Time to go Home

Sunday     1/29     Juneau to ports South: Hoonah, Sitka, Craig

Anticlimactically, we all make it home: Dr. Bob by jet, Joey by jet and small plane, Bob and I by ferry.

Did we make it?  No.  Did we have a good time?  Yes.

Thanks for the memories!!  Maybe next year?

P.S.  Bob and Joey made great custom dinners that all we had to do was add boiling water and insert into custom "cozies" that Bob had made from an old pair of ski pants (or similar).  Great meals.

Back in Tenakee, and MORE SNOW

Saturday     1/28     Logging road to town of Tenakee

We wake up for some fine Starbucks Via and non neoprene tainted oatmeal.

Here we stop for a downed tree - because of snow load. . .


Joey picks up the narrative:

"Dr. Bob and Bill don't even try skis today, strait to the snowshoes. Bob and I use skins on our skis. Our trail from the other day is gone. We come across two trees which now block our way. Couldn't take the snow load. Just wait until the rain comes. Bill seems glad to get to use his saw. It's always a bummer to carry something and not get to use it. Travel is easy until Bob ends up in a mud hole. The dogs not helping. However, he does seem amused watching Bob squirm under the weight of his pack. I hobble over and help him up. He's done. Almost there.

Looking out the mouth of Indian River into the Inlet.

There's still not much color difference between the sky and snow.  Tenakee Springs is on the right.  Yep, that's all of town.

Haagu isn't done yet.  Bob jumps on his sled and Haagu tows him down the road.  

Joey resumes writing:

"Once in town we learn of another ferry this afternoon. What luck. A call to the wives, mine's at work. I'll have to wait. Tenakee Springs, so named because of the hot springs in town which have been converted into a bath house. Men's time isn't until two, we head to the cafe for lunch. 

One thing you can count on in rural Alaska is some adaptation of your typical expectations to the social environment of the town. Take for example a cafe. You might expect some tables, a cook, maybe a waitress, but you'd expect an eating establishment. Once inside the Blue Moon you will find one table, and what may have been a lunch counter 20 years ago. But the rest of the building is filled with beer, soda, and potatoes. Looks like a stock room. We order. The menu only has a few items, eggs in the morning, cheeseburger now, pork chops later. The Tenakee cafe is ran by Rosie, who's been here for 60 years, she's friendly, like the company. Rosie has to warm up the oil, should take about an hour. Good thing I brought the cards. A hour and a half later our order is up. Delicious."

Doggone it.  I missed this picture - Rosie's eyes are closed.  What a unique Alaskan small town place.

Just for the record I was going to win the rummy game if the food hadn't arrived just before my turn. 

After a bath in the hot sulphurous Tenakee Springs, most of us feel better and cleaner - except maybe for Bob who took Haagu duty. 
Bob writes about the rest of the day:

"As the ferry turns the corner north out of Tenakee Inlet, we enter a whiteout. Guess that's why we had heard no airplanes. Snow squalls off and on all the way back to Juneau. We arrive about 8 pm, and we manage to cram the entire party into the Extended Stay van.

Back at the hotel, Dr. Bob crosses over to the airport to book a seat on the evening flight to Sitka. The rest of the party decides to share one room for the night. After settling in, Haagu settles down on his blanket and Joey, Bill, and Bob head over to the airport to have a last beer with Dr. Bob at the airport bar. We find Dr. Bob at the ticket counter but the airport bar is closed for the night. The ticket agent hands Dr. Bob his ticket. His flight is stuck in Ketchikan with a mechanical problem and he is to check back in about a half hour. 

All four of us troop over to the bar at Mi Casa for nachos and beer. The bar seems to be a black hole for cell service and Bob decides that he had better hoof it back to the airport. Half an hour later the rest of us return to the room to find Dr. Bob and Haagu lounging on one of the beds together. The flight has been cancelled and Dr. Bob is rescheduled for the same southbound flight as Joey's the next morning. Bill and Dr. Bob call the desk for another room."

TOO MUCH SNOW!!!

1/27    Some more skiing outside of Tenakee.

Time to get up!  Bob writes:

"It's still snowing, and of course the snow on the tent cascades down on everything when the door is opened.  Time to melt more snow for hot water for coffee and oatmeal. In the half-light, Bill finds Joey's brand-new titanium cookset under the snow in the "kitchen" and, marveling at the special thick-walled construction of the pot, starts on the oatmeal. Bob notices what looks like black smoke curling from the pot, but in the dim light, figures it must be steam. Turns out that Joey's carefully-crafted neoprene pot-warmers were nested between two pots. The oatmeal tastes a bit like burned rubber for some reason, but none of us spurns it. 

Through intermittent snow squalls and blue sky, it is a nice day if I could look up from the track in front of me long enough.

 Joey writes:

"We load up. Takes forever. Days looking good. Not snowing right now. Very slow going. Very deep. Hard work. I lead. We go for two hours. Not sure where we are, but not far from where we were. We decide to go until we hit a fork in the road so we know for sure. Dr. Bob and Bill are beat. Bob's not looking much better. I plod on, find a good pace, albeit slow. Could maybe make it five miles in a day. Look over the map. Need five more days. 

Before we find the fork Bob's done. We wait for Bill and the Doctor. They agree. I step out of my skis. Waist deep. I have to stomp out an area to avoid pissing on myself. At least three feet of fresh, on who knows how much under that. Too deep and we're only at 200 feet in elevation. Only going to get worse. We turn around. Quick hour to ski back on our track to last night's camp. All that work this morning for nothing. Easy going back, but only for me. The Bobs and Bill are beat. We agree to push further back towards town, maybe to the ocean and the junction of the trail to town. Once there we decide it's too late to try to push to town and dig some tent sites there. Bill digs a great kitchen. Room for all. Hot coffee, relaxation. Spaghetti. Delicious. 

Just a little snow on a branch . . . . 

Joey continues:  

"The Bob's get cold and retreat to their sleeping bags. My coats is wet. I hang it on my skis and it freezes looking like a scare crow, scared the shit out of me in the middle of the night. Bill and I make use of his fire starters. Nothing burns but the lint he brought and the fire starters. Oh well, lasts for maybe an hour. I've heard that just the sight of a fire can warm you up. Maybe the Bob's should have hung out. It's seven o'clock and I slip into bed. I read for a long while."

Nice warm jacket, Joey . . . .

Ferry, MORE SNOW, but we get to Tenakee

Thursday   1/26    Juneau to Tenakee by ferry

Up at 5 a.m., and we drive out to the ferry.  Luckily, Joey's name is on the rental car so we leave it in the parking lot hoping they'll pick it up for a nice extra charge.  Schlep the gear out of the car onto the baggage cart.  Find a kennel for Haagu, and we get a 4 hour break winding in and out of snow squalls on our way to Tenakee.

The town of Tenakee Springs.  The ferry is on the right side of the picture.








Arriving in Tenakee, we ask a number of people what might be the best way to get to the logging road.  We get lots of answers, so we organize the gear (again) and take off from "civilization' by following the beach.  As Bob writes, "It's nice finally to be underway."  After all, we've been trying to get here for 3 full days.

We're at the harbor and ready to take off into the woods toward the logging road.  Note the packs and sleds of gear.

This picture looks back up Tenakee Inlet.  Our tracks look good along the water.  A snow squall is in back, just about ready to obscure all views.

 Lunch!  Bob's got the stove going.  Joey writes about the alders in the back of the picture:

"This far north you find the Sitka Alder in abundance on disturbed areas, like roads. I've heard it can grow six feet in a year. If that's the case this road was last cleared three years ago. Thankfully I brought a saw. I attack. Thirty minutes later and we have a tunnel and 100 feet of clear road. Off we go. Deep snow. Either I or Bob lead. Try to use the dog as much as we can but he's got a vicious slice."

Joey continues:  "Gets dark. I spot an engineering flagging left by the Forest Service. It reads "RM CMP 18" WB MP 0.711" translated, "remove culvert, install water bar, milepost 0.711." Not much travel for the first day. We're all tired. It's snowing again. 

Neither Bill or I have set up the tents so we rely on the Bob's for direction. Bob and I's pad is too small, Bill and the doctor can't get the fly on. Still snowing. Dig a kitchen and get dinner going. Just add water, slip into a nice cozy Bob sewed up, wait five minutes. Great. Some spicy salmon thing. Hot tea. Still snowing. Maybe tomorrow will be nice. Coats soaked, should have used the poncho."

We camp in the middle of the road.  This is the next morning.

Just a little advice for all you tent erectors: make sure your directions are on the tent cover like REI!!!   A to A,  B to B,  C to C, now is that very hard?  It was that night!

Second Flight Attempt and MORE SNOW

Wednesday     1/25     Juneau

It's tough taking a picture in an airplane looking backward without being able to see the camera screen.  But, on other hand, maybe it's for the better.




Joey writes:

"Up early. Breeze-In dough-nuts. Excellent. The Pilot's not too excited to see us. Snowing again. We wait. Wait some more. A break. Word on the street is the mail plane made it to Tenakee, we're off. Same as before, load the gear, squeeze in the plane. Dog's not happy. Unfortunately, by this time Poseidon has heard of our attempt. A wall of clouds awaits as we approach the inlet. Another circle but but he's a patient god, more patient than our pilot. Back to Juneau. Ferry in the morning, enough with this flying shit. The Dog likes the plan. 

Dinner of italian and some Old Ale. Not sure what's in the beer but it's good.  Maybe too much, spades gets a bit heated. Allow me to explain the game. Spades is a team game, but being cards you don't actually work as a team because you can't see your teammates cards. The goal is simple, try to have the highest card of the suit played. If you don't have the suit being played you can play a spade and trump the hand and take it. The odd things about the game is after you've been dealt your cards you must bet on how well you think you will do. Under perform and you lose big. 

This evening's teams are the Bob's vs. Bill and I. Bob seems to hate the game, Dr. Bob loves it. Nice pair. Bill plays a diamond, Dr. Bob plays an ace, unbeatable. I play a diamond, don't have a chance. Bob plays a spade. Hand is his. Being trumped by his own teammate Dr. Bob shoots, "You Fool!". I can't see through the tears. Must be something in the Old Ale. Doesn't matter the cards are in their favor we lose.

SNOW, and MORE SNOW

Tuesday     1/24    Juneau

At least we finally ski - although in Juneau.  This is Glacier Lake looking onto the moraine left in front of the receding glacier.





 Bob writes:

" Up at 7 a.m., another full breakfast at Donna's, check out of Extended Stay, over to Ward Air by nine. It's snowing, and they don't look thrilled to see us. Our hopes rise and fall as snow squalls blow through one after the other. The good news is that the weather has also shut down flights to Hoonah for two days and we find out that our bags are still at Wings freight, after all. Bill returns with his wallet and cell phone  (NOTE: ROOKIE MISTAKE - DON'T SACRIFICE TOO MANY OUNCES!), and ever-optimistic, we decide not to retrieve our street clothes. The pilot calls it for today. Debate ensues. Joey takes the initiative while the old guys wiffle-waffle and reserves a minivan from Rent-a-Wreck. The pilot runs Joey out in his truck to pick up the van.

 

Ski gear and sleeping bags are tosseed into the van and we head out into the Mendenhall Valley to ski the Dredge Lake trails out toward the glacier and around the lake. The men are excited. Haagu is beside himself. The snow lifts for awhile and we hear airplanes over the airport in the distance. By now there would not be enough of the lingering light for the pilot to make the entire round trip to Tenakee. What the heck...there's fresh powder under our skis and we're finally moving. By nightfall we're headed into town to stay aboard Knotty Lady. Out for beer and supper at The Landing then back for cards. 

It snows off and on all night long.

SNOW and Failed Flight

Monday     1/23     Juneau

Time to go!  All the gear is thrown in the airplane and we're ready.  Left to right: Dr. Bob, Bob, Haagu, Bill, Joey.

Note the absence of color or shade difference between the sky and the snow.  Trouble.



Joey writes:

"Donna's [restaurant], seven AM. Early. Usual diner fare. Weak coffee just what I don't need. Dr. Bob must be nervous, cleans all our plates. Hope we have enough food. Nine AM Harris Air. The plan is to be flown to the logging road, actually a few miles from Tenakee Springs. Weather looks promising, but this is Alaska in winter. We quickly load our gear, four pairs of skis, four sleds, too much gear and one dog. The dog looks nervous.

Once in the air the wind picks up. Rough ride. Dog starts to hyperventilate, Dr. Bob might be as well. Wind gets worse as we get closer. Clouds lower. We're stopped. For a split second we spot the nautical marker for Tenakee Inlet, but then loose it. One circle, ten minutes and it's back to Juneau. Try again later. Unload. Wait.

We realize we may be waiting for a few days, weather gods don't seem to agree with our schedule. In our confident push Bill sent his wallet off to Hoonah, along with all of our street wear. We head off to find lunch dressed in our finest ski gear. Awkward. We find a quiche place in the mall so we'll fit in. Back to the airport. Wait. No luck. Back to the hotel. Try again tomorrow. Dinner of mexican, good thing they can't see under the table. By this point the Bob's and Bill are dressed in tight fleece pants. Good thing tight pants are back in. From a distance they look hip, until you notice the ski boots. At the hotel I get my first introduction to spades. Odd game. Not sure if it would be fun with out Dr. Bob's obvious passion for the game. Combined with his Howard Cossel like narration and I'm thinking this could out compete televised poker."

Better days!  Haagu and Bob have not begun to panic yet as we haven't gotten our seat belts on yet.

Ski Trip Escapade - Tenakee to Hoonah

Sunday, 1/22/12, Ferry from Sitka to Juneau with stop in Hoonah

A couple of years ago, my brother Bob suggested we ski from Tenakee Springs to Hoonah, Alaska - for the most part on old logging roads.  His main motivation is to allow his siberian husky, Haagu, to pull him along the whole way.  They've both had plenty of practice "skijouring."


I initiated two more suckers: Joey, brother Bob's son-in-law, and Dr. Bob, a friend and co-outdoorsperson.

First step?  Just getting there!  After a late Saturday night revisiting a basketball tournament two point championship loss over and over, it was on to a bright and early ferry ride from Sitka to Juneau.  It was, however, a beautiful day.

The town of Hoonah with Elephant mountain in the background.   Bob lives in Hoonah currently.  We lived there for 16 years before moving to Sitka.  This is our ski trip destination.

 This looks up Port Frederick to the south.














As the ferry sailed west on Icy Strait, this picture looks over toward the mainland and Home Shore.