Mike and Kathy Owen arrived Tuesday evening and we went directly to the motorhome for a quick rest before starting our visit. In the morning we headed out the Seward highway to walk the Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered the aerial hand-operated tramway was down for service. We decided to make the almost six mile walk anyway just to see the area.
Mike and Kathy posed at the tramway. This is about as close as we could get as there were service personnel across the canyon keeping an eye on us.
Mike spotted this Iditarod Trail marker, something that is unique to this area.
We ran across another Kardashian influenced burl . . .
We stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to see some of the larger Alaska specific animals up close, we may not see them in the wild. The recently added musk oxen and Wood bison were both extinct in Alaska until reintroduced. Both animals are thriving in the Alaskan environment. The musk oxen is usually found above the arctic circle in the north slope area.
Its better to see these guys this way than to discover one is visiting you while fishing or hiking.
Looking across Portage Lake we can see icebergs floating from the calving Portage Glacier up the canyon to the left.
Kathy and Cathy goofing at the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at Portage Lake.
On the way back to Anchorage, we spotted a rare bore tide on the Turnagain Arm alongside the Seward highway. We stopped to watch and almost missed the kayakers and stand-up boarders riding the incoming wave.
After resting for the evening, we headed to Seward to make the walk to the base of Exit Glacier. On the way, we detoured briefly up the Sterling Highway to Cooper Landing so Mike and Kathy could see the famous Upper Kenai River.
After arriving at the Exit Glacier Nature Center, Mike and I decided to walk to the top as it did not look that far away. There were many signs present warning of recent grizzly activity so Cathy went back to the truck to get our bear spray. After about three miles of hiking up the Harding Icefield Trail, we made it to the upper viewpoint, about 2,000 feet above the base.
Cathy and Kathy hiked the trail up the canyon to the foot of Exit Glacier. This is Kathy Owen at the foot of Exit Glacier near Seward.
This is the view we enjoyed from (near) the top. The actual Harding Icefield is still another mile distant and about 400 feet higher.
Looking across the glacier, we saw another, smaller glacier extending from the icefield.
From this elevation, we could see the end of Resurrection Bay near Seward below.
The glacier contained gravel and subsequently left these marks on the rocks as it passed over.
After our trek up the glacier, we took an easier day and went north to the town of Eagle River to visit the Eagle River Nature Center. Unfortunately again, upon our arrival, the main trail we intended to hike was closed the previous day due to grizzly activity. We missed it by one day. Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful, the water was clear and we did see several salmon making their way up the creek.
Since we had some time, we took the short hike in to see Thunderbird Falls near Anchorage. The viewpoint was near eye-level with the falls, across a very deep, steep sided canyon.
Since our planned fishing at Montana Creek was off due to a forest fire, and the Kenai Canyon was closed due to a forest fire, and the Hurricane Turn train was canceled due to a forest fire, we seemed to have some spare time. We drove to Windy Point and managed to see a distant Dall sheep, then stopped at Potter Marsh to try to catch a glimpse of a moose. We did manage to see ducks, geese, pigeons (just kidding) but no moose. We met a group of Buddhist monks on the boardwalk at Potter’s Marsh who were visiting from Thailand. We even made a pass through Kincaid Park looking for the elusive beast.
As the evening progressed, we drove to the Alaska Native Heritage Center as it was near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson which was reported to be a moose-heaven. The entire base is surrounded by fencing so the Heritage Center (albeit closed) was our best chance. Voila! We spotted and watched a ‘Bullwinkle’ walk across a small pond, staring at us while he calmly exited the area through the thickets.
In the morning we made the drive to Hatcher Pass to take a look at the Independence Mine State Historical Park. The Independence mine was one of Alaska’s largest gold mining camps and operated off and on into the early 1950s.
Looking across the valley from the mine site, you can barely make out one of the many trails.
The fireweed bloom was beginning to fade, but I did pick up a lot of seed pods before we left the area.
You can barely see the Gold Cord Lake trail heading up to mountain to Gold Cord Lake below the mountain top know as the Pinnacle
These were battery-powered ore cars left over from the mining operations. The batteries were probably discharged by now.
Some of the original track leading from the mineshaft remains still.
There is also some of the original track leading in a different direction. Apparently the wooden supports are giving away. It looks like a case of arrested decay.
Mike and I hiked up the trail to the left of this creek to the mine tailings on the hill.
This is the view of the valley above the mine site. There is still active mining going on in the barn in the distance.
Looking back at the Independence Mine operations, you can see the trail branching off in the foreground. It had some steep and rocky sections leading up, but we found an easier route upon returning.
This is one of the cables that carried gondola ore cars from the mine in the distance to the mills below. I placed the camera on the cable and you can actually see the cable going into the tailings. There is a second cable located directly to our right but it has fallen down over the years.
The group at Summit Lake/Hatcher Pass Summit. We watched a group of people picking blueberries by the gallon.
Returning to the summit the next morning, the blueberry pickers were again active. This must be prime picking as they were carrying five-gallon buckets.
We hiked up the April Bowl Trail which began with a series of switchbacks, traversed through a small valley with a cirque lake and several small ponds before it turned into a narrow and rough ridge trail. That is Summit Lake below us.
When the trail narrowed and started going steeply through the rocks, Cathy and Kathy decided to wait for us in the low spot just before the trail climbs up to (near) the summit of Hatch Peak.
On the way down Cathy spotted this exposed quartz and we decided to “make a picture”.
We met this little guy building his winter retreat. He kept popping in and out of his den.
After the April Bowl Trail, we decided to hike the Reed Lakes Trail. After driving about as far as I could, we parked and set off on foot. Following Reed Creek, the scenery was fantastic. The valley was littered with little ponds, streams and lush underbrush. This is bear country!
This is the junction to Upper Reed Lake where we decided to turn back. This is the general vicinity of the Snowbird Mine where the remains of an abandoned cabin lay nearby.
Cathy stopped for a moment on the way back down the trail. We kept semi-together as this really was bear country and safety is in numbers . . and I carried the bear spray!
On our final day with Mike and Kathy, we decided to take in opening day at the Alaska State Fair which was about five miles from our camp in Palmer. It would be a leisurely day, as the Owens would be boarding a plane home in the evening. We stopped and watched the lumberjack show after visiting the domestic exhibits, which included woodworking, crafts, art, sewing, and quilting.
The lumberjacks competed in speed climbing with toe picks.
After watching the competition, we headed to the animal exhibits, which included rabbits, chickens, cows, pigs, and goats. We strategically avoided the midway. These bushes were cut into the shapes of polar bears and a water feature was in the middle. Shades of Edward Scissorhands?
In the tractor hall, we saw this exhibit of old tractors, a little different from what we expected, but kind of neat.
Vegetables were offered for sale at the fair.
Kathy really liked this sign.
On the way to the airport, we stopped for dinner at Humpy’s in downtown, an Anchorage landmark. After that, we meandered through Kincaid Park on the way to the airport and finally spotted a moose. To be specific, we spotted a moose and a moosette! What a great way to end the day.
Travelling with the Schinglers 