Red Cove is the largest fresh water lake on the island and the spit separates it from the Pacific Ocean on the south side. Along the way I could hear rushing water and caught glimpses of waterfalls running off the higher elevation from all the rain we've had. It's an island, so it doesn't flood, it eventually finds its way to the edge and runs off into the ocean.
It is amazing to see the different wildflowers and plants along the way. It seems the different species take turns and there never seems to be a moment when something isn't blooming. Salmon berries were everywhere, red, pink and orange littered the valley floor as we walked, sloshed, sunk, hopped along in the boggy, marshy land.
It took me forty minutes to hike down to the edge of the lake, most of my time was used fighting the twisting, boggy four wheeler trails. I even had to change into river sandals when I came to a creek too deep and wide to cross without wading in over my knees. I've learned to pack a backpack with extra shoes, socks, shirts, rain gear, bug spray, food, water, a lighter, a knife, GPS device, and who knows what else..all of it weighing nearly thirty pounds, but out here you MUST respect nature and be prepared for weather changes, terrain changes and everything else.
This is the view back at the volcano vent where I first started out. Nearly every step I was thanking God there were no snakes, ticks or chiggers on this island and then all the steps in between, I was thanking Him there were no bears, predators or people out here either.
We made it, my faithful friend and I were quite pleased to get here. I had followed Joe and Kathy's foot tracks along the way and was thankful they left the lake trail clearly marked for me, too.......
Walking along the lake shore edge took another hour before I could hear the surf breaking on the other side of the spit. The spit is the barrier between the fresh water and the ocean. There were flocks of sea gulls, several eagles and magpies soaring overhead and feeding on the little fish and the salmon spawning at the mouth of the run off.
As I got closer, I felt like running for fear I would miss something, but as soon as I topped the spit, this is the first thing I saw and it nearly took my breath away.......
The bluest blue, the warm wind, the sounds of the gulls calling to each other greeted me and I just stood and took it all in......I had made it, we had made it and it was so worth the effort. It still doesn't get dark till after midnight, so I wasn't worried about time so far.
As we were exploring down the beach, we spied this hole and decided we would head that way after we took a break and had a snack. I don't know about the dog, but I needed to rest and just enjoy the sand and surf for a while. We were watched from a distant by a pair of beady eyes, actually a bunch of them......just out in the water a little ways was a seal, then two, then five, then 10, and finally too many to count. They were so curious, they followed us as we hiked the shoreline and must have wondered what we were up to, I was just glad they weren't looking at us like "LUNCH." We could see whales spouting in the water over toward Unga, too far to get pictures of but we could see them with our binoculars.
Gull-talk....these gulls were just as curious and they are much bigger then the breed we see along the shores of Florida or Alabama...these don't seem to care a dog was snooping around either, they just took to flight when we got too close for their comfort.
And we finally made it, another geological wonder here on Popof Island. We literally have just touched the surface of what is to be explored here and I will miss Kathy and Joe tremendously when they go. They've been here before and have hiked so many places, it is much funner when someone goes along, but if I can't find someone, I know a 4 legged beast who likes salmon berry muffins and will follow me literally to the end of the island and back!
Who knows how long it took to erode this but it was beautiful to see up close and personal.
What a beautiful day, good company, a good companion and again I was truly blessed by where God has placed me!!
