After more than a week in the Tongass National Forest, I now experience a different side of Wrangell, geographically and culturally! In my new camping spot, I am closer to town and to the heartbeat of Wrangell. I have watched several float planes take off and observed countless boats coming in. I see more people as well since this little park is popular with locals – joggers, people walking their dogs and workers stopping for a nice view while eating lunch. Even the police pass through! Last night they shone a spotlight over my campsite.

As I mentioned before, everyone has a dog; however, none of them are on a leash and no one picks up their poop. This means I need to wait until an area is free of at least the largest dogs before I can walk Tango, who growls at his brethren and invites disaster.

Yesterday Tango and I wandered around town and stopped at the National Forest Service office. What a bunch of grumpy people! Anyway, I got the information that I needed about the local trees and birds. I am trying to list everything I saw, which is extensive. The most common trees: Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, and Yellow Cedar (at the new place, I am sitting under ancient hemlocks and cedars). My bird list here includes the abundant Great Blue Heron, Red-Bellied Sapsucker, Varied Thrush, Eagles, and Ravens. Eagles are extremely common here and several hang out at the trees above me. Ravens are everywhere in town and in the new campsite. They sit in the trees and make a one-syllable scream, often for hours. At dusk, they disappear to roost.

Normally, I ignore Ravens, but I have a new respect for the species because they were so important in the Tlingit culture. All Tlinglits (the regional indigenous people) were in either the Raven or Eagle group (moiety). Their law demanded that a Tlingit marry someone from the other group. It is fascinating, and you can read more about it here. You can see classic examples of eagle and raven artwork here.

I learned all this during my museum visit today. The Tlingit Indians were plentiful at one time, but then the white people killed off many thanks to smallpox and scarlet fever.

Other interesting tidbits:

• The Russians nearly drove the sea otter to extinction because their fur is a super high quality. The museum has a display of assorted furs ( wolf, wolverine, beaver, mink, river otter, sea otter) that visitors can touch, and the sea otter is magnificent. Soft, luxurious, much like the high-priced faux furs of today.
• During the Gold Rush on the Yukon River, Wrangell was a supply outpost, sending things up the Stikine River to the mining areas
• The Tlingit are matrilineal. One example, children took their mother’s last name.
• The Inside Passage, since Alaska became an American territory anyway, is heavily dependent on Seattle. At one time all supplies came from there by barge. Groceries still do, but some things come in by plane now. I overhear people talking while in town, and they often refer to Seattle (Oh, my mom is down there now or We have to go to Seattle for an appointment, and so on).
• The museum houses several older totem poles along with newer one.

Later, Tango and I drove around and located the two trailheads in town, which we should be able to do tomorrow. Back to the campsite after that, and then, after dinner, a drive for ice-cream and out to the harbor to check out the parked boats while I enjoyed my treat. I found 3 houseboats there and my mind went wild with the possibilities of living on a houseboat in Wrangell Harbor! A bit pricey for me however appealing it sounds. My first clue to the houseboats? The satellite dishes mounted on the light poles along the docks.

Wrangell is rainy, but I knew that before ever setting foot here.

We leave Wrangell Sunday night. That leaves Saturday and Sunday for in-town stuff.

Next up: the ferry takes us 3 hours further up, to another island and another small town, Petersburg, AK.