0015 20th May - Haines to Haines Junction

It was about 11 am by the time we got off in Haines, and the weather was trying to rain quite hard, so I knew straight away from my last visit that after a quick look at the very little Haines had to offer, we would probably head north straight away.  So instead of turning left into Haines, I turned left off the ferry and we went about 8 miles east to the Chilkoot Lake State Recreation Site.  Last time there had been a number of Eagles there, and some people had seen bears as well, so I decided a quick visit was worthwhile, despite the weather.  No eagles, and no bears,  but very scenic, and Janet’s first taste of Alaska.  We also found a great campsite at the end of the road, but a bit early for that, especially in the rain.  So we then wandered back into Haines for a look around.

 

And nothing much had changed since 2012.  The information centre was no more helpful or informative than last time, and after we had been along all (both ?!) the streets in town, Janet agreed that it was not somewhere worth spending any more time.  I am sure there is great fishing and other adventures to be had out of Haines, but they are not active yet due to insufficient water in the rivers. We did however decide to give the local Fish (ie Halibut) and chips shop a try for lunch, despite the lady at the information centre saying she didn’t think it was very good – And it turned out to be fantastic !!  The little restaurant was packed with locals, and the halibut was just as good as always !   So we left Haines with full tummies, and headed north.

The first 25 or so miles is alongside the very wide Chilkat River where, in late summer, salmon come to spawn. Accompanying the salmon are up to 3500 eagles which gather along the banks of the river, as well as a lot of bears, all waiting to feast on the spawning salmon.  This is probably the thing that Haines is best known for – But unfortunately for us it doesn’t happen in May !   But at 27 miles we knew there was a

campsite at a place called Mosquito Lake, so that was where we were headed. At the turn off we headed about 5 miles down this side road, and eventually found this steep dirt road down to a little lake, with no one there, and about 5 picnic tables and fire places, right on the edge of the Lake.  It had just about stopped raining, and seemed perfect, apart from a few very large (like B52 bombers !) mosquitos.  But there guys are not very persistent, and don’t seem to bite very hard, and after a dose of bug spray, and the lighting of a couple of skeeter coils, we never noticed them again.  It tried to rain a bit, but the pine trees above us kept us totally dry, and with a great fire soon roaring in the fireplace, it was just perfect.   We had been up since 2 am this morning, so we were pretty exhausted, and we asleep by about 6.30 pm, and the next thing I knew was it was 5 am !!  Great nights sleep.

While breakfasting and packing up, we found lots of moose scat very close to our tent (see pics), but I don’t think it was THAT fresh !!  But there were obviously moose (and probably bears as well) around this isolated area of forest. 

Before we had even got the engine warmed up or got into 5^th gear we came upon a big bull moose that was trotting down the road in front  of us !  Unfortunately I didn’t  yet have my camera at the ready between my legs where it normally sits for just such occasions, so we had to just enjoy watching him as he turned off up the bank into the forest.  But a fun way to start the day, especially for Janet as this was her first taste of Alaska wildlife.   Within 5 miles we came to the Canadian border where we crossed back into British Columbia, but this was a mere formality and they didn’t want to inspect anything in the van, or see any paperwork except our passports.  Too easy. 

Almost immediately after the border, the road started to climb as we went up to the summit of the Haines Pass. The rain persisted, and the clouds were very low and ominous, and the temp quickly dropped from the 10 deg C of our campsite to a low of 1.9 C as we passed the frozen Three Guardsmen Lake.  We went through sleet, snow, hail, and quite thick cloud, and even the sun came out momentarily !! Then it was up to the 1070 m Summit, and it was SO  different from 2012.  Last time I had  blue skies and a lot more snow – But in its own way it was just as dramatic – Just different.  There was a little hut about 300 yards off the road that in 2012 was virtually covered in snow – This time we could see the hut, and also the muddy dirt track that led to it – So, having 4 WD this time, my curiosity got the better of me and we went visiting !!  Axe and firewood on the porch, bottles in the window – Anyone there ?  Eventually we crept up to the window and peered in – No one there, but everything set up with chairs, pots and pans etc. From the sign on the door it seems like this is an emergency hut for the use of hunters or people stranded !  Interesting ‘splore though, and something that couldn’t have been done in Elsie – You need 4 WD !!

Back on the road, we saw ptarmigan sitting in trees – Looking for spring time “partners”, I presume ?  A lot easier to see them than it was when everything was snow covered !  Saw a few ground squirrels or whatever they are, and some trumpeter swans on a lake or two – So lots of wildlife along the way.

Then we crossed out of British Columbia into the Yukon, and saw a turn off to a campsite at Million Dollar Falls which looked quite interesting, even though we didn’t intend to camp just yet.  Once again a dirt road so Troopie’s 4 WD came to the fore again.  Maybe 5 miles in we came to the most beautiful campsite, and being National Park it was all pristine, with firewood all chopped and available, even though it is a “no services” bush camp – They do these

park camp grounds so well here.  And at the end of the road we saw a sign to a path to the Falls, so off we went.  Only about half a mile in, talking loudly to each other in case of bears (!), we came across a wooden stair case and walkway down cliff to the falls. And it was well worth the climb.  Impressive falls, and an equally impressive walkway to get there.   When we got back to the top, a Park Ranger was emptying the rubbish bins, so we stopped for a chat and to ask him about the area.  It turned out he had actually built the wooden stairs and walkway himself some 20 years ago, and had just been doing some of the repairs we had noticed.  I was very impressed, told him so, and gave him a little gold kangaroo stick pin to show our appreciation and to be friendly !   He loved it, and stuck it in his cap proudly !!

We passed some Indian tepees beside the road – For rent at $25 per night !!  Then we drove past the enormous Dezadeash Lakebefore dropping into Haines Junction.  We went to the Bakery (which I knew from before) and had a delicious (if a little late due to a time change when we entered Canada again !)  lunch, and then decided to camp early so we could do laundry and have a shower and do our wifi jobs in the long evening.  It is cold (5 degs) now at 10 pm as I sit in the (warm) laundry, but still day light and clear as I look up to the snow covered mountains though the window.  We have camped in exactly the same position as I camped 2 years ago – It is still the best spot in the campsite !!  Tomorrow it is off to Beaver Creek, but for now, I am up to date !!

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Pics of the day are here.  Afraid I haven’t had time to caption the photos, so I hope you can work them all out.   https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0015HainesToHainesJuncton?authkey=Gv1sRgCPfN6tfynaDI8gE#