Highlights: hard to imagine that on Day 50 of our SE Alaska adventure, having seen all that I've documented to date, we would experience some of the most spectacular views yet, along with a day hike to one of the most pristine, scenic mountain lakes imaginable. Oh, and were able to paddle around on said lake via rowboat and canoe that had been provided to hikers in this impossible location (see trail details, below) as a bonus treat. Amazing. Only in Alaska!
Early morning sun begins to burn off fog and low clouds...
Some early morning clouds...
Yup, gonna be a GREAT day to see all that Misty Fjords has to offer! We had an amazing experience at Ford's Terror which had similar fjords and steep canyons, but today is promising to afford unmatched views if blue skies & sunshine are on tap...
Fog and clouds yielding what would be a brilliant blue sky and sunshine, a rarity in Misty Fjords, which boasts annual rainfall of over 150 inches/year (nearly 3 inches/week), which is FOUR TIMES that of Seattle...
Eerie, surrealistic New Eddystone Rock dominates the view looking northeast up Behm Canal as we leave Shoalwater Passage. Glen imagines such a rock lurks just inches below his boat whenever/wherever he anchors Journey...
Obligatory photograph: after all, we are exploring MISTY Fjords today...
Peggy at the helm of Seaquel while Mark takes pictures. Mark spent more time on the bow of Seaquel than in the cabin as every turn revealed yet another majestic view...
Entering into the fjords of Rudyerd Arm is truly a breathtaking experience. The vastness, depth, and length of these fjords are remarkable. Misty Fjords encompasses 2.3 million acres of some of the most pristine wilderness on earth, making this the largest wilderness forest in Alaska and the 2nd largest in the United States...
At Punchbowl, we not only had weather on our side, but the solitary mooring buoy was available (the depths of these fjords make it problematic to anchor), which provided the opportunity to raft up together and hike into Punchbowl Lake...
Glen and Peggy securing Journey and Seaquel with fenders and lines as we raft together on the buoy in Punchbowl...
View from atop Seaquel of the flotilla rafted together as the last of the clouds burn off...
Three different uses of the Ranger Tug rooftop: all Ranger Tugs come with a "sport rack" which allows carrying kayaks, bicycles, etc. Most are equipped with a collapsible bimini and solar panel, as all three have in our flotilla. Beyond, far left, also carries a single kayak. Journey, center, shows the standard configuration of the folding canvas bimini top, sport rack, and solar panel. For Seaquel, we added the custom hardtop noted previously in this blog, to allow us to carry two kayaks/SUP Board plus additional stowage in a Rocket Box, all fitted around the solar panel. This is valuable "real estate" when space is limited on a boat, and the Ranger Tug rooftops maximize this space...
Moxie waits patiently for the chance to go ashore and take a nice, robust hike...
Heading to shore in search of the trailhead...
Beaching the dinghys, and changing into hiking boots...
There was some discussion about where to find the trailhead to Punchbowl Lake. But my decades of experience as a Scout Leader finding trailheads proved correct: just look for the lake's outlet...
This rotting Forest Service sign confirmed the presence of the trail, as well as serving as a harbinger of a trail that may not see a lot of use because most boaters never leave their boat...
The trail knew one direction: UP!
One would expect a lot of overgrowth and vegetation on a trail found in a climate where the name Misty Fjords has a deserved reputation...
The trail is steep, muddy, and overgrown: but remarkably had all sorts of moss-covered stairs, planks, bridges, and ladders that made the challenging trail at least passable...
Close to the top of the ridge, Punchbowl Lake's outlet rages with spectacular waterfalls, even if the dense forest makes it difficult to get clear views...
Lush greenery and moss EVERYWHERE...
There were no other people on the trail, but we were not alone: VERY fresh bear scat on the trail near the lake indicated that Brown Bear (AKA Grizzly) were nearby...
The lake's outlet provided a tantalizing glimpse of how spectacular the hard-earned views would be from this remote lake...
Majestic peaks rise vertically from the entire perimeter of this stunning lake...
How do these trees hold on to the sheer walls of this topography?
A lean-to shelter is snuggled close to the lake at the end of the trail...
Full amenities in the shelter: sleeping space, table, bench, and even "central heating"! Note the oars, paddles, and seat frames stowed, lower left. All free courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service (but hard-earned, requiring a willingness to endure some scrambling up the steep, slippery, muddy trail)…
A rowboat and a canoe were stowed at the lake's edge in the only accessible spot possible. We had read about a rowboat being provided free by the Forest Service for hiker's use; but the canoe was a wonderful surprise...
Glen inspected the rowboat and found a plug for the drain...
Hmmm....is she seaworthy?
Prepping the rowboat for a "sea" (lake) trial...
The canoe had one broken thwart/seat frame, but otherwise appeared seaworthy. Glen and Mark enjoyed a humorous debate about which vessel was more seaworthy than the other. Glen chose the rowboat and would take Pam for a row; Mark would take Peggy and Moxie for a paddle in the canoe...
Pam and Glen in the rowboat: we expected to row the flotilla's dinghy's a lot over the course of an adventure that would last more than two months, but never did we expect to be rowing on a remote and pristine fresh-water mountain lake...
So far, so good in the canoe! Moxie approves too! Peggy and I have hiked to hundreds of mountain lakes where we wished we had some sort of kayak or canoe to explore. It is almost too good to be true to have access to explore the far shores of such a remote and fascinating lake. Given the most arduous and steep trail to access this gem of a lake, the rowboat and canoe must have been brought to the lake via helicopter, so a big "Thank You!" to those who made this dream a reality...
My best friend; mother to five; grandmother of eight; but exploring the wilderness with the same gusto as when I married Peggy when she was just 20 years old. And still as beautiful as the day we met 38 years ago!
The sheer cliffs surrounding the lake are mesmerizing, contrasted against the rare blue skies...
The evidence of past receding glacial activity is pronounced, with incredibly smooth and steep-sided cliffs carved by thousands of years geological forces that create these fjords...
Moxie enjoys a freshwater swim to cool off before we hit the trail to get back to the boats...
Hard to leave this piece of paradise, but it is time to head back down...
If anything, the trail seems even more steep and precarious going down, negotiating very slippery steps and bridges. Hiking this trail on a more typical rainy day when all surfaces would be even more slippery would be quite hazardous...
One reason we may have seen evidence of bear: berries were just hitting peak ripeness. The salmon berries were as delicious as they were colorful...
And the wild blueberries were also ripe and tasty...
Out of the dense forest of moss and mud and back to sea level, but the dinghy's were nowhere near the water...
Another example of huge tidal changes: in less than two hours, our dinghy's were now hundreds of feet away from the water's edge due to the fast outgoing tide...
Our off-boat adventure: Ollie stayed with Nicole on the rafted boats; Glen, Pam, Peggy, Mark, & Moxie rowed the dinghy's to shore and then hike to the lake. The rowboat proved a bit leaky, so Glen and Pam did not go far. Although Peggy had to kneel due to the broken forward seat thwart, the canoe was great so we explored some of the extensive cliffs surrounding the lake. With more time, it would have been nice to paddle even further as the lake had many interesting arms...
The flotilla departs Punchbowl in search of Rudyerd's "Upper Arm"...
While most cruise ships are too large to explore these narrow fjords, we did see one huge mega-yacht coming in as we left Punchbowl...
Winding our way through Rudyerd Arm of Misty Fjord...
Our Ranger Tugs look very, very small relative to the canyon walls of Misty Fjord...
In a normal summer there would be more snow ringing the mountain tops. But due to near-record high temps this summer in SE Alaska, the lingering snow was minimal...
Reaching the "Upper Arm" meant transiting yet another narrows that our navigation software is reluctant to chart a course through...
Journey heads into the narrows, followed by Beyond...
Looking back after transiting the narrows...
Waterfalls were not as prevalent due diminishing snowpack and lack of rain. Having seen so many waterfalls previously on the trip, on this day we were happy with the sunny weather and unobstructed views to the tops of the surrounding peaks...
The blue backdrop to the soaring mountains was mesmerizing. And the boats look so small in context to the scale of these fjords...
Are the Ranger Tugs getting smaller, or the peaks just getting taller and taller?
Taking it in: the view from sitting on Seaquel's hardtop...
Look close to see the ever-shrinking Ranger Tug below the towering peaks...
A floatplane lands at the very end of the Upper Arm and passengers unload to take in the view. We were to see more floatplanes than boats on this spectacular day...
Heading back to try to beat the afternoon winds, we are overtaken by one floatplane after another...
As with our flotilla of boats, the floatplanes fly low, also following the winding curves of the fjords to afford tourists better views...
We did see a few tourist boats heading up as we were heading out. They cruise a tad bit faster than our Ranger Tugs (and are a bit more crowded)…
View out the port window: stupendously smooth-sided cliffs again showing off nature's handiwork of glaciers carving out these fjords. Far away there is an anchorage named "God's Pocket". Perhaps this bend should be called "God's Ice Cream Bowl"...
New Eddystone Rock greets us on our return trip as we head out of Ruderd Arm into Behm Canal and on to Shoalwater Passage...
The temptation to linger in Punchbowl and the Upper Arm came with a modest price: the afternoon winds have kicked up so the last portion into our anchorage was a bit rough...
The short video below shows how well Seaquel's semi-displacement hull handles some rough water. Perhaps a "practice" run for our planned crossing of Dixon Entrance in two days...
Moxie is as calm as ever even as the water turns rough, but uses it as an excuse to sit closer to us, at the step of the navigator seat rather than staying down under the table in her usual spot...
Into the relative calm of Shoalwater Passage, we pass a homemade cruising tug...
Back to Shoalwater Passage for our last night on anchor in Misty Fjords, then we head south toward home...
What a day exploring Punchbowl, Punchbowl Lake, and Upper Arm of Rudyerd Bay of Misty Fjords!
Relaxing after an amazing day, skipping rocks into the bay. Note: it's a bit of a trick to skip the rock with one hand while filming a video clip with the other!
Misty Fjords proved to be truly one of the highlights of this adventure of a lifetime! A great way to be ending the Alaska portion of our experience, as we have just one more day before crossing Dixon Entrance into British Columbia. Fortunately we still have more fjords to explore in Canada as we make our way south!
~Mark
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