Long Lake Loop Trail

 I met my friend Jennifer at the Matanuska Lake Trails for a nice 4.5-mile hike. As soon as we started out on the trail we ran into Jo from the Valley Wanderers. We ended up walking together because she had also planned to walk the Long Lake Loop. The trails are very confusing in that area, plus the Borough has removed all of the very informative intersection signs. So, we like to hike the trails that we already know. Even then, I still like to follow along with the AllTrails phone app to keep from getting lost and confused. The trail is in excellent condition. I was ready for mud, ice and maybe even a little snow. But the conditions were dry and perfect. Bella seemed to have a lot of fun running ahead with Lola, Jennifer's dog. In the summer you don't have much of a view on these trails because it is heavily forested and the leaves obscure the view of the many lakes in the area. But today the bare trees really opened up the view down to the lakes. On the far side of Long Lake, we traversed some old hay fields that are very wide open. The views of the surrounding mountains were gorgeous today in the nice weather we had. It was nice finally catching up with Jennifer since we had not gotten together since last winter. Now it's almost winter again!