Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice

A couple of summers ago, I spent several vacation days there. I will always remember my experiences then....

My flight from Seattle had taken about three hours, including a short stop at Anchorage: flight time from Anchorage to Cordova was about 35 minutes. Like all visitors to Cordova, I had to choose my mode of transport from among only three possibilities: visitors to Cordova must travel there by boat, ferry, or plane. There are no roads or rails to Cordova.

On that occasion, I arrived in Cordova on what for Cordovans was a very, very hot day--over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Everybody I met on my arrival had something to say about the unusual heat. Had the dreaded climate change arrived in Cordova and the Copper River Delta?

My first good look at Cordova was from Ski Hill, which overlooks Cordova, its harbor, and the Orca Inlet to the west, and to the east, Eyak Lake and the Copper River Highway (which passes the airport).

Blueberries were ready for picking on the mountain slope. The ubiquitous bunchberry plants colored the slope with their bright red berries.

At the end of the day, I hiked along a nearby stream, which meandered through the dense, moss carpeted, rain forest. Spawning salmon filled the stream from bank to bank.

From my lodging, overlooking the stream, I watched the sunset paint Heney Peak with warm, orange-red tones to the music of the jumping salmon in the water below.

The next day was again hot, so I spent the day with my friends picnicking and swimming at the Alaganic Slough Recreation Site, located in the Copper River Delta. For children, there is nothing to beat a mix of sand and water on a hot day; and for Licorice, the Labrador retriever that accompanied us, the only problem was coaxing the humans into throwing a stick into the water. Our arms tired out long before Licorice tired of retrieving the stick for another throw.

Later in the day, I hiked to Crater Lake. It is 2.4 miles to Crater lake and is a moderate hike. The trail climbs rapidly through a forest of spruce and hemlock. The plant life around the lake is varied and includes the dwarf blueberry with its sweet, delicious berries. From Crater Lake, the view of Orca Inlet and Orca Bay was spectacular.

Day three of my vacation was reserved for a trip to Sheridan Lake and Glacier with the Alaska River Rafters. A bus trip brought us to the trail head that would take us to the lake. The rafts were soon hitched up for the trip to the water and participants selected their waterproof boots.

Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice,

On that occasion, I arrived in Cordova on what for Cordovans was a very, very hot day--over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Everybody I met on my arrival had something to say about the unusual heat. Had the dreaded climate change arrived in Cordova and the Copper River Delta?

My first good look at Cordova was from Ski Hill, which overlooks Cordova, its harbor, and the Orca Inlet to the west, and to the east, Eyak Lake and the Copper River Highway (which passes the airport).

Blueberries were ready for picking on the mountain slope. The ubiquitous bunchberry plants colored the slope with their bright red berries.

At the end of the day, I hiked along a nearby stream, which meandered through the dense, moss carpeted, rain forest. Spawning salmon filled the stream from bank to bank.

From my lodging, overlooking the stream, I watched the sunset paint Heney Peak with warm, orange-red tones to the music of the jumping salmon in the water below.

The next day was again hot, so I spent the day with my friends picnicking and swimming at the Alaganic Slough Recreation Site, located in the Copper River Delta. For children, there is nothing to beat a mix of sand and water on a hot day; and for Licorice, the Labrador retriever that accompanied us, the only problem was coaxing the humans into throwing a stick into the water. Our arms tired out long before Licorice tired of retrieving the stick for another throw.

Later in the day, I hiked to Crater Lake. It is 2.4 miles to Crater lake and is a moderate hike. The trail climbs rapidly through a forest of spruce and hemlock. The plant life around the lake is varied and includes the dwarf blueberry with its sweet, delicious berries. From Crater Lake, the view of Orca Inlet and Orca Bay was spectacular.

Day three of my vacation was reserved for a trip to Sheridan Lake and Glacier with the Alaska River Rafters. A bus trip brought us to the trail head that would take us to the lake. The rafts were soon hitched up for the trip to the water and participants selected their waterproof boots.

Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice

At the end of the day, I hiked along a nearby stream, which meandered through the dense, moss carpeted, rain forest. Spawning salmon filled the stream from bank to bank.

From my lodging, overlooking the stream, I watched the sunset paint Heney Peak with warm, orange-red tones to the music of the jumping salmon in the water below.

The next day was again hot, so I spent the day with my friends picnicking and swimming at the Alaganic Slough Recreation Site, located in the Copper River Delta. For children, there is nothing to beat a mix of sand and water on a hot day; and for Licorice, the Labrador retriever that accompanied us, the only problem was coaxing the humans into throwing a stick into the water. Our arms tired out long before Licorice tired of retrieving the stick for another throw.

Later in the day, I hiked to Crater Lake. It is 2.4 miles to Crater lake and is a moderate hike. The trail climbs rapidly through a forest of spruce and hemlock. The plant life around the lake is varied and includes the dwarf blueberry with its sweet, delicious berries. From Crater Lake, the view of Orca Inlet and Orca Bay was spectacular.

Day three of my vacation was reserved for a trip to Sheridan Lake and Glacier with the Alaska River Rafters. A bus trip brought us to the trail head that would take us to the lake. The rafts were soon hitched up for the trip to the water and participants selected their waterproof boots.

Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice

Later in the day, I hiked to Crater Lake. It is 2.4 miles to Crater lake and is a moderate hike. The trail climbs rapidly through a forest of spruce and hemlock. The plant life around the lake is varied and includes the dwarf blueberry with its sweet, delicious berries. From Crater Lake, the view of Orca Inlet and Orca Bay was spectacular.

Day three of my vacation was reserved for a trip to Sheridan Lake and Glacier with the Alaska River Rafters. A bus trip brought us to the trail head that would take us to the lake. The rafts were soon hitched up for the trip to the water and participants selected their waterproof boots.

Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice

Before hiking to the lake, our guide gave us a lecture about what to do in case we met any bears along the trail. The mountain scenery visible from the trail was breathtaking. We stopped along the way for a brief lecture by our guide about the glacier and its moraine. We soon arrived at the lake.

After putting on our survival gear and listening to raft-safety instructions, we boarded the rafts and were finally underway. From the lake, we were awed by the flower-covered slopes, glacier ice, and towering mountains.

On our way to the river rapids, ice clogging the route needed to be removed by our guides to allow the rafts to pass. Once in clear water, we had to put our cameras into waterproof bags and hang on for our trip through the rapids at the outlet of the lake....

On day four, our small family group traveled along the Copper River Highway to Childs Glacier.

Although four of the five glaciers feeding the Copper River Delta were named after Civil War Generals--Sherman, Scott, Sheridan, and Miles--Childs Glacier was not.

In 1884, Lieutenant William R. Abercrombie, who headed the first United States military exploration of the Copper River, named Childs Glacier after George Washington Childs of Philadelphia.

The glacier is some 300 feet high and is possibly the most active glacier in Alaska. Visitors can often observe huge masses of ice calving from the glacier into the river below.

On the drive back to Cordova, I stopped to photograph two beautiful trumpeter swans, which were standing on a beaver lodge. Later, I stopped again to photograph a family of swans, which included three cygnets.

On my last day in Cordova, day five, I packed my camera, water, and some food and headed for the Power Creek Trail.

The trail is 4.2 miles long and ends at the Power Creek Cabin.

Along the way, I stopped to photograph the beaver dams and lodges--and to sample the wild Alaska blueberries.

The end of the trail was worth the long hike. The cabin was beautiful, and faced towering mountain peaks. From the covered deck of the cabin, I could only sit back and marvel at the mountain scenery.

After returning to Cordova, there was still enough time for a short hike along the Heney Ridge Trail.

The trail begins on the edge of the Orca Inlet and winds through dense forest. For the photographer, using a tripod is a must for taking sharp photographs in the dim light. I was particularly interested in photographing the mosses and mushrooms on the forest floor.

The hike ended my 5-day summer vacation in Cordova.

Now that summer is nearly here again, I long to return to Cordova and its water, forests, ice, and mountains.

Copyright © 2007 Royce Tivel

A Summer Holiday in Cordova, Alaska, June 12, 2007