(SitNews) Klawock, Alaska - n keeping with my tradition of being under-prepared, I arrived at the trailhead in jeans and only then considered the inevitabilities involving heat and sweat once I started hiking in the beautiful, warm afternoon air. I had reservations at a hotel, but was too focused on the hike to think rationally. At first the cool of the shaded woods kept me comfortable as the trail switched back and forth. I started to warm up when traffic on the trail heated up.

If Ketchikan has, or is big enough to have an iconic element, it’s arguably Deer Mountain. It’s on the nameplate of the newspaper. It photobombs hundreds of thousands of tourist pictures every summer. It’s inviting, yet with snow at the top it reminds everyone this is Alaska, not some docile, unpopulated part of down south.

I don’t know how many times I’ve looked at Deer Mountain or asked about the trail over the years but just about every Ketchikan resident told me where it starts, the terrain and about the views. From what I gathered, people from Ketchikan who hike, hike Deer Mountain.

So I had to at least hike part of the mountain I had looked up at, never down from over the past two-plus decades since my family first moved to Prince of Wales. My relationship with Deer Mountain sadly epitomizes aspects of the Southeast routine. What’s on the brochure for tourists, isn’t necessarily on the schedule for locals.

Few Southeast residents that I know, hop from city to city to see what it’s all about. I’ve been to Petersburg, but never the Little Norway Festival. Skagway, but only during winter. The only reason I went on a jet boat tour up to the LeConte glacier and golfed in Wrangell was because I had friends up from California and the IFA was still making its Coffman Cove to Wrangell run. Two of the top things this side of Juneau I wouldn’t have done had I not been motivated by a pair of Californians. Money is usually spent leaving the state rather than exploring it.

People from Prince of Wales go to Ketchikan to fly out of it, or to stock up on goods not available on The Rock. People don’t go to Ketchikan for pure recreation. We have our own rivers, lakes, hikes, deer and bear. I didn’t ride the IFA ferry just to hike Deer Mountain, I wanted to buy what the town sold, and experience what it offered last weekend - even if hiking in jeans did make me uncomfortable.

I got to the first scenic view and stared down at the narrows and watched silent boats make long white wakes below me. It was one of those views that you feel like Alaska is tapping you on the shoulder then saying, “Pretty cool, huh?” You nod your head, maybe even whisper a “yep”, then contemplate your next move.

I had a lot on my schedule for the weekend. Lots to buy, pick up, and see for other potential writing pieces, so I decided to leave Deer Mountain unfinished. Incentive to return.

The rest of the day I ran errands, watched tourists, checked out the new line of $8 Alaska shirts and listened to a great live band after I ate dinner and watched the NBA playoffs.

It was a quick trip, but a nice reprieve from the seductively slow pace of life on Prince of Wales. Not that Ketchikan is a thriving metropolis, but it does have a Walmart.

Jeff Lund ©2014

Jeff Lund is a Teacher, Freelance Writer, & River fishing guide (Tranquil Charters) living in Klawock, Alaska
Contact Jeff at Email – aklund21@gmail.com

http://www.jlundoutdoors.com

SitNews ©2014
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Ketchikan, Alaska

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