Haines Urban Hiking

June 13th

Woke up pleasantly and ready to have my ritual eggs on Saturday (I usually have a protein shake on the week-days, due to early work schedule, and then splurge on week-ends, and thought I'd keep this up while retired, too), so Mark consented to going out to Haines. Broke camp, found what I perceived a local man with a white, white, long beard, ruddy complexion, walking his cocker spaniel and golden retriever old girls or boys, a block up from the main street of town, asked him where's a good place for breakfast, and he alluded to the fact there aren't many in Haines, but then pointed out the Lighthouse Restaurant by the waterfront or the Bamboo Room, and referred us to the first. Breakfast was good at the Lighthouse, Mark having eggs benedict with the thickest sliced ham yet on this dish, and I had an egg on plate-round pancake, and sausage. Good!

Afterwards, because we were really recuperating from aching legs, knees, and overall bodies, from the previous hike, we decided urban hiking was in the works for today's exercise. The local farmers' market was at the tiny fairgrounds, where there was also a delightfully gated community garden, and a row of touristy looking fronted old town stores. A woman sold her beautiful, nicely qualitied photographs in frames, cards, and in earrings, pendants for necklaces, that were lovely. She and her husband travel consistently, and her photos were of nature locally, throughout Alaska, and also the Northwest. 

 

This gallery, housed in a barnwood grey cabin on the hillside of Fort Seward, was finally open when we circled back towards the town. The owner greeted us on his porch, and we spent several minutes visiting with him, and complimenting his artwork of native northwest coast tribes, that he has copied and/or been inspired by, since he learned to carve with other fellow Boy Scouts here in Haines, where he was born and raised. Mark was tempted by a loon woman mask carving from birch, and lovely woman within a sea lion carving done out of camphor wood, the sculptor found on Maui, but stopped himself due to prices and also because the artist was not of native background, so it would not be a true cultural piece; although the man is a very skilled artisan. I felt the same. The man did not know of the native philosophy of allowing totems to not be refurbished or touched-up, and when or if fallen, to allow them to return to the earth, which Mark had known and the Tlingit woman in Teslin had confirmed, as well. The guy assumed the reason was due to the natives not taking pride in their homes or belongings; therefore, totems were not of the exception either. We thought this odd that he wouldn't be aware of this way of life of the people he imitates so well.

 

 

It was an enjoyable, low-keyed town exploration, and we, even more exhausted, returned to stay at Chilkoot Lake campground, where we spent a nap-time in someone else's claimed pot, two days ago. Lunch was grilled cheese and tomato soup, and then a two hour nap, latter surprising us, and validating our old bones from yesterday's hike. A leisurely walk long the river got the juices flowing more, easing the sleep-slugginess out of us. A merganzer duck mama was perched on a river rock with looked like 4 ducklings, near strong currents. When we were coming back, all five were in the water, and it looked as though this was a swim lesson across the currents to the quieter water and shoreline. Those tiny ducklings just skirted across and through the rapids so quickly and easily, with mama in the back for security.

At the day use area, by the boat launch and picnic tables, we saw a wide-winged bald eagle sloop down, about three feet above this couple, the man just reeling in a Dolly Varden from the river's edge. The bird thought it was his catch, until realization of the man and his claim. It then flew behind the couple and parking lot, perching on a pine limb for close to 15 minutes, just patiently waiting. When the guts and head were thrown in the river, that eagle was right there, on the large triangular rock by the people, and then in the water, grasped those entrails and head, and zoomed to the left into the trees. Magnificent sight to behold! This retired couple from West Virginia, had just started fishing again, and not for 12 years, so this was a fine initiation.

A father and his just high school graduated son from North Carolina, joined us with the W. VA couple, and grilled latter about the lure they used, also having witnessed the eagle event. Turned out there were three engineers in the father, the West VA man, and Mark, with the son intending to study aerospace engineering either in Texas or University of Seattle. The young man was given a gift by his dad, to do a trip together. The parent predicted it'd be somewhere like Prague or Budapest, but his son wanted to do his third Alaska. They were going to be airdropped at a lodge for 4 days, and then off to Sitka and then home.

Nice day. More revived and refreshed by this afternoon's eagle, and interactions with nice people. Dinner of a delicious omelet with chicken apple sausage, bacon bits, swiss cheese and peaches, yum, prepared by the male chef, and then finishing the day with Eric Clapton's festival of magnificos.