Eklutna Lake

Yesterday it was nearly impossible to hike at Eklutna Lake because the parking lot was overflowing. So I gave up.  But today I left home a couple hours earlier and was able to find a parking spot easily.  There were still quite a few hikers, bikers and ATVers.  But I was able to hike without getting in their way.  I planned to just hike the 10 miles to Bold Creek and back.  But it was such a nice day that I decided to hike up the Bold Ridge Trail.  After about one mile heading up that trail I was getting a little nervous.  I was all alone and no hikers were heading up there.  The trail is narrow and steep, plus many small trees had fallen across it, making it difficult if I encountered a bear or moose and needed to make a quick escape. There is no cell phone service there either.  Now that the bears are out and the moose are having their calves, being on an isolated trail alone was a little disconcerting.  I had bear spray with me. I grabbed a couple of big sticks and also played music from my phone so I didn't startle any critters.  I wanted to hike the full 3.5 miles to the ridge but really didn't have enough time.  That would have been a 17 mile hike.  So I turned back and only hiked 13.5 miles.  I really want to find a partner and hike the whole way up to the ridge one of these days though.

The trail was free of snow and mostly dry with a few large puddles.  The lake is still covered with ice, but it looks too thin for walking now.  It should open up soon.