Touring Alaska's Prince of Wales Island
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Off-the-Grid and On the Road: Touring Alaska’s by Geoff Kirsch photos by Libby Sterling Prince of Wales Island When I first proposed taking a 10-day my saddle to the seat post — several times. you consider what road bicycle touring the island. Although much of that remains bike trip to Prince of Wales Island — a I’ve flipped canoes, kayaks, snowmobiles, entails in Southeast Alaska, an area noted unmapped, unnamed, and/or impassable, 2,600-square-mile hunk of wilderness in and somehow managed to fall overboard for its natural beauty and abundant wild- the system also serves the handful of towns Nuts & Bolts: Prince of Wales the Alaska Panhandle — my wife gave me tying a friend’s skiff to the pier. I once life — not to mention its near absence of that are home to island’s approximately one condition: as long as I promised not destroyed a ski boot in a way that made roads. Even in Juneau, our state capital, the 6,000 residents. When to go: Mid-May to mid-September. information at www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/ to die. the rental shop guy remark, “Wow, never road ends less than 40 miles out of town. In fact, as of 2010, the U.S. Department June and July tend to be driest, but weather recreation/recreation.shtml. Oh, and don’t If this sounds overly dramatic, let me of Transportation designated every road can be nasty — or great — at any time. let the bear talk scare you. Hunting has explain. between settlements on the island a National That’s part of the fun. ravaged the island’s ursine population. Just For one, I’m a novice cyclist. I only picked Morning broke cold and gray with Scenic Byway. As such, the “busiest” of these don’t keep food in your tent. up the hobby five years ago after moving — not counting logging trucks and construc- What to bring: Rain gear and non-cotton to Alaska from New York City. Before that, mist lifting off the trees as though the tion equipment, I saw maybe five passenger layers that retain warmth when wet. I wore Water: Despite the rain, water can be an everyone I knew who rode a bike told a vehicles a day — have been freshly graded neoprene kayaking gloves and booties, issue. Bring a filter that works in smaller, story about getting clipped by a taxicab, mountains were on fire. and paved. Eventually, they’re all slated to be. although Libby’s SealSkinz nylon gloves shallower streams — these tend to have creamed by a car door, or, in one particularly Anticipating this, recently retired state and socks proved far more watertight. Even fewer spawning/rotting salmon. gruesome incident, knocked comatose by a worker Karla Hart, as a volunteer in service to if you don’t bike in them, consider bringing delivery van’s side mirror. Call me crazy, but seen that before.” Until I did it again, two And yet, by cobbling together ferry America for local trail organization SEAtrails, a pair of rubber boots for glopping around Sag options: Hollis Adventure Rentals muskeg, forest, beaches, caves, etc. (www.harentals.com) rents vehicles, kayaks, that didn’t sound appealing. weeks later. routes, as well as sections of municipal set about compiling the first comprehensive motorized boats, and incredible array of Second, I wouldn’t characterize my Of course, in Alaska, any outdoor activ- roads, logging roads, and U.S. Forest guide to bicycle touring in Southeast Alaska. Route and maps: We used the map in the gear. Proprietor Darren Lamps has been physical condition as being “peak.” I’m ity involves significant potential for dan- Service routes, Southeast Alaska possesses In addition to maps, elevation profiles, attrac- Prince of Wales visitors’ guide (www.prince known to set, break, and move camp for a 2XL to begin with, even during the gym ger. Things here can go very wrong, very some incredible, unique, and nearly undis- tions, accommodations, and ferry schedules, ofwalescoc.org; you’ll find hard copies on clients. rat period of my early 20s. Add 10 years fast, especially when you’re talking about covered opportunities for touring. she also created several multi-day itineraries. the Inter-island Ferry). As of press time, Karla and I won’t say how many pounds, cour- bears and hypothermia. Preparedness goes Of these, Prince of Wales (POW), the The POW tour was her first. Not only hasn’t published her Southeast bicycle tour- Getting there: Take the inter-island ferry tesy of Alaska’s long, dark winters — a a long way, but luck plays a big part, too. fourth largest island in the U.S. (after would I have the fruit of Karla’s labors, I’d ing guide; track her progress at seatrails.org. to Hollis (www.interislandferry.com). Alaska seven-month period I call “nacho season.” So does stupidity — that’s why my wife Hawaii, Kodiak Island, and Puerto Rico), have her in person biking right alongside Airlines runs direct flights to Ketchikan from Plus, for the past few years, it’s also entailed was worried. represents the best. Most of Southeast (or often far ahead of) me. Born and raised Services: All available options are listed Seattle and Juneau. The Alaska Marine toting our toddler, an excellent excuse for I should probably also mention that I’d Alaska is vertical, with glacier-carved sum- in Juneau, she also proved adept at rig- in the visitors’ guide. Craig has the most Highway operates ferries to Ketchikan from slower paces, shortened distances, and fre- never been bicycle touring before. Sure, I’d mits rising straight out of the ocean. By ging campsite tarps. Without this expertise, restaurants, but Klawock boasts the color- most points in southeast Alaska, as well ful Klawock Diner (housed in an old school as Bellingham, Washington. Find schedule quent juice/pee-pee breaks. logged miles and trained daily (well, semi- contrast, POW boasts varied topography our third companion, photographer Libby bus) and the largest grocery store. Find and fare info at www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Then there’s my contentious relation- daily) in preparation, making sure to go — gentle slopes and alpine meadows, in Sterling, and I would have been sunk — lit- US Forest Service cabin and campground index.shtml. ship with gear. During the past half- out in particularly nasty weather. But as I’d addition to the usual steep, dense forests erally. decade, I’ve lost oars, splintered trekking soon learn, there’s a big difference between and narrow, crannied shorelines. Moreover, poles, and snapped the bolt that affixes practice and the real thing, especially when nearly 2,800 miles of roadway crisscross 30 ADVENTURE CYCLIST MARCH 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG ADVENTURE CYCLIST MARCH 2011 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 31 Which brings me to the harshest real- like taking a cruise operated by New Jersey butchering Red Hot Chili Peppers songs; a hard to do. In addition to regular rainfall, ity of cycling in Southeast Alaska — rain. Transit. Accommodations exist, but they’re kid and his grandfather on a “bucket list” summer temperatures on POW range from The entire region comprises Earth’s largest hardly luxurious. On our ship, the M/V trip; a group of middle-aged Harley riders the mid-40s to the mid-80s, which means remaining temperate rain forest. Prince of Matanuska, we could have reserved a three- who couldn’t believe we had fun without toting many layers and second set of every- Wales receives 120 inches of rainfall annu- berth cabin with private bath for about $100 “burning dinosaurs;” and a British cyclist thing I couldn’t get on Prince of Wales. ally. That’s 100 inches more than the state (in addition to the passenger fare). Like duti- in the midst of riding solo from Fairbanks Like bike seat bolts, for instance. average and almost twice that of Astoria, to Argentina, who claimed to be afraid It was day three of my POW bicycle tour Oregon, the third wettest city in the U.S. of camping in undeveloped campgrounds and I hadn’t even made it to the island. In Essentially, I was outfitted as a kayaker because of bears. We hadn’t the heart to fact, I’d barely even bicycled at all. With with neoprene booties, neoprene gloves, tell him that bears lurk around developed 150 miles of pedaling ahead of me, includ- and dry bags. So inclement was the weather campgrounds, too. ing a mountain pass Karla said her Honda at certain points, I had to wear ski goggles. While you’ve got to love a bike tour struggled to summit, I seriously considered As for bicycle equipment, Karla took a whose first leg includes beer, fries, and bagging the whole thing. road bike with thin tires, front and rear halibut burgers — be careful. Eventually, But just as the clouds settled over my panniers; Libby opted for a mountain bike you arrive in Ketchikan, where it will mood, the sun came out briefly, and I with mid-width tires and rear panniers probably be raining, and getting dark. found myself before a public street map of only; and I rocked my usual rig — moun- The eight-mile ride to Ward Lake Three C’s Bambi? If Sitka deer are all you see on POW, you might consider yourself lucky. Ketchikan with the inscription: “There’s no E tain bike, fat tires, and, to tote the gear, my Campground would have provided a rude N such thing as can’t.” REE daughter’s trailer. awakening even if I hadn’t been groggy Y G took two days and three people to fix it.