Another day to explore.. What to do, I ask myself? After putting another coat of drywall mud on my neighbor Kathleen’s ceiling, I load up the camera and fishing pole and set out. Sometime back, I drove out to Mud Bay and noticed several cabins, houses and dwellings with all sorts of solar panels and windmills adorning the beaches adjacent to said structures. These little set of homes are where the incoming tide from the Lynn Canal meets the long, forested ridge of Mt Riley’s south end, and it it fascinated me. These homes appeared to be accessible by foot alone and the possibility of setting out on foot and along the rocky coast line to reach the remote part of the Chilkat Peninsula and it’s coast line of the Canal might be a pleasure to see. I set out, crossing the muddy tidal flats of Mud Bay itself, and emerging at the first of the dwellings, I veer south along the rocky coastline and find myself entangled in a sea of rocks; literally millions of barnacles adorn these seaside rocks, and a footstep cannot be taken without some measure of disturbance. I gain the rocky point separating the Lynn from Mud Bay, and the omnipotent Coast Range of Southeast Alaska is dominant and towering. The surf is high, with mighty waves crashing. The views are whimsical and there affect on me great. After wandering the rocks for a spell, I emerge onto a beach head with some solar panels visible, indicating someone’s boat access only cabin. I figure that a stomp through the woods is a better alternative than retracing footing along the rocky shores for a return back. Into the rainforest I go, passing the cabin in question and bushwacking through Devil’s Club and Alder thickets. After a short bit, a trail engages my feet and I am happily trudging through the forest. The trees here are enormous and the forest floor covered with thick moss. It occurs to me; winter is over and springtime in Haines has indeed arrived. Finally, I can see the reaches of Mud Bay through the trees and another house, cabin, woodshed, and other adornments come into view. The trail I am on appears to dead end into this property and unwilling to commit to trespassing on someone’s beautiful setting, I once agin succumb to the great bushwack. Soon I am rambling down a set of back country stairs to the flats below and cross the tidal flats once more and back to the road to the truck. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.
It is still fairly early, So I drive north and find myself again at the Chilkoot river, where I proceed to fish for Dolly Varden under the blazing spring Alaska sky. No fish caught, but that’s OK. Soon the Salmon will be running…
Just Rolling By 