Route
The usual direction of passage is west to east, or Sitka to Baranof Warm Springs. Since Baranof Warm Springs has no permanent transportation options inbound or outbound, backpackers must either turn around and hike back to Sitka, or take a float plane or boat back if one is available. One can begin the trail either being dropped off at Medvejie Hatchery by boat or hiking from Herring Cove on the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) private road to Medvejie Hatchery. The trail begins in the Medvejie Lake valley and continues up to Camp Lake, a popular campsite due to the scenic views, abundant water for bathing and drinking, and a comfortable alpine meadow for camping. The trail the climbs up Mount Bassie and crosses its western front and a small but crevasse-ridden icefield. Especially in the late summer, when snow bridges have melted and blue ice is prevalent, this portion of the route can be the most dangerous and difficult part of the trip. An orbicular ridge leads to the north after Mount Bassie and eventually curves east, splitting the Blue Lake watershed on the western side of the island from the Baranof River watershed on the eastern side of the island. The geology of the ridge (which also features basalt dikes) offers many flat locations to make camp with access to small pools for drinking water.
The ridge climbs to an unnamed peak and then descends to two separate roughly mile-long icefields that are locally known as the Indigo Glacier. These icefields are flat with a small rocky isthmus separating them (it is marked as one icefield on USGS maps, however they have since receded into two). After the icefield the trail passes several alpine lakes and descends down to Baranof Lake through a mix of temperate rainforest and cliffs. An informal trail leads from Baranof Lake to the boardwalk of Baranof Warm Springs.
Read more about this topic: Baranof Cross-Island Trail
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“A Route of Evanescence
With a revolving Wheel—”
—Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
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—Arthur Miller (b. 1915)
“In the mountains the shortest route is from peak to peak, but for that you must have long legs. Aphorisms should be peaks: and those to whom they are spoken should be big and tall of stature.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)