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!

Happy New Year 2019!

Hey Tribe,

It’s a new year!  It’s also this little blog’s one year anniversary and I am so very thankful to you for visiting and reading and saying hi, either here, on Pinterest, or on Instagram.  I like it when people say “hi.”

With 2018 behind us, I thought I’d reflect a bit and give you a peek at what we are planning for the future.  So many folks I know are expressing their relief that 2018 has ended, but I’m not sure I am so pleased to get rid of it.  We had a truly awesome year!

• Fly made history in Barn Hunt, becoming the first ever KBD to achieve Master title.
• We joined a Search and Rescue team and are learning great skills and have made new friends with teammates.
• I started a blog (obviously, but it gets to be included!).
• TheMother and I went on safari in Africa and saw all sorts of animals I’ve only seen in picture books.
• I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, learned a lot of life lessons on the way up, and went to an altitude higher than I ever thought my body could handle (19,340ft).
• Sam and Susan moved back to Alaska.
• TheNurse and I ran, and finished, a full marathon.
• We also summited a challenging local mountain peak that has been a goal for a long time.
• I started organizing KBD meet-ups for our local dogs and their owners.
• Our Instagram account grew to 1,232 followers in this, it's second year.
• I learned to be content by myself.
• We took a cross-country road trip and got a camper trailer.
• Fly proved herself “bear worthy.”
• She earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate, after much hard work from both of us with obedience and socialization.
• We were able to collaborate with several great businesses: Revolution Race, AK Hound 907, My Fluffy Fox Shop, and Chronically Persevering in Style.
• At work, I gained tenure.
• At home, I put in new rose beds.

There was one dark spot to our year, when Grimm’s life came to an end.  He is missed.  He left us with 9 years of great memories and, because of him, the Doberman Pinscher will always be my heart’s dog breed.

We are planning to add a new furry member to our family – something that has been in the works for a few years now.  Stay tuned!

I have several gear reviews to share with you.  Stay tuned!

TheMother and I have a long distance, out-of-country hike planned.  Stay tuned!

Fly will be competing in dog conformation shows.  Stay tuned!

There are so many more hiking trails to be explored.  Stay tuned!

The final sun of 2018.

As awesome as 2018 was, I’m pretty excited about what’s to come in 2019.  Thank you for being part of our tribe and sharing in our journey.

Turnagain Arm Trail - Where We Met Wildlife on the Cliffs

Hey Tribe,

The bear was right in front of me and I couldn’t even see it.  Keep that in mind as you read my tale of another encounter with Ursus americanus.

A beautiful day deserves a beautiful hike.  TheRocketScientist invited me to join him and his two dogs for a hike along Turnagain Arm trail, which has scenic views of Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains.  Who could say no to that?  Fly spent the day at work with me and then, after work, she and I drove over to TheRocketScientist’s house where we climbed into his truck and headed south down the highway: enjoying the warm summer sunshine and the knowledge that the sun wouldn’t set for several hours.

See what I mean?

We parked at the McHugh trailhead and set off down, or rather up, the trail towards Rainbow Creek, about 4 miles away.  The trail parallels the highway, which parallels Turnagain Arm (the famous dead-end channel that Captain Cook’s crew navigated while trying to find the Northwest Passage and had to turn around again, poor fellows); the narrow trail climbs above the highway to a dizzying height and at a few sections clings to the side of the mountain with a narrow margin for hiker error. 

Dall’s Sheep are a common sight in this area and frequently cause motoring tourists to suddenly brake and swerve to the side of the road for souvenir photos of the ghostly cliff dwellers.  Fly, leading our merry group, ran headlong into one of the sheep while it was grazing on some summer grass.  Both were surprised and not sure what to make of the other.  A staring contest ensued as both sized up each other, before the sheep stamped a front hoof in brazenness and darted over the edge of the cliff.  We gasped and hastily carefully made our way to the edge and peered over, looking for our daring friend.  It was safe, of course, standing with its herd - which was looking at us with judgy expressions.  Apparently, they resented our presence up there in their rocky domain.

Hello friend.

Where'd he go?

Hey guys, don't mind us, just passing through.

Fly gives her best sheep impression.

A wildfire swept through this section last year.

Then the trail led us down into the dense woods.  The trail was deep and overgrown with grasses and cow parsnip.  I couldn’t see Fly in front of me, as we waded our way along the trail and occasionally couldn’t see TheRocketScientist either.

Terrible photo, but look at that happy face!

TheRocketScientist and three dogs are standing there...somewhere.

It was cool and quiet in the woods and we were the only ones on the trail.  Or so we thought.  About a half-mile from Rainbow Creek, we encountered a sow black bear and her large cub that were coming down the trail in the opposite direction.  We were mutually surprised and our group jumped back in alarm as the sow hustled her cub up a nearby tree.  In fact, I couldn’t even see the bears until finally spotting the tree climber, but there’s no mistaking the sounds a bear makes when thundering through the woods in close proximity to me.  Fly’s whole being was electrocuted with energy as she got a scent and visual confirmation of her natural enemy.  She stood in front of me, at the ready, and I stood with my hand on her collar after un-clasping the leash.  We were braced for an attack, should the sow charge us.  Happily, Momma was content to simply glare menacingly at us in defiance.  I am loathe to let Fly get in a tussle with a momma bear, so I was happy with her decision. The dogs barked their anger as TheRocketScientist and I assessed the situation.  Clearly, we were not going any further, so we slowly backed our way down the trail a few paces before feeling safe enough to turn our backs on the bears and retrace our steps. TheRocketScientist and his pups led the way and Fly brought up the rear, unwilling to turn her back on the enemy until we were a goodly distance away.

So close to Rainbow.

Brave Fly.

It was probably a good thing that we turned around when we did, from a timing standpoint, because the park locks the gate at 9:00pm and we had to hustle to return to the parking lot before the truck was locked in for the night. 

8:45pm, if you can believe it in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

We didn’t reach our intended destination, blocked a mere half mile from our goal, but the evening had been filled with adventure and beautiful Alaskan views, so I was happy with our 7 mile excursion.