Alaska 2015 - Day 54 Hyder Alaska

Day 54 – 7-4-15 Saturday When we checked in yesterday the campground manager encouraged us to drive up to Salmon Glacier. We had not planned to do this because it is up a long gravel road. But he assured us it would be worth the trip so we decided to take his advice and drive up. He told us about a man that stays up on the mountain across from the glacier in a tent during the summer and sells book, DVDs and postcards. The drive was 18 miles on gravel up the mountain to the parking lot where the best view of the glacier was and where Keith Scott lives in a tent during the Summer. We have seen several glaciers on this trip but Salmon Glacier was by far the biggest. Keith told us the part that we could see from the parking lot was over 13 miles to top of the glacier. He said some of the cracks we could see in the surface were over 150 feet deep but from where we were standing they looked like small cracks. He showed us two books he had written about bears and glaciers. They were filled with photographs of bears and glaciers that he had taken. He also had DVDs and postcards for sale of his photographs. He told us about camping in his tent in a cave in the glacier. We bought one of his books. He is called the Bear Man because of work photographing bears and he goes to over 100 schools a year talking to students about his work.

Salmon Glacier 

Salmon Glacier 

Keith Scott "The Bear Man"

The Jeep behind a mound of snow

Water fall behind snow mound

Looking under the snow mound

After lunch we walked into the “big” town of Hyder. That didn't take long. Hyder and Stewart were having an International Day. Today was Independence day for the USA and July 1^st was Canada Day for Canadians so the two towns get together and celebrate both days at the same time. The activities take place in Stewart but we did not go to them.

One of two Hyder General Stores

Hyder cabin for sale

Hyder home

Hyder US Post Office

Closed Hyder Grocery Store

After supper we drove back to Fish Creek to see if any bears were checking for salmon but no bears were out, only saw one beaver. It is still a little early in the season for the salmon to start up the creek so the bears aren't out checking much. The wildlife man stationed at the creek said sometimes a bear would come out to check for fish but until the fish start going up stream in a week or two chances of seeing a bear are not very good. It is still a nice place to look at the crystal clear water flowing in the creek and all the scenery around the area.

This campground has kind of a strange name Camp Run-A-Muck and to some degree the name fits. As I said yesterday the sites are laid out based on how they could fit them between the tall spruce trees. There are several out in the open between the trees and the highway. With a little TCL this could be a much better campground. Some of the sites needs to be cleaned up and some need to be made more level. It is nice under the spruce trees and so far peaceful and quiet. About half the sites are occupied tonight.