The day after Ranger Chris and I headed out on Lake Clark via kayak, we decided to go berry picking. This time, no kayaks. The waves were still pretty big, so it just made better sense to go by motor-boat.
I didn't really know what to expect. The only berry picking I've ever done was on the side of the road in Michigan with my study abroad group. So when we reached our location, I was supremely confused. Ranger Chris pulled the boat up to a beach, and the only way to go was up. We had to climb a huge hill to get to the berries! Chris hadn't done much picking before in the area, so it was really just a random spot to look.
Climbing the hill was quite the experience. We stepped over a lot of sphagnum moss, which if you know anything about sphagnum, it's incredibly absorptive. It was like walking on squishy pillows the whole way up, and if you lost your footing, well, it was a long way down. There were a couple times that I needed the help of a spruce tree to make it all the way up. This is the view from the top, looking down to our beach.
And if you looked out, this is the view we had. Worth the climb I assure you. We got to the top, and....no berries. There were one or two around, but no huge patches like we expected. But we were persistent. We were determined to go home with enough to make some blueberry pancakes!
And so the search began. I was pretty enraptured by the scenery, and the thought of being out there. I didn't look too hard at first for the blueberries. I was pretty impressed by everything else out there. The trail hike I tailored taught me a lot about all the plants of the region, and as my hike hadn't been too successful, I took joy in identifying the plants I saw. There was Labrador Tea, Sphagnum Moss, Reindeer Lichen, Salmonberries, lowbush cranberries, and fireweed. And (mom you'd be proud) I saw the most amazing mushroom! Growing on the side of the hill. I quickly pointed it out to Chris, who thought I was crazy for getting excited about fungus. But, alas, that's the kinda girl I am I guess. 
We walked up and down the length of the hill looking for the berries, and eventually we found them! Turns out blueberries grow best at the higher elevations here. And they were amazing! It was hard for me to collect them. Every time I stumbled across a bush, I ended up eating more than half the berries. I felt a bit like a bear. But in the hopes of blueberry pancakes I starting collecting, and soon had enough! Our excursion was a success and I can now check blueberry picking off my Alaska Bucket List!
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