On the fourteenth day of our Ultimate Alaska Cruise, we visited the town of Wrangell, our final stop in Alaska. We didn’t have any official excursions planned for this day; we figured that we could wing it, and just walk around town, check out the scene, maybe grab some lunch. And it worked out to be a fun day.
I was on the internet the day before, and there was news that the Aurora Borealis was supposedly being particularly active at the moment. So, when I woke up in the middle of the night (for other reasons) I decided to get dressed for chilly weather and head up to the Sun Deck. Or maybe it was the Moon Deck, except there was no moon that night. Even though the sky was dark, there was a bit of marine layer cloud above us. But even that wouldn’t have mattered in the end. The ship had so many lights on that it would never have worked. The only thing I managed to see were other cruise ships! They were just as brightly lit, like floating beacons in the night. I still enjoyed what views I got, but it was cold and I soon went back down to the stateroom for more sleep.
We were still steaming along when we woke up later that morning, so we went upstairs to the buffet, which had window seats. The ship slowed as we neared the dock, and we went upstairs to watch the procedure, and get an idea of what the town looked like. It was nestled in a pleasant hollow on an island in the middle of the Tongass National Forest. It had its own small boat harbor, so plenty of the locals owned boats, or made their living from the sea. Our monstrous cruise ship had no hope of entering, but instead had its own pier right near the heart of town.
We went back to the stateroom and got our clothing and daypack squared away. We read about the town in the “Princess Patter” brochure that we received the night before. There were at least two hikes we could do, and we decided to make a loop of them, getting lunch on the way back to the ship. That was all the plan we had.
We walked out of town, along the coastal road. Up ahead, about a mile north, was Petroglyph Beach, which sounded pretty cool. Vicki and I once found some native petroglyphs along the shore in Olympic National Park, so this was right up our alley. We recalled that when the tide goes out, the natives say “the table is ready” and that all the food you need can be found. As long as they were hanging out, harvesting and eating, some of the more creative types carved petroglyphs in the big boulders. It is difficult to date these carvings, but they all have a certain similar style, that of Formline Art.
The town built a nice wooden walkway down to the coast where the petroglyphs could be found. There were plenty of informative displays all around, and a stairway down to the beach itself. It was officially called Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park. We walked down the long ramp to the overlook, and read everything we could. Apparently people had been living there for at least 8000 years!
It was our good fortune that the tide was low, so we went down to the rocky beach and looked around for the petroglyphs. Supposedly, there were about forty rock carvings there, but we never spotted them all. Some were very faint, and others had tidal sand partly covering them. Such is life along an arm of the sea. We were first at the scene, but eventually one of the “official excursion” tour buses arrived and dropped off many more of our fellow passengers. It got to be a regular party, similar to looking for Easter Eggs, as we diligently searched the area for petroglyphs. You could tell when somebody found one, and then we’d all go over to check it out. Good times.
After that, we headed back toward town. Supposedly, there was a hiking trail that climbed the local hill, known as Mount Dewey. I found it on Google Maps, and also saw it on my CalTopo app. The trail was back in town, but up some local streets, higher on the slope of the hill. I was glad to see that the town built stairways for us to use, which made the walk shorter. This probably made the neighbors happier, too.
All told, we hiked about a half mile through the neighborhood, and another third of a mile up the Mount Dewy Trail itself. The top of the climb was about 450 feet above sea level, so it wasn’t all that tough. Plus, the trail was exceptionally well-made. There were wooden boards with anti-slip webbing that made climbing a breeze. Here in the drizzly coastal rain forest, this climb would have been a mud-fest, but instead we were able to venture through the woods without disturbing any of the plants or wildlife. Excellent work! It reminded me of our backpacking trip to Canada’s famous West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. That trip was one of the best hikes we’ve ever been on, and that’s saying something. It was nice to get reminded of life within the rain forest.
Once we climbed a ways, the trail split. I looked at my app, and we decided to take a left, up to the summit of the “mountain.” It was only a tenth of a mile away, and the slope was easier. There was a wooden platform with a railing, and a clear patch through the pines that enabled us to view the town and harbor below us. We hung out up there for a short while, until Vicki got her breath back. This was a sign that we hadn’t been doing enough hiking on this trip, but I was wise enough not to mention it. Vicki has never liked the word “Up” when it pertained to trails. I also knew that there would be additional opportunities this Summer for walking up steep slopes.
After that, it was time to head back down the trail, and continue on into the main part of town. We took a different route on the surface streets, passing through pleasant neighborhoods. This looked like a fine place to live. At least in the month of May. I wasn’t so sure about Winter weather up here, regardless of the moderating influence of the ocean. We both decided to stick with our home in San Diego, at least for now. Even though it had no rain forest.
Since we hadn’t paid for an official excursion, it only seemed fair to support the local economy by buying ourselves some lunch in town. I ended up having some ice cream, while Vicki enjoyed some egg rolls and shish-kebab.
We walked back to the ship and left Alaska. Or we left the land, at any rate. As the afternoon continued, the sun broke through, and everything was sparkling. Vicki decided that this was a fine time for yet another hot tub soak. But this time we went up on the sports deck near the stern. There were better views of the town and the water from there.
After that, we went downstairs and ate dinner at the restaurant, just like always. Eventually, everyone was back aboard the ship, and they cast off from the pier. The ship slowly eased out into the Stikine Strait, and began the long journey back toward Seattle.
Tomorrow, the plan was to spend the day “At Sea” which also meant that there would be one last Formal Night dinner, and other shipboard amusements. It was a bittersweet feeling, leaving Alaska, but after the upcoming day at sea, we still had two more days to spend in port, in both Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. They were beautiful cities, and that was something worth looking forward to.
For a topographic map of the cruise see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the voyage see my Flickr Page
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