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| Ward Lake Trail-Ketchikan |
It's Sunday, the last full day of the cruise. When we wake up tomorrow morning we'll be back in Vancouver, where we started this 28 day Alaska Adventure.
Yesterday we were in Ketchikan, which is known for it's salmon and excessive rainfall. It's was a pleasant, sunny day so thankfully no rain. The salmon were plentiful, especially upstream. It's that time of year where the "circle of life" plays out right before your eyes. The stream was so full of fish you could practically walk across to the other side on their backs. While most were still alive, a large number had completed their miraculous journeys back to where they were born. After spawning, weakened, bruised and battered they die. It's certainly a surreal scene, but definitely a "must see".
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| Salmon in the stream in Ketchikan |
Beth asked a young man in the visitors center for suggestions on hiking trails. He pointed us in a direction we hadn't taken on prior visits to Ketchikan. A short city bus ride (North Silver Line) took us to Ward Cove. From there it was about a mile to the Frog Pond Trailhead. The Frog Pond Trail took us into the Tongass National Forest to a beautiful trail around Ward Lake. The lake trail was a little over a mile through dense forest surrounding the lake. Round trip from the bus stop was probably four miles.
As we were finishing up we had a sphincter tightening experience. Out of the woods, on the left side of the road, no more than fifty yards in front of us, a momma black bear and her two cubs suddenly appeared. Mom stopped in the middle of the road and started doing a "bear stare" right at the only two tasty looking humans anywhere around...……..us!
Beth immediately remembered her "bear safety training" from Denali National Park and said "put your hands up in the air (to make yourself look seem big, bad and mean) and "slowly walk backwards". I don't always listen or pay attention as well as I should. Thankfully I was paying attention and soon I was doing my best Michael Jackson Moonwalk with my hands high in the air. Either we intimidated that mom or she just took pity on us. Either way she soon directed the cubs on across the road where they quickly disappeared into the thick brush. As soon as I realized our lives had been spared, I pulled out the phone and got one picture as cub #2 heads into the bushes. The whole incident probably lasted less than 20 seconds. I'm sure it would have been an entertaining 20 seconds to witness!
One side note to the bear story worth mentioning. About five minutes prior to the encounter I made a quick pit stop behind a tree. Without that pit stop we would have been about 50 yards further along the trail. This would have put us and the bears "face to face"!
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| This massive tree along the Ward Lake Trail had tumbled over many years ago. The trunk is now facing down and new trees are growing up from what was at one time the roots. |
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| Along the Ward Lake Trail |
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| Cub # 2! |
