Pacific NW

Expeditions

Justin and I spent the entire day relaxing in the 107 degree water of the hot springs and meeting new people. In the early afternoon Suzanne led us up to the trailhead to Sadie Lake. We hand-over-handed it straight up the mountain on a muddy slide referred to as the “trail”. At one point I unsuspectingly planted my foot and sank knee-deep into the watery brown mud. It was an excellent hike through beautiful alpine country. The air smelled like Washington’s Cascade mountain region and it felt good to be sweating and getting dirty. High into the Baranof Island wilderness we came upon magnificent Sadie Lake, where we hopped out onto a small island and paused at the shoreline. For an hour or so we sat on some comfortable rocks and watched the trout swimming in front of us. On our way down the mountain we stopped at Baranof Lake where we met some folks who were visiting Alaska for the week. One of the older fellows was also named Peter. We exchanged a knowing glance, and without any further words we hastily plunged into the icy waters of the lake and took a 10 minute swim. The warm air of mid-day felt so nice after getting out that I didn’t even need to soak in the nearby hot springs afterward. I spent a good part of the day mending holes in my clothing. When I was near finished Vic invited us over for dinner again. We had his famous beans and enjoyed another evening of nice conversation with him and Suzanne. I filled a sail bag with alder shavings from Vic’s woodworking. They will make excellent kindling! After dinner I stepped aboard our new neighbor’s gillnetter. Shayar is a 24-year-old skipper making a go at fishing in Alaska. He is fishing with his friend Matt, and his parents are visiting for awhile on board. I found Shayar down in the engine room, covered in grease with tools in hand. They were all fixing the boat’s kerosene stove, laughing, and having a great time of it. It is nice to see another captain my age, especially one so down-to-earth and also having a blast in Alaska.