Cedar Walk
This was one of the highlights of our kayak trip. It was also our longest paddle day at 13 nautical miles (15 land miles or 24 kilometres).
Cal had arranged for Hank to take our group of 11 to the outer western islands. We loaded the kayaks right after breakfast so we could be on the boat by 8:15, but first, we spotted a mama bear and her tiny little cub just outside the lodge window. Hank scared her off with a few impressively loud rifle shots so she wouldn't pose any danger to the guests.
The way out seemed quite long even in the high-powered boat. At our dropoff point on Clarke Island Cal and Lana led us on a hike to an ancient gnarled cedar estimated to be 1500 years old. Its diameter must have been a good 20' but I'm terrible at estimates so if anyone has a better guess I'd welcome it. We couldn't see its top but glancing upwards, we saw a number of its "witch's brooms", a starburst of branches that is part of the tree's defense mechanism against the parasitic mistletoe.
Lana is an incredible resource of information about local flora and fauna. She explained how the cedar shoots out sideways branches and how the tree accelerates its growth on the underside of those branches so they can curve upwards and reach the beneficial sunshine as quickly as possible.
The walk was pretty boggy in places, slippery and squishy like stepping into a nest of slugs. My Tevas got sucked into the muck more than once making an audible popping sound when I pulled out.
Further on the forest revealed a pair of ancient lovers locked in an eternal embrace.
No doubt the natives have a romantic tale about the stately Sitka Spruce entwined with a beautiful cedar, its long, Rapunzel-like bark contrasting sharply with the scaly surface of the Sitka. A glimmer of sun found its way through the dense canopy, holding them in its warmth.
"What island is this?"
"Turret", Cal replied. We heard Tourette and immediately Teddy's and my shoulder started to twitch and we uttered expletives under our breath.
Cal had arranged for Hank to take our group of 11 to the outer western islands. We loaded the kayaks right after breakfast so we could be on the boat by 8:15, but first, we spotted a mama bear and her tiny little cub just outside the lodge window. Hank scared her off with a few impressively loud rifle shots so she wouldn't pose any danger to the guests.
The way out seemed quite long even in the high-powered boat. At our dropoff point on Clarke Island Cal and Lana led us on a hike to an ancient gnarled cedar estimated to be 1500 years old. Its diameter must have been a good 20' but I'm terrible at estimates so if anyone has a better guess I'd welcome it. We couldn't see its top but glancing upwards, we saw a number of its "witch's brooms", a starburst of branches that is part of the tree's defense mechanism against the parasitic mistletoe.
Lana is an incredible resource of information about local flora and fauna. She explained how the cedar shoots out sideways branches and how the tree accelerates its growth on the underside of those branches so they can curve upwards and reach the beneficial sunshine as quickly as possible.
The walk was pretty boggy in places, slippery and squishy like stepping into a nest of slugs. My Tevas got sucked into the muck more than once making an audible popping sound when I pulled out.
Further on the forest revealed a pair of ancient lovers locked in an eternal embrace.
No doubt the natives have a romantic tale about the stately Sitka Spruce entwined with a beautiful cedar, its long, Rapunzel-like bark contrasting sharply with the scaly surface of the Sitka. A glimmer of sun found its way through the dense canopy, holding them in its warmth.
"What island is this?"
"Turret", Cal replied. We heard Tourette and immediately Teddy's and my shoulder started to twitch and we uttered expletives under our breath.
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