We hiked Muktuk Marston Trail, Rendezvous Ridge then down through Arctic Valley. The Muktuk Trail is a very gentle steady climb for about 3 miles up to Hunter Pass, starting at the Arctic Valley Ski Area. It was beautiful and green with a few tiny creeks crossing the trail. Once we reached Hunter Pass, we had a view down to the South Fork of Eagle River. At that point we finally encountered the high winds that had been forecasted for today. We all hunkered down behind rocks to grab a snack out of the wind. Then we started the fairly steep climb up onto Rendezvous Ridge. It was really windy up there. I let Bella off her leash most of the way and found myself really pushing because she insists on being with the leader. Chris as usual, was the leader. He walks so quickly that I can never keep up. But today he was having a long conversation with Jane, another hiker from our group, so I think it slowed him down a little. I managed to stay pretty close to him but Bella basically was the leader. At least I could always see her. I get nervous when she is so far ahead that I can't tell if she is even still with us. It was very cloudy and some of the mountains were obscured by clouds, but we still had some very nice views in spite of the weather. Bella enjoyed jumping over the big rocks and mooching snacks off of all of us. When we got to Rendezvous Peak, Chris elected to take the trail straight down through Arctic Valley. The rest of the group was more interested in traversing behind the peak and descending the more gentle route on the other side of the ski area. The wind was with us the whole way. Even with the steep climbing, I still needed both my jacket and my raincoat to protect me from that wind. Once we started the descent, we lost most of the wind, although there was an occasional gust to remind us it was still there. The whole trip was a little over 8 miles. It's a beautiful loop and I always enjoy it.
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