Days 16 & 17 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-20-19, 6:04 AM, MP 32.8 of the Taylor Highway W of Mount Fairplay – The American Dingo was still conked out. Had Loopster been up half the night watching the northern lights? Probably not. Although the sky had been clearing to the N late yesterday evening, it was clouded over now. SPHP hadn’t seen a thing during a night of wild dreams. Cold out! SPHP fired up the G6. Conscious or not, Lupe was underway.
The G6 had warmed up nicely by the time SPHP stopped at a pullout at MP 11 or 12. Lupe had rejoined the living. She hopped out to bid a fond farewell to Mount Fairplay (5,541 ft.), already on the horizon.
As the G6 purred deeper into Alaska, Lupe relaxed. Plenty of time for additional Dingo beauty rest! Hours passed. SPHP needed to stretch. A stop was made at a pullout a mile or so before reaching the W end of the Tok Cut-off at Gakona Junction. Lupe always stops here for a look at the Copper River. Still impressive, the mighty river looked lower than usual.
8-20-19, 3:00 PM, Valdez, Alaska – For the first time in 3 years, Lupe was back! In 2016, Valdez had been one of the very first places she’d ever visited in Alaska, hoping to explore the Shoup Bay trail far enough to see the kittiwake rookery and the Shoup Glacier. A gray, steady rain with no break expected for days had dashed those hopes. Today, however, things were looking up! Sunshine and blue skies! Only a hint of haze to mar the beauty of Port Valdez nestled among soaring peaks.
After stops for supplies, lunch, and a lengthy stint at a car wash trying to remove as much of the Dempster Highway as possible from the filthy G6, SPHP found the Shoup Bay trailhead easily enough at the far W end of Egan Drive. A sign advised checking on current trail conditions. At the Valdez visitor center, the Shoup Bay trail was glowingly recommended in a glossy local area guide, but with the same admonition. However, no one at the visitor center seemed to know a thing about trail conditions beyond Gold Creek, only about a third of the way to Shoup Bay.
Guess, we’ll have to find out for ourselves, Loopster!
Not today, though. Way too late for that. The Shoup Bay trail was 10 miles long one way, supposedly a 14 hour round trip for most mortals, and who knows how long for SPHP? Happily, the guide also mentioned a much shorter Dock Point trail, which makes a 1 mile loop with views of the Port of Valdez and Alyeska Oil Terminal. An easy, evening stroll sounded like fun before a long trek tomorrow. The Dock Point trail started in SE Valdez near the small boat harbor.
Before hitting the trail, Lupe paused at Harbor Cove, part of Port Valdez. The tide was out, and the harbor smooth as glass.
The Dock Point trail started out heading E along the N side of a heavily forested peninsula. The trail soon split, forcing a choice on which part of the loop the American Dingo wanted to explore first. Lupe stayed to the L (N) on the lower part of the loop that ran along the S side of Duck Flats, a shallow salt marsh.
The Dock Point trail was wide and well-worn all the way to the start of private property near the E end of the peninsula. Here the trail veered S climbing 30 or 40 feet up into the forest. The peninsula wasn’t terribly wide. Lupe soon came to the first of two viewing decks overlooking Port Valdez. Unfortunately, the forest had grown up to such an extent that the view was now almost non-existent.
The best view was actually from a narrow embankment just outside a fence between the two official viewpoints. SPHP hoisted Looper over the fence and onto the embankment so she could see it.
Lupe enjoyed watching a sea otter playing in the harbor, while SPHP had fun reading various informational signs.
The Dock Point trail was pleasant enough, but Lupe was soon back at the start. The real adventure would come tomorrow. Before leaving the area, the Carolina Dog crossed South Harbor Road for a look at the crowded small boat harbor.
What little remained of the evening was spent exploring the NW bank of Mineral Creek close to the Shoup Bay trailhead.
8-21-19, 8:22 AM, 41ºF, Shoup Bay trailhead, Valdez – The weather had held. Unfortunately rather hazy, but clear and calm – Shoup Bay was a go! Once ready, SPHP paused long enough to grab a long-handled pair of loppers hanging on the back side of the trailhead information board, and slid it into loops on the back of the backpack.
Comments in the trail logbook all talked about a lot of overgrowth to deal with, but here at the start, a wide level path led into a tightly-packed forest of tall thin trees.
The forest proved small. Beyond it the trail continued between walls of extraordinarily healthy-looking bushes 2 or 3 times taller than SPHP. Nothing to see here! Even a bear would be invisible until it stepped onto the trail! Lupe set a lively pace sniffing ahead along the level path.
At first, the brush along both sides of the trail had been mowed back a few feet. Whoever did the mowing had gotten less ambitious as the trail went on, but the path remained clear and easy.
0.8 mile from the trailhead, the Shoup Bay trail broke out of the bushes entering a grassy plain. The trail split almost immediately. No sign. Lupe tried the L branch first, which went straight toward the ocean. It ended at a 2 foot high bluff overlooking a vast mud flat, no doubt normally underwater at high tide.
Worth seeing, but the wrong way. Lupe doubled-back, this time taking the R branch where the trail divided. Staying near the bushes, the trail curved around the N side of the meadow. Metal grate bridges got Loop over a couple of small creeks.
Even the meadow looked prone to becoming mighty muddy during wet weather. Boards provided support along the NW edge of the plain. As Lupe traveled along them, it became obvious the trail was destined to disappear into the bushes again.
Soon after re-entering the bushes, the trail began a slow climb. Lupe gained elevation in fits and starts as she headed due W traversing the steep slope at the base of a towering mountain immediately to the N. Bushes crowded in on the narrow trail on both sides. Often Lupe led the way in a green tunnel, as SPHP stumbled after her over numerous roots and some stones.
Every now and then the vegetation opened up revealing fabulous views of Port Valdez to the S and the mountains on every side. Ahead along the N shore, a delta could be seen, and well beyond it, a forested ridge. The S end of Shoup Bay lay hidden somewhere beyond that ridge!
The trail eventually climbed a good 200 feet above the ocean. After that, it sort of leveled out, if one considers sizable bounces up and down along the slope level. A number of small washes were easily crossed, since they were all nearly bone dry.
We’re in luck today, Looper! Not even any water in these little streams. Can you image how absolutely soaked we’d be if these bushes were wet?
Totally drenched almost as soon as we left the meadow, SPHP! Not a good rainy day trail, that’s for sure. Say, mind if I ask you a question? I’ve been wondering.
Wondering what, Loop?
We’ve seen glaciers before, but what is a kittiwake, anyway?
As far as I know, kittiwake is just a fancy name for a seagull. The rookery is where they have their nests, up on the side of a cliff, I believe.
They nest on the side of a cliff?
Yeah, to keep safely away from wandering Dingoes, you know.
Well, what fun is that?
None for you, maybe, but the kittiwakes are apparently happy with it.
Guess I’ll just have to settle for seeing the Shoup Glacier.
Maybe.
Why maybe?
You might have to settle for just seeing Shoup Bay. I’ve read that the glacier has retreated a mile and a half in recent times. The topo map (scroll WSW) shows Shoup Glacier might have retreated around a corner we can’t get to. This trail might not go far enough now to even see it.
Oh! That would be disappointing. Makes this an even bigger adventure than I thought, though. Promise me one thing, SPHP! Let’s keep going as far as we can, even past the end of the trail, if necessary. I’d really like to see the glacier. Maybe we can get all the way to it!
That’s the spirit, Loopster! And the plan, too! Shoup Glacier or bust!
As Lupe drew near a yellow delta jutting S out into Port Valdez, the trail began to drop toward it. She was almost all the way back down to sea level, in an absolute jungle, by the time she reached a junction.
Again, no sign. The trail to the L had to go to the yellow delta, so Lupe tried it first. The American Dingo soon passed a bank of metal bear-proof storage lockers. Dinosaur-proof lockers would have seemed even more appropriate in this ferny wilderness.
Looper kept going and came to a lone tent tucked beneath ancient pines. Instead of glittering brightly, nearby Gold Creek was a disappointing milky gray. Even so, this was still a gorgeous campsite, and it turned out that Gold Creek was chock full of salmon!
At first, no one seemed to be around, but beyond the pines two women were examining rocks along Gold Creek. SPHP chatted briefly with them, while Loop sniffed about roaming the Gold Creek delta.
Turned out that the women had arrived just yesterday evening. Their original intention had been to press on to Shoup Bay and the kittiwake rookery this morning, but they’d changed their minds. They didn’t say why, but Gold Creek was a gorgeous spot.
As lovely as the Gold Creek delta was, Lupe couldn’t dawdle. Gold Creek was only 3.25 miles from the trailhead. The end of the Shoup Bay trail was still more than 6 miles away. Once again, the Carolina Dog plunged back into the jungle. At the junction beyond the bear-proof lockers, she now took the trail heading W.
It wasn’t far from Jungle Junction to a big metal bridge over Gold Creek.
The big metal bridge was impressive, but at times Gold Creek must be equally so. The bank the trail approached from had been completely washed away, leaving a gap between the trail and the bridge. Four logs were positioned to bridge this gap.
After crossing the bridge, Lupe hopped up on a mossy stump that had been cut to produce a Dingo-sized chair.
The trail ahead looked encouraging – no bushes and easy to follow! Beyond Gold Creek, the American Dingo made rapid progress. Slowly gaining elevation again, Looper trotted W amid ferns in a pine forest.
Lupe’s great progress didn’t last. The Shoup Bay trail soon leveled out. Emerging from the forest, the trail entered a region thick with bushes.
Although she couldn’t see a thing, the Carolina Dog kept going. Shortly after the trail started downhill, SPHP called a halt.
Loopster, you there?
Of course! What’s up?
Is there a trail down there?
Yes, you’re on it! I’m in a green tunnel again.
I thought so. I can sort of feel the trail with my feet, but there’s no trail up here. I’m up to my neck in bushes, and can scarcely push through them.
Sounds like lopper time to me! Good thing you brought ’em along!
Uh, yeah! You’re a riot, Sweet Dingo!
I am? Why? What’s wrong, SPHP?
A few days and a giant machete might do it, Loop, but these loppers are useless – a cruel joke! I’d need a month of Sundays to clip a way through this jungle. Nothing but bushes as tall as I am as far as I can see!
Well, get down here then! We’ll take the tunnel!
Crazy Dingo! We’re barely 15 minutes beyond Gold Creek. I’m not going to crawl for 6 miles with neither of us able to see where we’re going! It’s not worth it!
You don’t want to see the kittiwake rookery and the Shoup Glacier?
Of course, I do! But not this bad! Face it, this trail exists only in the over-active imaginations of Valdez tourist guide authors. I mean, look around you. Other than your little green tunnel, do you see any sign that anyone else has come this way? Small wonder they don’t know what conditions are like on this part of the trail back at the visitor center. No one’s been this way in months, maybe years! We need one of your Allosaurs to come stomp a route through this mess.
Allosaurs are no laughing matter, SPHP! If you don’t want to bother with the loppers, and simply want to turn around, fine! We can just forget this whole thing – kittiwakes, glaciers, and all! Just don’t jinx us by tempting fate with Allosaurs!
And that was that. Lupe’s Shoup Bay adventure was over without ever even having gotten halfway to Shoup Bay. Destined to fail, the Carolina Dog never did see the kittiwake rookery or the Shoup Glacier.
On the way back, just before reaching the Gold Creek bridge, a faint side trail led N. Hearing a roar in the same direction, Lupe followed this path intent upon discovering the source. Nope, not an Allosaurus. Only a couple minutes off the main trail, a lovely waterfall gushed from a rocky mountainside into a pool where lucky Gold Creek salmon must spawn less than 0.25 mile from the sea. Definitely worth seeing!
8-21-19, 2:33 PM, 73ºF – It was over. Back at the Shoup Bay trailhead, SPHP returned the sturdy, yet completely inadequate loppers. Sunny and warm in Valdez, but even hazier than before. Odd. Humidity? Pollution?
By 5:00 PM, Lupe was on the Richardson Highway on her way out of town. Hours later, the Carolina Dog snoozed peacefully on her pink blankie while the G6 rolled W on the Glenn Highway. A pink-orange sun sank into the murk. As the dim outline of Gunsight Mountain (6,441 ft.) came into view, SPHP finally figured it out.
Smoke! Alaska was on fire!
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The Worthington Glacier, Alaska (8-11-16)
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