A few weeks ago, I was definitely unsettled. My oldest son graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School and while I was happy for him, I was a little down in the dumps because this was the end of a chapter. I've since tried to embrace that it's the beginning of another, and I'm getting there! Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful words and concern as I poured out my heart to the world.
Part of the healing through this was spending my son's 18th birthday with him at this special property. The sellers kept asking if I'd made time to go visit, and it was finally warm enough to really enjoy. Samson turned 18 on Memorial Day. After getting permission from the sellers to camp on the property, we loaded up the little boat with all the gear and enough food for an army.
The boat ride from Auke Bay was short - only about 15 minutes. Within an hour, we had the tent up and a nice campfire on the beach. Samson and I stayed up talking until about 3:30 in the morning. Amazingly, this kid did most of the talking. I'm sure going to miss him when he leaves for college!
Shelter Island runs almost exactly north to south. This property is on the south end, a little west of the middle of that part. There's about 330 feet at the waterfront and the lot goes back about 1800 feet. I have a plat map scanned that can be emailed upon request to give the exact location.
The beach is mostly football-sized rocks with a few large boulders scattered about. Moorage is pretty good. In fact, the Shelter Lodge moors their boats right in front of this property. The main lodge is east of this parcel.
Years ago, there was a small cabin on this lot but it burned down years ago. Samson and I did find the remnants of the old cabin but we also found a better site for a new one.
Going back from the beach, we found a stream. It appears that somehow the route for the stream was interrupted so it kind of just spills out. It would take about an hour with a shovel to fix, but I didn't bring a shovel. *SMILE*
Walking farther back, we noticed several very large spruce trees - the kind with a trunk over five feet thick. The majestic spruce trees always remind me of a baby redwood. Some of these trees must be at least 300 years old. Farther north, we noticed a lot of blow downs. These are trees that take the brunt of winter and sacrifice themselves. While it's sad to see, I noted that this would be the very best cabin site; private, good sun exposure, and fairly dry.
Now before you ask, there is no bridge to Shelter Island. It's much too long a stretch and just not going to happen. There is also no water, sewer or power to the island. This is Alaska and the infrastructure just isn't in place. (We don't even have gas lines in Juneau.) People usually have a system set up to catch rain water from the roof. I suppose you could also tap into the stream, but personally I'd use rainwater. You'd need an outhouse or a good composting toilet. Yes, people do this all the time. For power, limited solar power could be backed up with a generator.
Most the night, we watched cruise ships and ferries go by. In the morning we were treated to humpback whales and sea lions. Later in the summer, orcas frequent the area. There are lots of deer on Shelter Island, and no bear. Fishing in the area is excellent. In fact, the fish I caught that won the Salmon Derby in 2005 was caught just west of Shelter Island.
Brought to you by Debbie White, RE/MAX of Juneau
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