Exploring Soldotna AK

Today begins with a 9 AM hike to the river, led by the RV park’s young owner and two little dogs that look like they could get lost in the woods, or eaten by squirrels.

We leave the campground on a well-worn fishing trail, passing a field on the right that has swine anxious to be fed, alpacas wandering about, and maybe five horses lying on their sides.  In a distant corner there are three old concrete trucks the owner uses for turning and mixing compost – a bad idea, he says, not enough capacity. 

We pass a few horses and a lagoon that is the water supply for the campground; the combination may partially explain the yellow look of the piped campground water. 

Next is a large barn where the owner’s father first built his cabin, long ago torn down.  Scattered everywhere are old trucks and cars, a toilet, two satellite dishes, some cars and vans that look like they might still run, drilling pipe – all the kinds of stuff we found scattered around houses in Barrow.  Alaskans, native or not,  just don’t throw anything out.

Our walk continues through the woods, leaves glistening with morning moisture.  We descend a steep part where one hiker falls unhurt, and climb up the other side.  Colorful mushrooms occasionally mark the trail edges.  Suddenly we see a well-built log cabin with a sod roof, and a tree rooted at the edge growing vertically maybe 15’.  The cabin was built by the patriarch for his wife, who always wanted a cabin in the woods; it is now rented out to tourists that want to pretend rustic. 

We crunch on and soon arrive at the swiftly flowing Kenai River.  It shouldn’t be a surprise to see two boats of fishermen here, but after our quiet walk it is.  Somebody points above us and we are reminded again about the uniqueness of Alaska.  A couple large bald eagles, untroubled by us or the fishermen, glare down.

On the hike back we take a slightly different route and the park owner points out the remains of a maybe 600-year-old native home.  He says there are probably 30 other homes like this on his land because of the proximity to the river and lagoon, but they aren’t as easily recognized as this one.

To a Californian with a fractional acre lot, today’s hike is interesting both for what we saw, and the fact that in hiking .8 miles one way we only left the family’s 80 acre holdings at the very end. 

Back in camp Marcia and I take a drive to a Soldotna museum where homestead cabins from the late 1940s have been collected for display.  In 1947 the government allowed homesteading here, giving preference to soldiers mustered out after the war.  Most of the settlers were young and from the lower-48 with no wilderness skills, and this is Alaska.  It was a 10-mile hike to here back then.  Our guide was born here and is very proud of herself and her homesteading parents.  Their success has been the motivation for this very fine museum and tour.

That evening we go to the park-hosted salmon dinner on the view deck, with a couple caribou visible in the distance.  Nice.