Day 29 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon, Northwest Territories & Alaska!
7:40 AM, Homer Spit – Ten minutes after Mako’s Water Taxi opened, Lupe sauntered in. The American Dingo had such a good time on the Alpine Ridge trail going to see the Grewingk Glacier yesterday, that SPHP wanted to find out if there was any chance she might be able to return to Kachemak Bay State Park for an attempt on Poot Peak (2,585 ft.)?
Absolutely! Lupe can depart Homer Spit aboard the Orca at 8:00 AM, with a 4:30 PM pickup at Halibut Cove Lagoon. $85.70 total round trip for SPHP, all fees and taxes included, and Dingoes ride free.
Wow! Sounded great! Without the slightest hesitation, or even giving it a moment’s thought, SPHP agreed. After forking over a credit card for payment, Lupe was all set. Half an hour later, the Carolina Dog was aboard the Orca racing across Kachemak Bay toward Halibut Cove for the second day in a row.
Lupe and SPHP stayed up front sitting on a tote box outside the skipper’s cabin. The sky was clearer, and the wind greatly diminished from the conditions prevailing yesterday. The voyage aboard the Orca was much smoother than the bumpy, sometimes jarring, ride over choppy seas aboard the Smokey Bay the day before. Colder out today, though. SPHP’s hands were soon freezing hanging onto the metal railing. Should have worn gloves!
The only other passengers, a couple from Illinois, stayed in the heated cabin. Once across Kachemak Bay, the Orca dropped them off at the Glacier Spit trailhead. Lupe was next! Poot Peak (2,585 ft.) was in sight as the Orca entered Halibut Cove Lagoon on the way to the big dock at the S end near the ranger station.
The skipper pointed out sea otters playing in the lagoon. The little wakes they made in the water gave away their positions, but they were too far from the Orca to get a good look at them. A few minutes later, Lupe was disembarking at the huge dock. As soon as Lupe and SPHP were safely off, the Orca turned and sped away.
8:40 AM, Halibut Cove Lagoon dock – As the Orca receded, Lupe and SPHP turned and went up the metal ramp leading away from the dock to the ranger station. An impressive sign welcomed Lupe to Kachemak Bay State Park, but the ranger station was closed. SPHP filled in the registry, and took a look at the posted map of the trail system.
Past the ranger station, a long stairway led down to a small clearing. Two big planks crossed a tiny stream, beyond which a trail disappeared up into the forest. Lupe followed this trail as it snaked higher through a thick jungle of ferns and bushes beneath a canopy of tall trees.
Five minutes out, suddenly a disturbance occurred in the forest not far from the trail. Lupe started running ahead to investigate, but SPHP called her back. Branches cracked, and bushes shook only 25 feet away, but nothing could be seen of the cause. A moose? More likely a bear.
Whatever it was, was so close to the trail that trying to get past it might be asking for trouble. As the cracking and shaking drew nearer, Lupe and SPHP backed quietly away. After several short retreats, Loopster couldn’t take it any more. The Carolina Dog whimpered softly.
Immediately a great commotion erupted. Violent cracking and shaking! Something big was fleeing! Lupe was tremendously excited, but didn’t budge. Ten seconds, and the jungle fell silent again. Carefully making sure the coast was clear, Lupe resumed her explorations along the trail.
A junction was just ahead. Lupe could go R to the official Halibut Cove Lagoon trailhead, which was different from, and a bit W of, the ranger station trailhead. The other option, and correct choice, was L on the China Poot Lake trail.
After following the China Poot Lake trail S for half an hour, Lupe came to a high point where a spur trail on the R went steeply down to the shore of First Lake. Why not? Would only take a few minutes. Lupe found lily pads floating on the still waters of a sheltered cove, but the spur trail didn’t go any farther.
By now, Lupe had gained 500 feet of elevation since leaving Halibut Cove Lagoon. The China Poot Lake trail leveled out as it crossed a broad ridge heading SSE. Nothing could be seen except the surrounding jungle. The trail was easy to follow, although tree roots made the pathway uneven.
Once Lupe made it across the broad ridge, the trail began switchbacking down a slope before turning E. For the first time since she had been aboard the Orca, Loopster started catching glimpses of Poot Peak. The mountain was still surprisingly far away.
After going E for a bit, the trail turned SE. Lupe soon came to a junction with the Moose Valley trail. The China Poot Lake trail turned SW (R) here, while the Moose Valley trail continued SE.
Loopster stuck with the China Poot Lake trail. She caught glimpses of Two Loon Lake off to the SE (L), before coming to several side trails, all of which went W (R). Ignoring the side trails, Loop crossed a bridge over a rushing stream, and then a second bridge over a dry wash.
When Lupe reached it, China Poot Lake was a bit of a disappointment. The American Dingo was heading S on the China Poot Lake trail only a few feet from the E shore, but trees and bushes still managed to prevent her from getting any clear views of the lake. Part of this section of the trail was slow going, too. Full of exposed roots, the trail made a series of small steep climbs and descents on an embankment crowding the shore.
11:10 AM – Shortly after the trail left China Poot Lake heading SE, Lupe arrived at a junction with the Poot Peak North trail. Checking the time, SPHP’s heart fell as a sudden realization began to sink in. The American Dingo’s attempt on Poot Peak (2,585 ft.) was almost certainly doomed to failure!
2.5 hours had already gone by. The Poot Peak North trail was supposed to take 3 to 4 hours round trip, plus an additional 1 to 2 hours on the Summit spur to reach the top of the mountain. That totaled 4 to 6 hours to summit and get back here, plus another 2.5 hours to return to Halibut Cove Lagoon. If those figures were right, Lupe wouldn’t be back ready for pickup until 6.5 to 8.5 hours from now, or 5:40 PM to 7:40 PM.
Scheduled pickup was 4:30 PM. The gal at Mako’s had said they might run 15 minutes late, but Loop would still be at least an hour later than that. Only yesterday Lupe had run out of time to complete all that she’d hoped to do up on the Alpine Ridge trail, and this situation was far worse. How could SPHP have let this happen? Why hadn’t the slightest attention been paid to how long it would take simply to get to Poot Peak before booking the water taxi?
Not a single valid excuse. Lupe wasn’t going to make up Poot Peak, and it was all SPHP’s fault.
Oh, Loopster! I’m so sorry!
Why, what’s wrong, SPHP?
I’m not used to these timed events. If I’d given it even 30 seconds thought I would have insisted on a pickup time 2 or 3 hours later, or just told Mako’s to forget it. I was so excited that a water taxi was available to get us over here right away this morning, that I didn’t stop to consider how long this was going to take. We can’t make it to Poot Peak. It’s already too late in the day. You’ve come all this way, but we’ll be forced to retreat before you stand any chance of reaching the summit.
So this is it? Do we have to turn around now?
No, not yet. We can probably go another hour and 20 minutes, and that’s pushing it. We will have only 3.5 hours to get back. I can’t believe it! Looks like we are going to spend all day running around in the jungle without ever seeing anything.
Oh, we still might see a T Rex. That would be something!
I’ll grant you that.
Well, enough of this standing around, SPHP! As the Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood, I have a reputation at stake here, even if you don’t. Faced with defeat, I can’t slink back tail between my legs. Let’s see how far we can get, unless you have a brighter idea.
SPHP didn’t, which was no great surprise. So once again, a race was on! The Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood took off leading the way along the Poot Peak North trail. Lupe had only gained 200 feet of net elevation so far, with another 2400 feet to go to get to the summit of Poot Peak. 5 hours and 20 minutes from right now, she was supposed to be back at Halibut Cove Lagoon.
An initial up and down section wasn’t that bad, but then the Poot Peak North trail started climbing steeply. Wet grass and bushes overhung the unmaintained route, although whether due to rain last night or a heavy dew was unclear. In practically no time, Lupe was drenched, and SPHP was soaked nearly to the waist. The trail seemed to be braided in some places. At times, SPHP wasn’t at all certain Loop was on the main route.
The Carolina Dog came to a long stretch where a series of chutes of slick mud and smooth rocks made it difficult for SPHP climb any higher. The chutes were separated by less troublesome sections, and often were only 10 or 12 feet high, but were still problematic. Yesterday Lupe had come to 4 ropes at treacherous spots on the Alpine Ridge trail. The Poot Peak North trail could have used 20 such ropes, but had none. However, by clinging to whatever was available, SPHP managed to creep up or bypass each chute without incident, though doing so chewed up time, and SPHP dreaded the return descent.
Beyond the last of the chutes, the trail finally leveled out to some extent, but was so overgrown that SPHP often wasn’t even able to see it. Each step forward was an act of faith. Meanwhile, however, the forest was starting to thin out. Parts of Poot Peak could sometimes be seen rising sharply hundreds of feet above.
At last, Lupe reached a meadow of tall grass, where the trail was almost flat. One more push higher up a steep scree slope beyond the meadow, and the American Dingo came to a junction. She had made it to the end of the Poot Peak North trail where it met up with the Poot Peak South trail. Loopster was only 0.25 mile N of Poot Peak (2,585 ft.)!
12:50 PM, Junction of the Poot Peak trails & Summit Route – The bad news was that only 1.1 miles on the Poot Peak North trail had taken SPHP an hour and 40 minutes. Only 10 minutes until it was time to turn around. This junction of the Poot Peak North and South trails was at a mere 1,800 feet of elevation. The glittering, glorious, soaring summit of Poot Peak loomed another 800 feet higher.
Sigh. Simply impossible!
At least this junction was above the forest on open ground. For the first time since entering the jungle, Lupe had some beautiful distant views. Back to the NW, parts of Halibut Cove Lagoon, China Poot Lake, Two Loon Lake and Kachemak Bay were all in sight. To the SE, Lupe could see the Wosnesenski Glacier amid high peaks and smaller snowfields.
Loop and SPHP took a short break while enjoying these first real views of the day. Lupe was far less despondent than SPHP. She’d been having a whale of a good time finding squirrels along the North Poot Peak trail while SPHP struggled with the slippery chutes.
To the S, the Summit spur trail wound up a very steep slope of bushes and scree. No way. 1:00 PM. Time to start back. 4 hours and 20 minutes elapsed since drop-off. Only 3.5 hours until pickup. Yet SPHP hesitated. Surely it would be possible to quicken the pace going back? Going down the Poot Peak North trail would be faster than going up, and Lupe hadn’t been in any big rush on the China Poot Lake trail on the way here. SPHP hadn’t realized how short of time she’d been from the very beginning.
800 feet higher, the Poot Peak summit was out of the question. In fact, there had been a good chance all along that Looper might never reach the top of the mountain. Rock climbing training was recommended for anyone attempting to go beyond a 2,100 foot ridge. SPHP had none. So it had always been likely that prudence would force SPHP to face defeat at some point, anyway.
Yet that 2,100 foot ridge, the recommended turnaround point for most people, was only 300 feet higher than where Lupe was right now. She could see it. The ridge was right there! An extra 300 feet might make a huge difference in the views. Not the same as pushing on to the summit by any means, but still a substantial improvement and worthy goal.
Really no time for this, but maybe Mako actually would run a bit late? If not, perhaps they would wait at least a little while, even if Lupe wasn’t back at the dock ready and waiting right on the dot?
So are we doing this or not, SPHP?
Yeah. Puppy, ho! Onward!
Going up the steep slope, SPHP clung to bushes. Loose scree clattered down, while Lupe easily powered higher. Above the bushes, SPHP had nothing much to hang on to, but the slope soon diminished. This wasn’t any worse than the Poot Peak North trail had been. Before long, the American Dingo was there!
The 2,100 foot N ridge was roomy. Brilliant, beautiful tundra flourished where Loop came up from the E. Rocky high points extended out toward the N. This was so worth it! An Alaskan wilderness panorama extended from the ocean at Kachemak Bay all the way around past the low jungle to snow-clad mountains and the Wosnesenski Glacier.
Only to the S were views blocked by a steep conical scree slope leading to the base of a ragged cap of solid rock atop Poot Peak’s summit ridge. Another 500 feet up! Didn’t look that far, but that capstone didn’t look that easy, either. Hard to tell from here how difficult it might really be.
No time to think about that. This was the end. A short stay, and Lupe would have to be on her way. Just look, look, look – drinking it all in!
1:45 PM, Poot Peak’s 2,100 foot N ridge – Egads! A paltry 2.75 hours to pick up time at Halibut Cove Lagoon. 20 glorious, precious minutes on the 2,100 foot ridge had shot by. A reluctant farewell, Poot Peak! Lupe and SPHP started down the Summit spur trail. The race was on again.
Well, sort of on. Lupe could run around practically anywhere, but SPHP had to exercise caution on the steep scree slope back to the Poot Peak North trail, and then again at the many treacherous, slick chutes going down that trail. It wasn’t until Lupe was past all the chutes to the up and down portion of the Poot Peak North trail that SPHP could consistently move at speed.
Suddenly, there was another cracking of branches and swaying of bushes off in the jungle to the L (SW). Again nothing was seen. Whatever the source, it was fleeing, and hadn’t been that close to the trail to begin with. Lupe and SPHP paid little attention, hastening on by.
3:25 PM, China Poot Lake trail – Going down the Poot Peak North trail hadn’t been as bad as SPHP feared, but had once again chewed up a ton of time, due to the caution required. Only an hour and 5 minutes left, and more than 3 miles to go! Hurry, hurry!
Progress was encouragingly faster on the China Poot Lake trail, until 15 minutes after leaving the Poot Peak North trail behind, Lupe suddenly dashed ahead intensely excited. Movement in the forest to the R of the trail! Very close by! Both Lupe and SPHP saw it. A black bear, only 20 feet away!
Remaining on the trail, the American Dingo barked aggressively. SPHP called her back. Loop came instantly, and was quiet. No great cracking of branches and swaying of bushes this time around. This bear did not flee. Retreating only a few feet deeper into the shady forest, the bear turned and peered back at Lupe and SPHP.
Was the bear merely curious? Feeling aggressive? Hungry? For 20 long seconds the staring went on both ways, a silent, motionless contest.
The bear decided to move off, but slowly, pausing every few seconds to check on Lupe. It was enough. Quietly, stealthily, Lupe and SPHP slunk away. Got by the bear! Hit it! The race against time resumed.
4:49 PM, Halibut Cove Lagoon – The ranger station was still closed as Lupe and SPHP rushed by. The dock was empty and quiet. 19 minutes late. No water taxi. No one at all. Completely relaxed, having a fun, mellow time, a lone sea otter played lazily in the incredibly blue, cold waters of Halibut Cove Lagoon.
For the second day in a row, nothing to do at the end of a failed race against time, but wait. No telling for how long, but the dock at Halibut Cove Lagoon was an awesome place to be. Lupe relaxed watching the sea otter paddle and play. A giant sea squirrel was just about the strangest thing ever!
Within 10 minutes, the drone of an engine could be heard. A boat was heading this way! The Orca? No. As the craft drew near, SPHP could see it was the considerably smaller Blue Too. The Blue Too pulled up alongside the dock, and a couple of passengers disembarked with all their gear. In smaller letters up on the side of the Blue Too’s cabin roof were the words SPHP was looking for – Mako’s Water Taxi.
The skipper soon asked if Lupe was waiting for pick up. Yes, indeed! Minutes later, Loop and SPHP were out in front of the cabin windows in the cool breeze, while the Blue Too sped across the smooth, sheltered waters of Halibut Cove Lagoon. The Carolina Dog was amazed to see whole flocks, herds, packs of the giant sea squirrels!
Before heading out to Kachemak Bay, the Blue Too stopped by the Saddle trailhead in Halibut Cove to pick up 4 more passengers. Out on the open sea, it was sunny with big clouds. The return voyage was delightful until one of the clouds decided to let loose with a downpour. The shower was brief, but effective. Lupe and SPHP got soaked. No worries. Loop dried off in the breeze before the Blue Too cruised into the Homer Spit harbor.
5:35 PM, Homer Spit – Upon disembarking from the Blue Too, Looper’s adventures in Kachemak Bay State Park were over. Neither the Alpine Ridge trail to see the Grewingk Glacier yesterday, nor Poot Peak today had gone exactly as planned, but both had been memorable days in the stunningly beautiful Alaskan wilderness.
Still sopping wet, SPHP drove Lupe over to the Marine Park at the start of the Homer Spit. Dinner in the G6 with that grand view of Kachemak Bay, followed by a stroll along the beach. On the far shore, Lupe could see Grace Ridge (3,136 ft.), site of her first ever adventure in Kachemak Bay State Park two years ago now.
After a change into dry duds for SPHP, Lupe left Homer at 8:05 PM. She made it to a deserted beach at Ninilchik in time to see the golden sun set between Iliamna Volcano (10,016 ft.) and Redoubt Volcano (10,197) beyond Cook Inlet.
In Soldotna, SPHP stopped at Safeway for fried chicken and orange juice. It was late and pitch black when Lupe reached Bottenintnin Lake for the night. (11:33 PM)
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Kachemak Bay State Park and Wilderness Brochure & Map
On the Alpine Ridge trail to see the Grewingk Glacier, Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (8-31-18)
Sailing the North Pacific Ocean to Grace Ridge, Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (8-26-16)
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