I didn't actually plan to hike up here but once I drove up to see how things looked today, I just found myself walking up the trail with Baby on her leash. Gold Cord Lake is such a lovely little spot. It's such a short little hike, but steep enough that you really feel like you did something once you get there. It's like a little well kept secret lake hiding up on the ridge. Even if there are a lot of other hikers up there, it still feels like such a peaceful place.
A beautiful day to hike up the Twin Peaks Trail. I was with our hiking group, the Walkabouts. We had planned to hike to Mt Eklutna, but when we arrived at the trailhead, we found dozens of hunters preparing for a big moose hunt on the trail we were about to hike. It didn't take us long to decide that was not the best choice for today. The closest nice trail was Eklutna Lake so we all jumped in our cars and headed over there. Several of us went all the way to the ridge above the second bench. It was extremely windy up there so we only stayed long enough to grab a few photos. The fall colors were incredible. The entire hillside was golden. There were a dozen Dall Sheep up on the hill below Twin Peaks. This has to be my absolute favorite trail in this area.
I've had my eye on this trail for as long as I can remember, but for some reason I've never given it a try. It starts out with an extremely steep climb up through loose dirt and scree on something that barely even looks like a trail. Since winter is coming soon and I had run out of new places to explore, I decided to give it a try. It was an amazing hike! I was all alone the whole way. Once past that first steep section, it becomes a lovely ridge walk. It's such a steep drop off on either side as you walk the ridge, that I was even feeling a sense of height. At no time was there actually any danger though. We did find a bit of snow here and there, but it was mostly snow free. From the highest point I had a nice view down to Independence Mine in the valley below. I am quite satisfied that I have finally scratched Skyscraper off my To Do List.
Baby was apparently quite anxious to get back to the car once we turned around. I thought I'd kill myself getting down because she was pulling so hard on her leash. In places it was quite slippery and since I don't have 4 legs, I managed to get pulled off my feet and land on my back in several places. I wondered if she was enjoying watching me crash all the way down the mountain.
I love this short little steep trail. I see that the snow level is quickly creeping down the mountain. But so far there is no snow or ice here at the lake. Baby enjoyed running all the way and sounding off in her high pitched squeaks at every dog and person we met. She wants to make sure that everyone knows it is her trail. It was so calm and beautiful up there today. Perfect reflections of the mountains that surround it.
Just a nice short run/walk with the dog along the Gold Mint Trail. Lots of fall colors starting to show. It was cloudy but fortunately no rain. The trail was starting to get pretty muddy so we turned around before things got too messy. That trail tends to turn to a muddy wet bog with huge puddles after a big rain. But it's always one of my favorite trails.
I hiked up Flat Top out of Anchorage today with Diane and our dogs, Baby and Tobi. It was a rather strange hike because we were in the clouds the entire time. Not much of a view from the top, or anywhere along the way for that matter. Baby got really cold so I ended up carrying her down in my backpack. But she did make it to the top. At least we were lucky that there wasn't any rain or snow in all those clouds. It's a nice trail, not the one I've taken in the past. This one has more switchbacks and isn't quite as steep. I think it is a little longer though. Even totally in the clouds, it was a nice hike, and a good workout.
Just a short trek up the Twin Peaks Trail to the first bench today with Baby. I might have gone a bit farther but another hiker I met told me he just startled a brown bear at the first bench, plus he saw a black bear near the second bench. It was getting kind of late anyway, so I decided the first bench would be a great place to turn around. The view was its usual spectacular, with the addition of golden trees.
Nice little climb up the Butte today. I love the view out to the glacier. What a perfect day for a nice steep short little climb with a majestic view.
What a gorgeous day to hike/run on the Eklutna Lakeside Trail with my dog. We went to my favorite little spot on the beach past the first cabin and stopped for a little snack. Eklutna Lake never fails to be wondeful.
I seem to be trying to hike every trail in Hatcher Pass this fall. Today I gave the Reed Lakes Trail a try. It's been many years since I've hiked this trail. It's so beautiful. I made it just below the first lake, but the path kind of disappears at that point and it was getting late. It looked like rain might be on the way too. So Baby and I turned back past the waterfall. I want to make a point of coming back and going all the way to the last lake next time. Such a beautiful place.
One of my favorite trails is Gold Mint Trail in Hatcher Pass. I got kind of a late start today so didn't go very far. But at least I made it to the beaver ponds. I always hope to see one of the beavers, but once again they were hiding from me. I'm hoping next summer when the days are longer, I can finally make it all the way out to the Mint Hut and camp. So far the farthest out I've been is to about mile 5. Today I didn't even come close.
Beautiful day to climb Lazy Mountain. I walked the longer new route to the halfway point up the Lazy Moose Trail because there has been a lot of rain. The old Lazy Mountain Trail is horrible when it's wet so I decided to take the longer more gentle route instead. It's 2 miles longer but much more gentle with switchbacks instead of straight up the fall line. My dog, Baby the chihuahua did great. She is a great hiker. She made it all the way to the top. I decided to go ahead and slip and slide down the old trail instead of taking the long way down. I only fell about 4 times!
