Ketchikan
Arrived at Ward Cove just on the outskirts of Ketchikan at 08:00am on a rainy morning with temperature of 9C. Ketchikan, Alaska is the state’s southeasternmost major settlement. With a population at the 2020 census of 8,192 it is the sixth-most populous city in the state. Ward Cove pulp mill closed in 1997 and reopened as a converted cruise terminal in August 2021. It is ideally located in the Tongass National Forest. The Talbot lake rainforest hiking tour today started at 08:30am and I was the only person out of 11 who turned up, probably due to the wet weather. Ended up with a private tour by my guide Ryan which was great. Instead of all the usual tour commentary we just chatted on our walk. Drove for 10 minutes in the van to the trailhead in the forest, then commenced our walk down the wide path observing all the trees and vegetation as we went. This was much more varied than our hike in Sitka yesterday. Still an overcast morning but the rain eased up and temperature remained steady around 10C. This is black bear country but still early season so we did not see any sign of them. After 45 minutes we arrived at the bank of talbot lake where we were met by Roy who was looking after the campfire. Stayed there for 20 minutes chatting and enjoying hot chocolate. The low-lying land surrounding the lake is muskeg (bog). Apparently the lake is stocked with trout but the only sign of life was a solitary loon out in the middle. Returned back up the path for 45 minutes and drove back to the terminal by 11:30am. About a 3 mile round trip. An interesting fact at the Ward Cove dock is the old Alaska ferry called Malaspina which has now been converted into accommodation for the tour guides during the season.
