Part 2 of Day 33 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
The drive out of the Kenai Peninsula was lovely, but frustrating. Due to uncooperative weather, Lupe was leaving most of the great adventures she’d had planned here undone. Yet SPHP sensed that maybe conditions were actually starting to improve? Even as the Carolina Dog rode in comfort through a series of rain showers, she could always see patches of blue sky out the window of the G6, too.
The decision had been made, though. Lupe was leaving the rainy Kenai Peninsula. Loopster had limited time left for adventures on this Dingo Vacation. SPHP wasn’t willing to hang around the S Alaska coast any longer on no more than mere hope for a sunny day. No matter where Lupe had gone, she had faced rain virtually every day in Alaska. Seemingly bright prospects had been dashed too many times already.
After exiting the Kenai Peninsula, the drive along the Turnagain Arm was spectacularly beautiful. Rays of sunlight streamed dramatically through holes in the cloud cover to illuminate the sea. However, it was raining again by the time Lupe reached Anchorage.
Beyond Anchorage, the rain ended. The pavement on Glen Highway No. 1 was actually dry. Lupe was only going as far as Palmer this evening, and would arrive with several hours of daylight left. SPHP tried to think of something Loopster might be able to do in these few hours. Suddenly an answer sprang to mind. Why Bodenburg Butte(886 ft.), of course! It would be perfect!
SPHP took the exit for Old Glen Highway. A L turn onto Bodenburg Loop Road appeared 3 miles after crossing the bridge over the Knik River. 0.5 mile farther on the R was a gravel parking lot on the S side of Bodenburg Butte. A big, faded wooden sign confirmed that the American Dingo had arrived at the Bodenburg Butte trailhead.
A wide, well-worn trail left the parking lot climbing aggressively through forest. Lupe and SPHP started up. (7:15 PM, 52°F) At this rate of climb, it wasn’t going to take long to gain the 770 feet of elevation necessary to reach the top.
Situated several miles SE of Palmer, Bodenburg Butte is a lone hill on otherwise flat ground near the junction of two broad river valleys. A few miles to the SW is the convoluted confluence of the Matanuska and Knik rivers. Bodenburg Butte is a mere bump compared to peaks of the nearby Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains, but was expected to provide Lupe some great views of the two rivers, surrounding mountains, and perhaps even the Knik Arm of the North Pacific Ocean off Cook Inlet.
The trail remained quite steep nearly the entire way. Bodenburg Butte is a locally popular hike. While pausing to catch breath, SPHP visited briefly with several people on their way down. When Lupe was more than halfway to the top, she emerged from the forest. The trail became braided here, offering Looper several paths to choose from. Which path she took hardly mattered. They were all going to the same place.
At the top of Bodenburg Butte, Lupe found a ridge of solid rock. This summit ridge looked like it had been scoured by glaciers once upon a time. In fact, Loop could still see the toe of the likely culprit to the SE.
Lupe instantly saw why the hike up Bodenburg Butte is popular. For the amount of effort expended to get to the summit, the visual rewards were fantastic. Looper had splendid views in all directions!
Wearing a wispy veil of clouds, Pioneer Peak(6,396 ft.) in the Western Chugach Mountains was the closest high peak. Between Bodenburg Butte and Pioneer Peak, Lupe gazed down upon forests and green fields in the Knik River valley.
Farther up the Knik River valley, Lupe saw what SPHP presumed were Hale-Bopp Peak(5,800 ft.) and Big Timber Peak(6,772 ft.).
To the W, the Matanuska River was in view. The Matanuska flows SW to join the Knik River shortly before reaching the Knik Arm of the North Pacific Ocean off Cook Inlet. The confluence of the two rivers was difficult to pick out, but Lupe could clearly see the Knik Arm.
Lupe could see the Talkeetna Mountains to the N and NW, where she had recently climbed Hatch Benchmark(4,811 ft.) and taken the Reed Lakes trail to Lynx Peak(6,536 ft.). The sky was quite cloudy in that direction, so the Talkeetnas didn’t show up as well this evening as the closer Chugach Mountains to the E.
The top of Bodenburg Butte included a fairly large area. Although Lupe had met people coming down on her way up, no one else was on top of Bodenburg Butte when Lupe arrived. An empty bench sat near a trail a little W of the true summit.
The sun hadn’t set quite yet, but the sky was cloudy enough so the light was already beginning to fade. The trail to the bench continued W beyond it, and apparently went down from over there.
Why not try an alternate route down? When Lupe and SPHP were done enjoying the views, the Carolina Dog proceeded over to the bench to see if the trail really did go down the W side of Bodenburg Butte from here?
It did! In fact, the trail going down the W side of Bodenburg Butte was far better than the steep route Lupe had taken up from the S. The W route had steps where the trail was steepest and a cable railing. This was going to be easy!
SPHP expected the W trail to loop back toward the S. It didn’t. Instead, it eventually turned N. The American Dingo arrived at a 2nd trailhead N of Bodenburg Butte. This one had a much larger parking lot.
Lupe had made it down, but was now on the wrong side of Bodenburg Butte. She had to follow roads circling around the E side of the butte to get back to the S trailhead. This added more than 2 miles to the return trip, making it a far longer loop than SPHP had envisioned. It was dark when Lupe finally arrived at the G6. (10:31 PM, 51°F)
Other than the assistant manager, who was in the process of getting ready to close, no one else was at Subway in Palmer when SPHP showed up at 10:55 PM. SPHP purchased a footlong sandwich, and was about to leave when the assistant manager offered SPHP unsold cookies that were about to be thrown out. For free! The price was certainly right. Sure, why not?
To Loopster’s delight, SPHP returned with a dozen large cookies. The Carolina Dog’s evening ended with an unexpected Subway cookie feast. A different kind of adventure, but a delicious one!
Day 32 & Part 1 of Day 33 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-31-17, 10:00 AM at Bottenintnin Lake on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska – Of course, it had rained overnight. It rained every day here in Alaska, usually every few hours. It wasn’t raining at 6:00 AM, though, or when SPHP woke up again now, either, but the sky was completely overcast both times. The day really wasn’t looking too promising. Meanwhile, Lupe was off barking in the forest. She must have found a squirrel as soon as she’d escaped the G6. Better go check on her.
Loopster was close by. Yes, she had found a squirrel, almost instantly! If SPHP didn’t think the day was shaping up the way it ought to, she had a different opinion. She was having a good time at Bottenintnin Lake. A forest full of moss, ferns, squirrels and exotic aromas was a Dingo playground. The Most High Exalted Dingo of the Arctic Sisterhood was a busy girl, and in no hurry to leave.
Loopster was right. No need to rush off given the weather. If she wanted to bark at squirrels and play in the forest for a while, why not?
11:23 AM – The trip journal was caught up. Loop was back in the G6, her good times squirrel watching cut short by a steady rain. The day was looking gloomier and gloomier. What to do? Two choices. The first was to cut and run. The current weather on the Kenai Peninsula wasn’t conducive to outdoor adventures. No sign it was going to clear up, either. Maybe it was best to go back to Palmer, and then just keep going until Lupe found sunshine somewhere far from the rainy S Alaska coast?
The other option was to carry on as originally planned. Head W all the way to Homer, and hope that the weather would improve by tomorrow. If it did, Loopster could take a water taxi across Kachemak Bay like she did last year when she got to spend a fabulous day on Grace Ridge in Kachemak Bay State Park. This year, the Grewingk Glacier might be a fun adventure.
Yes, I kind of gathered that. Did you change your mind? Are we going to Homer after all?
Yeah, I can’t stand the thought that we’re leaving after getting so close. Might be a complete waste of time, but let’s give it one more day. You never know, the weather might clear up and be beautiful like it did last year. We have an awful lot of great stuff we can do on the Kenai Peninsula, if we can catch a break. If it doesn’t work out, at least we tried.
3:20 PM, 52°F at the Cook Inlet beach at Ninilchik – So far, still not too promising. Lupe had just had a bit of luck, though. When she arrived at Ninilchik, the rain had quit for a little while. She’d just had a good romp along Cook Inlet before the rain started in again.
A year ago, Lupe had spent a wonderful evening here in Ninilchik. She’d had gorgeous views of both Iliamna Volcano(10,016 ft.) and Redoubt Volcano(10,197 ft.) far across Cook Inlet as the sun went down behind the mountains. Nothing like that today. Dull, gray clouds hid everything except the ocean and the nearby beach, but watching seagulls and listening to the roar of the waves as they collapsed exhausting their energy on the beach had been fun.
By 5:00 PM, Lupe was in Homer near the end of Sterling Highway No. 1. Sadly, the weather showed no signs of improving. Only the base of the mountains across Kachemak Bay could be seen beneath low clouds. A heavy mist was falling as SPHP drove out to the Homer Spit.
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, Homer Spit was alive with activity. Vehicles and people in rain gear were everywhere. SPHP dropped by a restaurant, and got an order of fish and chips to go. Lupe didn’t care for them, preferring salami and English muffins. Oatmeal cookies for dessert. Together Loop and SPHP sat in the G6 having dinner, while watching rain and fog over Kachemak Bay.
6:32 PM, 52°F, rain and fog at the Homer Spit – After dinner, Lupe went with SPHP to Mako’s Water Taxi to inquire about prospects for a trip across Kachemak Bay to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow. Unfortunately, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize what a long shot this was likely to be.
Lupe could go to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow, if she wanted to. The price of the round trip water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay was $80.33 including all taxes and fees. That was the good news. No problem, if that was the only consideration. However, there was the all important weather issue, too. The people at Mako’s weren’t expecting much change in the weather anytime soon.
Well, if that turned out to be true, no Grewingk Glacier trip for Loopster. No sense in spending $80.33 to spend a whole day soaking wet, cold and miserable. Disappointing, but not unexpected. Nothing to be done about it, except wait to see what things looked like in the morning.
Despite fog and light rain, after leaving Mako’s, Loop and SPHP took a walking tour of the Homer Spit. Lupe saw many boats on the protected NE side of the spit.
Loop also visited Kachemak Bay on the unprotected SW side of the spit. The ocean was still beautiful despite the dismal sky.
After a damp stroll along Kachemak Bay, Loopster went to take a look at some of the shops along Homer Spit’s main drag. All sorts of adventures were being advertised! It all sounded like fun, but Lupe and SPHP were set on going to see the Grewingk Glacier tomorrow.
As the evening wore on, already faint hopes for the Grewingk Glacier dream were fading fast. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it didn’t, but the sky looked like it could rain forever.
9-1-17, 7:29 AM, 45°F – Seemed like a long night. Rained off and on for hours. But what was this?
Loopster, look, blue sky!
Oh, maybe we’re in luck!
Can you believe it? Maybe not, though. Still some clouds around.
Well, let’s go see what we can find out! Drive us back to Mako’s, SPHP!
When Lupe and SPHP returned to Homer Spit, there was a lot of blue sky around. So encouraging, but would it last? Before going to Mako’s, Lupe ran down to Kachemak Bay. There was a rainbow over the ocean!
The rainbow wasn’t all the American Dingo could see. High snow and ice clad peaks of Kachemak Bay State Park were in sight across the bay! Looper could even see Grace Ridge, where she had such a good time last year. Suddenly, prospects for a Grewingk Glacier adventure were looking bright!
Lupe and SPHP inquired again at Mako’s. Lupe could sail at 9:00 AM, with a 9:30 AM arrival at Glacier Spit. 4:00 PM pickup at Saddle Point. Total price was still $80.33. Yes, yes, yes! Want to book it?
Hold on. And the weather forecast?
Supposed to close in again, and get nasty around noon.
Oh.
Loop and SPHP went back to the G6 to think about it. Not much time to decide. 15 minutes. The sun was still shining on Kachemak Bay. The rainbow was bigger and brighter than before.
Sadly, there really wasn’t much to think over.
Sorry, Looper.
I’m not going to get to see the Grewingk Glacier, am I, SPHP?
Nope. ‘Fraid not.
The rainbow and all the blue sky had my hopes up.
Mine too. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, though.
So, now what?
Well, I don’t suppose there’s any sense hanging around here now. Weather is supposed to be OK for a little while yet. Maybe we can go to Anchor Point, and you can visit the Rock of the West again? Anchor Point isn’t far from here.
Oh, wasn’t that where all the seagulls were last year? That was fun!
OK then, let’s do it!
SPHP had bought a postcard of the Homer Spit yesterday evening for Lupe to send to her Grandma. Looper told SPHP what to write on it, making sure to send lots of love. The rainbow was still shining brightly over the ocean as Lupe and SPHP drove away from Homer Spit. SPHP stopped to mail the postcard before leaving Homer. When SPHP came out of the post office, it was raining hard. (9:03 AM, 47°F)
Sheesh, Loopster, glad we didn’t spend $80.33! We would have enjoyed blue skies only until the moment of departure.
Sigh. Don’t suppose we will even get to go to the Rock of the West now.
Not true! Astonishingly, when Lupe arrived at Anchor Point (9:59 AM, 52°F), skies were sunny here. Distant mountains N of Cook Inlet were cloaked in clouds, but the sky over the ocean was clear and bright.
After leaving the G6, Lupe and SPHP traveled S along the beach. SPHP ambled along watching the sky, listening to the restless sea, and enjoying the breeze. Lupe barked at seagulls flying by, and sniffed seaweed and odd bits and pieces of things from the ocean, all while dodging incoming waves.
Loopster had been to Anchor Point in 2016, too. She had explored this same stretch of beach. Since no road connected to the North American highway system goes any farther W than Anchor Point, Lupe was as far W here on this beach as she was ever likely to be in her entire life.
Earlier on this Dingo Vacation, Lupe had returned to the Brooks Range and broken her 2016 Last Mile North record for how far N she had ever been by continuing N on the Dalton Highway all the way to Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean.
Lupe couldn’t break her 2016 Last Mile West record today. All she could do was tie it. The ocean prevented her from going any farther W than this beach. Even so, it was remarkable to think the American Dingo had actually returned to this remote place.
As Lupe continued S along the beach, it was evident that not taking the water taxi to the Grewingk Glacier across Kachemak Bay from Homer Spit had been a good decision. The sky to the S toward Kachemak Bay looked dark and stormy. Heavy rain was falling over that way.
Lupe was having a good time on the beach here, so things were working out about as well as they could have today.
For about an hour, Loop and SPHP continued S along the beach. SPHP thought Lupe made it at least as far S as she had gone in 2016. Back then, Lupe had stood on a dark rock next to the ocean before turning around to return to Anchor Point. That dark rock had been officially dubbed the Rock of the West, representing the farthest point W Lupe had ever been.
SPHP had expected to be able to recognize the Rock of the West again, but hadn’t seen it. Maybe the tide was higher or lower now than a year ago? Entirely possible. If the Rock of the West was underwater, SPHP wouldn’t have seen it for sure. Since 2016’s Rock of the West couldn’t be found, Lupe climbed up on a different boulder. This greenish boulder could serve as 2017’s official Rock of the West.
The stroll back to Anchor Point was beautiful and relaxing. Loop and SPHP were in no rush. Lupe’s home in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a long way from any ocean. Being next to the ocean all the way up here in Alaska was such a treat! Lupe and SPHP savored every moment.
Lupe caught glimpses of the Iliamna Volcano(10,016 ft.), but she never did see Iliamna’s true summit or any of Redoubt Volcano(10,197 ft.) like she had in 2016. Both volcanoes remained hidden by the clouds on the far side of Cook Inlet. However, Loopster could clearly make out the Augustine Volcano(4,025 ft.), which is on an island of its own making, even though it was far across the water on the SW horizon.
Seagulls flew by, then either landed to rest on Cook Inlet, or joined flocks strutting about farther along the beach. A fresh breeze blew out of the SW. Waves rolled into shore, retreated, reformed, and resumed their ceaseless attacks on the coast. Puffy white clouds plied a blue, blue sky above the sea.
It was all wonderful! When Lupe reached Anchor Point again, she stood with SPHP near the shore, watching and listening to the waves roll in a while longer.
After returning to the G6 (12:22 PM), Loop and SPHP still sat watching the ocean while sharing English muffins and salami again for lunch. A peaceful, leisurely hour went by. When lunch was over, it was time to move on. (1:40 PM, 54°F)
Sadly, after only a single brief day, Lupe was leaving the Kenai Peninsula. If the weather had been better and more reliable, she had a week’s worth of adventures planned here. As SPHP drove toward Soldotna, there were signs that maybe the weather was going to improve. Sunny skies prevailed over Cook Inlet. Even to the S, where rain showers were in progress, patches of blue sky could now be seen over the mountains.
But SPHP had no faith that the weather was really going to clear up and stay that way. It was September now. Maybe it was time to leave rainy Alaska? Lupe did have an alternate backup plan in case the Kenai Peninsula didn’t work out. Perhaps it was time to put it into action?
Months ago, Lupe’s friend, Australian adventurer Luke Hall, whom she had met at the top of Gunsight Mountain in 2016, had recommended that the Carolina Dog visit Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon. SPHP had been thinking Lupe wouldn’t have time to get over there on this Dingo Vacation, but she still could, if she started that way now.
Several hours after leaving Anchor Point, Lupe was restless. She was ready to get out of the G6 and do something. Since Bottenintnin Lake wasn’t that far away now, SPHP asked if she like to make the short side trip off Sterling Highway No. 1 to visit the lake again for a little while?
Bottenintnin Lake where there were lots of squirrels in the forest? The American Dingo’s response was most enthusiastic!
Days 30 & 31 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-29-17, 12:33 PM, at a pullout along N Palmer Fishhook Road – Awake again, surprisingly soon. Lupe was awake, too. Only 3.5 hours gone by since she had returned from her 25 hour “day” hike on the Reed Lakes trail to Lynx Peak (6,536 ft.) and back again.
The relatively short snooze had definitely done some good. Both Lupe and SPHP were feeling better. Better, but still tired. Back to sleep! Not for long, though. The next time Looper woke up, SPHP drove down to Palmer. Having fallen in the mud 4 times yesterday, SPHP searched for a laundromat. The rest of the day was taken up by a shower and adventures in laundry. Loopster snoozed, recuperating in the G6.
The day’s biggest events didn’t come until late evening. SPHP bought a whole roasted chicken at Fred Meyers. Lupe hadn’t eaten much during the day. Now she was famished. The Carolina Dog made short work of the chicken SPHP shared with her. Nothing left, but bones. Then it was a late evening walk in Palmer before hitting the hay again.
8-30-17 – The morning shot by. The weather in Palmer was decent. Overcast, but not raining or threatening to, with temps in the mid 50’s. Lupe and SPHP were sufficiently recovered from the Lynx Peak ordeal to consider something active again. Nothing too strenuous. Anything involving enough effort to get the blood flowing again would do. Crow Pass or Skilak Lookout might work. By noon, Lupe was on her way to Anchorage on Glen Highway No. 1.
S of Anchorage, Lupe and SPHP stopped at Beluga Point along Seward Highway No. 1. A gale was blowing out of the SW, roiling the muddy Turnagain Arm which appeared to be near high tide. The view to the SE in the direction of Girdwood was not at all encouraging. Clouds and mist hung over the mountains.
When Lupe arrived in Girdwood a little after 2:00 PM, a light rain was falling. The wind wasn’t a gale here, but a lively breeze was blowing. The air was damp and raw. Crow Pass was out. Too bad. SPHP wondered about the wisdom of even continuing on to the Kenai Peninsula and Skilak Lookout?
Lupe wanted to go. May as well. No better options came to mind. By 4:00 PM, the Carolina Dog was well into the Kenai Peninsula. Once beyond Cooper Landing, SPHP started watching for a L turn off Sterling Highway No. 1 onto Skilak Road. Shortly after making the turn, Lupe got her first look at Skilak Lake.
The weather certainly hadn’t improved much. The sky was more darkly overcast than back at Girdwood. At least it wasn’t raining, although it looked like it might at a moment’s notice. 5.5 miles from the Sterling Highway, SPHP found the Skilak Lookout trailhead. The parking lot was vacant. Not a soul around.
A small sign on the other side of the road marked the start of the Skilak Lookout trail. The trail immediately disappeared into a gloomy forest.
The trail started off going down a short slope. Near the bottom, Lupe found an information station.
The first part of the Skilak Lookout trail wound generally S through a dense forest. Even though she had no views, Lupe was having plenty of fun sniffing around the forest floor close to the trail.
The Skilak Lookout trail was just the ticket for a first outing after the huge trek a couple of days ago on the Reed Lakes trail to Lynx Peak. Nice and easy. Less than 800 feet of elevation gain over more than 2 miles, most of it near the end.
Lupe trotted happily along gaining elevation slowly. There were no views until she got out of the forest upon reaching the Hidden Creek burn area mentioned back at the information station. SPHP then started to get occasional views, but Lupe still had none. The Hidden Creek burn had occurred way back in May, 1996. An awful lot of vegetation had grown up since then.
The Skilak Lookout trail appeared seldom traveled. Long stretches were overgrown with vegetation. Other sections were quite muddy. Hardly surprising, since it seemed to rain almost every day in Alaska. Lupe was getting sprinkled on every so often here, too. Fortunately, the showers were light and didn’t last long.
Lupe was at least a third of the way along the trail before she caught a glimpse of hills ahead. Skilak Lookout had to be somewhere up among those hills!
Nearing the hills, Lupe came across fresh evidence American Dingoes weren’t the only ferocious predators in the area.
5 minutes before coming to the bear scat, Lupe had found a squirrel to bark at. Perhaps that had been a good thing? Maybe the bear was so frightened by the sound of an approaching American Dingo it had fled? At any rate, SPHP was glad Loopster had given that squirrel a proper barking. No bear was seen, though the lush vegetation could have been hiding one almost anywhere.
The last part of the Skilak Lookout trail was steep and slick. SPHP had a hard time maintaining traction on the mud. Dense stands of bushes and small trees crowded the trail, so staying right on the path was about the only option. SPHP used branches for assistance, and began to wonder if anything at all could be seen from the top of Skilak Lookout?
The steep section was short. Lupe was soon up above it. The Carolina Dog quickly came to a small, exposed rocky ridge. SPHP needn’t have feared. Lupe had a great view of the E part of Skilak Lake! Now that she could finally see, Looper wasn’t all that thrilled about it. A cold 25 mph wind swept up the ridge from across the lake.
The top of Skilak Lookout was only a few hundred feet away from the first good viewpoint. A small stand of old evergreens stood slightly W of the true summit. Their windswept appearance provided proof positive that the current strong wind sweeping up from across Skilak Lake was nothing out of the ordinary.
At Skilak Lookout’s true summit, Lupe found a small rock outcropping and an unimpressive cairn. Loop didn’t spend much time here. Several rock outcroppings closer to the lake provided better viewpoints.
From the rock outcroppings, Lupe had excellent views of Skilak Lake to the E and S, however the views to the W were disappointing. Skilak Lake is big. Most of the lake was off to the W or SW, yet very little of the western part of the lake could be seen. Other hills were in the way.
A slightly lower hill to the SW was positioned where it might provide a more panoramic view of Skilak Lake. Several different paths started off in that direction. Lupe tried them all, but none of them went anywhere. They all dead ended or circled back into each other.
If a decent trail had actually gone to the lower hill, Lupe would have taken it. However, it was getting late and charging off trail into dense vegetation seemed foolhardy. The weather was questionable, and no telling where that bear had run off to. Lupe and SPHP gave up on the idea. After all, this was supposed to be an easy day!
The wind soon drove Lupe away from the best viewpoints. They were too exposed. Loop and SPHP retreated back to the true summit, at least somewhat out of the wind. In 2016, on a much nicer day, Lupe had taken the Skyline Trail to the Mystery Hills. The views from there had been even better. Could Lupe see the Mystery Hills from here? SPHP spotted a long high ridge off to the NNE.
Yes, Lupe could see the Mystery Hills from Skilak Lookout! It was fun to think about that day over a year ago now. Loop and SPHP sat on the ground at the summit of Skilak Lookout huddled together for warmth.
Clouds and several large patches of blue sky sailed swiftly by. A small flock of crows came flying on the wind. For a few minutes, the crows circled above Skilak Lookout playing games with each other. Together they plunged earthward before soaring and swirling back into the wild blue heavens. The breeze soon carried them out of sight.
15 minutes at the summit, then the sky suddenly looked ominous over by the Skilak River delta off to the SE. Mountains were disappearing in an approaching dark cloud. Time for action! Rain was clearly on the way. Better get with it. Maybe Lupe could beat the rain back to the G6?
SPHP slipped and fell in the mud on the steep part of the trail shortly after leaving Skilak Lookout. No damage done. Puppy, ho! Onward!
Hurry, hurry, all the way. Lupe didn’t beat the rain, but it wasn’t as bad as it had appeared. Showers came and went. Loopster arrived damp, but not soaked, back at the G6. English muffins and summer sausage for dinner, then SPHP drove to the W end of Skilak Road. Due to highway construction, flagmen were preventing traffic from entering the Sterling Highway.
Information posted near the junction showed a map of the area. A fairly good-sized lake was close by. A short side road led to it. It was getting dark. Maybe Lupe could hang out there tonight?
No one here. No facilities, only a large turnaround next to the lake. SPHP parked the G6. Bottenintnin Lake was big, but shallow. Water lilies extended far out from shore. Another side road left the turnaround. The American Dingo and SPHP explored it. Loop sniffed out a few dispersed camping sites. None were occupied. The side road soon ended. Perfect!
Skilak Lookout had been fun! It had been an easy half day, which was all Lupe and SPHP had really been up for. The weather could have been better, but Lupe did get to Skilak Lookout, and she did get to see Skilak Lake. Nature doesn’t give guarantees. You take what you can get.
Tomorrow was another roll of the dice. Maybe Lupe would get lucky? Dark now. Time to rest up. Better be ready, in case she did.
Day 28 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
7:00 AM – Still foggy, but it was light out now. The fog didn’t seem as thick as it had been a few hours ago. Loopster was still snoozing after her big adventure going to Ermine Hill(2,700 ft.) and beyond yesterday up on K’esugi Ridge in Denali State Park. SPHP worked on catching up the trip journal.
When Lupe woke up, SPHP suggested going back to the Ermine Hill trail registration station, which was only a short stroll away through the drippy forest. Lupe welcomed the opportunity to get out and sniff around.
Yesterday, from higher up on Ermine Hill, Lupe had seen two people and a big brown dog down on the trail. They had been watching a black bear across a small lake, before ultimately turning and retreating back down the trail. Lupe had pressed on closer to where the bear was on her way to Peak3700, but hadn’t ever seen it again. SPHP was curious whether the people had written any comments about the bear in the registry.
The people had written some comments, surprising ones! Their dog’s name was Ollie. That wasn’t so surprising, but what they had written about the bear was. Ollie and his humans hadn’t seen a black bear, they’d seen 5 of them! A sow with 2 cubs, plus 2 more mature bears. No wonder they had retreated back down the trail! K’esugi Ridge had been crawling with bears! Despite roaming around up on K’esugi Ridge practically all day yesterday, Lupe and SPHP had only seen that one.
Even though the fog was slowly thinning, by mid-morning it was fairly certain that Lupe wasn’t going to get to see Denali(20,310 ft.) today. At the pace things were improving, the Alaska Range would never come into view. May as well move on. Lupe and SPHP left Denali State Park taking George Parks Highway No. 3 to Wasilla.
By mid-afternoon, after a couple of stops and going through Wasilla, Lupe was nearing Palmer on Glenn Highway No. 1. It was a beautiful day here, 65°F and fairly sunny. Traffic was backed up for miles. People were thronging in to the Alaska State Fair. The fair wasn’t anything Lupe could go see, but another option existed. There was time enough left in the day to climb Hatch Benchmark(4,811 ft.) from Hatcher Pass.
In 2016, Lupe had climbed nearby Skyscraper(4,825 ft.) from Hatcher Pass under less favorable conditions. She had succeeded then, and Hatch Benchmark should be even easier. The April Bowl trail goes all the way from Hatcher Pass up to Hatch Benchmark passing April Bowl on the way. The trail is only 1.1 miles long, and elevation gain required is only 925 feet, comparable to what Skyscraper had been.
2.25 miles N of Arctic Avenue in Palmer, SPHP turned L (W) on N Palmer Fishhook Road (Willow Fishhook Road on some maps). 19 miles later, Lupe arrived at Hatcher Pass. Not everyone had gone to the Alaska State Fair. The pass was packed with people and vehicles. SPHP was lucky enough to grab a parking spot for the G6 at the same little pullout where Lupe had started for Skyscraper last year. (4:37 PM, 58°F)
A short, dusty walk W along the busy gravel road brought Looper to the official top of Hatcher Pass. The April Bowl trail started right across the road from the Hatcher Pass monument. The trail began by immediately switchbacking up a hillside of light green vegetation.
The switchbacks soon brought Lupe close to a small stream tumbling down a ravine. Loop helped herself to a drink. The trail began climbing more steeply up the E side of the ravine.
As Lupe drew near April Bowl, the trail leveled out to some degree. The summit of Hatch Benchmark came into view.
April Bowl contains 4 separate ponds. Lupe soon reached the first pond where the stream originated. A second pond was in view close to the first one. The trail curved around the E side of the closest pond heading for the long ridge leading to the summit of Hatch Benchmark.
At April Bowl, Lupe had gained over 300 feet of elevation from the start of the trail. She had another 600 feet of elevation gain to go following the high ridge above April Bowl leading to Hatch Benchmark.
Lupe had been meeting many people and dogs on the way up, but by the time she was getting close to Hatch Benchmark, fewer hikers had come this far. Only a small group of people could be seen ahead up at the summit.
5 or 6 people were at the top of Hatch Benchmark when Lupe and SPHP arrived. They remained only a short while before heading back down. Lupe had Hatch Benchmark all to herself.
The summit area was triangular in shape. It wasn’t particularly large, but was level and roomy enough to walk around on easily. The two highest points were a couple of large rock outcroppings toward the N and SW separated by about 40 feet. SPHP thought the N high point was the true summit, but they really weren’t much different in elevation.
Views of the surrounding Talkeetna Range were magnificent!
No one else came up the mountain after Lupe, perhaps because it was getting on toward evening. However, the weather was holding up just fine. Temperatures were in the mid 50’s °F. No wind or precipitation. Lupe and SPHP lingered enjoying the views. SPHP searched around for the actual Hatch survey benchmark, but found nothing.
Off to the S, beyond Palmer and the Matanuska River valley, Lupe could see a couple of peaks in the Chugach Mountains she had climbed back in 2016, Lazy Mountain(3,740 ft.) and Pepper Peak(5,381 ft.). SPHP recognized some other peaks the Carolina Dog had never been to, as well.
Lupe was happy to cooperate, and it was so beautiful out that SPHP took lots of photos.
Lupe did great, but she eventually got bored with the photo shoot. She decided to take a break while SPHP made do without her.
Some of the most spectacular peaks that could be seen from Hatch Benchmark were toward the NE. With the telephoto lens it was possible to get a fairly good look at them. SPHP didn’t know the names of those peaks, but maybe they could be figured out later by comparing photos with maps?
The time came to leave Hatch Benchmark. No one else had come up the mountain. Lupe was ready for a few more photos before departing.
Loopster and SPHP enjoyed the easy trek back to Hatcher Pass. Lupe met far fewer people than on the way up. Everyone was heading down.
Not many vehicles were around when Lupe reached Hatcher Pass again. (7:35 PM) The crowds were gone. The few people who still remained were all busy getting ready to depart. Looper visited the Hatcher Pass monument.
The whole trek from Hatcher Pass to April Bowl and Hatch Benchmark had only taken 3 hours, even with all the loitering Lupe and SPHP had done up at the summit. Loopster was right, it was nice to have an easy time where everything went smoothly for once.
Before long, Lupe and SPHP were alone at Hatcher Pass. Loopster was staying for the show that everyone else was going to miss.
The show was a good one, with beautiful colors. Later there was a half moon, and even a few stars. With all the clouds and fog in Alaska, Lupe hadn’t seen stars in, well, it couldn’t really be forever, but it seemed like a long time. Maybe the stars were a good omen for tomorrow?
Oh, I think you’re right, SPHP! Those are our lucky stars! Tomorrow will be another great day. Just leave all the wildcats to me! I get along fine with cats.
Wildcats? What wildcats, Loop?
The wildcats on the mountain we’re going to, silly! Passels of ’em! Don’t worry, though. I’m always good with cats. They can’t help it that they’re handicapped. It’s no fault of theirs. They were born that way. These lynx wildcats are big, though, so it will be trouble if you rile them up. Just leave ’em alone, and let me deal with them.
I’m not expecting to see any wildcats Loop, handicapped or not. What makes you think we will, or that they will be handicapped if we do?
Oh, for pity sake! Have our plans changed again? Haven’t you been saying we are going to Lynx Peak tomorrow? Didn’t we see a lynx shortly before we left the Dalton Highway a few days back? Wasn’t it a big wildcat? Won’t lynxes be swarming all over Lynx Peak? Of course, they will!
This is starting to sound a lot like Jack Squirrel Peak, Loop. Remember how you got all worked up about the enormous jack squirrels, and then it turned out there weren’t any?
That was terrible, SPHP! A completely awful, sickening tragedy! Don’t you remember why the jack squirrels weren’t there, though? They all burned up! Lynx Peak won’t be burned up. How could it be? It rains on us multiple times practically every day here in Alaska.
That’s true enough. Couldn’t light Lynx Peak on fire, if we tried. Well, I suppose we might see a lynx. Must have been one on Lynx Peak one time or another. Why would it be handicapped, though?
Don’t you humans know anything about animals, SPHP? It would be handicapped because it’s a cat! That’s what cats are! They aren’t good at being members of the pack. They don’t understand how to hunt together and help the pack. They just want to be fed and adored for doing nothing, then left alone. They’re perfectly fine by themselves, and have no social skills other than the ability to train humans to be their servants. Why do you fall for that anyway?
I suppose it’s all the purring, Looper. A purring kitty is hard to resist.
Oh, yeah. Their one magic trick. That noise isn’t natural, though, SPHP. Nothing else does that. Suspicious, don’t you think? Something’s not right about it. Makes me wonder if they aren’t really handicapped? Maybe they made some deal with someone they shouldn’t have ever been dealing with in the first place. Maybe if their purrers were exorcised, they would be normal dogs again?
Normal dogs again? Cats aren’t dogs!
Sure they are! Why, we had them in my family when I was born. We were all there, cats and dogs together! One big happy family. We got along fine. That’s why I understand cats so much better than you do. Cats are just a different sort of dog. Handicapped, like I said before.
Alright, whatever Looper. You win. I’m just going to hope for a nice day tomorrow like the lucky stars are predicting. You can deal with the passels of lynxes for us.
Good! Remember this – when we get to the lynxes, don’t do anything that makes them wag their tails. When us Dingoes and normal dogs wag our tails, it means we like you. When cats wag their tails, it means they are thinking about eating you. The faster and twitchier they wag them, the hungrier they are, too! So watch their tails.
Wonderful advice, I’m sure, Loopster. But I don’t think lynxes even have tails, or at least not much of one.
No tails? Even stranger than most cats then. They might be more dangerous than I thought. Just stay close, and try not to look like a big mouse.
Fine, fine, whatever you say. I ought to be able to manage that!
Day 27 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
7:00 AM – Lupe prowled among the bushes sniffing excitedly. She liked this place! Getting to be late August. The bushes were starting to show some fall colors. SPHP stretched and walked around a bit looking at the views to the N or NE where mountains and glaciers of the Alaska Range could be seen 15 miles away beyond Monahan Flat.
The views were awesome, but the sky was more darkly overcast than SPHP would have liked. Lupe had an adventure planned for today over in Denali State Park. She intended to take the to Ermine Hill trail to a point where she could scramble up Ermine Hill(2,700 ft.), then press on taking the K’esugi Ridge trail to Golog Benchmark(2,970 ft.). A long day, but a fun one, if the weather didn’t interfere.
With so much in the works, Lupe had to get going. 47 miles of gravel road on Denali Highway No. 8 brought her to the pavement on George Parks Highway No. 3 at Cantwell. SPHP turned L heading SW for Denali State Park. Disappointingly, though no surprise, only the lower peaks of the Alaska Range were in view as Lupe neared Denali State Park. All the high stuff, including Denali(20,310 ft.) itself, was shrouded in clouds.
No other vehicles were at the Ermine Hill trailhead at milepost 156.5 when Lupe and SPHP arrived. Despite the general cloud cover, a few patches of blue sky offered encouragement. Looper was at least going to try for Ermine Hill. Whether she would continue all the way to Golog Benchmark might depend on how the weather developed.
A short stroll into the forest led to a registration station. SPHP registered, and the Carolina Dog was on her way. (9:59 AM, 51°F)
The Ermine Hill trail started off in a forest full of ferns. Lupe quickly reached a section of trail overgrown with tall grass, ferns, and bushes. It must have rained recently. All the vegetation was sopping wet. Within 5 minutes, Lupe and SPHP were, too.
The trail gained a little elevation going up a small hill, leveled out for a short distance, then turned SW and dropped close to 200 feet down into the Byers Creek valley. A footbridge across Byers Creek tilted somewhat precariously. The creek had undermined the foundation on the near bank. Fortunately the bridge was still stable enough to cross.
Beyond the bridge, the Ermine Hill trail paralleled Byers Creek through another area of thick, wet vegetation. The trail became quite muddy and went over a couple of similar, but much shorter and better supported footbridges. Lupe passed a scenic pond. The trail then started to climb. A final bridge crossed over a different rushing stream.
Once Lupe was over the last bridge, the trail began to climb in earnest. It wound up the W side of a steep slope in a series of long switchbacks. By the time the switchbacks ended, Loop was getting close to tree line. Here the trail straightened out, and proceeded SE up a long slope. Lupe left the forest behind, entering a zone of tall bushes. Soon she was above the bushes, too. She could now see lower peaks of the Alaska range to the N beyond the broad Chulitna River valley.
Lupe kept going up the slope, which eventually became more gradual. The trail was heading into a sheltered valley where a few scattered trees grew among another profusion of tall bushes.
The trail map showed the Ermine Hill trail would continue SE past a narrow lake tucked near the upper end of the valley. A little beyond the lake would be an intersection with the K’esugi Ridge trail. Lupe would eventually need to go there in order to continue on to Golog Benchmark. However, since the Ermine Hill trail only skirts the NE side of Ermine Hill and doesn’t go to the top, the Carolina Dog would first need to leave the trail to finish her ascent.
Lupe drew even with a small pond to the NE. She could already see the start of the narrow lake ahead. A steep, bush-free slope appeared next to the trail offering an unobstructed lane of tundra extending up to more open ground above. This looked like a fairly easy route, so Loop and SPHP left the Ermine Hill trail and started climbing.
The route was even easier than anticipated. The slope was plenty steep enough, but there wasn’t much huffing and puffing going on. Blueberry bushes only 4 or 5 inches high were everywhere! They were loaded with sweet, ripe blueberries. So addictively delicious! SPHP spent less and less time climbing, and more and more time consuming. Progress slowed to a few steps at a time.
The open tundra was beautifully colored. Lupe had lovely views to look at. Yet she became so bored waiting for SPHP, that she took to resting on the soft tundra. Each time SPHP finally managed to go a little farther, she would test the comfort of another slightly higher spot.
As SPHP consumed blueberries, blueberries consumed time. An hour went by before SPHP managed to gain 300 or 400 feet of elevation. Here, Lupe was on gentler, interesting terrain. Close by was a striking ridge of white sand and gray rock. It couldn’t be much more than another 100 feet higher, and looked like a cinch to climb.
No longer distracted by blueberries, SPHP accompanied Lupe heading W for the near end of the ridge. An easy climb brought Lupe to the top of the ridgeline for a look around.
The American Dingo saw several colorful rounded hills to the SE. Those rounded hills were all part of Ermine Hill, which encompasses a large area. In fact, the topo map shows 4 different areas contained within 2700 foot contours on Ermine Hill. SPHP anticipated Lupe might have to visit several, perhaps even all of them, to figure out which was the true summit. As it turned out, Lupe wasn’t going to have to work that hard.
The colorful rounded hills Lupe saw to the SE included 3 of the 4 areas contained within 2,700 foot contours on the topo map. Lupe was clearly about as high as any of them. The 4th area was farther W on the ridge she was already on. The ground was noticeably higher over there. So it was easy to see that the true summit of Ermine Hill(2,700+ ft.) had to be closer to the W end of this ridge.
Looper didn’t have far to go to get there. She enjoyed a gorgeous, fun, easy ridge walk among flat sandy or gravelly areas and interesting rock formations. The very top of Ermine Hill featured an unusual summit offering a variety of convenient rocky Dingo perches. Despite the clouds, the views were tremendous in all directions.
Lupe could see Golog Benchmark(2,970 ft.) off to the SW. She had been there a year ago, having first reached K’esugi Ridge and Whimbrel Hill(2,645 ft.) from the Byers Lake trailhead. Today’s original plan called for Loop to continue on to Golog Benchmark from Ermine Hill. If she did so, she would complete the entire portion of the K’esugi Ridge trail system between the Byers Lake and Ermine Hill trailheads.
However, Lupe hadn’t gotten off to a very early start, the blueberry trap was another hour lost, and the weather didn’t look all that favorable. Rain showers were drifting up the Chulitna River valley only a few miles to the NW. Furthermore, Loopster would have to first lose 1,200 feet of elevation, then gain 1,500 feet to get over to Golog Benchmark, only to repeat a portion of that process just to get back to the Ermine Hill trail. Golog looked far away.
Loopster was perfectly content lingering up on Ermine Hill, while SPHP pondered whether it made any sense to head for Golog Benchmark.
In the meantime, a few photos from the cluster of rocks at Ermine Hill’s true summit were in order.
Lupe had spent 50 minutes up on Ermine Hill. Decision time. On to Golog Benchmark, or not?
Sadly, the answer was no. Under the circumstances, Golog Benchmark just looked too far away.
However, the no go on Golog didn’t mean Ermine Hill was the end of Lupe’s explorations today. Another option existed. A little more than 3 miles away to the ENE, a big hill was in view. Peak3700 wasn’t really much closer than Golog Benchmark as the crow flies, but Lupe’s route to it would be more direct and less time consuming.
After nearly an hour up on gorgeous Ermine Hill, Lupe started for Peak 3700. She began by traveling Ermine Hill’s summit ridge to its far E end. She saw Ermine Hill’s other colorful hills within 2,700 foot contours again, plus a tarn nearby that she hadn’t seen on her way up.
The Carolina Dog was now SE of where SPHP had dallied on the steep blueberry slope on the way up. She could see more of the narrow lake the Ermine Hill trail passes by in the valley to the E.
There wasn’t a clear, bush-free route down from here like the blueberry slope had been. Most of the way was fine, but Loopster would have to go through a stand of tall jungley bushes to reach the Ermine Hill trail.
The Carolina Dog was making good progress on her descent when she spotted someone 200 feet lower down on the Ermine Hill trail not far from the lake. That someone quickly proved to be two someones and a large dark brown dog. They were all staring intently at the hillside on the far (E) side of the lake.
Nothing appeared unusual about that hillside. Upon closer inspection, however, a black speck was visible way over there in a clearing between the bushes that covered most of the hill. That black speck didn’t seem to be moving, but suspicions were immediately aroused. A quick check with the camera’s telephoto lens confirmed those suspicions.
The people and dog watching the bear remained where they were for a few minutes, before turning around and heading back down the Ermine Hill trail. The bear was far away on the other side of the lake, but was something to stay alert for, since it was sort of on the way to Peak 3700. Lupe was going to be on that same hillside, but would pass well above the bear’s current location without having to go right by it.
For a while, Lupe and SPHP monitored the bear’s position as Loopster continued her descent. The bear never moved before Lupe lost sight of the hillside. No doubt it was anxiously devouring as many blueberries as possible before SPHP could get over there to scarf them all down.
Loop had lost nearly all the elevation she needed to in order to get back to the Ermine Hill trail again when she was confronted with a jungle of tall bushes. They were much taller than even SPHP was. The American Dingo had no issues with the bushes, but SPHP struggled to get through, especially at the start where they were on a steep slope. Nevertheless, Looper and SPHP did make it down to the trail.
Once back on the Ermine Hill trail, Lupe made rapid progress. She got past all the bushes, and soon arrived at the junction with the K’esugi Ridge trail.
From the intersection, Lupe went NE (L) crossing the valley the narrow lake was in. The lower part of this valley was swampy. On the far side of the swamp, the K’esugi Ridge trail led Lupe up a steep creek drainage. She eventually wound up behind a wall of rock bordered by another, larger swamp.
Lupe got muddy legs going across this second swamp. She seemed quite pleased with the experience. SPHP managed to gingerly use stepping stones near the rock wall to avoid the worst of the swamp. Beyond the second swamp, a very short climb led to a side trail that headed W to a nearby rocky viewpoint. Lupe and SPHP went there for a look around.
From the viewpoint, Lupe had a wonderful view of Ermine Hill, where she had just come from. She was now somewhere up above the slope where the bear had been. Looking down, the bear was nowhere in sight. Even though Lupe had come out on top in her encounter with a grizzly bear at the Maclaren River yesterday, it was a bit worrisome not knowing where the black bear had disappeared to. Was it close by?
Keeping an eye and keen nose out for the bear, Lupe returned to the main K’esugi Ridge trail. The trail now climbed steadily as it wound its way N up tundra covered hillsides. Lupe loves this kind of high open territory! The Carolina Dog was soon dashing away across the tundra to explore whatever she could find of interest. Meanwhile, SPHP stuck with the trail.
The trail crossed a couple of small streams. After a mile or so, it leveled out on high ground while rounding a big ridge coming down from the E. This was the same ridge that ought to take Loop to Peak3700. SPHP now joined Lupe in her off trail explorations to begin the climb up the long ridge. Unseen, Peak 3700 was now a little more than 2 miles due E.
Exploring the huge ridge was a grand time! The ridge was big and broad and hilly. Lots of rocks, some quite large, were scattered across it, but most places there was plenty of nice soft-on-the-paws tundra vegetation, too. Lupe climbed up a series of hilly high points, but each proved to be only another false summit.
Lupe finally reached the top of a larger hill where big rocks covered with black lichens were common. She could now see several considerably higher hills ahead, still perhaps a mile or more away.
One of the two most distant hills was almost certainly the summit of Peak3700. Loopster would have to lose some elevation to continue on toward them, but all the intervening terrain from here to the top of Peak 3700 looked easy no matter which distant hill was the true summit.
Lupe worked her way down the E side of the rocky hill she was on and reached the tundra. Though still a mile away, Peak 3700 seemed to be in the bag already! Lupe was doing great, the terrain was a cinch, and she was making great progress.
It wasn’t that simple. The sky had been growing darker for some time. Loop hadn’t seen the sun for several hours, and it was starting to feel late. Clouds were everywhere. A huge dark one now appeared passing directly overhead. This cloud didn’t seem to be dropping much rain, none on Lupe yet, but certainly seemed like it might at any moment.
Rain showers could be seen in several directions. They weren’t terribly far away. If Lupe kept going, SPHP was convinced she was destined to get drenched. Even if this dark cloud didn’t rain on her, it certainly seemed like only a matter of time before another one would.
Reluctantly, SPHP concluded the only prudent thing for Lupe to do was turn around. The clouds had held off most of the day, but a rainy evening appeared to be in store. No sense in getting wet and chilled. Another 30 minutes and Loop would have made it to the top of Peak 3700. Now she wasn’t going to get there. So close and yet, so far!
Ever since reaching Ermine Hill, Lupe had enjoyed a fantastic day up in the alpine tundra. The return trip was no different. The Carolina Dog ran like the wind, streaking across vast distances, pausing briefly here and there to sniff and investigate more thoroughly. It was so much fun to watch her go – feeling vibrant and wonderful, so full of life, all joyful and excited to be here. Lupe returned to check on SPHP often, looking like the happiest Dingo in the world, strong and beautiful.
The dark cloud passed by without raining on Lupe or SPHP. Dodged a bullet there. The sky brightened, but remained overcast. Rain showers could still be seen, but none appeared headed this way yet.
SPHP reached the K’esugi Ridge trail again. Lupe still spent most of her time running and playing on the tundra. She never did see that black bear again.
It wasn’t until SPHP made it all the way back to the forest well on the way down the Ermine Hill trail, that Lupe finally decided she better stick to the trail, or at least very close by.
Loop was near the tippy footbridge over Byers Creek, when suddenly the sky darkened again. SPHP had already been gloating that Loopster was actually going to make it all the way back to the G6 without getting rained on. Clearly rain was now on the way, but the G6 wasn’t much more than 0.5 mile away. Surely, the American Dingo could still get there before the rain hit!
Uh, uh. Halfway there, the raindrops started. Slowly at first, but soon building to a steady downpour. If SPHP had aborted the attempt on Peak 3700 only 10 minutes earlier, Lupe would have arrived back at the the G6 completely dry. As it was, both the American Dingo and SPHP returned cold, absolutely drenched and miserable. (8:32 PM)
Ermine Hill had been a fabulous day, but it rarely pays to gloat.
Days 25 & 26 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-24-17, 3:46 PM, 58°F – About 10 miles from where the Steese Highway left its junction with the Elliot Highway NE of Fairbanks, Lupe and SPHP reached Cleary Summit. A large pullout at the start of a long gravel side road just E of the highway provided a convenient spot to stash the G6. From here, the side road continued E toward what must be a residential area judging from a long line of mailboxes nearby.
Lupe hopped out, still looking woozy. She hadn’t been feeling well. Up until now, she’d spent the day resting in the G6 while SPHP ran errands in Fairbanks without accomplishing much of anything except washing a ton of Dalton Highway mud off the now sparkling G6. A short while ago, the Carolina Dog had urped up on her blankets – nothing major, and she did seem to feel somewhat better after that.
Maybe fresh air and a little light peakbagging would help speed Looper’s recovery from whatever was ailing her? Lupe and SPHP crossed over the Steese Highway and headed W on Pedro Dome Road.
Pedro Dome Road was a wide gravel road. At first there were mailboxes, driveways, and other signs of habitation in the area. Lupe was quickly beyond most of that, but vehicles still occasionally drove by. Both sides of the road were lined with thick jungley stands of tall alder bushes.
The sickly Dingo’s peakbagging destination was an easy one. Pedro Dome(2,592 ft.) was only 3 miles from the Steese Highway. Pedro Dome Road or some offshoot should take her right on up to the summit. Total elevation gain required was less than 400 feet. SPHP could probably have simply driven the G6 right on up to the top of the mountain, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, Loop needed to spend some time out of the G6, anyway.
On the way here, Looper had stopped at a rest area along the Steese Highway. There SPHP had learned that Pedro Dome was named after Felix Pedro, an Italian immigrant who sparked a local gold rush in 1902 when he discovered gold in the Tanana River valley. During his prospecting days, Felix Pedro had actually climbed Pedro Dome. Lupe wasn’t expecting to find any gold, but was looking forward to seeing whatever Felix had seen from up on Pedro Dome over a century ago.
She might not see much of anything. Nearly a mile from Steese Highway, Looper reached an intersection where Pedro Dome was in view ahead. A thick spruce and alder forest covered the whole mountain. Several large towers stood up on a large, flat summit.
Now that the mountain was in view, Pedro Dome Road made a big curve to the NW. The road followed a ridgeline before turning SW again. Lupe came to a couple more intersections, but it was always easy to see which way to go. Along the way, she had occasional views of big forested ridges and distant low peaks. On the final approach, the road headed S along Pedro Dome’s upper E slope. A subsequent curve to the W brought Lupe to the summit.
The summit area was round and a good 10 to 15 acres in size. Only a fraction of the entire area could be seen from any one spot, since most of the summit was covered with the forest Looper had seen from afar. The highest part of the mountain was toward the NW, but the terrain was so flat no particular point stood out as being the true summit.
Four large towers and a number of smaller ones dominated the top of Pedro Dome. A maze of gravel or grassy roads radiated out from a large patch of bare ground where Lupe had come up providing access to these towers. Loop and SPHP visited each of the four largest towers, a couple of which were fenced off and bore “No Trespassing” signs.
Due to all the vegetation, there were few places to get much of a view from Pedro Mountain. A couple of minor side roads leading into the dense alder bush jungle went all the way to the S and W edges of the summit to provide what views there were.
Due in part to the haziness of the atmosphere, the views from Pedro Dome were pretty, but no more than that. All the towers and man made stuff didn’t do a thing for SPHP either. Lupe had the best time on Pedro Dome. She loved the shady grassy roads away from the towers, and had a grand time sniffing and exploring her way through the alder jungles where SPHP couldn’t go.
Apparently coming to Pedro Dome had done the American Dingo some good. Lupe was noticeably happier, more lively, and active up on the summit. She continued to enjoy exploring the alders now and then on the pleasant trek back to the G6. (6:16 PM, 61°F) Though the trip to Pedro Dome was the only active thing Loop and SPHP did all day, that probably wasn’t a bad thing. A day of rest was overdue.
8-25-17 – After spending the night in Fairbanks, Lupe and SPHP left town heading SE on Highway No. 2. At Delta Junction SPHP took Richardson Highway No. 4 going S. In 2016, Lupe had been on this road going the opposite direction. It had been a rainy, misty day. Loop had barely seen the rugged mountains of the Alaska Range that the road passed through. Much of what she did see looked daunting and inaccessible.
However, once the Richardson Highway was over the Alaska Range, the highway had dropped down to much lower, flatter territory on the way to Delta Junction. Here, Lupe had seen a high solitary hill. The hill was close to the highway, and looked like such an attractive peakbagging objective SPHP had stopped briefly to consider making an ascent right then and there. In the end, even though the rain had stopped, the weather still looked too iffy. Lupe and SPHP had driven on.
Since then, SPHP had learned the name of that solitary hill was Donnelly Dome. Today, more than a year since she’d first seen it, Lupe was on her way back to find and climb it. Donnelly Dome is situated 18 miles S of Delta Junction on the W side of Richardson Highway No. 4. SPHP didn’t have to drive far out of Delta Junction before Lupe once again spotted Donnelly Dome (3,910 ft.) up ahead.
Looking for a place offering both possible access to the mountain and a good place to stash the G6, SPHP found a gravel side road on the W side of the highway about 50 feet S of milepost 247. A flat area large enough to accommodate 2 or 3 vehicles was close to the start of this road. SPHP parked the G6 and Loopster hopped out. (12:09 PM)
The day was brightly sunny and pleasantly breezy as Loop started for Donnelly Dome. Bushes waist high on SPHP crowded both sides of the road, so Lupe did the obvious, easy thing and simply followed the road. SPHP could have driven the G6 somewhat closer to the mountain, but it wasn’t long before the road deteriorated to a point where high clearance would have been required.
The road was soon winding around on a series of little hilltops. Spirits were high as Lupe and SPHP drew nearer to the mountain. This was looking like a great day to climb Donnelly Dome. Lupe had seen some huge white peaks of the Alaska Range to the SW from the Richardson Highway on the way here. The views of those mighty peaks from up on Donnelly Dome ought to be stunning. The prospect was exciting!
At one point, the road overlooked a small pond where Lupe saw 4 ducks. Beyond this pond, the road started fading away. It eventually turned S away from Donnelly Dome, but Loopster found a good single track trail in this area that headed W through the bushes toward the mountain. Lupe couldn’t see much of anything due to the bushes, but she was going the right way.
The single track trail became a maze of interconnecting alternate paths as it wound through the bushes, but Lupe eventually arrived on higher open ground free of bushes at the base of the mountain. A cairn sat up on this bare ground. Lupe was at the far SE end of Donnelly Dome.
Donnelly Dome must be a popular destination. A heavily worn trail left the open ground near the cairn, plunging right back into the bushes. This trail began climbing so aggressively up the steep side of Donnelly Dome that SPHP was often clinging to bushes for support. A bunch of loose rock on the trail didn’t help matters any.
After gaining a fair amount of elevation, the trail became somewhat less steep as it went NNW along Donnelly Dome’s E slope. Lupe was making good progress. She was above most of the bushes, which thinned out a great deal up here. Views to the E were already impressive. By now, however, what had been merely a pleasant breeze down below was an annoyingly strong S wind.
Lupe climbed and climbed. The trail was braided. She often had her choice of routes. They all headed the same general direction, NNW along the E slope of the mountain. SPHP kept hoping the mountain would provide some protection from the wind if Loop went far enough N, but the wind only got stronger the higher she went.
After a while, it kept looking like Lupe was about to reach Donnelly Dome’s summit ridge. Each time she reached a high point, it all proved to be an illusion. Hardly any bushes remained by the time the Carolina Dog found herself on the most barren, windswept, steepest slope yet.
It seemed like Lupe had made it quite a long way N along the E slope of the mountain. She had gained what looked like an incredible amount of elevation, yet there was only supposed to be 1,660 feet of elevation gain from the highway to the top of Donnelly Dome.
SPHP resolved to leave the trail. Looper would climb straight on up this steep slope. The top didn’t look that much farther. The summit had to be close by now, didn’t it? Grabbing whatever was handy, which wasn’t much of consequence, SPHP started up. With her 4 on the floor, Looper powered her way up the slope with ease.
Top of the mountain? Hah! When Lupe reached the upper end of the slope, she wasn’t at the top of anything. This was just the E lip of a more gentle slope going up. Another trail here led still higher, continuing NNW. At least this was far easier terrain than that super steep slope. Lupe ought to be able to make a lot faster progress. The way the wind was roaring up here, it might blow her clear to the top of the mountain, or off it completely.
Lupe wasn’t as far N along the mountain as SPHP had thought. She was still coming up from the SSE. She didn’t have to go far on this upper trail, though, before it was clear the Carolina Dog actually had made it to the broad, sparsely vegetated summit ridge. The upper trail faded. The top of Donnelly Dome(3,910 ft.) was directly ahead 200 yards away.
Although it was now certain Lupe was going to reach the top of Donnelly Dome, there was bad news, too. During the American Dingo’s ascent, the mountain had blocked her view of the huge white peaks of the Alaska Range off to the SW. Upon attaining the summit ridge, she immediately had a panoramic view in that direction.
The monstrous white peaks Looper had seen before she began her climb in earnest were gone! The fierce S wind had blown in a giant cloud bank that somehow clung stubbornly to the Alaska Range. Despite the wind, those clouds didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Only a tiny fraction of the formerly glorious views remained, glimpses of parts of individual peaks that didn’t convey the same overall impression at all.
So disappointing! And aggravating to think that if Loop had only arrived a couple of hours earlier, she would have seen the entire grand display. Well, it was what it was. Lupe could still see a lot from up here. The clouds weren’t everywhere, just unfortunately concentrated where the best views should have been. In any case, Lupe didn’t waste any time getting to the summit. The wind was going to make staying up here for very long far less enjoyable than it should have been.
The summit area was a nearly flat 0.5 acre strewn with mostly smallish rocks. A variety of cairns were present. Two were considerably larger than the rest. They were positioned near the SW and NE edges of the summit. The SW cairn was at Donnelly Dome’s true summit. Everything else was clearly a little lower.
A steady 30-35 mph wind scoured the mountaintop. Not a hurricane, by any means, but Lupe didn’t care for it one bit. The big SW cairn was built up like a wall. The Carolina Dog eagerly took refuge behind it whenever she didn’t have photo duties to fulfill.
Right away, SPHP noticed two flat rocks with writing on them propped up against the rock wall cairn. A large group of military personnel, no doubt from Eielson AFB, had been here on 7-23-17, only a month and a day ago. The “Peacocks” and “Night Train”, presumably two separate units, had recorded their names on these stone tablets. Names were scrawled on many smaller rocks, too.
SPHP was unable to find any registry other than these rocks, so after poking around the true summit at the largest cairn, Loop next paid a visit to the NE cairn. It was a poorly organized pile of rocks, but Lupe had a fabulous view to the E from here. She saw Panoramic Peak(5,150 ft.) and other peaks in the Granite Mountains area.
Having been to both of the big cairns, some relief from the gale was in order. Loop retreated far enough down the N slope of the mountain to feel fairly well sheltered. Here, Lupe and SPHP took a pleasant break. Lupe could see the N spine of Donnelly Dome. The Delta River and Alaska oil pipeline headed N across many miles of level terrain toward small mountains in the distance.
After the break, it was time for a few more photos. Loopster thought it best to continue hiding out from the wind as best she could behind the big rock wall cairn. SPHP wandered around looking at this and that.
The temperature had to be in the mid 50’s °F, which ordinarily would have been quite comfortable. However, it felt chilly in the wind. SPHP made only a half-hearted effort to search for the Pillsbury survey benchmark shown on the topo map, and didn’t find it. Oh, well. Hardly mattered. 35 minutes after reaching the summit of Donnelly Dome, Lupe was ready to begin her descent.
Lupe retraced her route up on the way down. SPHP was plenty slow as usual on the steep slopes. Some sort of military plane practicing takeoffs from a dusty landing strip 4 miles off to the NNE provided the only real excitement. The plane buzzed Donnelly Dome several times, which set the American Dingo off into ferocious barking fits.
Many hours of daylight remained when Lupe made it back to the G6. (4:33 PM) With Loop’s breezy Donnelly Dome adventure successfully concluded, the plan was to continue S on Richardson Highway No. 4 up into the Alaska Range to see some of the sights she had missed due to poor weather in 2016. Clouds still hampered the views in most places, but Lupe did see a big glacier E of the highway.
By the time Lupe reached Summit Lake, patches of blue sky existed among the cloud cover.
3 or 4 miles S of Summit Lake, just S of Paxson, SPHP turned W on Denali Highway No. 8. The first 14 miles of this 136 mile long road connecting Paxson and Cantwell are paved. Lupe had only seen the W 10 or 12 miles of Denali Highway No. 8 back in 2016. This time, she was going to travel the entire route. The evening drive was beautiful. Loop and SPHP stopped now and then for photos along the way.
As Lupe got farther W, Denali Highway No. 8 turned to dirt and gravel. The highway was fairly rough in places with potholes and such, so SPHP had to drive quite slowly. That was fine! The scenery was spectacular. This area felt strangely as remote as the Dalton Highway had been.
To the N, Lupe saw snow-capped peaks of the Amphitheater Mountains. Sometimes glaciers were in view right from the road. To the SW were a number of high rounded hills. They looked like easy climbs, but were a long way from the highway.
Denali Highway No. 8 eventually turned NNW and went down a long slope taking Lupe into the Maclaren River valley. Looper could see the toe of the Maclaren Glacier far upriver. Near the Maclaren River, the American Dingo had a close encounter with a grizzly bear!
One might think that an encounter with a grizzly bear would be the most memorable event of almost any day. The feisty American Dingo came out on top, but didn’t seem to think it was such a big deal. In fact, she appeared rather bored with the whole affair.
W of the Maclaren River, the light began to fade. Evening was drawing to a close. Lupe saw many pullouts along the highway, but for a long way they were all full of vehicles and people camping out. The Carolina Dog finally arrived at an unoccupied pullout 47 miles from Cantwell. The light was almost gone now. This would have to do.
By now Lupe was happy to get out of the G6. The incredibly dangerous predator Dingo, who had recently come out on top in her encounter with a grizzly bear, spent the rest of the evening prowling around in the bushes as dusk turned to night.