Pepper Peak

Hey Tribe,

Ever started on a hike thinking you were headed to one destination only to end up somewhere else?  That happened to us this past Friday when we boldly set out on Twin Peaks trail.

Twin Peaks and Cook Inlet beyond.

ThePurposefulWanderer, Sally, Fly, and I met in Elkutna and set off up the Twin Peaks trail that Fly and I have done several times in the past.  We never get past the second bench though, so I was excited to see where the trail would take us.

No need to fear when we have a Karelian Bear Dog.

After an uneventful meander up to the first bench without any inconvenient bear encounters we paused for a quick snack and photo snap before continuing on to the second bench.  The early morning was warming and we knew it would be a hot hike, so we'd packed enough water for all of us, which was smart thinking since there isn't any water to be found along this trail.  Dog people take note.

Water break at the second bench.

Rumors that the trail gets easier after the second bench have been exaggerated.  What the trail does do is become a narrow footpath and climb, almost instantaneously, into the alpine.  The views are spectacular.

If you select the trail to the right of the bench, which we did, because that's what the online info says to do, Twin Peaks will not be your destination.  As we huffed along, well I huffed anyway, Twin Peaks remained resolutely at our backs and we quickly realized we were not going to summit those pointy pinnacles.

Spot the tiny Fly?

For those stalwart souls who continue on up the "Twin Peaks trail," the Eklutna Lake overlook awaits at the top of the ridge's shoulder.

Most folks call this the end of the trail.  They are satisfied with their hike and their accomplishment of such a journey.  Not ThePurposefulWanderer.  I was informed that we were, in fact, going to continue on up the ridge to the top of the mountain because, "We might as well summit that instead."  

Pepper Peak looms above Fly.

So Pepper Peak, elevation 5,423ft, and an additional 1.5 miles up hill, became our destination.

"It's not much farther" she said, which is a big fat lie, since I can see the peak way off on the left.

The trail is not difficult - it is a ridgeline hike, which I absolutely love, when I am in shape, which I am not.  Alpine flowers abound, as do ground squirrels; the dogs merrily ran from one ground squirrel hole to another in hopes of catching an occupant by surprise.  I'm positive the squirrels stand up on their hills and rocks for all the world to see and make those chittering sounds just to tease the dogs.

Alpine Forget-me-nots are so sweet.

Elkutna Lake is perpetually within sight and is a magnet for the eyes: its color and texture slightly different with each glance; that rich, silky, unmistakeable color comes from the glacier that feeds the lake.

As the trail progresses, there is an obvious false peak, which we anticipated and were thus, not disappointed.  After the false peak, the mountain grows rocky and we discussed options for what we would do if it became too technical for the dogs' safety.  A good trait in a hiking partner is open communication and I was pleased that we could develop several contingency plans, rather than stick to a single plan that may become dangerous.

Dogs are like mountain goats, which by the way, we did see a group of about 6 sheep far across on Twin Peaks, and the dogs didn't have any difficulty navigating the shale and rocky terrain.

Fly practices a good "wait" command while I catch up with her.

When I neared the summit, ThePurposefulWanderer said she had good news and bad news - it wasn't the summit, but the summit was an easy stroll away.  I'd have to say, the second false summit is much more dramatic of a "summit" than the actual summit.  It is "peaky" and gloriously situated for stunning photos.

ThePurposefulWanderer and Sally overlook the valley.

The actual summit is a ballpark-like wander further along the ridge and is marked with a little cairn and flag.  

Snow and views of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley as we near the actual summit.

Dome shaped and a little unimaginative, the summit felt a little anti-climatical, but the views of the surrounding mountains are glorious and more than make up for any lack of adrenalin rush.

Fly stalks a raven while the rest of us admire views of the Mat-Su.

Twin Peaks teases us still.

Those glaciers though!

We popped a bite of chocolate into our mouths and began the descent, being plagued by innumerable flies that covered us and hitched rides down the slope on our hats, backpacks, arms, and legs, and had some sort of overwhelming desire to get into our mouths.  Gross.

Fly looks down along the ridgeline trail

Descending was uneventful, save for a ground squirrel's untimely exit from a hidyhole with Fly nearby and ThePurposefulWanderer's discovery that she'd gotten deet on the cover of her phone which would make all her photos blurry.  Tragedy all around.

Spot the Ptarmigan?

Eventually, we will make it up Twin Peak, but today was not that day.  Sometimes hikes don't go as planned, but that just gives life more flavor...see what I did there with Pepper peak? You're welcome.

We're coming for you!