Snowbird Trail

 It's been raining off and on all day but wasn't completely pouring rain. I was really feeling restless after yesterday's 24 hour downpour. So I just grabbed my backpack and hiking boots and decided to drive where things looked the best. The weather didn't really look very good anywhere, but at least there was now some sunshine. All of the mountain peaks were covered with clouds. But I drove up to Hatcher Pass hoping maybe to climb above therm or at least find a short trail to hike. Up higher everything was totally fogged in. So I backtracked to Archangel Road and drove to the Reed Lakes Trailhead. That's mostly flat for a mile or two, so I figured I'd just take Bella for a nice long walk on it. We kept playing leapfrog with a large group of young hikers who would get ahead, then stop. Then I'd pass and soon they'd pass me again. Once over the wooden bridge, the trail got very wet, with large areas we needed to navigate around. Between those areas and dealing with the other hikers, I gave up and went a few feet before the bridge and hiked up the Snowbird Trail. This trail is unmarked and most people probably don't know that it even goes anywhere. I've yet to make it all the way to Snowbird Hut, but did make it to the Snowbird Glacier once with the Valley Wanderers. Today I knew I didn't have time for a long hike like that, but decided to shoot for the saddle where it levels out at some ruins of the Snowbird Mine. It's a very steep and rocky narrow trail, but I love how it gains altitude quickly and gives gorgeous views of the whole Reed Lakes Valley. It's so lush and green right now from all the recent rains, which really added to the beauty. Bella and I made it to the ruins of one of the old mine buildings, where we took a nice break and had some snacks. I was starting to feel a few raindrops so didn't linger for two long. I let Bella off her leash for the descent because it's too steep to have her pulling me over the rocks. She stayed right with me all the way back to the main trail. Then I had to put her back on the leash because that trail is pretty popular and I didn't want her running after other people and dogs. We made it back to the car before it started raining very hard. It was a very lovely and satisfying 5 mile hike.

Ruins of one of the mine buildings