Bigfoot and Elkhorn are off the Matanuska on the shores of Ketchikan which is on Revillagigedo Island. We walked downtown at the foot of one of four large piers that welcome the big cruise ships. Lucky for us, only one ship is in port today. The city has roughly 14,000 people and its primary industries are commercial fishing, fish canneries, logging and tourism.
We went to a museum, the USFS and Alaska Fish and Game office for information. Then we headed towards Ward Lake, where there are 5 free dry campsites. Enroute we spot a Walmart so we go for a few things. There were 2 spots open at the lake, which we took.
A bit of history that we learned from meeting a young couple (more on them later) on a trail while hiking.
After the Japanese forces bombed and invaded the Aleutians, American authorities relocated the residents of the Aleutians to Southeast Alaska. Several camps were set up, including one at Ketchikan’s Ward Lake. Google this as it is very interesting.
This is a long read but very interesting http://npshistory.com/publications/aleu/aleut-relocation-camps.pdf
Okay, enough about that rabbit hole I jumped into. This place is beautiful and as Ann Marie says “Magical” . Everything is green! Moss covered, hanging, laying, wrapping on everything.
When the sun shines through the forest canopy, it just lights up all the green covered trees and forest floor. Our pictures don’t do it justice.
Of course it is raining, but we are in a rainforest of old growth hemlock-spruce trees and they are huge! I counted the rings on one cut spruce and it was over 300 years old!
As old trees die and fall over, and larger trees grow on top of the fallen trees on the forest floor. There are a lot of Salmonberry, huckleberry, and blueberry shrubs that can be seen throughout the area. The old growth forest floor is also covered with mosses, and ferns.
Speaking of ferns. When we returned from a hike, there was a young family looking for and picking fiddle neck fronds. They taught us how to select this delicacy from the many ferns on the forest floor. This is the young new growth from a fern plant, which there are thousands.
So Delores and Ann Marie went on the hunt, in a matter of 15 minutes. Picked, cleaned and cooked with butter and garlic. Excellent! We ate these one time in Prince Edward Island, and they were delicious.
We all have gone for hikes around Ward Lake. This is a popular area for locals to hike with their dogs.
Virgil and I got a few hooks wet fishing for trout, dolly’s or steelhead, but no luck. We talked to several fishermen here and there are no fish to be caught in this lake. That is my story and I’m sticking with it.
This morning we are pulling up stakes and moving to Harriett Hunt Lake for a day or so.
