[Erik the Nav]

I had hoped to overnight up behind Deer Mountain while attending a family birthday party in Ketchikan (Grandma is 90!). It was true Ketchikan weather Thursday, so I put it off to a day hike on Saturday with a much better weather forecast. It was a good call, as I got good views on Saturday. No way was I going to miss the Fourth of July in Ketchikan. Relatively easy hike if you find yourself there - easily doable on a lot of cruise ship stop overs, 2500' and 2.5 miles to the summit, very developed trail leaves only a mile or two from downtown. The trail does face right onto Tongass Narrows and you will listen to the sound of Ketchikan (seaplanes, etc.) all the way up. Beautiful changing forest on the way, with some openings to views. I was glad to have the day to wander a bit in the basin behind the summit, and the trail does go on for miles if you've the time. Much quieter behind the summit. I'm sure another trip to visit family will find me further down the ridge. Pictures are of Tongass Narrows and Ketchikan from a bit below the summit, the ridgeline continuing North behind the summit, and a view South/South-East from the ridgeline, lump on the right is the summit of Deer Mtn. Neat to be where tree line is 3000'! . . . I'd actually been there before, my mom took me up when I was two, but it's not in my memory.

BehindDeernwh

ridgenwh

tongassnwh

[Erik the Nav]

I got a lead before heading north - the email addy for the forest archaelogist for Tongass. I'm not going to bother him 'til I check a few things with Grandma later this summer. I did head down to the fancy forest visitor center on Monday before catching my flight home - but the trip planning center there was closed, which bummed me, 'cause I was hoping to find much inspiration for more trips. What twigged me to tracking down the forest archaelogist was mention of the CCC completing the Petersburg Lake trail in Petersburg on the Tongass NF website. I -think- Petersburg is where Great Granpa Gifford Close was living when he worked for the CCC, though I could be wrong about that. Like I said, gotta ask gran for more details. I think I got my cousin the Coastie interested in tracking down details on when great-grandpa captained a ship for the survey, too. I'll have to follow up with him on that. So, a little progress on the family history searches. And another cousin is looking to build a cabin out on Prince of Wales island and wants to draft me to come up and help with it later this summer, I'm hoping that'll work out.