Lazy Mountain

I had originally planned to hike up Matanuska Peak today with my friend Alice. But yesterday she said she didn't think she was quite up for that long steep hike. Also, the weather forecast was pretty marginal. So, instead of meeting at 7am to hike she just came to my house and we decided to hike up the Lazy Mountain Southside Trail that I had hiked on Friday. The first half of that trail is on the Matanuska Peak Trail. Then she could get an idea of the terrain and consider doing the whole trail later. We got a very late start, about 12:30 PM. But that turned out ot be a good thing because Matanuska Peak and Lazy Mountain were both completely obscured by clouds when we started. I wondered if we would get to see any of the view. But the temperature was not too cold and the trail conditions were very good. As we climbed higher, we noticed that the clouds seemed to be moving a bit higher on the mountain. I kept hoping they would clear so we could see the amazing views of Matanuska Peak. But that never happened. Although we were fortunate enough that at least Lazy Mountain was clear of clouds when we got to the top.We even had some bright sunshine and a nice breeze, but no horrible winds to make us miserable. The hills are now dotted with clumps of bright red tundra plants and some of the birch and cottonwood trees are starting to get the golden fall colors. We did have nice views of the Matanuska River and the city of Palmer down below. We mostly had the Southside Trail to ourselves. But when it merged with the main trail we encountered quite a few young people who were happily scrambling on the rocks near the summit. Bella and I climbed to the highest point and enjoyed a few minutes resting on a large rock in the sunshine. At one point the clouds parted just a tiny bit revealing the summit of Matanuska Peak. But sadly, it was short lived and they quickly obscured the peak. That was a little disappointing but otherwise it really was a delightful hike and Alice really loved it. I'm sure she will be climbing it with me again soon, or at least next summer. I'm hoping to climb Matanuska Peak tomorrow because the weather forecast is very good. I will have to do that trip solo, but if the weather is really nice, I doubt I'll be the only person up there. Bella led us back down the trail, occasionally barking loudly and racing after something we never saw, scaring us both half to death. We were hoping it wasn't a bear or a moose. Likely just a squirrel. I put her on the leash after that because she was making me nervous, plus we were getting close to the trailhead! 

Bella and me at the flag

Bella & me on the summit

Alice & me