This was a fabulous hike with the Valley Wanderers and also my friend, Pam. The trail is very steep and we did need micro-spikes because it was frozen ground and icy in spots. Once on the ridge we were in several inches of snow. It was somewhat windblown but still pretty soft. It started to get a bit too deep for my dog, so I stopped and put her in my backpack. The rest of the group pushed on ahead. By the time I caught up they were working their way down a rocky outcropping on the side of the ridge. Pam said it looked a little scary from where she was standing. In the distance I saw that a couple of the others had gone on down that ridge and were heading up another very steep slope in the snow. There was no visible trail at this point, so they were making one based on their past experience on this route. Pam said she felt kind of uncomfortable. I admitted I felt the same way. There really wasn't enough snow that I felt we were in avalanche danger, but I was somewhat concerned with the steepness of the sidehill they were planning to traverse. It didn't look like a good place to slip and fall, without the comfort of actual crampons and ice axe. I'm quite sure it was perfectly safe and I later heard all made it down safely. But Pam and I decided it was a bit beyond our comfort levels so we decided to turn back and go back the trail we had climbed. I never have quite the same balance when I'm carrying the dog on my back, which also figured into my decision. Since Pam came with me, I definitely wanted to stay with her. It was a gorgeous hike and we can't wait to come back and do that loop once all the snow is gone. I want to climb to the top of Mt Eklutna next time I'm up there. It's a beautiful peak and the views up there are extraordinary. I let Baby off her leash part of the way down just because it was so steep and icy and rocky that I didn't want her pulling me over. She was pretty good about staying with us.
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