My friend Pam, and I had planned to start early and climb Matanuska Peak today. But last night the weather didn't look very good and we decided that long steep climb to over 6000 feet would be best left to a sunny day. This morning the mountain was totally obscured in clouds. Pondering an alternative hike, I suggested Lion Head. This is a short hike of only 2.5 miles round trip, that is over one hour drive from Palmer. Pam has never done it so I suggested it. I have done it before and remembered how steep and confusing that trail can be. First you need to go past the AT&T gate and tower. In the past they required hikers to call a number and let them know how many are coming. I guess they got tired of answering the phone since the trail is becoming more popular. That sign requesting the call is no longer there. After you pass the AT&T tower and building, you follow a gravel path a short distance then turn into the woods. There is an obvious trail at that point. But it becomes not so obvious quickly. There are numerous small branches of trail all along the route. But there seems to be a main path, which climbs straight up rocks, and is not necessarily the easiest path. It is easy to get confused. But we had a guide today, Bella my dog. Because of the steepness I had to leave her off leash. She kept running ahead and found what is most likely the closest thing to the official trail. When she would disappear, I would call her, then she would appear above and I could see how she got there. Pam, her dog, Dahla, and I followed Bella all the way to the top. There were times when I wondered if Pam would ever want to hike with me again as we struggled over the rocks and trees looking for the correct route. Bella was a great guide and was obviously tracking the hundreds of hikers who had gone before us over the years. Once we finally reached the top of the ridge, the views of the Matanuska Glacier are spectacular. Near the top, a young couple passed us and we found a lone hiker already on the top. Bella made friends with them all. It was kind of windy but not really cold. The clouds were low and did obscure the tops of the surrounding mountains, but the glacier itself was in full view. we stayed up there for a while and took our pictures. Then we followed Bella back down to the car. She knew exactly how to get back too.
It's a spectacular little 2.5 mile hike, but felt a lot longer due to the steepness. It took us 3 hours, including our break on top.
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| Matanuska Glacier |
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| Bella our official Guide |
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| Matanuska River view to the north |
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