A mossy hike…Kodiak 3

Day 34 Friday

7/24/26

Mosquito count: 0

Kodiak Bear Count: 0 Scat count: 2!

Termination Point hike. We woke up to another sunny day. It was windy again… but sunny. We planned to go on a 5 mile hike to the end point of our bay and back. There was a loop trail. We walked the coast trail all the way out and an internal (also easier) trail back.

The coast trail had several ups and down along the coast. It was marked a medium trail which meant it had a few steeper climbs but it wasn’t too difficult. We came down close to the water about 3 times along the trail and then up higher with cliffs to the water. The best part was we were in the trees and out of the wind most of the hike except at a couple of viewing points. We started at 9am and there was only one car that pulled in as we were starting off. We didn’t see any other trail hikers until we were back at the trailhead. But the parking lot and beach had quite a few cars and people.

Ropes course. At one our first points where we dipped down to the shore we came across this jungle gym of big ropes hung up every which way including a swing. There was also a fire pit and a shelter shack. A lot of work went into this beach site. I think/hope they brought this in by a boat of some sort but I suppose they could have carried it in. That rope has to be heavy!

Moss upon moss upon moss. The views across the bay were terrific but I was most impressed…. once again… with the moss on the trees and on the forest floor. It was a sea of moss almost everywhere. I have seen trees with Spanish moss in the south but. This was a different moss and because of the moisture it grows on every bit of the vegetation. It’s so soft and beautiful. As I said before… I’m obsessed.

We both really enjoyed the hike this morning and we’re glad we were able to take it this morning.

Kodiak bears. After we finished hiking all the way to the termination point I had remarked to Jim that it didn’t seem like there were as many bears in this area because we hadn’t seen any bear scat. I spoke to soon… on the interior trail we came across two scat sightings. I want to say it’s good news we didn’t happen upon a Kodiak bear but I was hoping to see a bear. Apparently this area only has Kodiak bears… no black bears.

After the hike we planned to drive up the one road in the area that we hadn’t driven. It was along the Bushkin River. Still hoping to see a bear. We didn’t really drive too far. After about 6 miles the road narrowed down to one lane and much rougher. I decided not to push on further. It was getting close to time to checkin for the ferry.

A bit of Kodiak downtown. We easily found a place to park in Kodiak and walk the downtown area and find a lunch spot. They have a brand new mall with just a few shops. Interesting mix. A outdoor wear store. A Korean cup bop place. A bakery and bread store… we bought baguette sandwiches that were tasty. Also a really nice food co-op. The Post Office. A seafood restaurant. That was mostly it.

We walked over to the fishing boat harbor. It was loaded with fishing boats. They have a separate area for small boats and sailboats.

Ferry time. We seemed to load the ferry much more quickly this afternoon. And all of the employees were friendly and happy too. I think they were hating the rain and tired the other evening. Good days snd bad days being a ferry employee! I will say they are very good about backing you into desired parking spots and getting you as close to the wall as possible. It’s a tight squeeze… method to their madness.

Ouzinkie and Port Lion. This ferry took two local stops after we left Kodiak. The first was to Ouzinkie, Alaska. I had AI do the work for me:

The second was Port Lion. It is a community similar to Ouzinkie.

Homer over night. From Homer to Port Lion is a 10 hour ride. We should arrive about 7am. After taking care of a few things in Homer we are off to meet family in Kenai for several days. We’ve been looking forward to this week for months!