Muktuk Trail and Rendezvous Ridge

 I hiked with the Valley Wanderers along the Muktuk Trail to Hunter Pass, where we took a break for lunch after 4 miles. Michelle needed to get down to her car by 2:30 so she took off a little before the rest of the group. She has a huge 100-pound dog named Sasha, and Bella just loves hanging out with Sasha. So, of course, Bella took off up the ridge with them. I wasn't quite ready to head up but grabbed my pack and raced up the hill to catch Michelle and Sasha. Very soon we reached the clouds that had been hanging out on the mountains all morning. Michelle was pretty fast moving so I had to push a little more than usual to keep up with her. I actually enjoyed the faster pace. Bella and Sasha raced back and forth through the fog chasing ground squirrels or who knows what across the tundra. We knew the rest of the group was behind us somewhere, but we never saw them again. We took the lower trail that went around the back side of Rendezvous Peak rather than climb up and over it. I noticed at first, both dogs wanted to climb the peak. We called them back and they followed our trail. Once down on the saddle between, Rendezvous and Mt Gordon Lyon, Michelle was worried about the time and took off quickly. I had to stop and remove a jacket because I was too hot. I could see her and Sasha way ahead, and Bella was trying to catch them. Then I just went into full mountain running mode and ran all the way down, finally catching them near the bottom. I really enjoyed the running part. The trail was a little muddy, but I was able to negotiate the rocks and muddy spots without landing on my face. Bella was happy to be back with Sasha. They are a funny pair 100 pounds versus 11 pounds. It's really cute watching them together. We made it to the cars by 2:30. Michelle texted the others to let them know we were both down. This route has amazing views, but since we were totally in the clouds most of the way, we didn't see any of it. But we did see fields of beautiful wildflowers, especially along the Muktuk Trail part of the 8-mile hike. Bella slept all the way home!

Michelle & Bella