Ketchikan Outdoor Recreation and Trails Coalition
2003 Activities
The impending arrival of Dave's second child and surgery for Harold resulted in a lighter schedule than in previous years, but we still sponsored several hikes, kayak trips, and boat trips again in 2003.
Saturday and Sunday, May 3 & 4. Misty Fiords boat trip.
Our first trip of the year was a great one! We
left Friday afternoon, and arrived at the Winstanley Island cabin just before dark.
On Saturday we hiked the scenic Winstanley Lake Trail. This photo shows (L-R:) Danny,
Katrina, Roy, Diane, James, and Jim at the first bridge. Photo by Dave.
On Sunday we visited the incredible Punchbowl Lake and New Eddystone Rock
before heading back to town. We had
mostly sunshine and smooth water for the entire trip. And no bugs!
Saturday, June 7. Connell Lake. The report from Marie-Jeanne: We embarked on our jaunt on the Connell Lake trail in beautiful sunshine. This hike, co-sponsored by the Ketchikan Parks & Rec had 11 attendees and almost as many dogs. There were several different skill levels of hikers in attendance, which broke up into smaller groups of similar pace - perfect for conversing while hiking. I spent most of the hike with Ann and Trevor, a couple new to town and a welcome addition! We stopped for a brief respite and snack (Karen Polly even brought her espresso maker - ahh nature) at the Talbot Lake platform before returning on the same trail. Several of us managed slight sunburns in spite of hiking in the trees, and I know a few finished with sore muscles. They'll just have to join us more often.
Sunday, June 15. Harriet Hunt kayak/canoe. The report from Marie-Jeanne: Sunday the 15th dawned overcast and like Ketchikanians true to our water loving nature we decided to set out and 'see what happened'. Charlotte, Mary Jo, Louise (a visitor with family ties to Ketchikan) and myself enjoyed a leisurely paddle across the lake under dry skies stopping briefly to enjoy the echo and practice a few yoga moves en kayak. Good thing balance is an important part of yoga! The only other visitors to the lake were a couple of ATA canoes of tourists. After wandering the back-side of the lake and checking out the hidden cove past the waterfall we found a nice covered spot to enjoy a snack. We were thankful for our choice of picnic area because the rain began falling as we were getting out of our boats and began in earnest as we sat to eat. We sat out the squall without getting too damp and just as we were getting bored the rains let up. We finished admiring the shore and wildflowers, again under dry skies. Mary Jo, next time we'll have to try boat pose.
Saturday & Sunday, July 26 & 27. Dude Mountain. Last-minute planning
and so-so weather contributed to a low turnout for our third annual Dude Mountain
hike. This photo shows (L-R:) Danny (on Dad's back), Dave, Diane, and Charlotte
relaxing at the top of the stairs. Photo by Jim. Low clouds and fog cut way down on the
trail's spectacular vistas, but on the bright side, there weren't many bugs,
and we all enjoyed lots of berries.
Saturday, August 16. Deer Mountain. For the second year in a row,
poor weather contributed to a low turnout for this hike. (L-R:) Tas,
Ben, and Danny enjoyed a snack at the one-mile lookout. Photo by Dave.
Ben is from New Zealand and wasn't scared by the thought of a little rain.
Dave and Danny made it all the way to the top, and only saw a few very brief,
very light showers.
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, August 30 & 31, September 1. Jordan Lake kayak/boat/backpack trip. This trip was cancelled due to heavy rain and wind.
You can receive notification of impromptu hikes by signing up for the "Ketchikan Hikers" mailing list. Send an e-mail to ktnhikers-subscribe@topica.com, then once you confirm, you can send a message to the list by sending an e-mail to ktnhikers@topica.com.
Check out some pictures from 2004 hikes
Check out some pictures from 2002 hikes
Check out some pictures from 2001 hikes
Check out some pictures from 2000 hikes
This page is maintained by Dave Lieben, dlieben@yahoo.com.