Campfire Stories 9.6.10

This was one of the most beautiful evenings of our trip, but I think it had the most bugs. I was even so desparate as to put bug spray on. Tonight's dinner was grilled (over the campfire) pork chops. YUM!


This photo reminds me of something you would see in a REI advertisement.

There weren't too many nearby bushes or trees, so we had to walk a ways to have some privacy. This is the beach that I found what I call 'my poop stick'. *blushing* Hey, it's part of life, right? Dave and Paula had this cool little shovel to get the job done. I just happened to find the perfect stick. I actually still have it. Quent teases me about it. And can I go a bit further to say that it wasn't so bad 'going in the woods'? Ok, was that too much information? Ahem...

Light up the sky 9.7.10

Quent slept outside of the tent this night. He mentioned there was a heavy dew. He got up in the wee hours of the night to capture this green, glowing aurora sky.

One who lives in Ketchikan (or anywhere in Southeast Alaska for that matter) forgets there are stars. And you really forget that there's the Milky Way. I'm glad we were reminded on this trip. Breathtaking!

Good morning, sunshine! 9.7.10

There were reports of seeing a bear swimming toward our camp this particular morning, but once it got a sniff of us it turned back. I'm glad it didn't think we smelled like a nice meal.

Kate's Needle made it's presence known in a beautiful way this morning.

Leaving Camp 9.7.10

Blue sky! Beautiful day here we come!

From left to right: Dan, Kim, Britta (squatting down), Steve, Paula, Dave, Christina, Quent, Sarah (and of course the dogs, Molly and Bell)
Our group photo. It looks like someone should be standing between Steve and Paula. Maybe that is you, dear reader?

Beautiful Day 9.7.10

I love this photo of Sarah standing up in her kayak below Kate's Needle giving two thumbs up!

Peaceful habitation 9.7.10

This day was gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! It was a nice relaxing day, too! The sun felt so good! The water was calm and inviting! I could go on and on...


Here is Kim in his kayak. This is one of my favorite photos Quent took on the trip.

Crystal Clear with a chance of MUD 9.7.10

Dave showed us the beloved clear waters in a slough that led us to some SWEET warm springs. Does one crave a nice warm bath or shower on such a trip? You betcha! Oh, and how I loved seeing the beautiful clear water flowing through this slough. How I wished the Stikine wasn't so silty so we could see into the water. A few of us found our way through this windy slough, until the water felt warm. We got out, dipped our feet into the warmth. Kim let us borrow his shampoo. Let me tell you, it felt wonderful to wash my hair! Ha! The water was so beautiful. So warm. It was this beautiful natural setting. I want to go back. In fact, this one single slough has created a desire in me to paddle somewhere that has clear water...and that's warm. Like maybe Hawaii? *cough*

After we were partially clean, we weaved our way back to the river and followed the rest of the group over some small rapids to our next camping spot across from the Great Glacier.

This 'mud' was perfect for stomping on. Quent got pretty deep! You gotta love those Xtratufs!

Enchanted Forest 9.7.10

Dave transported us to the other side of the river in two trips. During the first trip something happened with the props on the boat. He wasn't too pleased. It wasn't as deep as it appeared (not that you can see anything in that silty water). Once we were back together we started our short hike through the woods to, which I like to call The Enchanted Forest. It was beautiful! We were on our way to see the Great Glacier.

Shaving 9.7.10

After we came back to camp Steve asked if I had a mirror he could borrow. He said he couldn't stand it anymore and needed to shave. It was quite humorous...

I think a bug bit him or something. That's why he's making such a face. Britta liked this photo and threatened to put it as her desktop picture on her computer. I really enjoyed getting to know Steve on this trip. He has so much energy and is young at heart!

Here is Britta scooping up some spaghetti with ground venison. I think it was the best spaghetti I've ever had. Quent thinks that everything tastes better when you are camping though. (I still think it was the best). We were so spoiled on this trip. Again, the food was the best I've ever had on a camping trip! (Thank you Dave! Where would we have been without 'the pig'?)

It was a beautiful starry night. I was in awe! We weren't in cloudy Ketchikan anymore.

Border House 9.8.10

We stopped at the border house to eat lunch. For some reason the bugs were bad on the beach, but not near the house. One of the Canadian fishermen came to visit with us and he said that the bugs had just hatched a few days before. He said they hadn't seen bugs like that since July. Lucky us!

Back in the USA 9.8.10

It wasn't long after we left the border house that we saw the border. It was a sight to see and we all felt like proud Americans. There's just something about coming back to our home land that brings this excitement!

See the line on the mountain? That's the border separating the United States and Canada.

The weather was beautiful! It was turning into a pretty afternoon!