Gate to our campground of choice was closed |
A view of Turnagain Arm from the Porcupine Campground |
I hadn't realized how far up that road climbed from the gate to the highest point, but it took me a full hour of uphill biking to reach that point (which, by the way, took me only 12 minutes to coast down on the return trip!). Whew! A downhill never felt so good, though I was soon stopped by avalanche areas--first branches covering the road from already-melted avalanches, then the one avalanche that needed to be clambered over.
The kids also climbed a 4200 foot peak off to one side of the valley, choosing one for it's lack of snow. They were rewarded with miles and miles of peaks in the distance, a treat they said was worth the climb.
A summery day for a bike ride up the Palmer Creek Road |
This avalanche is responsible for the road being closed. Apparently plowing it isn't an option?? |
A couple of other areas with branches littering the road are telltale signs of avalanches that have melted already |
The Coeur d'alene Campground is petite with 6 tenting only sites, but it is free and remote! |
The mountains past the campground were still snow-covered, and warm temperatures meant soft snow not conducive for exploring the mines and area |
A beautiful view of Turnagain Arm looking towards Anchorage was worth braking for on my 12 minute downhill coast back to the gate |
The next day we decided to climb Hope Point, and despite predictions of possible rain, turned out to be another scorcher by Alaska standards (65-75 degrees). I regretted not wearing shorts, figuring it would be cooler up higher. I was more comfortable once I rolled up my tights to my knees. The 2000 foot climb went by relatively quickly with the new switchbacks that lengthened the trail to 3.5 miles, but made it a moderate climb rather than a straight-up grueling one. The main highlight was seeing 4 mountain sheep reclining on the rocks of a nearby peak as I reached the saddle for the final push to the top.
The mountain sheep looked like patches of snow at first |
View of a nearby peak the kids climbed, as seen from Hope Point |
Juneau Falls off the Resurrection Trail, swollen with spring runoff |
It was an intense weekend of hiking and biking, and we returned home sore and happy having fulfilled the goal of summer in Alaska: adventures!!