Yukon & South East Alaska 2016 in a nutshell

OUR TRAVEL MAP (2015 and 2016 combined - click to enlarge)

In Blue
2015 - Southcentral & Interior Alaska: 
Anchorage - Fairbanks - Glennallen - McCarthy - Valdez - Kenai
2016 - Yukon & South East Alaska: 
Whitehorse - Dawson City - Arctic Circle - Tok - Kluane - Haines - Atlin
In Red
Our main highlights (again, this is very subjective as there are no such things as well defined highlights in this part of the world)

YUKON & SOUTH EAST ALASKA 2016 IN A FEW NUMBERS:

• Trip duration: 15 days
• Flight time: ~13 hours with lay over in Vancouver (Air Canada)
• Total distance: 3,800 KM 
• Avg. speed on Dempster Highway 50 km/h, 80 km/h otherwise.
• Weather in August (end of the season): sunny most of the day (8) one/two showers (4 days), rainy (3)
• Max temp: 27 C (ironically, in Arctic Circle).
• Min temp: 9 C (Skagway).
• Average temp: 17-18 C during the day.
• Notable wildlife: Grizzli bears, Bald Eagles, Porcupine, Ptarmigan. Similar to last year, there's been hardly any mosquitoes (snow melted pretty quickly this year followed by a dry season)
• Some recommended activities: cycling (Inn on the Lake provides  bicycles), rafting (Dominika and I did an entire day ie. 8 hours raft on the Tatshenshini river) or canoeing, hiking (over 60 kms for us this time mainly in Kluane and Tombstone areas).

COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE YUKON AND ALASKA

Alaska or Yukon? The short answer is, both.

Alaska remains in our opinion the state with the most spectacular landscapes (the variety is definitely a factor since Yukon does not have access to the Gulf of Alaska (south coast). However, the Yukon Territory is even less crowded with a density of 0.1 person per km sq. (vs 0.5 person per km sq. in Alaska) and much wilder. Yukon is roughly twice the size of the United Kingdom for a total of 37,000 inhabitants (two thirds of which live in one city!). Yukon is traveler-friendly. Towns, however small, are equipped with great information centers despite the fact that hardly anyone visits them (eg. Haines Junction). Ferries are free of charge, guided hikes provided by First Nations (even for two or four travelers that end up being there on a given day) in very remote areas are paid by the local authorities. It's difficult to see how this could economically make sense but we loved it :) 

Infrastructure in the Yukon
Whilst travelling in the Yukon is exceptional, be prepared. You won't find much infrastructure. Two days after we left the Dempster Highway the road was washed out and people had to be rescued by helicopter a couple of days later (with the nearest food/gas station hundreds of kms away). That said, Tombstone / the Arctic Circle are definitely worth the risk of venturing north. 
Book BnBs months in advance (especially if you want to experience some luxury in the middle of nowhere - we provide some useful links below). Note, that you can always cancel up to a week before travelling. For hikes and rafting it's worth getting in touch with the organizers (if any) weeks ahead given that you really only find one or two service providers in the region. 
Renting a car is not a click away. We would recommend Driving Force but you need to call them and book months in advance. Most cars are not available at Whitehorse airport. 

What to avoid
Reportedly, there are some 1.5m tourists coming to Alaska each year. After taking the mandatory ferry from Haines to Skagway (no land connection) we now have a better idea where you can find them (or rather how to avoid them). Ferries loaded with thousands of people are a no-go if you're looking for the real Alaskan/Yukon wilderness as is part of the Denali Park that is quickly becoming another Yellowstone/Grand Canyon destination (mentioned in last year's blog posts). Thankfully, outside of those areas most of the land remains unspoiled.

Gastronomy
Closer to Whitehorse, you can treat yourself to some great local cuisine including the Tagish Restaurant with probably the best halibut burgers in North America, exceptional dinners at the Inn on the Lake Lodge (Kate and William - avid readers of this blog will also be staying here in October) or imaginative breakfasts at the Hidden Valley BnB. 

BUDGETING A TRIP TO THE YUKON/SE ALASKA

• FX assumptions  (1 CAD = 0.56 GBP as at Aug 2016, 1 USD = 0.76 GBP).
• Avg accommodation cost: BnB / Lodge - 120 CAD per night.
• Avg fuel cost: Canada: Unleaded 87 - 1.25 CAD / L. Alaska: 2.75 USD / Gallon
• Toll roads: none. Haines to Skagway ferry costs 110 USD (book in advance)
• Mealprice range: 15-30 CAD.
• Flight cost: 1150 GBP per person
• SUV rental price (GMC Terrain): 1,950 CAD for 15 days with Driving Force. Fully insured (200 km daily threshold - breached! 0.2 CAD per km afterwards). Worth noting that this is the only company that covers the Dempster Highway. 

Recommended BnBs:
Around Whitehorse: Inn on the Lake, Hidden Valley
Dawson City: Peggy's Bombay
Kluane: Mount Logan Lodge

Click here for our 2015 Southcentral & Interior Alaska summary post.

Nightmarish Skagway and Heavenly Marsh Lake

Ferry trip from  Haines to Skagway was a nightmare. Too many tourists, a monster of a ferry which seemed to be polluting the gorgeous landscape and destroying it slowly and painfully every second, with every laboured moved and Skagway itself- a tiny town which could be gorgeous but with four cruiseships ( one sailing from the Caribbean)  and thousands of tourists pouring out of it every morning and then deserting the town ( turning it into a ghosttown) in the evening it made us miss tiny, quirky and homely Haines Junction even more.( okay, it made me miss it enormously. We absolutely adored Haines Junction).

We did do a lovely hike around Skagway the next day. The rocks with pine trees and vicious sea battling its way towards the lagoon  made it absolutely spectacular. On our way back we went off the trail which provided us with  an additional bit of exercise ( more rock climbing).

Afterwards, we crossed the US-Canadian border  once more ( and sadly last time this year) and we were amazed by the beauty of the landscape. Naively, after Top of The World Highway  and all of the Alaskan  landscapes as well as Kluane National  Park, we thought  there is only this much variety one can get, yet the beauty of the mountains with hidden turquoise  ponds stunned us.

We've been spending the  last two days in a gorgeous lodge at Marsh Lake cycling and driving around the area, nearly running over cute porcupines, playing snooker and getting ridiculously  drunk  on amazing South African brandy provided by a lovely British lady that lives with her husband ( from South  Africa) in Toronto. We've also been talking to them for hours about travelling, South Africa and living in Canada. Dolce Vita.

Podroz promem z Haines do Skagway byla  koszmarem. Prom przypominal potwora, na pokladzie znajdowalo sie z tysiac turystow, a kazda sekunda przeprawy zdawala sie zatruwac srodowisko. Co wiecej, samo Skagway, ktore mogloby byc uroczym, milutkim miasteczkiem, zamienia sie w horror wraz z poranna fala turystow ze statkow ( a stalo ich tam cztery- jeden przyplynal az x Karaibow, kazdy mial co najmniej  7 pieter) a potem  w miasto duchow, jak turysci wracaja na kolacje na statku.
Wszystko to sprawilo, iz zatesknilismy sie za nasza malutka, ukochana dziurka- Haines Junction  ( a szczegolnie ja za nia zatesknilam, uwielbiam Haines Junction).

Mimo wszystko udalo nam sie zrobic  mily hike wokol Skagway. Skalki, morze wpadajace do zatoki oraz lasy porosniete mchem byly cudowne. Co wiecej, dzieki temu, iz zgubilismy droge powrotna, mielismy wiecej sportu i dawke wspinania sie po skalkach.

Po hike'u po raz kolejny i niestety ostatni w tym roku przekroczylismy amerykansko-kanadyjska granice. Po Top of The World Highway, Alaskowych widokach i Kluane National  Park myslelismy, iz zaden widok nas juz nie zaskoczy. Bylismy jednak w bledzie- przepiekne gory skrywajace male turkusowe jeziorka i unoszaca sie nad tym wszystkim mgla sprawily, iz na nowo bylismy oszolomieni pieknem tego regionu.

Ostatnie dwa dni spedzamy nad jeziorem Marsh w pieknej lodge. Jezdzimy na rowerach, wybieramy sie na wyprawy samochodem, prawie przejezdzamy sliczne jezowate ( po ang. Porcupine) zwierzatka wpadajace na ulice i upijamy sie na wspanialym poludniowoafrykanskim brandy, ktorym raczy nas przemila Brytyjka mieszkajaca z mezem ( z RPA) w Toronto ( zostalismy zreszta do nich zaproszeni!).Rozmawiamy z nimi takze godzinami o podrozach i RPA oraz Kanadzie.Dolce vita.

South-eastern Alaska and another bear family

Chilkoot Lake  is a  well-known  bearspotting area, so before boarding the ferry to Skagway, we decided to drive there.
The lake surrounded by  lush green trees with tall pines, joyfully jumping salmons in the nearby rivers as well as bald eagles cricling above it  looked absolutely stunning. The image was not even spoilt by  fishermen trying to catch their prey. On the contrary, it made the whole scene  more vivid.
Considering the abundance of salmon, we were not even  surprised when after half an hour of driving and taking short walks, we did see a beautiful  grizzly family.

Once again, just like on Dempster Highway, it was a mother with her cubs. During one of the hikes we were told  that the cubs stay with their mum until they're at least two. And only then can she get pregnant again. Considering the fact that bears rarely live longer than 25 years and can't  get pregnant until they are 7-8, it is not surprising  that they do not have a lot of offspring and one should definitely  understand  their protective behaviour when anyone endangers the cubs.  Here, just as a tiny digression,  I have to write about a 'Vicious Moose Mama', a story as told by our guide on Auriol Trail.

Apparently, a dead grizzly bear was found few months ago near Kathleen lake. Autopsy ( yes, autopsy! All dead animals are swiftly removed if they are found in the vicinity  of the trails so as not to attract more bears and moose and create a potential danger for the humans) revealed that the bear received a fatal blow to its head. On further inquiry, it became clear that it had a baby moose in its stomach. Bittersweet must have been the revenge  of the grief-stricken  moose mother!

The bears we saw were gorgeous. One had a half-consumed salmon between its teeth and two others were playing with each other, paying no attention whatsoever to amazed humans. ( this is dangerous, as the bears should not feel too comfortable in human presence, because that's  when they start  to compete with humans for their food and become a real threat. When this happens, sometimes bears must be shot to avoid potentially lethal danger ( that's  what had to be done in 2008, horrible.)
Now we are on the ferry to Skagway ( or shall I say, we will be on out way once the ferry leaves the harbour. We've been waiting for 4 hours  now. The ferry, however runs only three times per week, so I guess  no point in complaining!)

Jezioro Chilkoot jest znane jako swietne  miejsce do obserwacji misiow, zatem przed wejsciem na prom plynacy do Skagway postanowilismy sie tam udac.
Jezioro otoczone bujnym, zielonym lasem z wesolo skaczacymi lososiami w pobliskich rzekach oraz orlami majestatycznie krazacymi nad nami stanowilo cudowny widok. Nawet rybacy nie odejmowali uroku temu slicznemu miejscu. Biorac pod uwage bogactwo lososia w okolicy, nie bylismy nawet zdziwieni, gdy po pol godziny jazdy i krotkich spacerach, ujrzelismy kolejna rodzinke  misiow.

Tak samo jak na Dempster Highway, byla to mama z dwojka dzieci. Podczas jednego z hike'ow powiedziano nam, ze misie zostaja z mama do drugiego roku zycia i dopiero wtedy misiowa mama moze znowu zajsc w ciaze. Nikogo zatem nie dziwi chyba to, jak zaciekle misie bronia swojego potomstwa ( tym bardziej, iz nie zyja one zazwyczaj dluzej niz 25 lat, nie moga zajsc w ciaze zanim nie skoncza 7-8 lat wiec nie moga miec za duzo dzieci)
W tym miejscu nalezy przytoczyc historie o 'Wscieklej Losiowej Mamie', tak jak zostala nam opowiedziana w trakcie hike'u na Auriol trail.
Otoz kilka miesiecy temu znaleziono martwego niedzwiedzia przy jeziorze Kathleen. Autopsja ( tak, autopsja! Kazde martwe zwierze znalezione w poblizu szlakow jest usuwane, by nie przyciagac innych drapieznikow i nie stanowic zagrozenia dla ludzi) wykazala, ze niedzwiedz zginal od uderzenia w glowe, a dalsze dochodzenie ujawnilo, iz w zoladku znajdowal sie maly los. Jakze gorzko-slodko musiala smakowac losiowa zemsta!

Misie, ktore zobaczylismy byly przepiekne. Jeden niosl w pysku lososia, a dwa pozostale wesolo sie bawily, nie zwracajac uwagi na ludzi.( jest to bardzo niebezpieczne, gdyz gdy niedzwiedzie przyzwyczaja sie do ludzkiej obecnosci, zaczynaja konkurowac z nami o jedzenie  i staja sie prawdziwym zagrozeniem. W 2008 roku doprowadzilo to do koniecznosci zastrzelenia 2 misiow. Koszmar.)
Teraz jestesmy na promie do Skagway ( a raczej bedziemy, jesli w koncu ruszymy. Stoimy tu juz od 4 godzin. Jednalze biorac pod uwage fakt, ze prom kursuje tylko trzy razy w tygodniu nie ma co narzekac!)

Hiking, midnight parties at the lodge and whitewater rafting

After doing the hike around  Kathleen Lake, we decided to try a longer one (18 kilometers) and chose the Auriol Trail, which was one of the first trails to be created after the establishment of Kluane National Park in 1970s. The hike was gorgeous- it led us through the lush forest into sub-alpine and alpine territories and dense bush, where our guide had to yell from time to time to scare the bears away.  Along the way we saw small, clear-watered ponds, which are frequently visited by moose. Again, there were signs of bear activity almost everywhere, be it on the trees, which they use to rub against to mark the territory as theirs or in their berry-filled poohs. 

We thought the day couldn't get better but it did in the evening. Our lodge filled with new visitors from Switzerland and Canada as well as few friends of our host and all of us shared some funny stories and great Scottish whiskey. The laughter kept getting more intense as the level of the whiskey in the bottle gradually went down. Even the beautiful malamute seemed to have been enjoying herself and her joyful barking mixed in with our laughter  resonating within the wooden walls.

Today we did whitewater rafting on  Tatshenshini river. (grade 3/4) It was a lot of fun and we saw many eagles but by the end of  it it did get really cold.

Right now we are in Haines, Alaska. It's a beautiful port town with great halibut steaks (according to Raph) and even though we've just arrived here, we have already encountered what the residents of Yukon call the 'colourful 25 % '(meaning nicely weird people at best, really creepy  at worst). To illustrate the former category, I will give an example of a conversation overheard in a tiny shop called 'Nature':

The owner of the shop was telling the visitor a story of a young woman who had died prematurely in that house  and 'she's been haunting it ever since'. That sentence did not sound 'too colourful' (yet). But then the owner added:' I've never seen her myself but I do rather believe ghosts live in the furniture. So we should be aware of them'. And the woman, instead of laughing at this, somewhat interesting, concept, replied in all solemnity: 'Oh please, don't scare me. I've had too many serious (!) ghost encounters! I don't need any more of them'.

Alaska is truly fascinating...

Po udanym hike'u wzdlug jeziora Kathleen, wybralismy sie na dluzszy, tym razem 18kilometrowy, szlakiem Auriola. Szlak ten zostal utworzony jako jeden z pierwszych, wraz z zalozeniem Parku Narodowego Kluane w latach siedemdziesiatych.

Hike byl piekny- sciezka wila sie przez bujne lasy az do podalpejskich regionow i w alpejskie terytoria pokryte borowkami i gestymi krzakami. (w pewnym momencie krzaki byly tak geste, ze widocznosc zostala ograniczona do tego stopnia, iz przewodnik musial co chwila wykrzykiwac ' Hej misiu, misiu!', zeby odstraszyc mogace grasowac w okolicy niedzwiedzie. Po drodze widzielismy takze malutkie jeziorka, o krystalicznie czystej wodzie, ktore sa podobno czesto odwiedzane przez losie z mlodymi.

Tak jak poprzedniego dnia, na szlaku widzielismy wiele znakow swiadczacych o tym, ze w okolicy grasuja misie- od futra zostawionego na drzewach, o ktroe niedzwiedzie sie ocieraja, zeby zaznaczyc swoje terytorium, az po wypelnione jagodami misiowe odchody.

Myslelismy, ze dzien ten nie mogl juz byc lepszy ale w naszej lodzy czekala nas mila niespodzianka. Lodza nagle wypelnila sie goscmi ze Szwajcarii i Kanady oraz przyjaciolmi naszymi gospodarza. Spedzilismy z nimi wspanialy wieczor dzielac sie zabawnymi opowiesciami i dobra Szkocka whisky. Smiech stawal sie coraz glosniejszy w miare jak whisky ubywalo. Do naszej zabawy dolaczyl sie nawet przepiekny malamut, ktorego wesole szczekanie zmieszalo sie z naszym smiechem.

Dzis, zrobilismy whitewater rafting na rzece Tatshenshini (British Columbia). Niektore spadki osiagaly stopien 3, a nawet 4. Bawilismy sie swietnie mimo, iz sply trwal troche za dlugo i pod koniec bylo juz naprawde strasznie zimno. ( na zewnatrz 10 stopni, deszcze i wiatr). Tak, jak w zeszlym roku w Kenai, w tym tez zaobserwowalismy duzo orlow.

Pare godzin temu dotralismy do miasteczka Haines, ktore znajduje sie na Alasce. To portowe miasteczko jest bardzo urodziwe i wedlug Rafcia steki z halibuta sa naprawde wysmienite. Co wiecej, mimo, iz jestesmy tu niespelna piec godzin, juz udalo nam sie spotkac kilka osob reprezentujacych 'kolorowe dwadziescia piec procent' (czyli mile szurnietych ludzi w najlepszym wypadku lub totalnych swirow, ktorych nalezy omijac z daleka w najgorszym). Zeby zaobrazowac ta pierwsza kategorie, przytocze rozmowe, ktora uslyszelismy, jak weszlismy do sklepu 'Natura' z lokalnymi wyrobami.  Wlasciciel sklepiku opowiadal klientce, jak to w jego domu #przedwczesnie zmarla mloda kobieta i od tego czasu, od 25 lat, podobno nawiedza jego dom.' Myslelismy, iz zartuje ale on za chwile dodal: 'Jednak ja jej nigdy nie spotkalem, wiec chyba poszla. Natomiast wierze, ze duchy mieszkaja w meblach'. Jak to uslyszelismy, bylismy pewni, iz klientka parsknie smiechem lub chociaz spojrzy na wlasciciela z niedowierzaniem, jednak ona odparla: 'Prosze mnie nie straszyc! Ja juz dosc duchow w swoim zyciu widzialam i nie byly to przyjemne spotkania!' 

Alaska to jednak fascynujace miejsce....

Top of The World, Chicken (i.e. Alaska we missed you!), Kluane and hikes

We left the city that still revolves around gold rush and took the Top of The World Highway to Tok,Alaska. On our way we felt like James Bond in Skyfall in the scene where he drives through vast, wild Scottish Highlands. We were surrounded by golden hills and purple heathers, already preparing themselves to stun a passerby with their delicate charm  during autumn.
The road leading through probably least frequented American border in the world with only 80-90 cars crossing it every day (and the one furthest north) led us to the place I already wanted to go a year ago: a town named Chicken.(use of the word "town" is me being generous here). Aparently the first residents of Chicken were gold miners who arrived there in late 1900s. The name Ptarmigan was suggested as the name of the new community, because of the prevalence of ptarmigans in the area, however the miners kept arguing about the spelling of 'ptarmigan' and hence, to avoid embarassement, they chose a word all of them new well: 'Chicken'. According to the most trustworthy (and yes, I'm not ashamed to admit it: my favourite) source of all knowledge, namely Wikipedia, the population of Chicken is 7 (SEVEN!).


We arrived in Tok by evening but it was nice to be back in Alaska. We felt as if Alaska was welcoming us. The sun even started to shine(so the sun does NOT only shine on TV) once we've crossed the border and we had a lovely picnic( with a pinch of adrenaline added to spice it up: was there a bear nearby?) on the edge of a remote stream.

The next day we drove to Kluane National Park (we were back in Canada). On our way we saw Destruction Bay. The surrounding acres of fallen trees and incredibly strong wind blowing in the bay added new meaning to the name of this community.
Our host  in Kluane National Park is incredibly nice and the welcome we received was very warm. It turned out he is a Britophile and even has a British flag in the living room of our lodge. He told us some interesting stories about himself (he used to be a pilot) and about bear attacks (there is a stuffed bear in the living room- perfect for a vegan, which he killed himself when the bear tore down the door and tried to attack him in his bedroom)

Today we went on a hike near Kathleen Lake, the beautiful waters of which are treacherous: they seem to be inviting to swim in them or at least brave them with a paddle boat but apparently the temperature of the water never rises above 4 degrees and the lake is 100 meteres deep, so anyone unlucky enough to fall overboard would have no chances of surviving. Furthermore, the wind can get very strong and the weather is unpredictable and capricious. When we set off, there was barely any wind at all but once we got to the first avalanche slope  (5 kilometres away), the wind reached the speed of  60 kilometres per hour. This is extremely dangerous in 'dead parts' of the forests, where trees might just slide down and kill any hikers looking for adventures.
We saw many signs of bears (such as fur left on the trees, claws signs and even urine on our path) but no bear itself. (which is perhaps rather fortunate).

We also learnt something interesting about squirrels: apparently they not only know which mushrooms  are edible and which are poisonous but they also dry them out on the trees to keep the mould away. We did see a champignon on one of the branches  of the tree later that day.
Tomorrow we're off for a full day hike (longer than 8 hours).

Opuscilismy miasto, ktore wciaz zyje goraczka zlota i wybralismy sie na autostrade o nazwie 'Szczyt Swiata'. Jadac nia czulismy sie jak James Bond w Skyfall w scenie, w ktorej przejezdza przez szkockie Highlands. Wokol nas roztaczaly sie zlote gory oraz fioletowe wrzosy, ktore juz przywdzialy swoja jesienna szate, aby niebawem zauroczyc przechodniow.
Po przekroczeniu najdalszej na polnoc granicy Stanow Zjednoczonych (I chyba najmniej uczeszczanej- srednio przejezdza tam 80 samochodow dziennie) znalezlismy sie w miasteczku (slowo 'miasteczko' jest tu uzyte z doza szczodrosci) o uroczej nazwie Kurczak. (juz w zeszlym roku chcialam tam pojechac, jak tylko dowiedzialam sie, ze takie miejsce istnieje). Z nazwa miasteczka (a raczej osady- wedlug mojego ulubionego zrodla czyli Wikipedii cala populacja wynosi 7 osob)wiaze sie ciekawa historia. Osada zostala zalozona w latach 1900etnych, kiedy dotarli tam gornicy w poszukiwaniu zlota. Osada miala nazywac sie 'kuropatwa' ze wzgledu na to, ze jest to narodowy ptak Alaski i bardzo powszechnie wystepuje w tamtym rejonie. Jednak gornicy nie mogli dojsc do porozumienia co do pisowni 'kuropatwa'( partridge), wiec zeby uniknac wstydu wybrali nazwe, ktora wszyscy znali: Kurczak.( Chicken).

W Toku znalezlismy sie dopiero wieczorem ale czulismy sie tak, jak gdyby Alaska nas witala z powrotem. Nawet  zaczelo swiecic slonce, ktore akyuat tego dnia zaszlo po kanadyjskiej stronie. Zrobilismy sobie takze uroczy piknik z lekka doza adrenaliny ( czy aby w poblizu nie ma misia) przy slicznym dzikim strumyku.

Nastepnego dnia pojechalismy do Kluane National Park. Po drodze minelismy Destruction Bay, ktora zasluguje na swoja nazwe z calymi hektarami polamanych drzew i bardzo silnym wiatrem.

Nasz gospodarz w Kluane jest przemily i okazalo sie, ze jest Brytofilem. Opowiedzial nam wiele ciekawych historii o swoim zyciu ( byl pilotem) i zwierzetach np. O niedzwiedziu ktory stoi teraz wypchany w salonie naszej lodgy, a zostal zabity przez naszego gospodarza, gdy wdarl sie w nocy do jego domu wylamujac w ciagu 2 minut drzwi.

Dzis wybralismy sie na hike wzdlug Kathleen Lake. Jezioro to zacheca pieknym kolorem wody, jednakze jest bardzo zdradzieckie. Biada temu, kto wypadnie z lodki! Temperatura nigdy nie przekracza 4 stopni Celsjusza, a jezioro ma ponad 100 metrow glebokosci.Co wiecej, w zatoce wieje bardzo silny wiatr, a pogoda jest kaprysna i nieprzewidywalna. Jak wyruszalismy, nie bylo sladu wiatru, a gdy dotarlismy do pierwszego stoku lawinowego wiatr osiagal predkosc 60 kilometrow na godzine. Jest to szczegolnie niebezpieczne w 'martwych czesciach' lasu, gdzie drzewa moga nagle runac na kogos, kto wybral sie na hike.

Po drodze  widzielismy  wiele znakow swiadczacych o obecnosci  misi ( futro na drzewach, slady pazurow na korze a nawet mocz na sciezce) ale ( moze na szczescie) ich nigdzie nie bylo widac.

Dowiedzielismy sie takze ciekawego faktu z zycia wiewiorek. Podobno te inteligentne zwierzatka nie tylko potrafia odroznic grzyby jadalne od niejadalanych, ale takze susza je na drzewach by zapobiec ich zwilgotnieniu. Podczas hike'u widzielismy wlasnie taka zasuszona wiewiorcza pieczarke na sosnie.

Jutro czeka nas kolejny hike, tym razem ponad 8 godzinny.