Rabbit Slough Canoe

 I started out with my friend Mark with my canoe on the roof of my car, destination Beyers Lake. But the sky was looking pretty dark in that direction. So in Wasilla, I turned around and we decided to go to Jim Lake and Jim Creek instead. Once we got to Jim Lake, the wind was starting to blow. The lake is pretty big and not fun in high winds. So, we changed our destination once again. I figured Rabbit Slough, and Palmer Slough would be pretty sheltered and safe from wind, with no large bodies of water to cross. It started to rain on our way there. But it was just a light sprinkle, so we continued. It was still raining when we put into the creek, but soon stopped. It stayed calm too, even though it was a little chilly and quite cloudy. First we paddled downstream for about one hour. The current gets faster as we got closer to the inlet, so we turned back before the return trip got too challenging. Once back to the car, Mark got his camera out and we headed upstream to see how far we could get. The water is very high right now from the warm temperatures and recent rains, so the creek was quite high. I was hoping we could make our way all the way to the Wasilla Creek boardwalk, but the stream kept forking due to the high water. It started getting hard to find the best channel. The canoe is 17 feet long and we decided to turn around while we still had enough width to do it easily. I'll try again with my kayak, which is more maneuverable, and a lot shorter. We were out on the water for 2 1/2 hours. It was so peaceful and quiet, with just the sound of the water and the birds. I felt a little sad because this was my first time in the boat without Baby. I still brought her little life jacket along so a part of her could go with us. We saw a couple of eagles, and a couple of families of ducks with their little ducklings swimming behind them. It's a very wild place out there in Palmer Slough and Rabbit Slough. The last time I was there I was on skis with Baby pulling me almost to the Wasilla Boardwalk. There were dozens of moose that day. But we didn't see any moose today.

Symphony Lake

It was very cloudy and raining a little for this almost 12 mile hike along the South Fork Eagle River Trail with the Valley Wanderers. But it was a nice temperature for hiking. The fog and clouds were hiding the mountain tops, which was a little disappointing. But it was still beautiful and peaceful. There have been several stories of brown bears with cubs charging people on the trail, so I was sure to bring my bear spray. But we had a group of 8, which tends to keep the bears away. We didn't see very many other hikers, most likely due to the unsettled weather. The forecast only mentioned clouds, but we had light rain for most of the day. They have been making wonderful improvements to this trail. Instead of crossing large streams, they had built some nice foot bridges, and raised walkways across the swampy areas. But they are not finished with the project, so we did encounter many very swampy muddy places that were quite challenging at times. My waterproof hiking shoes managed to keep my feet dry. There are two very nice wooden bridges that crossed the river. The river was very high due to the warm temperatures and the recent rain. Everything is very green now and all of the snow was gone in the valley. Once we crossed the second bridge, we were into the large boulder field. Rosemary and I got separated from the others and found our way through the rocks. The way we had chosen was not the most efficient, but it was fun and challenging. Lots of rock scrambling. We finally caught up with Judith and Michelle by the wooden structure overlooking Symphony Lake. The others came along about 10 minutes later. We had some food then started our way back down. We had a much better route back to the bridge. Sometimes trails are easier to find on the way down. This was the case today. We didn't need to do quite as much rock bouldering and reached the bridge fairly quickly. We found that if we followed the red flags that the trail workers had placed marking where the improved parts of the trail would be, we stayed out of the wettest spots. It will be a much nicer hike once they finish the proposed improvements. In a way I suppose it might take away some of the challenge. But I'm OK with that. It's a spectacular valley and I look forward to hiking it again with better weather so I can really see the view. This hike might have been difficult for my dog Baby if she had still been with me. So much mud and water. But I sure wish I'd been able to carry her in my little doggie backpack. I really feel her absence on the trails. I consider that her spirit is hiking along with me. I have the butterfly from her Halloween costume pinned to my pack so I feel I am taking a part of her with me on the trails. I miss you Baby.

Harp Mountain

I joined the Valley Wanderers today for a nice climb up 5000 ft Harp Mountain. I have done this hike before but didn't remember much of the details. It's steeper than I had remembered. I was feeling a bit tired from the Mt Eklutna hike yesterday and had a little trouble keeping up with the rest of the group. But I was only a couple minutes behind when we got to the top. Chris and Erin were always in the lead so we were a little spread out anyway.  Harp, like Eklutna, has several false summit teasers. Although at least on this one, it was easy to tell that they were false, because the real summit was pretty obvious most of the way up. This trail is mostly straight up, but there are a couple of nice flat spots between the several false summits. We did have to climb up one area of deeply tracked wet snow. Grippers might have been helpful, but we were all able to kick easily into the deep tracks made by previous climbers without any real danger of falling. The views toward the South Fork of Eagle River were gorgeous. Everything down in the valley was so green and the river itself a brilliant glacier blue. I'm looking forward to hiking the South Fork Trail to Symphony and Eagle Lakes on Monday, also with the Valley Wanderers. This hike gave me a nice bird's eye view of what that trip will be like. It was pretty windy and even though I had been too warm for the first half of the climb, I ended up needing to put my extra layer back on just because of the wind. Clouds were rolling around and at times the summit would disappear into the clouds. When we arrived at the top, we found comfortable rocks and took a nice break for lunch. Most of our time on the summit, our view was obscured by the clouds. But I did get a few good glimpses of the view as the fog rolled in and out. It was a little tricky descending for the first half because of loose rocks and scree. Once down from the rocky sections we were able to move quickly. I got my best pictures on the way down becuase instead of looking at my feet, I could look out at the South Fork of Eagle River and the mountains on the other side of the valley. The sun started peeking through and we warmed up and could finally shed those extra layers of clothing. While high in the rocks, a passing hiker pointed out a ptarmigan that was sitting in the rocks. Its camouflage was so good that even when only a few inches from the bird, it was hard to see it. I suspect she was guarding a nest because she didn't move and seemed to assume we couldn't really see her. I was able to take a few nice photos up close with my phone and she posed nicely for me. I really enjoyed this hike but was glad to finally get down because I was really tired. I think two steep climbs in a row had worn me down a bit. I don't plan on climbing any mountains tomorrow. Time for a little rest. 
As I do these hikes, I find myself mentally talking to my dog, Baby who was taken from me 4 weeks ago. I know in my mind that she is really gone, but I feel her spirit bouncing along beside me, encouraging me when I get tired. She would have loved this hike because she loved to climb. I remember that she loved it last summer when we hiked it. I miss her so much. I still haven't fully accepted that she is really gone. She should have been here with me today. My poor little angel dog, Baby.

Harp Mountain from the parking area

Can you see the ptarmigan?

View from the summit

Mt Eklutna Climb

I was disappointed that I had to miss the Mt Eklutna, Bear Mountain traverse by the Valley Wanderers back on June 17th. I was already committed to the Anchorage Mayor's Marathon for that day. But Mt Eklutna has been on my 'Must Do' list for some time. It is also one of the mountains on the 6 Peak Challenge of the Soles in the Backcountry through AKtive Soles Store. Yesterday my friend Pam asked what hike I would like to do for today, and I suggested Mt Eklutna. I was a little concerned that the weather might not cooperate, but we were lucky that it was only cloudy, but nice temperatures and not a drop of rain fell on our hike. We took the Peter's Creek Trail directly to the Mt Eklutna Trail rather than do the loop via Bear Mountain. That takes longer and Pam needed to pick up her dog at the groomers. Neither one of us had hiked the Mt Eklutna Trail before so didn't know what to expect. I had assumed that we would find a very steep trail. But it was actually quite a gentle uphill through beautiful green forest with colorful wildflowers everywhere. The vegetation was dense enough that we were somewhat relieved to finally break out onto tundra, because bears can easily be hiding among heavy vegetation. This is the time of year where sows have young cubs, and there have been some recent charges and even attacks. Once out of the trees we had a good view in all directions. Now the trail started to steepen but was not extremely steep. We hiked up through a valley towards the saddle where the Bear Mountain, Mt Eklutna Loop Trail splits. There was still some snow in that valley and a small amount of mud that we could easily avoid. Once at the saddle, we thought we could see the summit. Of course, we were quite wrong. Mt Eklutna has a series of false summits. I had a granola bar and some Pepsi at the saddle which gave me a spurt of energy. I had been dragging up until this point, but now was able to move quickly up through the loose scree and rocks from false summit to false summit. I finally ran out of uphill and reached the 4065 foot summit. Pam was right behind me. The views were spectacular looking towards Twin Peaks and the inlet as well as Chugach Range Peaks in every direction. We had our snacks, admired the view, took some pictures then started back down the way we came up for a total distance of 6 miles. I loved this trail and will recommend it to anyone. 

Mt Eklutna Summit

Twin Peaks, Gold Star view

Rendezvous Peak & Mt Gordon Lyon Loop Hike

 It was a beautiful sunny day with only some very high cirrus clouds and some light winds. This was a perfect day to hike the loop and climb both mountains on a single hike. I was really worried that I would be both too tired and too sore to even make it to the first peak or keep up with the rest of the Valley Wanderers hikers after running the Mayor's Marathon just two days before. But I was delighted to find that I was able to climb both peaks and even stay close to the others. It's a beautiful climb along nice dry trails, with just a couple of small snow patches that were easily negotiated. I have climbed Gordon Lyon before but this was my first time to climb Rendezvous. It is also one of the peaks listed for this year's 6 peak challenge through the AKtive Soles Shoe store. The views from the top of both peaks were spectacular, looking out over the Chugach Mountains plus nice views of Eagle River and Anchorage far below. There is a little bit of rock scrambling at the summits of both peaks, but nothing technical or dangerous. Gordon Lyon has two peaks and there is a thin snow-covered ridge between the two. The snow was well packed so we had no trouble trekking across that spot. We had a nice food break on the summit of Gordon Lyon, enjoying the sunshine. Then instead of heading back down to the saddle between the two peaks, we made our way along the ridge towards the military installation, this increased our views out over the inlet. There are huge fascinating rock formations all along that ridge, making it much more interesting than the trail straight down from the saddle. There is a little bridge across Toklat Creek as we joined the main trail very close to the trailhead. The trip was beautiful and I was delighted that I was actually able to make the climbs so soon after a 26 mile run. The company was also wonderful. I really enjoy hiking with the Valley Wanderers. They are so strong and I can tell I have become stronger myself just from hiking with them.

Anchorage Mayor's Marathon

 Marathon number 164 for me, completed today. It was a perfect day, with bright sunshine but not too hot, and just enough wind to keep me cool and mostly blow the mosquitoes away. I really like this race because I'm pretty slow, but the time limit is 7:30 and judging by the results, it appears they are somewhat flexible on that. I felt like I was really working hard, but I also could tell I was moving a little faster than times in the past. I managed to finally break 7 hours, with a result of 6:47:04. It's still a very long marathon time, but it was 21 minutes faster than my time on this race last year. I'm often so far at the back of the pack that I feel like I am running totally on my own. But today I always had a few other runners for company. I paced ones who were slightly faster than I was, which forced me to push a little harder. But it was still quite exhausting. The medal is beautiful. 

Gold Star Peak & POW/MIA Peak Hike

 I hiked up Gold Star Peak with the Valley Wanderers today. It looked like it may end up to be terrible weather, but we decided to take a chance and start our hike. It is very steep and pretty close to straight up the entire way. I wondered if I would be able to keep up with the others because generally, I think they are faster hikers than I am. But I found that I was able to stay with them this time. The clouds were swirling below and above us and it was starting to look rather ominous. Then the wind picked up and blew the low clouds away so we could at least see our destination peak. We found a nice spot about halfway to the ridge and took a break and had some snacks. Then continued on. At one point I thought I was getting too warm and considered taking off a layer. But I didn't want to take the time to stop, so just unzipped my jacket. I'm so glad I didn't because very soon after, the wind got much worse. Once on the saddle between Gold Star and its neighbor peak, the trail gets rougher. Now the trail got quite rocky and we had to take care not to kick rocks on each other as we climbed. The higher we went, the stronger the wind got. As we closed in on Gold Star Peak, we had areas of loose scree followed by rocky projections that we had to climb over. Once at the official summit we were able to huddle behind a big rock cliff and get out of the wind for a few minutes. We ate lunch, for me a Snickers candy bar, then I went over to take pictures of the monuments on the peak. 

  

This cross and plaque are right on the top

There is another area with a tall pole where Gold Star families hang dog tags of their lost loved ones, and also leave painted rocks and other mementos nearby on the ground. The wind was so ferocious at that point, that I took the following video. I love how you can hear the dog tags singing in the wind.

From there I moved on to the nice memorial of the military dogs of Vietnam. I picked up a small rock to bring home to place on my dog, Baby's grave. I have pictures of her by this spot from our previous climb here.

We continued on for about another 15 minutes along the rugged ridge to the secondary peak named POW/MIA. It has a large flagpole with a US flag and  POW flag, plus numerous mementos left by families and friends of the missing and lost. The view from there is really spectacular as well. We could continue down that steep ridge and climb Twin Peaks, but it looks a bit difficult. Also there is now a nice view of Eklutna Lake in the distance. It's a very majestic place to honor those who gave it all to give us the freedom to hike to this beautiful place.

We were all freezing from the icy wind and even a few snowflakes, so we hurried back down to the lower trail where it was much calmer and beautifully green. I practically ran down once we got to the saddle and away from the loose scree and rocks. It was a lovely hike with great company.

Eklutna Lakeside Baby Memorial Hike

Today I walked 10 miles on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail with the Valley Wanderers and my friends, Diane, Maria, Pam, Kathleen and Mark. The Valley Wanderers made this hike a memorial for Baby, my dog killed on the trail two weeks ago. We stopped at the place where she died and had a little ceremony for her. Kathleen said a prayer to Saint Francis. I brought a bouquet of flowers and placed them under a spruce tree. I had dressed Baby as a butterfly for Halloween and she was so adorable, that we all think of her as a little butterfly. I have pinned the butterfly from that costume on my hiking pack so it feels like I bring a part of her on all of my hikes. I hung several little butterflies in the trees in the area to mark the spot. I kept them small so they didn't detract from the nature of the trail. One is a tiny wooden birdhouse shaped like a butterfly. It hangs on a tree slightly off the trail.

My flower boquet

There is a tiny blue one nailed to another tree and a clear plastic one also one a third tree.

I also scattered some Forget-Me-Not flower seeds around the area. I'm hoping one day I see them blooming along the trail. They are indigenous to Alaska and are also our state flower.

It was a beautiful day for the hike, but felt so strange to not have Baby along leading me on her leash. I did feel that she was certainly with us in spirit. We all know and miss her so much.

My little butterfly, Baby