A very blue glacier
Between 1990 and 2013, the South Sawyer glacier has retreated at 120m/year, and between 2013 and 2022, the retreat rate has been 50m/year. As the glacier calves, it creates numerous bergy bits and icebergs that the harbor seals seem to love. I watched the James Balog documentary, Chasing Ice, right before our zodiac trip and I didn’t want this glacier to calve anymore.
Read the rest of this entry »Walking a bear trail
You probably knew all along that bears make trails. I didn’t know. So, when the expedition leader mentioned the opportunity to walk a bear trail at William’s Cove, I took notice. The trails in Sitka are beautifully maintained by forest services. A bear trail is not that, there are no convenient wooden planks over streams and bogs. It is created by repeated comings and goings of bears over the years. It is a rough trail, overgrown in some places, perhaps there a little more bear scat than normal. Otherwise, imagine the rainforest, the forest floor is bouncy due to years of fine leaf deposition, from the spruces and hemlocks, then the perpetual rain allows mosses of various kinds to flourish. The undergrowth still has occasional fruit on the bunchberries, watermelon berries, red -berried elders and devil’s clubs.
Meeting Lulu
Lulu is daughter of Speedy and was born in 2015. We were in the middle of Chilkat river, where the river is barely waist high. The cubs are too young to get in the river, so Lulu is fishing for them. The river is turquoise green, colored by the glacier melt, making it harder to see the salmon. Salmon, mostly pink salmon, are trying to spawn and we are trying to flyfish. Our flyfishing guides were experienced and cautious, making sure we were out of harm’s way. But once I realized that Lulu won’t go too far from her cubs, I relaxed. During the 90 minutes of fishing, we saw Lulu and her cubs on both sides of the river. They crossed over the Weir. It was a few hundred feet behind us. We eventually saw her catch a salmon and take it back to her cubs. In the same time, we caught a salmon each as well.
Read the rest of this entry »Without the whacking …
If I were to say we went bushwhacking on Battery Point trail, the Haines Borough folks would roll their eyes. But we got off the trail with our naturalist, storyteller and photographer, Jim. Now, Jim is the kind of person who gets caught up in the little plants and flowers, and doesn’t mind poking around in scat and loses track of time. Of course, who needs to track time when one is on vacation. This trail was new to him as well and he is decidedly one of those who likes going off-trail. After the morning flyfishing in Chilkat river and a hearty lunch, the zodiac dropped us somewhere from where we could hop on the Battery Point trail.
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The Expedition
The reason we were in Sitka is because it was start of a 500 mile expedition. One with National Geographic and Lindblad, one of their smaller ships, Sea Lion, that is able to navigate south east Alaska’s inside passage. We started from Sitka and then made our way to Hanus Bay via Sergius Narrows and Peril Strait. From there, we moved to the northernmost entrance to the inside passage by Cross Sounds. We explored George Island and the Inian islands. Then we made our way to Haines and explored further. From Haines, we cruised south via Stephen’s passage into Holkham Bay, the entrance to Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. We visited Williams Cove and South Sawyer Glacier. And finally landed in Juneau for our flight back. The forest that tied that 500 mile journey was Tongass.
We had the sun, not rain, beam down on the rainforest everyday. We were fortunate to see a dozen humpbacks feeding, a hundred sea lions frolicking and a thousand harbor seals napping. Being surrounded by the sound of whales as they gracefully breach and breathe was watching a dance of a lifetime. And then there is a big blue glacier that is perpetually calving, creating growlers, bergy bits and icebergs. The sound of a ten thousand year old glacier cracking is like a deep belly grumble. I wanted to give the ice a big hug, apologize for global warming and ask it to stay safe. And finally, there is fly fishing. Did someone say fly fishing takes skill? If it does, it is not in these parts. The water is turquoise blue from the glacier melt, the river is full of salmon, the salmon are weary and simply want to spawn and die. We see a mother bear with two cubs while we fish. We catch a salmon and we watch the mother bear catch a salmon. We would learn later that while there is a bear every square mile, they are not commonly observed on these short visits. Did I know that bears make trails? You bet, I didn’t.
In a trip like this, there are always a few regrets. Like sleeping through an aurora borealis. Or, not hiking the rainforest in rain. But here, I had a lot more regrets. I wanted to soar like a bald eagle and survey my land, breach the ocean like a whale, frolic around in arctic waters like a baby sea lion, snooze on blue ice like a harbor seal, be a salmon in search of my river, sit immobile on a rock like starfish. But most of all, I wanted to be a bear and walk the trail my mother and her mother made through the mossy rainforest floor that is bouncy as a silicone mat, protected by fifteen foot tall devil’s club and covered by snakeberries as far as eyes could see.
(Clearly, Octavia Butler’s patternist book, Wild Seed, has left a lot of wants in my mind!)
Read the rest of this entry »My wingspan …
… is that of an osprey.
No mosquitoes here
Mosquito Cove trail is a charming mile long trail that goes to the cove and back. It is one of those trails that makes you want to be a child again. From the parking lot, the trail goes down to the cove and comes back up again, through the hemlocks, spruce and cedars and crosses from Tongass forest to Alaska State forest. I wasn’t sure if they named it Mosquito Cove because the cove was tiny. Later I found out that back in the days when Russians were running charcoal operations, there would be temporary swarms of mosquitoes here.
Read the rest of this entry »A trail that pampers you
After the stairs on Herring Cove trail, my knees loved this flat trail. Parts of the trail where it went over bogs and marshes, the trail was a low wooden boardwalk, parts covered by a thin layer of tar. Most of it seemed wheelchair accessible. This part of the Tongass forest is dominated by muskeg and coastal grass land. It was a clear and cool day.
Read the rest of this entry »Indian River (Tlingit: Kaasda Héen) trail
Sitka trails are often marked by landmarks. For example, half a mile to the lake. Indian river trail is marked by the “big bridges”, first one at 1.8 miles, second at 2 miles, 3rd at 2.3 miles and so forth. It is relatively easy to lose sense of time and miles. We think we went up to the first bridge.
Bears in the bear country
Incidentally, Sitka is bear country, it boasts of nearly a bear per square mile. Practically every trailhead boasts of bear sightings. I don’t see one outside of the Fortress of the Bear. The taxidermy specimens at the Sitka airport don’t count.
Read the rest of this entry »First glimpse of an Alaskan rainforest
First view of Tongass temperate rainforest was magical. This was Herring Cove trail with a loop around Beaver lake. The trail is beautifully maintained. There are waterfalls, creeks, lake, and bogs. The understory is lush. Around the lake, there are benches to sit around and enjoy the view.
Read the rest of this entry »Wavecrest Open Space Preserve
Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, Jun 2023
We were impressed with the Pescadero marshes when we were there last time (link). This spring, the flowers blew our minds! On Butano trail, it felt like we were in a yellow tunnel. The lupines had grown so tall, that we could not see the Butano creek much of the time. And when we could catch a glimpse of the creek, the fields of cat tails seemed to extend as far as we could see. Also, the Butano trail now extends nearly 1.5-2 miles, it starts from the Pescadero road parking lot and meets the road again, staying close to Butano creek all along.
Read the rest of this entry »Shores of Redwood City, Spring 2023
Garden this spring
Apple of my eye, a gin cocktail
Apple of my eye is those you who love a cocktail because they are creative. It is also for those of you who think cocktail is a new way to titillate your taste buds. And finally, it is for those of you who want a long hard day to end in a celebration.
This is essentially a gin martini that reminds you of apple pie. This boozy cocktail, like many others, is best when cold. Recipe for a few cold sips:
- 1 oz Gin
- 1/4 oz Calvados
- 2 dashes of vanilla bitters
- When in mood for sweetness, add a maraschino cherry
Serve in a chilled Nick and Nora cocktail glass.
A mile long stretch by the Pacific Ocean
Devil’s slide is a smidgen longer than a mile, but it is an interesting one. It is on the edge of a cliff and a carve out from what used to be highway 1. Now the highway has a bypass tunnel, leaving this stretch for hikers and bikers to enjoy. During the trip, we noticed nearly 40 species of native wildflowers.
Two spring flower displays, Part II
Edgewood and Filoli are only a few miles apart. Edgewood County park is 467 acres and Filoli estate is 654 acres. The Filoli residence and the English Renaissance gardens stand on 16 acres. It was built as a private residence in 1917 and was opened to public in 1975. This was our first visit. The have some wonderful wisterias and weeping forms of trees like weeping cherry. Their millions of daffodils were all spent, but the nearly 80,000 tulips were in bloom. We meandered around in no particular order. It was a weekday and yet quite crowded.
Read the rest of this entry »Two spring flower displays, Part I
This popular wildflower circuit starts at Clarkia trailhead at trailmarker 23, takes a left at trailmarker 22 to get on Sunset trail, right on trailmarker 9 to get on Serpentine, left at trailmarker 11 to get on Franciscan, right on trailmarker 8 to get on Baywood Glen trail, right on 7 to get to Sylvan, left on 16 to get on Serpentine, left on 19, left on 20 to get on Sunset and then back to the trailhead. Bulk of the action can be viewed near trailmarker 22 at the intersection of Clarkia and Sunset. Friends of Edgewood maintain a wonderful survey and this spring season, we might have identified over 70 distinct wildflower species via the iNaturalist app.
Read the rest of this entry »An artist’s collection of faces
Cantor now has a permanent exhibition titled “Faces of Ruth Asawa”. Unlike her sophisticated, abstract and beautiful wire sculptures, this is her life. Ruth’s story is a fascinating one. These ceramic masks originally hung outside of her home, they represent an archive of people she interacted with and includes her children. She added to them over three decades and moved them around as the collection of faces grew. The presentation at Cantor maintains the presentation at the time of Ruth’s death. Surprisingly, it manages to retain intimacy in the not so personal museum setting. What is it about clay that feels so primal and personal? Or did it feel personal because I recently spent a lot of time with my face.
I have also been wondering about how we celebrate the lives of our loved ones, those who pass away ahead of us. Next to the installation are three clay vessels, named “the life vessels”, made by Ruth’s son, Paul Lanier, on her request. In these vessels are embedded Ruth’s ashes along with ashes of her husband, Albert, and her son, Adam. Through the Modern Art Notes podcast, I learn that vessels are fired in Japanese wood fired anagama kiln. One of the vessels retains the crushed oyster shells on the outside making it texturally rich. Apparently, the family used these vessels as vases on an everyday basis.
A little boy
Last time, our friend’s little boy played magic tricks to entertain us. That was nearly two summers ago. This time, he showed off his knife skills on chives, and then he played the piano. He had displayed showmanship two summers ago. With time, the showmanship has only become more natural. He wanted to drink his apple bubbly from a cocktail glass. And then he noticed a pomegranate in our fridge, and wanted to eat it. He hadn’t eaten much during dinner. He claimed that he was a picky eater but could eat all the pomegranates in the world. He first wanted a bowl of water and asked for the pomegranate to be cut in half. He then proceeded to de-seed the pomegranate in the water, so the kernels wouldn’t fly off everywhere. Then he asked for five cups and spoons. And finally he proceeded to serve us all, the two of us, his parents and himself. The seeds were nicely picked and no white bits were left on the kernels. His father asked how many pomegranates would it take to keep him busy for 3 hours and he promptly answered 300.
What does not kill you …
Someone very dear, left us. It was a purposeful and thoughtful departure. She was a child when we met her. Child of a best friend, a friend who is as close as family. She would be a vibrant, beautiful woman if only she were allowed to thrive. We have been angry with the healthcare system in this country for the last many years, a system that refused to help her heal. There is no more anger left, only sadness. We are crying but is crying grieving? I think we were grieving before, for a brilliant mind stuck in a body that couldn’t heal.
I think this is how she saw herself. This is how I saw her. The words on the right represent her thoughts.
The Face, a checkpoint
I am not in the habit of looking at my face. I am not sure why but it is probably not one reason. As a girl child, I thought it vain. As a young adult, my gender made me self-conscious. As a busy career professional, the reflection staring back offered nothing to engage my curiosity. I have noticed some rapid changes in the last few years. The face that looks back is starting to look different from what I had imagined it to be. I find that I am avoiding eye contact with my reflection even more, I turn my back when brushing my teeth or hair.
Perhaps it is time to take on the exercise of carefully looking at my face, so I can reacquaint myself. An extensive power outage in the area gives me the necessary pause to get started on this exercise. In art appreciation, there is a practice to stare at a museum piece until you exhaust all possibilities. I decided to start with that approach, but instead of a single long shift, I decided to do the observation in phases, each lasting 20-40 minutes, each time focusing on one or two aspects.
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Locomotoring 