The battle of Kelly Lake

It was a possibility to drive all the way into Kenai after leaving Hope. The choice had not been made until just 30 miles shy of arriving in the Kenai area. Instead of going all the way into the city for the weekend, we would stop at one of the three free campgrounds inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

Initially we looked at Peterson Lake, but three of the four sites (each campground consisted of a large gravel lot with 4 campsites and a boat ramp) were taken. We moved on to Kelly Lake. We lucked into a completely empty campground and pulled right into the prime water-front spot, right next to the boat ramp for an easy kayak launch.

With the wind keeping us indoors the first night, we set out first thing Saturday morning for a few mile hike down the Seven Lakes Trail which started only a few feet from the Airstream. The hike ended at Hiker Lake just a few miles down, but not before both Kerri and I were nearly eaten alive by the mosquitoes. It was the first time since arriving in Alaska that they were really hitting us with any consolidated and organized effort. We refrained from using our tactical DEET, and with no treaties signed the option still exists for the future if needed.

During the hike Kerri set out to stockpile images for her Instagram feed… and I did the same.

After returning from the hike, a quick nap, then Moose and I unloaded Kerri’s kayak for a quick paddle around the lake. Kerri had been fighting a shoulder injury and was unable to paddle, so this made for a good time for Moose and I to try kayaking together again. I will likely be our last time as he is just too aggressive with the local wildlife; he was barking at everything and anything that moves. The quiet and serene lake was transformed into a battlefield with SS-Moose firing off a full volley after volley towards his enemy of the minute… This duck allowed us within 10 feet before he could no longer tolerate the verbal abuse Moose was firing at him. He chose to flee to safer – and quieter – waters. SS-Moose continued barking at other birds, beavers, fish, and even a seaplane before I made the choice to turn around back to camp, where a Black Lab happened to be playing in the water. Moose barked at him too.

After peace was restored along the lake, with the sun setting and Kerri and I safely in bed, Alaska gave us a signal that all was A-OK.

We left the next morning for Kenai.