July 19th

Today was the day Erik and I made the big hike up Gaven Hill to stay overnight at the survival shelter. Before heading up the mountain we pack a few provisions and rented an emergency radio from the fire station, just incase. Skyler and Steve were very generous letting me barrow some of their hiking gear since we only had one backpack, sleeping mat, excedera.

It was raining pretty good when we made our way up the mountain. The weather forecast for the week predicted showers the whole time Erik was here so we figured today was just as good as any to start our quest. The going was tough! Steps almost the entire way up the mountain. This continued almost all the way to the top, which we reached in approximately 4 hours and 45 min.
-that’s with plenty of stops to catch our breath and take eat breaks.


-Erik making the hike.

What beautiful scenery we saw, high misty mountains, delicate plant life and tiny Sitka nestled by the sea bellow. I loved viewing the eagles soaring at such high altitudes crying out to the world. It just about took my breath away when I gazed upon a red-tailed hawk darting though the mountain trees. Up till this point I had never seen another raptor in the area besides the bald eagle. The trail was made a bit more difficult as we traveled along broken stair cases and platforms. At times we had to crawl on our hands and knees to make our way.


-Sitka below.


-Some of the many steps we climbed.




-The path ahead.

I have to say we were pretty beat when arriving at the shelter. It was nice to eat a hot meal of Beanie Weenies, which we heated on a starter log, ham sandwiches and various sweets. It felt wonderful to kick off our wet shoes and change into dry clothing. The rain and chilling winds beat upon the shelter all through the night as we slept cuddled up in my oversize sleeping bag.


-The Shelter.


-Bear clawmarks on one of the shelter's plexiglass windows.