A Fork On The Tree

This summer riding up and down Turnagain Arm, at Bird Point I would wonder if you could still get out to the rocks that jut out into the arm, and are Bird Point

I wondered that because several years ago when the road was rebuilt and the wayside for Bird Point was opened, the access for the trail to the point was replaced with a lagoon. A very wet lagoon, that to get to you would have to climb down the rock wall that made the parking lot for the wayside.  

Riding by and seeing cars parked at a dirt pull off just before the entrance to the wayside, kept my interest up aboot finding the trail.  I even pulled in there once with some friends to photograph the Alaska Railroad caboose that was parked on the siding, but being on bikes and wearing heavy riding gear no one was real interested in tramping off through the bushes to look for a trail. Besides we were on an ice cream run to Girdwood.

Alaska Railroad Work Train Parked At Bird Point

The riding season is all but over, and Sunday last I was riding in Trone’s Subaru when she pointed it south and said lets go for a spin.

At Potters Marsh we were glad to see the swans were still here in spite of some thin ice on the water

Take Off Potter Marsh

A little further south we pulled into Beluga Point and came up with the idea to go find the trail to Bird Point

 Beluga Point

Heading south we got behind the obligatory car going 40 mph in the 55 that refuses to use the pull outs (no real laskan does) but we got around anyway and a short time later were parked and geared up for an adventure.

We found a path that led to the tracks and we discovered Brookman, and another trail that went down to a swamp and then headed in the general direction of Bird Point. We were not geared up for swamp walking so even though I am pure of heart mostly we decided to trespass on the Alaska Railroad tracks.

Brookman Who Knew?

There are two sets of tracks one is the mainline the other is a siding so we walked along the siding for aboot ½ mile to where the tracks cut through the rocks that form the point.

We found another trail that led to another swamp, but this swamp had spans of logs and boards so it was easy to cross and not get our feet wet.

Keep Everything In Balance

The trail quickly climbed out of the swamp into a wonderful undisturbed spruce forest. We wondered out loud if any wild animals that could damage humans might be in this forest, and sure enough we heard something off in the woods. Our minds and hearts racing…Bear? Wolf? We heard it again just before it charged out of the brush, and there it was the most freighting creature In the northern woods…

 Northern Spruce Grouse 

 Its a wonder what imagination and a little noise in the woods can do...

In just a short walk the forest opened up on Turnagain arm and we were on Bird Point….

 

The Rocks Of Bird Point

If you packed out some wood there is a rock circle for a fire and a bench, to sit on and watch the tide. There was no trash anywhere, and a short piece of cord hung on a tree had a table fork tied to it.

The clouds never lifted that Sunday so the tops of the Kenai mountains were hidden. You knew fresh snow was on those peaks and we got some wet snow later that evening. Maybe next trip out to Bird Point will be on snow shoes…

Rose Hips Along The Trail