Anna Leigh and Daydream to Ketchikan

Dora~Jean · Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:32 am Post subject:

Great choice of pictures Pat, I can feel the beauty, I really like the Hot Springs pic! What a trip and so compact. Thanks.

Catman · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:22 am Post subject:

Nicely stated, Steve. I agree. What a trip. And fine reporters you are!

Pat Anderson · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 4:07 pm Post subject:

There are quite a few more pix, I will post a few more highlights (mainly the "Hike from Hell" in Meyers Chuck), and David will no doubt finish his blog. Stay tuned!

Susan E · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:33 pm Post subject:

OH Good, rodger ( fishtales) i am glad that i am not the only one reading pat and patty's posts while at work. and oh man am i jealous. the hot springs looks like quite the highlight. i am really enjoying the photos. thanks guys

susan e

drjohn71a · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject:

thanks for the pics, Pat. I think it is amazing that those Alaskans changed their roofs to match your boat! Now that's hospitality! On top of the hot spa! John

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:22 pm Post subject: My trip notes continued

This is from day 14 to a day or two ago. I will catch up while here at Prince Rupert, BC. Our first day on the return trip.

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:20 am Post subject:

David - tell us all how it went with Captain John aboard!

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:10 am Post subject:

OK, a quick note, one last vignette - the "Hike from Hell" at Meyers Chuck. Dave Olson's sister-in-law Nancy Olson lives in Meyers Chuck, and has a nice home on the waterfront there. Dave's brother, Ken Olson, and another man lost their lives at the lake at Meyers Chuck in 1996 when they fell through thin ice while ice skating. The skates are still hanging in a tree as a memorial. Dave wanted to spend the week at Meyers Chuck while Patty, Alan and I circumnavigated the island with the name nobody can spell. So we headed out of Ketchikan directly for Meyers Chuck on the afternoon of Sunday the 18th. Casey and Sandy were already there on Naknek, and we exchanged pleasantries.

Monday Casey and Sandy headed out for Wrangell and it was our day to hike to the lake. I am not sure what we were expecting exactly, but Nancy said the trail was about a mile and half. I am starting to get suspicious of the Alaskan "mile" by the way - after the Bailey Bay hot springs hike and this one. Right off the bat, Nancy lost the "trail" - which is not so much as a trail but a series of surveyor tape flags from tree to tree, some there and some not. So we decided to follow the pipeline, which generally follows the creek. There is not really a trail, and it kept going...and going...and going, uphill all the way, over and under logs, boulders, bogs, whatever. Patty's legs got rubbery and burning, and she literally felt like she could not go on, except she had no choice - I did not get a good shot of her looking daggers at me. But we did go on, and we got to the lake, but not where we wanted to be, which was at the trailhead where the skates were. Here we are at the lake. Left to right, Dave Olson, Pat, Patty, David, and Alan Olson (Nancy took the pic).

After this pic, we still wanted to go over to see the skates. But Nancy couldn't find that either - we clambered over hill and dale, over peak and swale, through forest and marsh - no sign of the trail. At one point, we had to cross a little stream, and I promptly slipped on the moss, banged my chest into a log and fell in the stream! I pulled some muscles, and it still hurts...finally David found what appeared to be the trail, but by then we decided the best direction was to head right back to Meyers Chuck rather than left to the lake...we were disappointed not to see the skates. It was much easier going back. We were however completely soaked through and through, tired, and the mud of the Alaskan trail is forever embedded in our clothing. We ended up with hot showers from Nancy's propane fired hot water heater, dry clothing and a nice turkey dinner that Nancy fixed. This day will however be forever be fixed in our memories as the "Hike from Hell" in Meyers Chuck.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:34 am Post subject:

Pat-

I was a-thinkin' that if I ever did the trip you and David did, I'd like to alow down to take in more of the local scenery and experience the people a little more. But upon hearing of your two Hikes to and from Hell, I think I'd prefer to stay on the boat and the immediate shoreside.

Maybe Patty would be ready for a rainforrest treak along the Amazon next summer? Maybe you could take Daydream and do the "African Queen" routine!

Joe.

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:32 pm Post subject: Days 17-20

Presently at Prince Ruppert, BC.

Alyssa Jean

On Sunday, Captain John Wooldridge, the senior editor with Motorboating and Yachting magazine flew into Ketchikan to join us for a few days of cruising. We had been asked by Jeff Messmer at C-Dory if we would mind having he and a photographer on board. They wanted to do an article about the C-Dory cruise to Ketchikan.

The photographer got side lined on another project and it is planned that he will be contacting us down along Vancouver Island early next week.

John arrived with camera equipment and note pads. We provided him with chart books and cruise books for the areas that we had decided to cruise. The Misty Fjord National Park and with-in that 2.2 million acres, Rudyerd Bay (Punchbowl Cove) and Walker Cove.

John quickly became one of the crew and for the most part no one really knew whether they were being interviewed or not. Every once in a while he would take a few minutes and make some notes.

He got a lot of good footage both from the boats and from my dingy. The weather was just what the area is named for. Did see some sun on the second day.

We delivered him back to Ketchikan on Wednesday and began our return trip home.

C-Hawk · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:48 pm Post subject:

David,

Thanks for the posts on the trip. Sounds like a great trip. Will have to keep a look out for the M and Y Magazine.
Only one request---- How about the recipe for the Whiskey Crab Soup?

Pat,

Sounds like you guys got your exercise on that hike.

Have fun and keep up the posts.

Knotty C · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 2:33 pm Post subject:

Pat, David and crew,

Thanks for the reports and awesome photos. I especially liked the photo where Daydream and Anna Leigh were rafted together in Walker Cove. Sounds like all the C Brats taking the inside passage are having a great trip. Dee and I are planning 6 weeks taking the inside next summer!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Beer

Don

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject:

OK, Pat's recipe for Whiskey Crab Soup.

Catch some crab. Shell them. Take a sip of the whiskey. Jack Daniels or Evan Williams preferred.

Cut up some onions, melt half a cube of butter in a saucepan, saute the onions. Take another sip of the whiskey.

Add a quart of so of milk to the saucepan, and season to taste with Old Bay seasoning and salt and pepper. Heat to just below boiling. Drink a bit more whiskey.

When it is all nice and hot, throw in the crab meat and cut the heat. Drink some more whiskey, try to save some to add to the soup.

If there is any whiskey left, add it to the soup. Really, half a cup of whiskey is about right, more would not hurt - this is really an impressive flavor combination.

Pat Anderson

It is entirely possible that Capt. Wooldridge passed Patty and me in the K airport, he must have been arriving while we were waiting for our flight out...really sorry to have missed our 15 minutes of fame, the drinks and dinner at Annabelle's, and not to have had the pleasure of meeting him. We have been told that this will be a feature in the January issue of Motorboating. We shall all just have to wait and see I guess.