Oliver Bay

Day 42 - June 21 Oliver Bay

It was rainy and wet most of the day. We went for a hike on a boardwalk from the end of Oliver Bay across to Seymour Inlet where there is a public cabin. At the start of the hike we met a man who works for the Parks department. They were working on renovations to the cabin. We chatted with him and then he led our group on the hike. He was ‘armed’ and ready for bear.

Chris asked if there were bear in the area and he said only about 1 per sq mile. I noticed several animal trails and bear droppings along the boardwalk. Paul; our hike leader pointed out various flowers and trees along the way. There are lodge pole pines, many dwarfed by the weather. Flowers included the normal Skunk cabbage, and buttercups, to wild sweet peas, wild iris, and chocolate lilies. The lilies are also called wild rice due to the bunch of rice around their roots. This rice is edible, but we did not try any. I did take a couple photos however.

The boardwalk also had rails (mini railroad rails) and a cart which could be used to haul gear. It is available for the public to use. The rail system is also used by hunters and fisherman to get their small boats over to the other side. It is much faster than motoring all the way around. The cabin is at the side of a large meadow along the shoreline with a creek in front of it. Paul stated that this is a very popular place to hunt bear. He also explained that after hibernation the bear come down to this meadow to eat grass, then as the grass grows and the snow level goes up, they move up into the hills, coming back down when the salmon come in. Then he added that at this time of year they are basically all over the place.

The cabin is quite nice and they are definitely doing quality work on the renovations. It is getting new flooring, bunks, cabinets, and tongue and grove type wall boards. They had a small wood stove on the cart which will likely be installed in the cabin. We are quite impressed with the cabins that the state has around Alaska. There are apparently 150 of these cabins in Alaska for the public to use for a small fee per night. Paul indicated that this cabin is generally booked most of the year.

After the hike we went back to the boats to relax for the afternoon and wait for high tide so we can get out of the bay. Not many people bring their big boats into this bay as the entrance can be quite shallow and tricky. That does not seem to bother either Glen or Tom.

We will be heading into Juneau this afternoon. Maryann (Glen’s sister) arrives tonight and Becky and Mike (Miner’s kids) leave tomorrow night. Shawn (our son) arrives Monday night, he always likes to be the odd one. Juneau will also be a place for re-provisioning.