Hiking in Alaska, July 2011, part II

You probably all know this, but I'll just admit it out loud.  JANISE IS A SCAREDY CAT.  She's also a city girl.  With that in mind, this next adventure/ hike will probably surprise you.  It all started here, at this idyllic little cabin on an idyllic little lake in Alaska called Volkmar.  I think that means People's Lake in Viking language, which is funny, because there weren't any people!  (I'm lying a little.  We're pretty sure that at least 1 other cabin was inhabited while we were there.)

Anyway, this lake has no access roads.  In the winter, you get there by snow machine.  In the summer, you use a float plane.  See the cute little red float plane?  Jason's Uncle Rod flew us to the cabin and dropped us off!  I KNOW!  I was scared of the float plane too, but Rod had taken me in it a couple of years ago to ease my fears and it worked because I was fine as long as we flew over the Tanana River.  It's a float plane, right?  Then we flew over forest and Uncle Rod started talking about a couple of military planes he knew about that crashed right over there and then I was a little woozy.    

Our little getaway

Backcountry transportation

So Uncle Rod dropped us off and showed us the rifle we should carry along if we wandered away from the cabin.  I KNOW!!!   I was scared to touch it, though, so Jason had to carry it.  He's pretty sure he would have known how to use it if it had been required.  Fortunately, it was not required!!!!

On the first day, we started on a little stroll around the lake (with the gun.)  There's a bear trail all the way around the lake.  By bear trail, I mean the bears made it.  I KNOW!!!  Bears don't think about clearing the branches away from human faces on their trails, selfish creatures.  We only went about a quarter of a mile, though.  In that space, we saw perhaps 10 piles of bear poop.  That was enough for me for one day!!!!  We retired to the lake to fish because I'm not afraid of pike.  Apparently, though, you do need to stay away from their teeth.  

The cabin next door, viewed from the lake

Cleaning the duck poop off the dock at like, 11pm.  It never really  got dark.

Getting ready to fish.  Still looking hopeful.

Yes, this is a hiking blog and, yes, we did actually hike.  First we read a book called Bear Aware.  I just ordered it for your Yellowstone trip, Yolanda.  Anyway, it helped me understand the steps you take to keep yourself safe.  So, we decided to hike to the clearing above the cabin.  First, Jason tied 2 pot lids to my backpack so the bears could hear me coming from a mile off.  It was probably only a mile or so.  I think it took 20 minutes and the funny thing was that my cell phone rang while we were up there.  It was Uncle Rod, coming to pick us up! 

Me and my noisy backpack

Almost to the top

Beautiful Volkmar 

See the bugs?  You can't even bat them away.  I don't know what they eat when we're not around.

We made it, sans bears!

There's the guy & there's the gun.  I was happy to have both along.

All joking aside, this was probably the most relaxing trip we ever took.  There are simply no distractions, no people, no critters (fortunately), and just no noise.  It was truly an amazing experience.  Thanks Uncle Rod!