...a couple hikes and a kayak trip

Gabby and I went for a hike out to the Finger Lakes just off Swanson River Road on 7/31/11.  It was an easy six mile round trip stroll through the woods.  I think many animals use this road as a highway as there was lots of sign on it.

Finger Lakes Trail was actually...well...a road.

At the trails end there were some welcoming signs.  Gabby and I turned around here.

Then we drove out Skilak Loop Road in search of Pack Lake.  I had seen it on the map but had never taken the time to find it as there are no established trails.  (I left the GPS coordinates of the 'trailhead' on the map above if you ever want to go there yourself.  It's worth it.)

In fact, from the road the trailhead looks like the photo above.  It would be easy to miss.

Here's a close-up view of the trailhead marker.

So, I tapped the screen on my GPS to create a waypoint on Pack Lake.  Then I used the compass function to point in the direction of the waypoint.  The red arrow is pointing directly at Pack Lake in the photo above, although I can't see the lake by any means.

Eventually, after following the arrow, I ended up here...Pack Lake.  It's a beautiful lake that is probably only visited by a handful of humans every year.  In fact, there was no sign of human activity whatsoever.  Not even footprints.  It was a nice place with loons and lots of other water birds.

This map shows the track of my kayak circumnavigation of Suneva Lake on 8/1/11.  Access to the lake is difficult as I had to slide Kestrel down a steep embankment to the water.  I slipped and fell twice losing my right shoe in a hidden hole.  After some digging and bad words, I found it and put it back on my foot.  It is exactly five miles around the lake.

Once on the water things got better.  There was a family of four loons that followed me around for a while.  They didn't get close but they certainly seemed interested in my red kayak.

This old snowmachine is in the process of becoming part of the landscape at the edge of Suneva Lake.

Vegetation growing in the lake.