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.