June 26, 2023
We are enjoying our time here. It is like sitting in Yosemite Park on the water. We were planning on going for the mile long hike but changed our minds after speaking with one of the boaters in the Yacht next door.
Five of them went for the hike with a staff member using the fog horn to keep the resident brown bear from charging them. Like, no kidding. Add to this that it is a muddy hike up the hill to a lake that Kevin the boater described as “just another lake.” I lost Marlene on hiking after the “someone has to scare the bear away.” Instead we went for a quiet paddle around the cove.
We are currently planning on heading back to Ketchikan tomorrow for a night to tuck in for an expected blow on Wednesday. We will then continue our journey north to Meyer’s Chuck on Thursday.
Greg, glad you made it into Punchbowl. What a spectacular and serene place!
As to the hike to Punchbowl Lake, we did it 4 years ago and it was quite the adventure for a 1-mile hike (2 miles round-trip). The trail itself is quite vertical, very muddy, slippery, and among the most treacherous I’ve hiked (and I’ve hiked a LOT).
However, I cannot comprehend how anyone could describe Punchbowl Lake as “just another lake” – unless Alaska is “just another state”! 🙂
Stowed at the lake for public use by the park service is a rowboat and canoe. Two others in our group took the rowboat; Peggy and I used the canoe. The unique opportunity to explore this remote, expansive lake dwarfed by towering spires of glacial-carved rock was amazing. Shear rock walls reached impossibly skyward from the lake in the most dramatic fashion. No, not just any lake or surrounding!
But concern for Brown Bear (Grizzly) is very real. Along our hike upward, we passed fresh bear scat that was still steaming. (!!!). A larger party (4 hikers) is at far less risk then 2 hikers. While bear may not have the best eyesight, they can count! (!!!). Statistically bear are far less likely to engage a group of 4 or 5 compared to a group of 1 or 2. So you may have made the right call – especially with so much more to see on your journey!
Really enjoying your blog and re-living these wonderful experiences! Where to next?
-Mark
Mark, thanks for the thoughtful comments and insights. Punchbowl was truly an amazing place. Perhaps the most. Beautiful anchorage Marlene and I have ever experienced. Kinda like Princess Louisa on steroids. Once the two larger boats left we had the entire evening to ourselves and the resident bear, who by the way, appears to be quite territorial about his environs. The yacht charter actually had staff who used horns and rattles to distract the walkers to the lake from encountering the bear. We are happy with our decision to “not” take the hike. We are off to Meyer’s Chuck today with the goal of being in either Wrangell or Petersburg for the 4th of July.