We arrived in Anchorage very late at night (about 4 AM, body time). So our first day was pretty much geared towards shaking off the jet lag. We awoke none too early and made contact with Dave (who had arrived the afternoon before, via a nice direct flight from San Francisco). We decided to do a relatively short (3 mile) hike at Flattop, an aptly named mountain on the eastern edge of Anchorage. From Flattop, on a clear day, one can see forever...so they say. This didn't promise to be such a day, but we were hopeful that the clouds might lift.
The high clouds that were around when we started the hike broke up here and there, revealing blue sky. But by the time we reached the summit, low clouds were beginning to rise over the summits from the south. Well, at least we got some good exercise.
The last pitch to the summit was really steep. There are actually multiple routes, and we seemed to 'take the road less travelled'. We were somewhat surprised at the number of energetic Anchoragites who were hiking--or running--the trails here, in midweek. We also saw moose, at a distance, in the lower meadows.
We finished the afternoon by driving out to Turnagain Arm, where we saw some Dall Sheep on the cliffs, and visited the enormous steam rotary snow blower (used to clear snow from the railroad) on exhibit at the Potter Section House. On our return to Anchorage, we met Tim and Diane (who arrived early that evening) for dinner.
On Thursday, Sue, Dave and I met Susie and Roger (who arrived late Wednesday) for breakfast at Gwennies. They were spending the day in Anchorage. The three of us decided to go to Hatcher Pass, a little north of Anchorage, near Palmer. This is a really scenic drive, and there are some old mines near the top. Unfortunately, we discovered that the road was under construction and had to wait some time for a pilot car to guide us through. This seems to be a common theme during August in Alaska. We took this photo at the first good turn out above the construction.
One of the reasons for going to Hatcher Pass is the Independence Mine state park. Again, we were thwarted, as the park was closed for some restoration work. We did hike around the alpine meadows near the mine, however. The lighting was pretty nice, with bright sun shining beneath the dark clouds that stubbornly hung around the mountain tops.
On Friday, all 7 of us got together for a hike at Crow Pass, near Girdwood. Again we were faced with road construction, on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm. The hike begins with spectacular views of the Chugach, and then chugs up a long valley over scree fields. Remnants of an old gold mine lie in the valley below. (On the way back, we checked out some of the old machinery). The route was used by the original Iditarod sled route from Seward to the interior. This middle part of the hike wasn't terribly inspiring, but the tarns and snowfields at the broad summit of the pass were beautiful. It was, however, somewhat windy and chilly.
As Dave and I crossed the pass (taking time for lots of photo stops), we met Tim and Diane already headed back to the car. A short distance beyond the pass, the clouds lifted for a bit, and we were rewarded with great views of Raven Glacier.
We stopped for lunch (and more photos) with Roger, Susie and Sue. The views of the glacier were really stunning, but the clouds moved back in and it remained fairly cool (although Roger didn't appear to notice).
