Alaska Day 1 - Dew Mound

First let us get an important fact out in the open: if you are tired and do not feel hot and sticky it does not matter that it remains light well past 23:30 and that sunrise will only be about 4 hours after that. Of course, if you are feeling hot because the air is still and your Air B&B does not have AC falling asleep is a bit harder. Mom and Dad fared better than I did (and to be fair AC is not something really needed here when typical temperatures top out at 68F towards the end of July). The heatwave is subsiding but temperatures are still well above normal. When we woke this morning the sun hung low in the sky blazing a brilliant orange. My guess is that the remarkable color owes something to the wildfires and the smoke they’re producing. At times today we did smell smoke in the air. I am also going to blame my scratchy morning throat on air quality. But we were ready for our first hike in Chugach State Park just after 09:00.
Mom had selected the Dew Mound hike which is just under 7 miles in length and has a total gain and loss of about 700 feet much of which happens near the halfway point of the loop. We had no real expectations. We began the walk on a well graded hard packed path that would take us to the Dew Mound trail proper (the whole hike is a lollipop shape). At that point the nature of the trail changed. Roots, roots, rocks, and roots. The treadway is actually well built but full of roots and rocks. You meander through a birch forest. Now and then a burbling stream can be heard and you might even cross it. We still do not know what the white fluffy cotton-like whisky things hanging from trees and on the ground were. Probably nothing good. While the area does have both black and brown bears we saw no sign (fine by me). Heard just a few birds now and then as we made our way through the forest.

We are walking through a birch forest. Photo of Ken by Mom.

--July 09 2019 at 09:33. Anchorage, AK, United States

The lookout point on the Dew Mound trail: about 3 miles in if you are going clockwise.

--July 09 2019 at 10:52. Anchorage, AK, United States

I had such high hopes for this little lake. I was imagining a nice mountain lake I could dip my feet into. You can just make this little lake out through the dense foliage and I suspect if I had tried to push through to it I would have been unwilling to dip my feet in.

--July 09 2019 at 10:58. Anchorage, AK, United States

If the sky had not been hazy I expect the view from the lookout spot, about 3 miles in, would have been prettier. No amount of clear skies would have made the tiny Dew Lake more appealing. It is close to the trail but screened by the masses of foliage. I suspect it is not a wonderful lake in any event. However, all is made right when you catch your first proper view of eagle River another half mile further on. That also made a fine spot for lunch.

Eagle River is the best feature along the Dew Mound trail. While we had lunch here a little further on you reach Echo Bend which actually is more scenic.

--July 09 2019 at 11:47. Anchorage, AK, United States

Echo Bend on Eagle River.

--July 09 2019 at 11:53. Anchorage, AK, United States

Up and down, never large hills, we went. tapping over more roots and rocks until we passed a yurt people can rent. After that the trail footing got much easier and the grade much flatter. Eventually you close the loop and walk the last third of a mile (seems longer) on the same flat fully accessible path you started on when leaving the visitor center. It was a nice hike.

• Distance: 6.6 miles
• Ascent and descent: about 690 feet
• Total Time: 4.5 hours with about 35 minutes in breaks
• Weather: hazy, steadily warming from mid-60s to upper 70s.

VIDEO: Trees of Unusual Size

--July 07 2019 at 15:08. Packwood, WA, United States

The Grove of the Patriarchs sits on an island reached via a suspension bridge that spans the Ohanapecosh River. A trail of about 0.5 miles of easy riverbank walking takes you to the bridge. Expect a line of people waiting to cross and see these majestic trees. Some of the cedars, firs, and alders are well over 200 feet tall and several hundred years old. It is a popular trail which can detract from the enjoyment of the moment but if you have a bit of time to spare, perhaps on your way to Sunrise, and like me have never seen such huge Douglas Firs or Red Western Cedars do stop.

My First White Pot Bread Pudding: Camp Cooking at Highbanks Lake

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I just made this whitepot style bread pudding. By my back-of-the-napkin calculations the pudding was about 800 calories and weighed around 8 ounces. It was delicious and I felt full throughout our 8-mile trail maintenance session.

--June 14 2019 at 08:44. Bitely, MI, United States

I don’t know if I would ever make this on a backpacking trip, certainly not a really long one, but sometimes a treat is worth the effort in time and weight. Bread puddings have been around for centuries (though I’m not sure why they’re called puddings). I ran across this simple one browsing video about historical foods thinking centuries-old foods for travel and/or poor people might be good for backpacking foods too. This dish has its roots in southwest England and I suppose is called a “white pot” because you use white bread. If I had spice lije cinnamon or nutmeg I’d have used it but the brown sugar and raisin made it sweet and tasty.

Here is the video of me making the White Pot. 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs (dehydrated egg equivalent like OvaEasy will work)
• 2 slices challah or other white bread
• 1.5 ounces dry whole milk
• about 3 ounces raisins
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 packet olive oil (about 2 tsp/9g)
• about 11 ounces water

Amounts are approximate for everything except the bread and eggs. Calories in this meal are well over 800 calories assuming my numbers for brown sugar and raisin are close to accurate. I-suppose if I used powdered eggs the net weight of the meal is a about 8 ounces though it didn’t feel that heavy. I used a 6x4x3-inch baking pan.

1. Oil your baking dish
2. Slice your bread into small cubes. Recipes suggest about an inch in size but I wasn’t too precise. Recipes also suggest removing the crusts but I didn’t bother.
3. Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk until well mixed.
4. Add the brown sugar and milk (including water if using milk powder) to the eggs and mix well. You’ll have to mix now and then to keep the sugar from settling. (Note: I actually started with more liquid mix but didn’t use it all hence my guess on required water. I’d not be surprised if 10 ounces was enough.)
5. Cover your baking dish in a single layer of bread.
6. Pour the egg micture over the bread sufficiently to cover the bread.
7. Tamp down a bit just to keep things to ght.
8. Add half the raisins.
9. Make a second layer of bread cubes.
10. Cover with the remaining egg mix.
11. Top with the remaining raisins.
12. Tamp it all down a bit to ensure the whole thing has a bit of room to grow.
13. I baked mine in a dry-bake setup on a canister stove set to a very low burn for 15-20 minutes. To make a basic oven you need a pot you can place the baking dish in and cover. I used an 8-inch GSI Pinnacle Skillet and heavy aluminum pie plate as a cover. It ended up overflowing a bit but was easy to clean. It turned well and proved filling. We had about 8 miles of hiking ahead of us. We had trail maintenance to do. This time the maintenance was surprisingly light; fewer than 10 blowdowns to deal with. I felt no need for snacks or food until dinner. Granted after the 4 hours of hiking and trail work our afternoon was spent lounging in camp but dinner wasn’t until about 6:00PM.

Video that my meal is based on by James TownsendandThis white pot video.

making the White Pot. making the White Pot. me making the White Pot.of me making the White Pot.

A Visit to the Upper Peninsula - Tahquamenon Falls and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I hope you enjoy this audio journal. You can find a video that provides a slightly different glimpse of the trip here.

Lower Tahquamenon Falls. Even though it is cloudy you will always be impressed when you come here.

--May 23 2019 at 15:25. Paradise, MI, United States

Tahquamenon Falls. The Upper Falls are shown pouring themselves over the drop. While bugs can sometimes drive you nuts at this state park (not today) it is definitely a place worth visiting.

--May 23 2019 at 17:11. Newberry, MI, United States

This is Clark’s first backpacking trip. We are a couple hours in to our first day having our first lunch on the trail at a spot we like.

--May 24 2019 at 14:09. Munising, MI, United States

Our first day on the Lakeshore Trail. Joni looks happy and ready to tackle the world.

--May 24 2019 at 15:27. Munising, MI, United States

I wish I could recall what this car looked like when I first saw it some 20 years ago. It’s been sitting here far longer than that. The place is an odd spot for an abandoned car as it isn’t really by any roads but maybe that is why it’s here.

Photo by Andy

--May 25 2019 at 18:00. Munising, MI, United States

Pine Bluffs is about a half mile from Trappers Lake. We had to hustle to get here for the sunset but it was worth it. The photo doesn’t really capture the quality of the sunset colors though it does a better job with Lake Suerior which has grown rougher since the afternoon.

--May 25 2019 at 21:37. Munising, MI, United States

Lake Superior waves lap at the shore of this cove which is one of several. Andy is shown here and you can tell it must be a lovely day - he is down to his base layer.

--May 26 2019 at 11:50. Munising, MI, United States

It takes a bit of work to gett down (more to climb back up) to this cove but it sure is a pretty spot I am standing in.

Phto by Clark

--May 26 2019 at 11:56. Munising, MI, United States

Grand Portal Arch. This year we walked through frequent mud spots that threatened to soak your feet. A prelude to what we would find the next day.

--May 26 2019 at 17:07. Munising, MI, United States

Not much of a castle anymore but still worth looking at even, or perhaps especially, on an overcast day such as this day.

--May 27 2019 at 13:07. Munising, MI, United States

Check out this episode

Video: Tahquamenon falls and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - May 2019

At the Au Sable Visitor Center: Joni, Andy, Clark, and Ken.

--May 24 2019 at 11:42. Munising, MI, United States

Join me, Andy, Clark, and Joni as we hike from Au Sable Falls to Sand Point along the lakeshore Trail in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. While you aren’t going to see us setting up camp or cooking our meals (though had I been filming when Andy tried to toss me a stick of birch and had it plop neatly into my just built trail pizza you would likely laugh as much as we did - after all what else could we do). You will, I hope, get a fine sense of what can make places in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula special.

Later this week (ending June 9( an audio podcast will be released that includes additional content. I will also post several more phtos and perhaps some additional thoughts.

2019 North Country Trail Celebration

--May 03 2019 at 11:04. Mancelona, MI, United States

On May 1, 2019 Andy and Elwira Mytys with their new puppy Micky pulled up to my house. We packed my stuff into the car and sruck out for Bellaire, Michigan and the North Country Trail Celebration. This is an event that moves from state to state annually along the NCT. Next year it will be in Pennsylvania. It is designed to celebrate the trail and the volunteers who take care of it. There are day hikes and workshops along with award presentations for people of particular merit. The event draws people from near and far. I know their were people from North Dakotaand New York present.
I am not going to fucus on the specific hikes I did or workshops I dropped in on. Instead I want to remind you that getting out on the NCT, or any trail, is well worth it. Even if the weather is not quite perfect, it was certainly nippy the first two days, you should try and get out and enjoy yourself. For those that think they will not find things to appreciate think again. If you look you will find wildflowers, fungi, moss, and of course trees. Listen and you will hear all sort of birds even if you do not know what types they are. Perhaps you will even catch an intriguing smell or two. Now and then something special might appear like a pond or lake situated in a kettle bowl created thousands of years ago as the glaciers retreated. You will find something.
The video below hopefully will encourage you to go out and enjoy yourself in any season. It is something I wish I did far more often than I do too.

Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

Several cyclists just passed by our tram on the edge of the road and within just a handful of feet from this American Alligator. Animals like this only eat once a week or so and even then , despite the jokes of our tram-tour guide, people really are not on the menu.

--February 12 2019 at 13:24. Homestead, FL, United States

Our plans to take a 90-minute airboat tour fell apart. We do not know why. We found another way to explore a tiny part of the Everglades National Park - I suspect we actually saw more. We drove to the Shark Valley Visitor Center which is the northern most visitor center in the 1.5 million acre National Park and about 90 minutes from Bal Harbor. While there may be other walks people can do we only explored the boardwalk and road near the visitor center before boarding a tram for a two-hour tour.

The Everglades used to be far larger than they are now. They have had a somewhat sad history dating back to the late 19th century. People tried to drain the swamp and Florida also saw rampant land speculation sometimes done by very shady people. Worse all of the development was done with little real understanding of what makes the Everglades work. Today the park still faces many serious problems most having to do with water management. However, what little we did see shows that the Everglades are certainly more than just a swamp and it is clear why Marjorie Stoneman Douglas called the Everglades , “a river of grass.”

We saw several anhinga nesting along the dark waters here in Shark Valey in the Everglades. I suspect the dark waters are created both because the mud the water flows over is very dark and tannic acid from plants is in the water.

--February 12 2019 at 10:45. Homestead, FL, United States

This Snowy Egret is rather close to an American Alligator. We watched the bird for a couple minutes and it clearly saw the alligator. It took off, rose maybe 10 feet into the air, and with a few great flaps of its wings flew over the basking alligator to land about as far from it on the other side as it had just been.

--February 12 2019 at 11:06. Homestead, FL, United States

This Roseate Spoonbill is actually pretty far away so the photo is not the best. The bird gains its pink feathers from iodine it absorbs from the shrimp it eats.

--February 12 2019 at 12:11. Homestead, FL, United States

This Wood Stork seems to be searching for food. I believe it prefers small fish.

--February 12 2019 at 12:41. Homestead, FL, United States

Between our walk and the tram tour I do not think I have ever seen so much wildlife. We saw a wide variety of birds including: anhinga, snowy egret, great blue heron, wood stork, and roseate spoonbill. Of course, we saw alligators. Lots and lots of alligators. The park has a population of, I think, 200,000 American Alligators (Florida has about 1.2 million). We saw a couple dozen alligators during our visit. While mammals from rats and bat to river otters and black bear exist we did not see them. You would be very lucky to ever see the mammals even the larger ones. The Everglades support a variety of plants from the ever-present sawgrass to willows and various hardwood trees. All this occurs on land that is pretty shallow. The water table is just a couple feet down and limestone is often encountered within a foot or two of the surface. It affects how things grow and that can be seen when you pass a hillock - a hardwood hammock (some can be over a mile long; I wish we had been able to walk through one). Alligators excavate around willows making deeper pools where all manner of life can safely congregate as alligators do not eat all that often. It is a remarkable place but like so many the nuance and beauty only become apparent if you take some extra time to look beyond the surface.

I am sure other Great Blue Heron were seen but this one was just posing on the grassy verge between the road and water.

--February 12 2019 at 13:48. Homestead, FL, United States

An alligator sunning part of itself while staying largely hidden in the water. They need to warm up during the day so they will be able to move about at night when hunting, I assume, is even better.

--February 12 2019 at 12:09. Homestead, FL, United States