PERSEVERANCE
Earlier
in the week the forecast for Wednesday had promised sunshine. By Tuesday night, the rain was expected to
persist through Wednesday morning. Some
clearing was expected Wednesday afternoon, but conditions looked marginal at
best for mountain climbing. We decided
to go to the Perseverance Trailhead just outside of downtown Juneau. If the weather improved, we would attempt
Mount Juneau. Otherwise, we would settle
for a hike up the Perseverance Trail along Gold Creek to Ebner
Falls, Lurvey Falls, and some old gold mines.
The
hardest rain of the week fell that night and Wednesday morning. We were staying in a hotel that night, which
would be a welcome break from the rain.
It had rained so much over the last two days that most of our campsite
was flooded. We have a fancy tent, but
no tent can stay completely dry through that much rain, particularly when it is
in the middle of a puddle.
We
drove into the actual city of Juneau for the first time. It is a charming place. It is the capital of Alaska, though in
reality it is still just a small town.
We drove through Juneau and out to the Perseverance Trailhead. There is a mining museum here, along with
artifacts from some of the old gold mines.
There is even a mine entrance just off the trail, but it was heavily
posted with no trespassing signs.
Although this all seems historic, some of the mines in the area are
still active.
We
started our hike late hoping that the weather would break. That didn’t work. After a brief lull, the rain resumed shortly
after we left the car. We climbed a
couple of switchbacks before joining an old mining road. We followed the old road as it climbed high
up on the hillside above Gold Creek. We
had views along here of the museum and other old mining buildings down in the
valley. This stretch of trail was
surprisingly busy for a rainy Wednesday.
We saw lots of hikers and trail runners throughout the day.
Our
first stop was at an overlook above Ebner Falls. It is an impressive waterfall on Gold Creek,
which was raging after several days of rain.
Unfortunately the waterfall is well below the trail, and I didn’t see a
reasonable way to get down the steep slope for a closer look.
We
continued up the valley, climbing steeply before leveling off next to Gold
Creek. Gold Creek is a beauty, and it
was a welcome companion during most of our hike. We crossed it twice on sturdy bridges before
reaching a junction. At this point, a
rougher trail continues ahead up Boulder Creek.
That trail eventually fades away, but it is possible to hike cross
country out of the valley up to the ridge east of Mount Juneau. From there, you can follow the ridge line to
Mount Juneau’s summit before descending a developed trail back to the
Perseverance Trail upstream from Ebner Falls. That was the hike I had intended to do, but
the ridgeline above was completely fogged in.
We decided to continue up Gold Creek instead.
Our
backup plan wasn’t a bad consolation prize.
An easy hike up the valley revealed the might Lurvey
Falls tumbling down the mountain ahead of us. Ebner Falls had
been nice, but this was spectacular. We
continued on to where Lurvey Creek joins Gold
Creek. There used to be a bridge over Lurvey Creek here, but there wasn’t much left of it. Lurvey Creek was a
raging torrent, and wading it would’ve been a death
wish. From there, it is a couple of
miles of cascades, rapids and waterfalls to downtown Juneau and the Lynn Canal.
Instead,
I followed a rough path upstream a short distance. It quickly faded away, but I was able to wade
along the side of the stream to the base of Lurvey
Falls. The view from here isn’t great
since most of the waterfall is hidden from sight. Still, I was standing in knee deep glacial
water that was maybe 40 degrees. I
wasn’t leaving without photos. I made my
best effort at capturing the falls before my legs went numb.
Christy
and I had lunch there before starting back.
We took a couple of side trips and alternate routes on the return. First we explored up a side trail that led to
some mining camp ruins, including a chimney, an old stone building, and lots of
scrap metal. This trail climbed a steep hill, so I eventually went ahead while
Christy waited. I eventually reached a
knoll with a great view of Lurvey Falls! The rain had stopped, and the snowy peaks and
glaciers surrounding the valley were beginning to emerge from the fog. That was the view I’d wanted all along – it
just took a roundabout route to get it.
We
returned to the main trail before picking up the Red Hill Trail. This trail passes more mining ruins and forms
a partial loop with the Perseverance Trail.
From it, we had lots of great over the shoulder views of Lurvey Falls. We
took a spur trail from it to an overlook of the AJ Glory Hole – an 800’ deep
pit. From the overlook there is a neat
view of the pit itself and one of the mine shafts. I had to climb over the fence and walk out
onto a precarious point to get the best view though. Christy was not amused.
We
returned to the main trail and the overlook of Ebner
Falls. There were numerous patches of
blue sky now. It wasn’t exactly sunny,
but it was easily the best weather of the trip so far. Because conditions had improved, I stopped
for more photos of Ebner Falls. I caught up with Christy just before reaching
the car. When we arrived, we discovered
that the trunk was open. Yikes! How did that happen? The trunk had been open for 6 hours in a busy
parking lot. It was also full of food,
and we were parked in prime bear habitat.
Incredibly, nothing was missing or molested.
We
spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon running errands and dealing with
logistics. First, we drove into Juneau
and checked in at the Juneau Hotel. I
dropped Christy off along with all of our
luggage. She would start on the laundry
and packing while I picked up a few last minute items and returned the rental
car. We had picked this hotel mainly
because every room was a suite with its own kitchen and washer and dryer. We ended up staying at this hotel 3 times
during the trip, so this was a huge convenience.
I
drove back to the Mendenhall Valley and got a few last minute groceries and a
bottle of whiskey. I turned in the
rental car at the airport (late, which ended up costing us another $100 or so)
and called the hotel for a shuttle. They
brought me back to the hotel, and Christy and I spent the rest of the evening
cooking and eating dinner and getting organized for our trip to Glacier Bay
National Park. We arranged for a taxi
early the next morning, and stored our excess luggage at the hotel. Although the hotel wasn’t cheap, the services
they provided made it worth the money. Although
it was just a basic hotel, it was a nice place with great service that fit our
needs perfectly. I highly recommend the
Juneau Hotel and will definitely stay there if we return to Juneau.
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