PWS: Pigot Bay Cabin

As part of my project with the Chugach National Forest and Alaska Geographic, we decided we wanted to feature some of the public use cabins around Prince William Sound. These cabins offer fantastic access to wilderness areas and, as Chris points out, also serve as a safe shelter for anyone trapped out on the water by extreme weather conditions.

Pigot Bay holds the closest of these cabins to Whittier. After landing on the small beach below the cabin, a few hundred feet of trail lead across a wood bridge to its front door. From there you can keep close watch on your boat and the rest of the bay.

Kennicott Mines

In the early 1900's Kennicott was home to one of the world's largest copper mines. After a few decades of use, the site's resources were depleted and the town of Kennicott was all but abandoned. Over 70 years later much of the original equipment and structures remain basically untouched. This ghost town gives a interesting look into Alaska's past.

Root Glacier

Glaciers absolutely fascinate me. Their size, bright blue colors, and structural characteristics almost seem otherworldly. Running flows of water, deep cravasses, creaks, moans, and calves that sound like cannon blasts are a constant reminder that they are changing under your feet and in front of your eyes.

At the end of the road in Kennicott, there's a trail that heads out into the Wrangell Mountains. At their base is Root. With crampons, we were able to climb our way onto the glacier and wander around.





As we made our way back, we paralleled a small stream of water slurping through cracks, falling and rushing downhill as it made its way toward the canyon below. Before reaching the glacier's edge it forms this ice tunnel...