Skyscraper to Independence Mine

 Such an interesting and somewhat challenging hike we did today! We parked our cars at the upper lot of Independence Mine then all piled into Michele's big car and drove up to the Summit Lake area at the top of Hatcher Pass. We left her car at the turnout by the steep trail that climbs Skyscraper Peak. From there we climbed the straight up trail to the first summit. Janice was the fastest hiker and was always in the lead. Of course, my dog Bella was always either with her or bounding up ahead of her. I like to keep my dog in view so I hiked as fast as I could to keep close to Janice. We waited for the others to catch up once we reached the first high point of the trail. The trail is easy to follow along the upper ridge most of the way. It is a series of peaks and valleys with huge rock piles at the top of most of the high points. Bella always seemed to know where we intended to go and was usually far ahead of us. As we started to climb each peak, we could usually see her looking down at us from the top. Of course, she also took numerous side trips to chase marmots and squirrels and to investigate the occasional snowfield down below. We had amazing views down to Summit Lake and of the mountains surrounding the entire Hatcher Pass area. Much of the route was easy sailing along a gentle ridge. But there were numerous sections of steep rock where we had to rely on our rock-climbing skills to find our way through. On one place it was so technical that I hitched Bella to her leash and helped her over some spots that seemed impossible to me at first. I do wonder if she might have found a better way if left to her own resources. But I wanted to be sure she was always safe. It was a bit cumbersome for me in a couple of those places with the leashed dog trying to go twice my speed. But we both survived. Once we finally reached the high spot where we needed to start our descent, it was not totally apparent where the trail might actually go. So, we just started down over the soft mossy tundra until we reached the dreaded boulder field. The first boulder field was not marked at all, but we could see a semblance of a trail on the other side of it. So, we just climbed and scrambled our way through the huge rocks until we reached the other side. Then we continued nearly straight down through rocks and scree until we saw an orange flag, marking the spot where the trail now progresses through the second huge boulder field. I was ahead for a few moments and went right for that flag. Bella ran right to it, and I followed her. The others found a slightly different route, but we all ended up at the boulders and could see bits of orange flagging marking the route. Lots of climbing and scrambling we all made it through those rocks. Then we came to a scary nasty little scree field. Each step sent rocks and scree cascading down the slope. We elected to traverse that in single file, so we didn't cause a landslide on anyone below us. I got across this fairly easily because I know not to lean into the hill and to go as fast as possible. A couple of the others were a little more hesitant, but we all made it just fine. Jane had climbed higher and maybe she actually found a less obnoxious route. Now we were finally on an actual trail. Bella took off ahead and followed it like a champ. It had gentle switchbacks and often, Bella could be seen several switchbacks below. She did take some shortcuts. It was almost as if she could see my car in the distance down below in the mine parking lot. The trail led through lots of ruins of old mine buildings complete with old bed frames. We had to be a little careful to avoid splinters, tripping over metal cables and pipes, pieces of rusted metal roofing, and broken glass. Once through all of that mess we followed the trail for a while, with a clear view of the mine and the parking lot far below us. The trail eventually completely disappeared, and we had no choice but to simply head down through the mossy brush to the stream below. Then we crossed a bridge that finally led to the official trails of the Independence Mine Park. Bella ran ahead and was befriending a couple of tourists, so I had to catch her and put her back on her leash. It was a wonderful and beautiful little hike of only about 3 miles. But there was a lot of ups and downs and challenging rock-climbing adventures mixed in. We all really enjoyed it, and we had great weather because it never got too hot and although cloudy, it never rained. This was only my second time to do this, and I look forward to the next time.

View towards Hatcher Pass

Bella and me

Not so well marked trail!

Gold Cord Lake in the distance

See if you can find Bella in this picture

Independence Mine from the top of the ridge

Tanaina Lake Kayak

 It was a spectacularly beautiful day, so I wanted to get out on the water with my kayak. I drove up to the Nancy Lakes Recreation Area and put in at Tanaina Lake. This is the starting point of the Lynx Lake Canoe Loop that I really would like to do again. But it was far too late in the day to consider that today. I would prefer to do it with another person also. It's a long loop with many portages and very wild. It's also probably safer and a lot more fun with a companion. Although Bella is always an interesting companion. She does enjoy trying to figure out how to get out of the boat and onto the shore without getting wet. She also enjoys barking at anything that moves, such as birds, lilies floating on the water, and her own shadow. It got kind of warm in the bright sun, and I did pick her up by the handle on her life jacket and dip her in the water to cool off a couple of times. We paddled the entire perimeter of the lake. We did hop out for short walks at both of the portages. We walked in to visit Milo Lake, but I didn't bother to carry the kayak in this time. Bella really liked the chance to get out and sniff and run around for a few minutes. I had hoped to see some birds but never got the chance to use my big camera that I brought with me for that purpose. We paddled about 3 miles around the lake. It was very relaxing after the tough hikes I have been doing all month. 

Alyeska North Face Trail

 I had a fun little hike with Jennifer who I met through Facebook. We met up at the Alyeska Hotel and hiked the steep but very well-maintained trail up to the top of the tram at the ski area. The first part is basically a wide dirt road, but it gets progressively steeper as we climbed. There are some giant wooden stairs that help with the steepest parts. I found them a bit challenging for those of us with short legs. Bella was far ahead most of the time breaking trail for us. She got along well with Lola, Jennifer's dog. It started to rain just as we got close to the top of the tram. It was kind of nice because even though it was a cool and cloudy day, climbing a steep trail got kind of warm. The rain was helpful to cool us off. We checked out the restaurant and bar at the top and decided to ride the tram down, rather than negotiate the steep trail down in the rain. They allow dogs on the tram, but only if they all can fit in their single kennel together. By now, Lola and Bella were best buddies, and they sat quietly in the kennel, although looking a bit quizzical wondering why they were suddenly in a kennel. The ride down only took about 5 minutes. The views on the trail were fabulous, in spite of the marginal weather. It was about 3 miles one way with an elevation gain of 2100 feet. Not terribly difficult but a very nice workout with lovely views.

Pioneer Ridge

 Today the Valley Wanderers had planned to hike the Pioneer Ridge Trail as far as we could comfortably go. The reviews said from the first picnic table to the second was horribly overgrown, so we didn't know if we would tackle that part or not. I hoped we could make it all the way to the ridge, but since it's a very long and very steep trail, I wasn't so sure I could even make it after the longs hikes of this past week. We started with 6 then Virginia caught up with us. She tends to leave later and catch us because she is an amazing athlete, and we're just happy hikers. It was a little slippery but not too muddy to the first table. The trail is in excellent condition on that section. We took a break there then started up through the heavy brush which was quite wet from yesterday's rain. It was also fairly muddy. Some of the group put on grippers, but I didn't. They certainly would have been helpful but I was doing fine. We got to the 2nd table which was almost covered with brush. I couldn't even see it until Diane pointed it out to me, on a little trail slightly below the main trail, Too my surprise, I saw Bella standing on top of it. She had no trouble finding it. That was pretty funny. I had worried she might have trouble, but she out hiked us all, except for maybe Virginia. We all went a bit higher to a nice overlook where we all took another break. From there several decided to head on down. Virginia, Diane, and Erin wanted to continue to the ridge. I joined them. In fact they even insisted that I lead. I am a bit slower on the uphill than any of those ladies. But they were content to follow my steady pace. I felt pretty good and we did move at a reasonable pace. Now above the tree line, Bella was running in every direction, chasing squirrels and leaping from rock to rock. I'm sure she walked twice the distance the rest of us did. The views toward Knik Glacier were incredible. There were some clouds floating in and out but Pioneer Peak itself was always mostly in view. We could see a few sheep or goats in the distance along the peak. Happily, we all made it to the ridge where we took a nice long break and had some food. It was kind of chilly and I had to put my coat back on. There was some wind adding to the chill. But it was still quite nice. Virginia decided that she wanted to climb to the top of Pioneer Peak. She is a much faster hiker than the rest of us, plus it was a bit late in the day. So, she took off on her own up the peak. We explored a little and looked toward the peaks across the valley to the other side of the ridge. We could see where the Eklutna High Ridge Traverse would go from Pepper Peak to Yudikench, and to Pioneer Ridge. It looks like a very long trip but I sure would love to do it someday. I'm not so sure I could do it in one day like some of the faster hikers do. But it does look like an amazing trip. Bella ran up and down the mountainsides and I had to keep calling her back. I almost felt she wanted to spend the rest of her life out there chasing ground squirrels. We made our way down along the long ridge through rocks and scree until we came to the place where the others had turned back. Soon after that we put on our gripers for the long muddy steep trip back down to the cars. I don't know how I would have made it still standing, without those grippers. It's so muddy and steep, plus you can't see your feet through the brushy overgrowth. We mostly stayed together on our way down, but Erin was a bit faster. She waited for me when I lagged a bit behind. Bella ran from the leader to the last one and back, through the mud all the way to the car. We hiked just under 10 miles and had an elevation gain of over 5200 feet. I'm sure Virginia had a terrific climb, and she did text me later so I knew she made it back down. Our whole group is a bit in awe of her ability to climb anything. She must have been a mountain goat in some past life. But we were all delighted that we made it to the ridge. That was my goal for today. Although, with an earlier start and the right preparations, I do want to climb to the Pioneer Peak South Peak someday.

Knik Glacier

View on the back side of Pioneer Ridge

Pioneer Peak

Reed Lakes Trail

 I started this hike with the Valley Wanderers with a bit of hesitation. I was really worried that it might be too much for my dog, Bella. She hiked Snowbird on Monday, Matanuska Peak on Wednesday, and 10 miles at Gold Mint yesterday. I was still tired myself, but it's harder to tell how she feels. I brought my dog carrying backpack just in case things got too tough for her. Well, it only took a few minutes to realize she was not going to have any trouble. I had to scramble to keep up with the leader because Bella was up front with them. She was right at home on the trail as usual. The first 2 miles of this trail are the same as the Snowbird Trail. But instead of splitting and heading straight up where that trail appears, we continued straight ahead across the bridges and on up through the beautiful valley. There is a lot of water and marshy land out there. But the trail sticks mostly to the higher dry areas until it climbs fairly steeply up through granite and loose rocks. The views across the valley are wonderful and are dotted with wildflowers. The rocks get progressively larger and more abundant until we reach the dreaded boulder field for which Reed Lakes Trail is well known. Several of the group considered turning back once reaching the boulders. But we were making fairly good progress, so we all crossed them with a reasonable amount of ease. I had a few complicated extra adventures when reaching gigantic boulders too high for Bella's little legs. It was interesting at times, scrambling up 4 feet on a slippery rock with my trekking poles in one hand and Bella in the other. There were a number of times that I had to give her a lift assist. She often chose her own route and surprised us all by finding ways better than what we had chosen. One time she scared me as she did a giant leap up a huge boulder and was literally hanging by her front toenails and managed to kick herself to the top! I tried to stay as close as possible to her after that. The Reed Creek is running furiously beneath most of those boulders, so it is important to be careful not to slip into the water. Bella stopped every time I yelled at her to wait, after that. If she looked perplexed, I went to her and scooped her up and over the biggest boulders. For the most part though, Bella did a better job on the boulders than I did. We had to cross the creek via boulder scrambles 3 times. The last crossing had the biggest boulders. We had an interesting time getting over those. Once we reached the lower lake, we were mostly free of boulders. That was a great place to take a short lunch break. Some of our group of 13 preferred to hike on up to the beautiful waterfall to eat. Of course, Bella followed them, so I quickly decided I needed to join them. It was worth it because that's a fantastic spot to sit and enjoy the wonders of nature. Jo and Charlie soon joined us at the waterfall but decided they didn't want to continue to the Upper Reed Lake. It was raining slightly, and they were concerned about crossing the boulders in the rain. So, they turned back and the rest of us went on another mile or so to the Upper Lake. That was very worth the trip. I had only been there once before so was quite excited when we arrived. It is a totally majestic lake, surrounded by towering mountains on 3 sides. The steep pass at the far end leads to the Bomber Glacier and is part of the Bomber Traverse that I dream of doing someday. I've been to 3 of the passes that lead to that route, but so far, I only dream of going the rest of the way. I'm kind of doing it in pieces! We had a nice break there then reluctantly turned back. With thoughts of crossing those gnarly boulders haunting my mind, I figured that since we made it one way, we'd make it in the other direction. The descent was fairly easy until we came to the first crossing with the gigantic boulders. We all had our problems crossing the largest rock. It was definitely easier from the other direction. In order to cross it we had to somehow get on top and straddle it, then slip down the other side to a single foothold just above the water. I had Bella in one hand and my poles in the other. That was quite the dilemma. A young woman crossing from the opposite direction climbed up to help by first taking Bella then taking my poles. I managed to reach the foot hold and get myself to the other side with dry feet. I watched the rest of our group as they struggled with that particular part of the crossing. A couple of them did slip into the water but there were only a few scrapes and wet feet, but no injuries. We saw some other hikers crossing at a lower point and I'm taking note of that point for next time. It looked a lot easier.   There are some comical photos others took of some of us negotiating that giant rock. I likely looked the craziest of all with my need for two sets of arms. We continued on through piles of giant rocks, with me elevating Bella from time to time.  She still beat me across the last 2 creek crossings. We were all very happy to once again, be back on a regular trail as we wound our way up out of the upper creek bed to the ridge above the vast lower valley. The creek drops into that valley via another spectacular waterfall. We found lots of slippery, muddy spots but all found our way easily back across the bridges and down the last 2-mile section of trail to the trailhead. We were all a little muddy and wet but totally elated that we made it to the Upper Reed Lake. Its a very tough trail but a challenging and interesting hike to one of the most beautiful places on earth, at least in my opinion.

Bella and me at Upper Reed Lake

Lower Reed Lake

The waterfall between Upper and Lower Reed Lakes

Upper Reed Lake

Gold Mint Trail

 I usually hike with my friend Pam on Fridays. Today she wanted to hike at Gold Mint because we haven't been up there since winter. It looked like rain and was even raining a little at home. But we figured since it's a fairly flat trail, we could easily turn back if the weather turned bad. Or, if Bella or I got too tired from climbing Matanuska Peak 2 days ago. But we all felt great. Our dogs charged ahead as always, and we kept on going until we reached the beaver ponds. The trail sort of disappears into water at mile 5 because of the beaver's handiwork. We always turn back there rather than try to pick our way around the water. I really want to go the whole 9 miles out to the Mint Hut someday and camp. But today was certainly not going to be that day. Especially since I plan to hike Reed Lakes with the Valley Wanderers tomorrow. But every time I go out this trail, I start daydreaming of how I really want to either go out to that hut or better yet, do the Bomber Traverse. Maybe someday. I'd prefer to do that longer hike with another person, but I never seem to have any takers when I toss the idea out to my friends. If it wasn't for the beaver pond problem, I'd probably have gone for it solo. Maybe next year. I say that every year! So, we did our usual 5-mile turnaround point and headed back before the rain caught up with us. It's so beautiful out there any time of the year. But right now, it is very green with wildflowers everywhere. I'm not sure if a 10-mile hike was the wisest thing for me to do with a big hike scheduled for tomorrow and still recovering from the marathon, Snowbird and Matanuska Peak. But oh well, I sure didn't want to turn around until we had to.

Matanuska Peak Climb

 Michele Kamilos from Valley Wanderers had asked me a couple days ago if I would like to climb Matanuska Peak Wednesday. I pondered for a minute, since I knew I had the marathon on Saturday and planned to hike to Snowbird Hut on Monday. I felt I might be pushing my luck, throwing in another brutal event without enough time to recover from the first of the 3. But I love climbing Matanuska Peak, so of course, I said "Sure, meet me at 7 at Smith Road." I was still exhausted but managed to get there by 7. We had a wonderful hike up the Matanuska Peak Trail. I'd heard the McRoberts Creek Trail was terribly overgrown, so we chose the longer of the 2. We got to the picnic table fairly quickly and took a nice break. Then up the trail we went. Bella was doing great. We started to slow down some when we hit the slippery sliding scree field, but it wasn't too bad. The scree turns to rocks which turn to progressively larger boulders as you climb. The trail, if there actually is one, disappears into the boulders. There are occasional stakes marking the route, but they're not always terribly helpful. It became quite a struggle finding a good way up through the rocks. Bella tried to lead, but sometimes got separated, then tried to get back to us. She's pretty amazing, but some of those rocks were too big for her to jump. I found myself occasionally picking my way back to her to give her a boost up to the next rock. This activity was really tiring but Michele and I steadily made our way to the summit. We had the entire summit to ourselves and were relaxing and enjoying the extraordinary view. Then suddenly a dog appeared. We both recognized that dog, and then the second dog and Karen and her guy friend John. Karen was shocked to see me up there. She and her 2 dogs had been with us on the Snowbird hike. She was surprised I had gone on that one so soon after the marathon. You just never know who you might find at the top of a mountain. We had a nice visit with them, then we reluctantly left our magnificent perch on top of the peak and started our harrowing rock jumping descent. Bella kept trying to take a direct route straight over the north face, causing me to scream out her name and yell "get over here!" She did pretty well, jumping from boulder to boulder, often finding her own route and avoiding what we had chosen. Then we hit the scree. It wasn't nearly as bad on the way up, but with a gravity assist, it is very easy to slip out of control on the way down. We got very tired negotiating that section. I got a little ahead of Michele and found a big rock outcropping to wait a couple of minutes for her. I could tell then that Bella was getting very tired. That's a lot of work for a tiny dog. We took a short break when Michele joined us, and we continued down through somewhat better conditions. But Bella was now really slowing down. I put her in my backpack, and we worked our way towards the creek. I had given her the rest of my water but knew she probably needed more. She started squirming, so I let her walk some more and once at the creek she got a big drink. After that, Bella was able to make it on her own. We took our last big rest at the picnic table. Then we made good time to the end of the trail and our cars. Bella slept all the way home. It was a fabulous hike in every way. Even the struggles and the challenge added to the delightful experience. I know I'll be doing it again one day soon. It was Michele's first time up there and she's not so sure she'll repeat it. But that's what everyone says until they reflect on the amazing experience. I bet she'll be back. I know I will!