Out with the canoe

One of the great things about Alaska is that, if you simply pick a spot out on the map and go there, you're likely to find some beautiful terrain.  Last weekend, our friend Evan joined The Wife and I for just such a trip.  I had identified a couple lakes down on the Kenai peninsula that were joined by a short stream.  The map indicated there were some "falls" at the outlet of the upper lake--and we had our destination.

We used our new canoe to shuttle out to an island and set up camp for the night.

Karta was very concerned anytime the canoe left without her.

Of course, our camera's battery died almost instantly. . . 

[pictures of camp and campfire-fried cheese curds]

Sam and Liz joined us the next day for the final assault to the falls and upper lake, and managed to bring a working camera along.  Of course, the trails that exist on maps don't always exist in real life, and what was supposed to be an easy 1.5 mile hike to the upper lake turned into a three-hour death march.

We didn't see tons of wildlife, but we did find this guy:

The Wife, not seeming to mind the long slog:

Finally:

Givin'er:

A group shot (Sam, myself, The Wife and Karta, Evan, and Liz):

After relaxing at the falls for a while, we finally turned back for home.  What the trip lacked in fish, it more than made up for with devil's club:

The Wife, right before making the final descent down to the lower lake, our canoe, and the drive home: