Thursday
I was in no rush to get back to the dock area (the ferry departs at 2:45pm), but there are things to so there, so I didn’t dawdle. It was a good hike. I got there with four hours to spare. First priority was buying batteries for the camera, and some snacks for lunch. Leaving the pack behind, I set out on the Stoll Trail, which goes out to Scoville Point, the tip of the peninsula that the dock is on. Now that I had a usable camera again (the iPhone was down to 1%) it was a good place to take pictures. This was where I had previously my encounter with a moose cow and her calf almost trampling me, and a glimpse of the wolf that had spooked them. It did not happen again. In fact, I saw no moose on this visit. Disappointing, but not overly surprising, given the limited time, hiking mostly in areas where they are less common, and being around noisy people didn’t help.
I had a panic near the far point of the Stoll Trail, when I realized that I didn’t have my walking stick. I couldn’t remember when I last had it. I watched for it on the return hike, but didn’t see it. Because I’d left it with my pack at the ranger station. Remarkably, I didn’t lose anything on the island. I thought at one point that I’d lost my (not very effective but it can’t hurt) mosquito-deterrent wrist band when I took off my long-sleeve shirt on the trail, but found it still wrapped around the sleeve. I thought I’d lost a bandage from my thumb, but later found it had come off inside my shoe while putting it on! All in all, luck worked out in my favor for this visit!
The ferry ride back to the mainland was sunny skies and smooth sailing. I returned to the same site at Fort Wilkins State Park, and that brings me up to date!
