Final Weekend

For our last weekend together in Wrangell (notice how I stipulate “in Wrangell” because I’m in denial that it was our last weekend ever), Adam and I chartered a floatplane and spent two nights at the Forest Service cabin in Berg Bay.

Berg Bay is on the mainland 20 miles east of Wrangell and is considered bear country. It happens to be the location of the most recent bear mauling that occurred July 2.

I’m going to overload this blog entry with images just because it was so beautiful and remote there. And hopefully you’ll agree and not be too bored.

The sun came out late Saturday afternoon which made for this excellent shot of the view right outside the door of the cabin. The late day sun was followed by the clearest evening sky I’ve seen in a long while. I was hoping to glimpse the northern lights but no such luck. After arching our necks for a while, we went back inside and thirty minutes later the sky was completely clouded over.

This was the first Forest Service cabin I’ve stayed in. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve stayed in a rustic cabin like that since sleep-away camp. And it really wasn’t all too rustic, especially with all the gear Adam brought. He is a pro at camping in every aspect and prepared everything – the stove, lantern, utensils and plates, pots and pans, sleeping mats and bags, food, alcohol, water, oil, everything. The cabin had an oil heater that worked too well, an outhouse a short walk away, and a great loft.

The view from that great loft.

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Behind the cabin was the beginning of a trail. On Saturday we hiked around eight miles roundtrip which isn’t too much of a distance but it was actually arduous. Once we stepped off the wooden planks which happened pretty early on, the endless muskeg began, the trudging and the Xtratuff suctioning. It was my most ungraceful day of walking ever.

But well before all that ungrace were the flats and those were beautiful. We visited them each day we were there and they were different each time.



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This is Adam carrying our bear protection. We did not see one bear the whole time we were there. We saw a heron, several birds, ducks, and geese, a seal, mountain goats, but no bears. And after carrying the gun for 8 miles Saturday, Adam kind of wished a bear would mess with me so he could shoot it. I mean, he didn’t really, but kind of did.




Despite the cloudy morning, Sunday turned out to be one of the most beautiful days this summer. Unfortunately, we had arranged for the plane to pick us up at 1:30 (we had only rented the cabin through noon that day).


The Wrangell vicinity from above.

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This is an image of a moment I wish I could’ve frozen in time, as corny as that sounds.