Lion's Head

Hey Tribe,

Memorial Day was saturated by rain.  We decided to hike anyway.

I've been wanting to hike Lion's Head for a year and figured this rainy day was as good as any; maybe there would be fewer hikers.  It isn't a very well known (popular) hike, but the views of the Matanuska Glacier are reported to be stunning - though the reward comes with a steep price: the hike is only about a mile, one way, but it is up, up, up.

ThePurposefulWanderer and Sally joined the KBDs and me and together we cruised up the highway to Glacier View and easily found the parking lot for the trail.  It is on AT&T's private property, but those folks are generous, or maybe just wise (knowing people will hike there no matter what), and allow hikers to access the land - provided they call and let AT&T know.  Easy, since cell reception is, of course, spectacular right there.

Meet ThePurposefulWanderer and Sally

Rain didn't stop our intrepid band of hardy hikers. This is Alaska.  The climb started gently and then became noticeably steeper as the many foot trails wound and weaved, braided stream style, through the blueberry bushes and other alpine shrubs.  Our view was obstructed by heavy clouds, but snippets of the rapidly shrinking road and river below us were occasionally revealed through gaps in the rain.

We chose our path based on if we wanted to scramble over slippery chunks of rock or swish through trails stomped into the bushes and we wound our way to the top of Lion's Head.  It actually didn't seem very StairMaster esq after all and we were a little suspicious we weren't actually at the summit.  Rocky and scattered with low alpine plants, the top is, according to internet posts, the best vantage point to view 27 icy miles of Matanuska Glacier.  Alas, all we viewed was cloud and little teasers of the famous glacier.

Summit snacks are tasty no matter the summit, so ThePurposefulWanderer and I shared our bounty while standing in the rain.  Three soaked dogs savored string cheese and then were eager to get going again - so we humans complied, since we were now wet and cold.

ThePurposefulWanderer snapped this stunning photo of Fly and me checking out the view.

The trail down was now quite muddy and we took slow, cautious steps.  It sure seemed steep now.  All the bushes and branches lining the trail provided necessary grab handles to aid our descent and, in my case (no less than 7 times), to arrest slips and falls.  We were met a few times by approaching hikers and their dogs, so our three were leashed to avoid any unpleasant meetings.  It's also just good manners.

I must brag a bit on Fly and Rex - they didn't pull me down the hill, but would stop walking when I called "wait" and would walk on again when I caught up and said "ok."  It was good practice for them to work on leash, listen and watch me, and for us to walk as a team.  Karelians are by nature so independent and I was happy to use the opportunity to reinforce our team bond.

Mud management was attempted when we returned to the truck, but life with dogs is never very clean, so we laughed, the KBDs rode in the back, and Sally, after being toweled off, was soon dozing in the back seat as we drove home.

Lion's Head is purported to be stunning in the Fall, so a return trip is absolutely necessary now.

Oh and when the dogs and I returned home, I realized I'd left an item back at the trailhead...we'll save that for a later post.