Our cabin is named the Yuditna Cabin and was removed from everyone, it seemed. Maxwell and I hoped that no one would reserve our home, and that we might stay longer. Without service (also no power, water, in case that’s not obvious) I couldn’t extend our reservation, so we were at the will of hope if we wanted to stay.
That morning, after oatmeal and coffee, we decided to hike out toward the outlook trail, just to see more of the lake. It was Saturday, and the first time we’d heard/ seen bear bells and bicycles. We were blessed by a few ecstatically happy dogs, and aches for Sher. The doggos all wore bells for safety, and many were leashed. The curiosity factor that attracts dogs to bears to dogs is a real concern, so the guys can’t run free as much as they’d like. I met a German Shepherd named Odo. Best dog name ever I think.
We slid down the banks and past bleached white, uprooted trees; cobbled and clanked together like old light bones. We took pictures and Maxwell skipped rocked along the ice. After lugging a big bald rock into the ice edge, we watched the thin layer shatter and an eerie scream and sizzles reverberated under the thicker ice and along the beach. The sound was hauntingly beautiful. Of course we kept this up for a while, attempting to capture the sound to steal back to Cambridge with us.
We headed back after a fun day. Oooh! Max found some green smoke like the traveling evil in The City of Lost Children, when stepping over some pods. The branches hung pale green, caterpillar shaped pods that exploded silently into pods of green smoke. The effect was magic, but unsettled Max :) So past the smoke we ambled along and arrived home
to find some bikes.
Yuditna had been rented (said in an exclamatory Scottish accent)! After apologizing to the new ‘owners,’ we hustled to pack up and said goodbye. Another drudgerous, 3 + miles back out to find our new home for our tent.
Ice curl