I drove to town to let the dogs walk around the .3-mile overlook trail that starts at the convention center. Nice views of town and the harbor can be seen from here. Then I walked on around the small boat harbor and walked around while I kept the dogs in the van. People were just now starting to walk around. Several ships captain were longing for business.
I logged in 1.6-miles around the small town, finding a decent coffee shop with the Latte Duh before heading out across the bay for the Solomon Lake trail, with a brief stop at the fish hatchery and Solomon Gulch. Here is where the March 1964 earthquake, still the strongest earthquake in US history, took its worst toll. The old town site was completely destroyed. Anyone wanting to stay in Valdez was encouraged to move five miles down the sound to the town's current location.
This side of the bay, with the hydroelectric plant and fish hatchery is a more remote part of the bay, with a view back at the sound and Valdez. The trail to the lake is another half mile on Dayville road, just before it ends for public use and the secure oil storage tanks come into view. I spotted a juvenile eagle in a tree before it, too, flew off.
The Solomon Lake trail is entirely on a maintenance owned by the nearby hydroelectric company and isn't all that scenic until one gets to the lake. Small water falls and fern-covered hillsides make up the scenery until one gets to the lake. The lake water was calm. We were the only ones at the lake. I was cautious of bears since the town has the Bear Aware signs posted everywhere. I spotted two mother ptarmigans with chicks on my walk to the lake. One chick chirped in fear near me. It had gotten caught in a crevice on the wooden bridge but was hidden from view. It let me free it. It was lucky it didn't fall to its death below!
It was foggy so the peaks were all shrouded and the view back to the lake was minimal. On a clear day this would have been an easy hike. I timed it at 1:40 hours and 3.8 miles. It was beginning to rain again as I drove back into town. At least we got to do one hike without the rain!
But I wasn't ready to call it quits with the hikes. There was still the Shoud Bay trail on the north side, at the end of Egan street. The trail head here is well marked. Several cars were already parked here but I waited until 3:30pm to begin this hike. It's a long 10-mile hike divided into two sections, the first one ending at Gold Creek, the second one ending in the bay. I went for the first section and figured I'd go as long as I could before turning around. Sadie didn't look thrilled with going out in the rain again so I watched her. Zeke, as usual, didn't care.
The trail starts out flat and goes through a marsh near the bay. The trail is single track, compact dirt but today's rain quickly turned this trail into a quagmire in parts as mud began to form in the deep parts. The trail then ascends at the .75-mile mark, but rather than switchbacking up the hill, it just gently ascends as the trail moves south along the ridgeline, never losing view of the sound. I walked across a marshland studded with wild irises, to a rain forest hugging the hillside. This would have been a beautiful hike in warm weather and clear skies, but the grasses along the trail wetted my pants and both my shoes and socks were drenched when we turned around at the 2.6-mile mark (turn around was at the 3.25-mile mark). I had to turn here because that last steep descent to Gold Creek would have been treacherous climbing back up in this constant rain and I had the dogs and myself to worry about now.
We got back to the van just after 6pm. I had to change my entire wardrobe as everything was wet and muddy. Fog was again lowering for the day. Weather like this can truly dampen one's spirit; no pun intended. The dogs lay in the back of the van, patiently waiting for dinner.
I will be leaving Valdez in the morning, stopping at the Worthington Glacier on the way out and, weather permitting, exploring the St Elias National Park and Preserve with its views of the northern Canadian Rockies. The Kluane Preserve is on the Canadian side. I only have a few more days to experience Alaska.
I need to start planning my return drive on the Alcan by July 1st. I need to relieve Kevin of fire guard as Arizona is burning up with wildfires all across the state. Our monsoon can't start soon enough.
I walked around and hiked for a total of 11.2 miles, with the dogs with me for all but 1.5 miles of it. My daily driving mileage was under 34 miles.
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