The rest of the United States is terribly flat when compared to the Kenai Peninsula. I was surrounded by breathtaking jagged peaks which left the changing weather always a surprise. The flight here was made most pleasant as there was a perfectly seasoned French man sitting behind me, regaling his adventures around the world. Stimulating conversation can always make time fly. There are not many pictures of people on this trip because there were not that many people around, so I mostly took nature shots and landscapes.
Wanting to get a good look at the surrounding geography from a high vantage point, I spent all day hacking at the vegetation. After getting ripped apart by devil's club, I finally made it to the top of Slaughter Ridge, just behind Wildman's in Cooper Landing.
Resurrection Bay off the coast of the quaint fishing town of Seward was a beautiful and cold place to kayak. The waters were very calm making it a bit less exciting, but the "waterproof" kayak bag I was given didn't look very promising, so the calm waters were just fine. After landing the kayak and a bit of hiking, there was a beautiful little cascading waterfall. The surrounding trees were amazing; very old and covered in moss.
I did a lot of hitch-hiking here. It is not uncommon as the towns are so far apart. Usually you can get a ride within a half an hour, but one time took over three hours. Of course it was pouring cold rain the whole time, and I was trying to get back home, so I couldn't just cancel plans. But at last a classic mountain man came along and offered a ride. He was picturesque: grisly hair, beard migrating down his chest, hands like the desert after a sandstorm, and piercing eyes sunk deep into his frame. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of him, he looked so rustic and rugged, but since he didn't say a word and I was sitting right next to him, my better judgment (which really does surface every once in a while) told me to just respect the silence - and I did.
The most memorable thing which happened on this trip would be the wild lynx. Locals said it is very rare to see one at all. I was walking in my stealthily quiet manner, when a lynx came onto the trail about ten yards in front of me. Though I have seen cougars back in Wisconsin, I was never so close or vulnerable to a wild cat before. This got me all excited and I wanted to get closer. The lynx didn't even seem to notice me as it prodded across the trail. As it entered into the woods, I ran after to get a better look, cursing that I did not have my camera ready. Just as sudden as it came, it was gone - taking all its beauty and majesty along with it.
