 10 feet, drop to the ground and curl up into a ball protecting neck with hands. Keep backpack on back for protection.
8 !!!!!!!!