I joined the Happy Hikers today for a hike along the Matanuska Lake Trails. We took a route that I had not done before. I usually do the Long Lake Loop, but they chose to continue the lower trail past the island and then straight up through the hay fields towards the University experimental farm. It was icy and snow covered initially, but once up in the fields, we really didn't need our microspikes. I did keep mine on because they came in handy later on the hike. There were 14 of us and two dogs in our group. Bella enjoyed visiting her dog friend Buck, the golden retriever. They first met on Saturday at Mt Gordon Lyon. The trails out there can be kind of confusing and we kept coming to junctions. We came to a spot that indicated Crevasse Moraine Trails were 2.7 miles one way and about 2 miles back to our original trailhead. Most of the group elected to head back towards the trailhead. But Amelia, Ken and I wanted a longer hike, so we headed for Crevasse Moraine. I assumed that meant the Crevasse Moraine trailhead, but it really meant just a connection to the vast Crevasse Moraine Trail system. We encountered lots of snow, ice and even some water on the trail. We finally decided we didn't have a clear destination, so we took a loop that reconnected with our original trail. We had a nice 5.4 mile hike. I liked this route because so much of that area is down in the trees with no view. But we had beautiful clear views of Pioneer Peak, Twin Peaks, and Matanuska Peak, as well as Matanuska Lake itself. It wasn't a beautiful sunny day, but it was a perfect temperature for hiking. Happy Hikers meet for a long hike every Wednesday, so I plan to hike with them more often. They tend to hike closer to Anchorage, but it's nice to hike with others now that bears are waking up. Lots of nice people in that group.
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| Matanuska Lake |
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| Matanuska Peak |
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| Twin Peaks |
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| Bella |
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Our group.
I'm the one with the furry four-legged fluff ball at my feet. 3rd from the left. |
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