Still Fat, Still Old, Still Climbing |
| Hatcher Pass is a truly awesome area, about 50 miles north of Anchorage. I did a couple climbs there last year and thought it would be fun to hike up another mountain this year. Good weather was predicted, and skies were blue as we started up Hatch Peak, which rises precipitously over Summit Lake. As we approached the summit, dark clouds moved in. The sprinkles started while I took the picture of Jascha at the summit. Sheets of rain accompanied the rapid descent. While we tried to dry off a bit in the van, the rain stopped, and the sun returned. So we walked around the area a little bit more, and enjoyed the wildflowers there. Of course, back in Anchorage, there was no rain. |
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| Near Hope, there's a beautiful cascading stream called Palmer Creek. Although it is twelve miles off the paved road system, there was a surprising number of people climbing the trail when we went up, August 9, 2003. Our summer here has been unusually hot, and today was no exception. Anchorage was a record-breaking 80 degrees F. I chose this trail because of the abundant fresh water, which allowed my dog to get frequent drinks without carrying his water packs. We climbed up to the first of the headwater lakes and then up one of the surrounding peaks, where we could look down on both of the lakes. Jascha particularly loved romping in the large patch of snow we found along the way. Although it is late in the season, the warm weather has allowed flowers to thrive. [Alpine Spiraea, upper left; Dwarf Fireweed, lower left; Spring Beauty, lower center] The top two photos in the collage have large photo links if you click on them. |
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| Clouds started gathering even before we hit the trail up Flattop. By the time we reached the summit and made our customary circuit of the perimeter, the whole area was well socked in and it was drizzling a bit. The weather did cut down on the crowds, but there were still quite a few hardy hikers up there. Occasionally, the sun would shine through and reward us with a rainbow. |
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| Saturday, I hiked along the Craigy Creek Trail with some friends, but we didn't get far enough to climb up into Dogsled Pass at all. It was a lovely walk in the beautiful Hatcher Pass area, but I still wanted to climb up something-- anything. So Sunday I drove back out to Palmer and looked around for the new trail up the Bodenburg Butte. Last year, that new trail was just a myth, but this year it is very real indeed. It's clear that a lot of time and effort and thought went into the new trail, found off Mothershead Road, on the north side of the Butte. The old trail on the south side is terribly eroded, with considerable damage to the vegetation. Great care has been taken to prevent that with this new trail. In one very steep section at the lower end, stairs have been constructed to prevent that sort of damage. Rain was predicted, but it politely held off until we got up and down, and headed back home. |
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Back to Last Year's Adventures,
2002 |
