Hiking Through Alaska’s Old Logging History to a Secret Lake

We anchored the Alaskan Gypsy near an old trailhead outside of Wrangell, Alaska and set off by paddleboard to explore a place neither of us had ever been before. What started as a simple morning hike turned into an incredible journey through Southeast Alaska rainforest, abandoned mill history, raging glacier-fed water, edible plants, and a stunning hidden mountain lake. Along the way we share what safety gear we bring for remote Alaska adventures, why paddleboards work so well for beach access from a sailboat, and some of the realities of wilderness travel in bear country. We also explore remnants of an old sawmill deep in the Tongass National Forest and forage fiddleheads and medicinal Devil’s Club shoots along the trail. This easy hike near Wrangell turned out to be one of the most beautiful hidden spots we’ve explored so far in Southeast Alaska. Alaskan Gypsy Life documents self-reliance aboard a sailboat in Alaska, lived day by day, season by season, and the projects and adventures along the way. Chapters 00:00 Why we chose paddleboards 00:29 Morning intro aboard Alaskan Gypsy 01:04 What safety gear we carry ashore 03:08 Bear protection & hiking prep 05:23 Leaving the boat at anchor 06:28 Paddleboarding to shore 08:12 Why we prefer paddleboards over the skiff 09:16 Arriving at Mill Creek Trail 12:05 Exploring the old mill site 16:00 History of the abandoned mill 19:17 Massive old sawmill equipment 21:57 Foraging Devil’s Club & wild plants 24:23 Glacier-fed river views 26:11 Mainland Southeast Alaska wilderness 29:19 Boardwalk trail through the forest 31:46 Arriving at Virginia Lake 33:29 Exploring the lake shoreline 38:05 Rain squall rolls through 39:25 Leaving Virginia Lake 44:15 Returning to the beach & checking the boat 47:04 Harvesting fiddleheads for dinner 51:53 Paddleboards survived the bears 53:07 Heading back to the Gypsy