April Bowl to Government Peak

This was a fabulous trek. I've wanted to do this for quite some time. Plus it was also the suggested route for the August Valley Trail Race. So I got to count it for the race and fulfill my wish for doing that route.  It turned out to be much easier that I had expected. Even though we both hiked April Bowl to Hatch Peak last week, somehow Pam and I managed to totally miss Hatch Peak and ended up on the ridge between the two peaks without even realizing we were there.  We tried too hard to avoid an exposed section through the rocks.  But once up on the ridge it was easy sailing all the way over to Government peak. Technically there is no trail, but there was a pretty obvious beaten trail from so many people wanting to find the route.  Once on top of Government Peak it was a long trek down via the Blueberry Knoll route to the Parking lot where I had left my car, so we didn't have to backtrack to April Bowl. Pam's dog Abby and my tiny dog Baby did great.  Baby was getting stuck in the low brush down from Blueberry Knoll so I ended up tossing her in my pack for the last part down.

Pam and I on the top of Government Peak

Palmer Happy Run

 I mostly ran, but since Baby came along, we did a lot of stopping to sniff at various spots along the way.  I did have to carry her part of the time because it was kind of warm.  She's not quite up to running a full 5 miles yet. I ended up carrying her inside of my windbreaker, which was less than ideal.  She attracted lots of attention when we arrived at the Palmer Ale house where the Happy Runs finish.

Matanuska Lake Trails

 A beautiful day for a hike from Matanuska Lake around Long Lake and back, with my friend Pam and our dogs, Baby and Abby.  Abby enjoyed a dip in Long Lake, but Baby was happy just to watch!

April Bowl and Gold Cord Lake

 I hiked with the Walkabouts hiking group today.  First we hiked April Bowl to the top at Hatch Peak.  It was pretty cold at the start and very windy, but at least we didn't overheat climbing up there.  Everyone enjoyed the hike.  We had a large group, about 10 hikers and almost as many dogs.  It was quite an experience for Baby, my tiny chihuahua because she was so tiny compared to all those other dogs.  She did her share of growling, but actually got along pretty well with everyone.  That trail up the ridge is very rocky but Baby had no trouble hopping from rock to rock all the way to the top.  I never did have to carry her. The route climbs about 1000 feet but it's pretty short. We were back to the cars by 12:30 pm.  A few of us decided we needed more hiking, so we also hiked up to Gold Cord Lake, adding another climb and a couple more miles to the day.  It was a perfect day for both hikes.

Baby on Hatch Peak

April Bowl

Gold Cord Lake

Twin Peaks Trail

 This was a really spectacular hike.  I went with my friend Alice who was a little unsure how far she wanted to hike.  Initially we figured we would only go about a mile and a half to the first bench.  But it was so pleasant that she decided she was up for going another mile to the second bench.  By then I was sure we would turn back.  But several people had come down telling us how gorgeous it is if you go on up the the high ridge where you get the most amazing view of Eklutna Lake.  I really wanted to go but didn't want to force my friend who is recovering from a couple of recent injuries.  But after hearing those stories and my description, she decided she was game for giving it a try.  So up we went to the top of the ridge.  It was spectacular and we were both so glad we had decided to do it.  My iPhone 11 has such a wide angle lens that I was finally able to get the entire lake in one photo. My chihuahua, Baby was with us and trotted along as if she was on flat land the whole time.  

Gold Mint Trail Hike

 A beautiful day to hike Gold Mint Trail.  I started very late in the day so only went in 2 miles.  I was hiking with Baby, the chihuahua. As usual she did great.  She loves to hike.  She stopped a million times to sniff at things.  The trail is heavily vegetated so apparently there were lots of interesting smells along the way.  It looked like it was going to rain any minute, but it waited until just a couple minutes before we got back to the car before it actually started.  But we did hear thunder most of the time.  

Palmer Happy Run

 This was the toughest Happy Run yet.  I ran the 5 mile long Outer Springer run and brought Baby, my little dog along with me.  She did great for the first mile, even with the necessary potty stops.  But she started slowing down and it started raining.  I ended up carrying her inside my raincoat for at least half of the route.  It was hard carrying 7 pounds inside of my jacket.  But it was a great workout.  She just couldn't keep up with me the whole way when I was running.  But at times she was running a lot faster than I could.  I wanted to try bringing her along to see how she would do.  But since she's so tiny, it was a little too hard for her.  She has no trouble with that distance, but isn't fast enough to keep up, even with my slow running speed. She was a real trooper though!