Lazy Moose Trail

The forecast for today was 100% rain all day. But it wasn't raining when I woke up. Julia texted me and asked if I'd like to hike the Lazy Moose Trail up to the picnic table halfway up Lazy Mountain. It's my least favorite way to climb Lazy Mountain because it's almost 3 miles just to the table. The other route is only 1 mile, but insanely steep. But knowing it might have some nice fall colors and that we'd likely get caught in the rain anyway, I said yes, lets do it. It was a bit slippery from yesterday's heavy rains but since it's not terribly steep, it was quite pleasant. We could see the clouds building but no rain as we hiked the long switchbacks and finally reached the picnic table. I had decided that if it wasn't raining when we reached the table, I'd go on to the summit. But Mother Nature apparently didn't like that idea, so it started to rain just as we got there. We took a nice snack break and fed and watered our 3 dogs, then added raingear and more layers then backtracked down the same trail we had climbed. If we had gone down the steep way, it would have been treacherous with the added rainfall over already wet steep trail. I had a couple of near misses tripping over wet roots but did make it all the way down unscathed. We got back to the cars with 3 very wet and muddy, but happy dogs. Little Bella was shivering and wet, so I wrapped her in her towel and blanket on the way home. It was a nice 6-mile workout with some lovely autumn foliage. It's nowhere near peak yet, but there is a lot of golden color starting to show. By the time we got down it was nearly a torrential downpour. I'm so glad I didn't venture on to the summit. It will still be there the next time I climb there.

Bella with Julia and dogs Trigger and Pumba behind her.

Lane Basin Memorial

 This hike has been planned then changed several times this summer. It was originally supposed to be the 10-mile round trip hike to the Lane Glacier. But it was canceled a few weeks ago due to weather. Then it was scheduled for yesterday, but once again it was moved due to the horrible weather yesterday. So today we finally set out on the hike with the Valley Wanderers. It was the fast group leading and of course, I worried that I would be left in the dust because I really can't keep up with their fast pace. Today they were very good about holding up enough that we didn't get separated. First, we walked the couple miles up Archangel Road because only the toughest of vehicles can safely negotiate that rock infested dirt road. That part is always a bit of a drag even though it's a beautiful stretch of road. Our goal was the Lane Basin Trail, but rather than turn off on the official trail, the leaders chose to take a narrow steep winding trail up to the base of the huge rock formation known as The Monument. Once above The Monument we descended to the lake and creeks that flow through Lane Basin. We passed by the beautiful waterfall and jumped over a few creek crossings and finally reached the site of the old Lane Hut at the far end of the valley. I used to love to come to that hut, but it was torn down many years ago. From that spot there is a remnant of a trail that leads to the right up the mountainside to what little ice remains of the Lane Glacier. We did hike up there 2 years ago. Erin and Virginia decided they wanted to forgo the glacier and instead hike up to a memorial they had stumbled upon in the past. There were some rock cairns and some traces of old footpaths leading away from the left side of the old hut site. We followed those for a while. Jane, Kim and I followed Virginia and Erin as we slowly made our way basically straight up the mountainside behind the old hut site. There were plenty of gigantic boulders to negotiate but nothing too scary. Bella was pretty good at leaping from boulder to boulder like a ninja warrior. We tried mostly to stick to the grassy tundra vegetation and gradually worked our way up the very steep slope toward the astonishingly beautiful, jagged ridge far above us. I have to admit, it was very tiring and I sometimes wondered if I would pass out before reaching the top. But I carried on and did fine, although usually a little behind the leaders. The higher we went the steeper it became. But we finally did break out on the narrow ridge and were able to peer into the massive valley on the other side. We were surrounded by gigantic pinnacles and there were significant drop-offs that would be disconcerting to one who has a significant fear of heights. I wasn't too bothered by that except when Bella acted like she wanted to leap off the ridge and determine if she could fly. Fortunately, she did remain on the ridge. The final destination was a small memorial with a couple of metal plaques and some angel statues at the base of a huge pillar. The top plaque was to Hezekiah Kelly, a young man who died in 2005 climbing in this area. Beneath his was one of a Jennie Viola Rhodes with the words Grandmother and In God We Trust beneath her name. She had died in 2015. I would assume she was Hezekiah's grandmother. But of course, I don't know for sure. We lingered in this extraordinary place and had lunch and snacks. Then we ventured down a slightly different way. We climbed up a steep rocky hill to get a better view of the valley below, then went straight down following the tundra grasses once again. Once on the valley floor we had to negotiate a couple of creeks and finally worked our way back to the steep rocky trail beneath The Monument. I slipped and fell twice on that trail but managed to avoid damaging myself. I was actually happy when we got back on the fairly boring dirt road and then back to our cars for a total of 9 miles. It was a truly spectacular hike and, in many ways, even more spectacular and interesting than the Lane Glacier hike from 2 years ago. I'm glad they chose to share it with us. 

Once home, I researched Hezekiah Kelly and found this news story of his tragic death. It's a very sad story about such a young person. Hezekiah Kelly I will think of him every time I visit Lane Basin.

Bella & Me

Purington Creek Ridge

 Julia suggested a short hike today with the Valley Wanderers. No one responded but I had already told her I would be happy to hike somewhere. We met at her house and drove to her friend, Andrea's house. We put Julia's 2 dogs and we 3 ladies and of course Bella into Andrea's big car and drove quite a way down the Glenn Highway past Long Lake. There was a lot of construction happening in the area and we were held up for a while waiting for a pilot car. We were able to pull over into a large turnout and park out of the way of some heavy equipment also parked there. Purinton Creek runs under the road in that spot. But it is not the official Purinton Creek Trailhead. Julia knew of a narrow, likely game trail that heads straight up the ridge. We hiked up there. I was glad I brought my trekking poles because it was a bit steep. It was very beautiful because as we climbed, we had lovely views of the mountains across the highway and the Matanuska River. We found some trees that had changed to their fall colors of bright yellow gold. Once on top of the ridge, we walked for several miles along the top of the ridge, still on a narrow trail. We stayed on it until it finally seemed to disappear into a flat plateau, with views to a wide valley below. The Talkeetna Mountains dominated the skyline on the other side of that valley, while the Chugach Mountains towered above the Matanuska River far below us. Andrea and Julia got carried away picking blueberries and other berries, while Bella and I relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine. I'm not much of a berry picker and didn't have anything to put them in anyway. Since we didn't see any trail signs past the berry picking area, we decided to head back the way we had come. It was a beautiful little hike in a place where likely very few people would ever go. I consider it Julia's little secret hike. 

Matanuska Lake Kayak Paddle

 I woke up to a really nice morning but couldn't decide what to do. It's been at least a week since I've used my kayak so decided to toss it into my car and just see where I end up. I still couldn't decide but I also didn't feel like taking a long drive anywhere. I haven't been to Matanuska Lake this summer except just to hike. So, I carried the kayak and all the stuff that goes with it down the short steep ramp and Bella and I put in on the lake. It was beautifully calm and not too hot or too cold for a change. Bella doesn't like when she gets too hot. I think she sees all that water but doesn't know quite how to get a drink of it. I also don't think she's too crazy about being out on the water in general. Today she was pretty relaxed until about halfway around the lake. Then she started getting restless and squirming and barking at nothing. I put in at a gravel bar at the far end of the lake and let her run around while on her leash while I stayed in the boat. I was glad she jumped back in and I didn't have to jump out myself and put her back in. She calmed down for a while then started barking at a couple of other boats on the lake. A couple of birds flew over, and she got so excited that she accidently fell right out of the boat with a splash. I tried so hard not to laugh but I couldn't help myself. She was safe of course, on her leash that was attached to my lifejacket and was also wearing her own lifejacket. I grabbed the handle of her jacket and plopped her, dripping wet back into the boat. She had a very quizzical look on her face for a while. I couldn't stop laughing after that. She was quite happy when we finally reached the little dock where we had put in. She jumped right out and was actually helpful because her pulling helped keep the boat steady as I climbed out. Other than her barking, it was a calm and peaceful little trip around the lake. I wish my dog enjoyed it more. I think she just wants to be out running around and probably feels confined when in the boat. I don't think she enjoyed her little swim.

Eklutna Lakeside Trail

 Pam and I decided to do a simple mostly flat hike today because her back was hurting and my right knee is still a little sore from falling last week. It was a nice, peaceful day to just hike the 5 miles each way on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail to the Bold Creek Bridge and back. It's a nice gentle hike but 10 miles is still a good workout. Our dogs seemed to enjoy running all the way there and back. I was hoping to see some fall colors but there were very few trees changing. Some of the ground vegetation is starting to turn, but it will still be a while before we get the true autumn show.

Eska Falls Trail Hike

 Today was a beautiful sunny day and Pam suggested the 2 of us with our dogs, hike to Eska Falls. Round trip it is a little over 12 miles. The actual trail is really only 10 miles round trip, but the road to the trailhead is not drivable unless you are in a huge truck or an ATV. Today I'm not sure any vehicle could drive it because it was flooded in so many places. So, I parked where the paved road ends and we walked the road to the hiking trail about a mile and a half, doing our best to avoid getting wet as we circumvented the flooded spots. We kept our feet dry, but our dogs did a bit of swimming. Once on the actual trail, conditions were pretty good. There were some small patches of snow from yesterday's big storm, but they just served as a good place for the dogs to get a tasty snow drink. The wind must have been horrendous recently because there were trees down all along the trail. In a few places it was a bit challenging getting around them. It really did look like a hurricane had swept through the area. We were very happy when we finally reached the flat plateau just above tree line. From there we could finally see the waterfall in the distance. It's only a little over a mile from there to the falls, but it's not the nicest trail to follow. It's really just a mass of ATV roads that meander up and down over steep hills until they finally end at the base of the falls. I told Pam it looks like they were made by a drunken ATV driver. I may not be wrong. They are a combination of steep rocky hills and steep muddy rutted hills. But were actually quite easy to follow. The falls were in view all the way through this part of the hike. The falls were flowing very strong, partly due to yesterday's huge rainstorm. It's always amazing to sit on the rocks just below the falls and marvel at the immense power of that falling water. The sound was almost deafening. From where we sat, Eska Creek flows downhill eventually reaching the Matanuska River. We had a nice lunch break there and our dogs got drinks in the icy water. We hated to finally leave but we did want to get back before it got dark. We had plenty of time because the sun doesn't set until almost 9 PM. We got down right at 6 PM. We wrapped both dogs in blankets and towels to keep them from turning our cars into mud puddles. But they didn't care. They both got much needed baths once back home.

Pam and Dahla