Pacific NW

Expeditions

We went hiking today and left Silent Partner riding at anchor in Taz Basin. I secured a stern-tie to shore and we were off in Modulus. Armed with a pair of sandals, a pair of boat shoes, and a bit of food we charged up the mountain. The Devil’s Club (extremely prickly plant) wasn’t as bad as the spruce trees we encountered. Sometimes we would have to grasp spruce branches to pull ourselves up the cliffs, and they always scratched back. I began to develop a deep appreciation for the softer Hemlock trees that were also there. But the spruce had won the battle as we gained the ridge which led to the final ascent. All along the ridge grew gnarled spruce trees. And to stay on the mountain we had to push ourselves through the thickest parts of them. Finally we gained a huge boulder field with enormous slabs of granite, and hiked easily over the terrain. We plowed into a salmonberry-filled avalanche chute and hand-over-handed it to the knife edge crag that was the summit of the mountain. Normally I stand atop the highest stone on a mountain summit, but there was no way I would stand on this one! It was a straight 1,600 foot drop to the water below. The view of the fjords, islands, glaciers, mountains, and ocean was awesome. Incredibly, we watched a whale swimming far below in the channel. It slowly spouted and dove, and we could see the whole thing from above. The Humpback repeatedly spouted and we could even hear its breath from the mountain summit if we listened carefully and the wind was gusting in the right direction. We ate lunch up there and watched the whale for an hour or so. The way down was faster because we knew the route. Ryan punched his leg through a snowfield and sank in up to his waist. I had to dig him out because he had gotten trapped in an odd position. Other than the hundreds of scratches we received, it was a most excellent hike. It really puts this coast into perspective to see it from a mountain top. We are surrounded by seemilgly endless vast wilderness–this place is huge.