Little O'Malley Peak

I hiked the Little O'Malley Peak Trail with the Valley Wanderers. We went all the way to the official summit, which did include some serious rock scrambling. I had to lift Bella up over one huge boulder before I could climb it. Someone has placed some Buddhist prayer flags on the top. Some people would find them offensive but I still kind of enjoy seeing them. It brought back fond memories of my hikes in Nepal where everything is covered with them. They're so colorful against the snowy backdrop. Some of the group had to turn back for various reasons but a few of us continued on across the area nicknamed the Ballfield. It is now snow-covered but not too deep to negotiate without snowshoes. Microspikes were very helpful though. Bella sometimes fell into deep footprints but managed to climb out on her own. She led the way as usual. We hiked farther along the ballfield than I have done in the past. Chris was up ahead and had climbed up a hill to get the best view of  Williwaw Lake and Black Lake down below. It was well worth the climb to reach his high spot. We settled down there in the sun to eat lunch. A young Dall Sheep wandered over to visit us. He didn't seem concerned about us at all. Bella let out one loud bark but obediently stopped when I gave her a stern NO! We all enjoyed the little visiter and of course, took lots of pictures. We followed our own footprints back to the ridge below Little O'Malley then found that the trail that had been frozen on the way up had now turned to mud. We kept our grippers on until the trail started to flatten out. Bella encountered a few other dogs but was friendly to all of them, instead of the crazy barking lunatic that she becomes when on her leash. As we got close to the parking lot, I put her back on her leash. This was a fabulous 8.4 mile hike with a 2300 elevation gain. The mountains are much more spectacular with the new snow on their tops now. 

Bella on top of Little O'Malley Peak

Gold Mint Trail

 Yesterday was so windy I didn't even leave the house, except for short dog walks. But it's cold and calm today. By noon I was bored and had to get out of the house. I didn't have a plan, and didn't even wear my hiking boots, just my snow boots for warmth. It looked pretty nice up towards Hatcher Pass so I drove up there, intending to just walk a mile or 2 on the Gold Mint Trail. But it was so pleasant that I just kept going and going. Normally around mile 4 or 5 it starts to get very muddy due to beaver ponds encroaching on the trail. I figured I would definitely turn back when I came to that area. But around mile 4 the trail was still mostly mud free. I finally turned back at mile 4.5 just because it was getting windy and also getting late. I let Bella off her leash and she ran ahead exploring everything. I used my Peak Viser app on my phone and identified several of the distant mountain peaks. I was surprised to see how both Souvenir Peak and Arkose Peaks looked from that side of the mountain range. It turned out to be a lovely day for pictures and an excellent solo 9 mile hike. 

Arkose Peak

Souvenir Peak

Blueberry Knoll Hike

 It's been snowing in the mountains and wind has been blowing, plus a big storm is coming later today. But it's Friday and I traditionally hike with Pam and our dogs every Friday. It's been a while since we've hiked up the steep Blueberry Knoll Trail, so we decided to give it a try. I have done a couple of traverses that ended with hiking down from the summit of Government Peak, but nothing leading up that trail lately. We were both worried that it would be a muddy mess, like so many of the local trails have been lately. But other than a couple of nasty spots, we found the trail to be in rather good condition. Round trip the hike is only about 3 miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. But it's still quite a tough workout negotiating tree roots that try to trip you and slippery steep wet sections of trail. But we made it up and back without any injuries. Our dogs had a wonderful time of course. I love how they run and play together on our hikes. I can tell Bella really enjoys the company of other dogs. If it wasn't completely impractical, I'd consider getting her a doggie companion. Then I'd have double trouble though! 

We could see the dust blowing off the rivers down below but for the most part, we were free of the high winds. That all changed just before we got to the picnic table on the top of Blueberry Knoll. We didn't stay there long. But we still enjoyed the view. There is a cylinder tied to the table that has a screw top. I wondered what might be inside. I expected to find a register logbook. But instead it was full of hand warmers and a few pencils. I suspect there was once a logbook but it has been removed. Hand warmers could come in handy for people hiking up there in winter. It was almost cold enough to need them while we were there. It was 34 degrees when I left home but it was in the low 40's during most of the hike. There were a few traces of snow near the top. Government Peak itself still appears to be clear of snow. Our hike down went quickly in spite of the steepness and slippery sections. It was an awesome choice for our Friday traditional trek.

Bella exploring

Blowing dust down below

On top of the knoll

Red Shirt Lake Trail

 I had a nice leisurely 6 mile hike along the gentle Red Shirt Lake Trail today with a group of the Valley Wanderers. Our two dogs, Bella and Chili pranced along mostly out front all the way to the lake. Sadly, all the autumn leaves have already fallen, leaving only bare trees. But there was a plus side to that. Now we were able to see the Alaska Range to the north and the Chugach Range to the south as we walked along the ridge to the lake. We also got to enjoy the sunshine, which was nice considering it was only about 30 degrees when we started out. It did warm up to close to 50 by the time we returned to our cars. The lake was calm and very beautiful. We enjoyed our lunch and snacks while sitting on some nice logs in the sunshine. No steep mountain climbs today, but still a nice few hours of exercise and peacefulness in the mountains and forest. 

Lazy Mountain

 I helped the Valley Wanderers flag the primitive winter trail that takes off from the Matanuska Peak Trail around marker 4200 and ends at the place nicknamed Stonehenge. It's very narrow and steep and a little difficult to find even in summer. But they like to snowshoe up there in winter so they flag it with flagging tape so it can be found in deep snow. It's probably only about one mile, but it took a long time to hike it because we were stopping frequently to add more flags. Once we get to Stonehenge, it's not very far to the summit of Lazy Mountain. I hate to get that far up the mountain and not go all the way to the top. The other four in our group weren't interested in going to the top, so we parted ways after our snack break. I continued on to the summit with Bella. It was a perfect day for it because the wind had stopped and there was even a little bit of sunshine. The snow level is coming down, making the mountains look more majestic. We got to the top in one hour and spent some time up there taking pictures and eating more snacks. Bella beat me to the summit as usual. She is quite the rock climber and scrambles up there like it's flat land. I like to leave my trekking poles below the rocks so I can use both hands and feet getting to the very top. The view up there today was spectacular, with the snowy mountains. I was back down to Stonehenge in 30 minutes and to the bottom in another hour. It was so worth the extra effort. 

Bella on the summit

Twin Peaks Trail

I hiked the Twin Peaks Trail to the ridge above the second bench that has the beautiful Eklutna Lake overlook. Pam and her dog Dahla joined Bella and me for the hike. Bella was the leader and waited for us to catch up at every high point. It was very windy and got worse the higher we went. We met one man coming down who had gone to the top of Pepper Peak. He said it was snowing and very windy up there. It was snowing slightly even for us as we hiked the last steep section to the ridge. It was so windy up there that we kept our visit there quite short. The trip back down to the second bench was a bit muddy but it was possible to do it without microspikes. Pam had a fall from the mud but wasn't injured. The lower part of the trail was in good condition but still windy in places. Fortunately, it was mostly free of mud. Sadly, all of the beautiful fall colors were now gone. The wind had removed all the gold leaves from the trees. Winter is starting to settle in, with lots of snow on the mountaintops. 

 

Rendezvous Peak & Mt. Gordon Lyon

 A few of the Valley Wanderers decided to take advantage of a chilly but sunny day and hike Rendezvous Peak & Mt. Gordon Lyon from the Arctic Valley Trailhead today. It was only 28 at my house and only 30 at Arctic Valley. We hiked up the trail that follows the chairlift and from the top, Jane and I hiked to the top of Rendezvous Peak while the other 3 walked the trail that traverses the back side of the peak. Bella was delighted to climb up the mountain rather than take the lower trail. She always chooses the trail that goes straight up, if there is such an option. The wind was bone-chilling and I was glad I brought my Gortex jacket. I found the hike to the top of Rendezvous to be quite easy and nice. We had to search a little to find the trail down to the saddle where we planned to meet the others. Bella found her own trail and was about to head down the main trail that heads back to the parking lot. Fortunately she came bouncing back when I called her. Then she raced down the mountain and caught up with the rest of our group who were waiting at the saddle between Mt. Gordon Lyon and Rendezvous Peak. As soon as we got down there, Jo had already started up Gordon Lyon. Of course, Bella took off after her. I didn't want my dog climbing the mountain without me so I took off after both of them. I finally caught Jo just below the Gordon Lyon summit. We stopped at the jagged knife-edge granite formation on top. But Bella wasn't satisfied so she climbed up over it and scrambled down the narrow trail that leads up to what is probably the official summit. I followed her and enjoyed a few minutes in the bright sunshine and the howling wind, took a few pictures, then went back to the first summit once Jane got up there too. We started down along the ridge towards the military installation, hoping to find a spot out of the wind to have our lunch break. We never really found a calm place so just plunked down behind some rocks that gave us a little shelter. We ate our sacks, and Bella tried to mooch from all of us. Then we followed the ridge to a narrow primitive trail that eventually leads down to the main trail back to the parking lot. It was pretty muddy but I did fine without wearing my microspikes, although in a few places they would have been helpful. The whole trip was only about 4 1/2 miles but with all that climbing, it felt a lot longer. It was a fabulous day with hardly a cloud anywhere and beautiful bright sunshine.We only ran into a couple of other hikers on our way down. Bella was a muddy mess and found herself plunked into my kitchen sink for a partial bath once we got home. It was a great day to be in the mountains.

Puppy kisses on Rendezvous Peak

Bella on Rendezvous Peak

Mt. Gordon Lyon View

Puppy kisses on Mt. Gordon Lyon