Pacific NW

Expeditions

The wind blew itself out some time in the night and we awoke to crystal-clear skies and a light breeze. Neptune spent the day lounging and reading on the boat, and I went off on an expedition in Modulus. Modulus has become an old friend to me, always with me on these special trips. I have rowed her many a hundred mile. Today Modulus and I rowed out of Mirror Harbor, through a kelp forest, and across another intricate bay. In this bay I found an old cabin that was in quite a state of disrepair. But inside was left by kind folks about a week’s worth of food, and an old aluminum boat sat in the woods behind it. The boat was deformed a bit, but looked like it would still float. On the other side of the bay I found a meat cache that was in very good condition and was still being used occasionally, because there was a bit if deer fur on the floor. And finally, I located the trailhead that leads to White Sulphur Hot Springs, treasure of all treasures!! I dragged Modulus high up on the beach and tied her to an alder tree. Trees are not trees in this part of Alaska. The muskeg, the saltwater, and the wind do weird things to them when they’re growing. The trees in this bay look exactly like Dr. Seuss’s Lorax trees. Gnarled cedars and pines twisted out from yellow grass. Each time I make new landfall along this coast is like setting foot on a new and distant planet. The colors and forms are so vivid and interesting, and arranged in patterns far beyond normal perception and what I’m used to. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a three-headed bear stepped out then and meowed at me. It was a fine morning and I hiked quietly along the trail through the lorax trees and along the ocean, to the hot springs a mile away. There were fresh deer tracks everywhere, and they had been busy eating all the skunk cabbage. The buds on the trees are just on the verge of coming out, as they have been since I left Bellingham! The season remains stagnant as I head north, occasionally dipping back into winter. Today was definately spring though, and even turned mid-summer in the afternoon! Here is the scene I found myself in today: Wilderness to infinity in all directions around me. A small cabin on the beach stocked with a woodstove and handsome wood pile. A journal filled with the wonderful experiences of those who had visited in the past few years, sitting on the table. A natural hotspring right on the ocean, ringed by cedar and spruce trees, bubbling and hot. A huge bathhouse and deep pool fed by the springs, with a roof and even sliding windows that looked out onto the expanse of the ocean. And even an outhouse, with toilet paper. All maintained by the US Forest Service, and today I had the entire kingdom all to myself. Now that is real proof of my tax dollars at work! I spent the entire day walking around naked and soaking in the springs. I went beachcombing and found bottles with Russian writing on them, and I wrote in the cabin journal. Found an entry from two friends who had kayaked here years before. I read books while soaking, and screamed at some geese that were swimming in the ocean, but they didn’t care. It sure was a great day! Eventually I realized I hadn’t eaten anything yet all day and headed back to the boat just as evening was getting under way. White Sulpher Hot Springs along with the entire west coast of Chichagof Island are one of the best places in the world. A most unusual thing happened when I got back to the boat. A hummingbird flew into the cabin belowdecks! It vibrated the air inside the cabin as it hovered about in front of our faces. It manoeuvered up to a pair of neon yellow and orange whistles that were hanging in the companionway. It stuck its beak into each whistle and tried to draw nectar from them! Frustrated, it zipped out into the cockpit and perched on the mainsheet. Unafraid of us, it came back in several times to try and draw nectar from the whistles. I went for an evening row and saw a phenomenal sunset. Days are getting a lot longer now and the decreased angle of the sun’s track is making for some really nice, long sunsets. A mink swam across Modulus’s bow. It dove and emerged 10 feet away on a rock, where it shook itself and looked at me for a few seconds. Then it picked its way on up over the rock, digging around in the kelp. Then a sea otter swam by and Modulus and I glided silently back to the mothership.