Mt. Edgecumbe Trip

The dome of Mt. Edgecumbe hidden in the clouds

This past week I had the amazing opportunity to accompany our resident soil scientist, Jacquie, on her trip up Mt. Edgecumbe, an extinct volcano on the south end of Kruzof Island, a 40-minute boat ride from Sitka. (Because of the lack of time, this is going to be a quick synopsis, I may add more later.) Not only was it a nice hiatus from working up fish, but it also gave me the chance to see another part of the area and get a glance into the world of soil. It was a 4-day trip in which we hiked 6-10 miles a day, mostly uphill, through muskegs and up into alpine tundra. We went up Edgecumbe, the Saddle between the ridges, and Crater Mountain, one each day, respectively. We were also relatively lucky in that we had two nice days, thus only two rainy ones, in which I did get thoroughly soaked!

Soil sampling included digging pits, describing the number and type of layers, their structure, texture, and color, among other things. I mostly surveyed the vegetation and acted as note taker and rifle barrier. We also had to take 3 kg soil samples at a number of different holes, which added weight to our already heavy packs. Anyway, enough writing, here’s some pictures!

The 3-sided shelter we stayed in 4 miles up the trail

Darren, the soil scientist from Ketchikan, digging a hole

pH sampling the soil layers

Eroded creek bank showing soil stratification

Jacquie in the alpine tundra on top of Mt. Edgecumbe

Pumice, e.g. volcanic stone

Hiking up Crater Mt. on the third day

Taking a nap in the sun on a plateau between the two ridges

Hiking back down the trail on the last day to meet the boat

Things I learned on this trip:
- it rains A LOT in South Eastern Alaska
- always pack extra layers and socks
- make sure these extra clothes are packed in Ziplocs (or the dry socks you take out of your pack to change into may be soaking wet, as mine were)
- my rain jacket is NOT rainproof
- rain pants are a must, and I don’t have any
- keep a smile on your face – it turns an cold, wet situation into a more tolerable “comically soaked”