AK -- Soldotna, 9-16 July 2018

One week in Soldotna, Alaska…

Why we came…

To catch red salmon!

The campground…

Klondike RV Park is decent.  Sites varied, ours was wide however the electric post forced us to park further forward than we wanted to.  We were glad to comfortably park our truck next to our trailer.  The sites were packed gravel and fairly level.  We had full hook-ups, a reliable Verizon signal, and decent wi-fi.  The campground was busy with big rigs and crowded with extra vehicles.  We liked the location and it was quiet at night.  The facilities were well maintained and clean.  We were comfortable and would gladly return. 

Klondike RV was quiet and we liked the location

These are big sites compared to other campgrounds in the area

Nearby towns…

Soldotna, Kenai, and Sterling are strung out along a roughly 20 mile line oriented west to east.  Together they have a population approaching 20,000.  The communities center around the bounty of the famous Kenai River and Cook Inlet.  There are plenty of restaurants, stores, and services.

Adventures…

The Kenai River…

Fishin’ was the mission! “The Kenai River is arguably Alaska's most famous fishing river and best known for its runs of giant King Salmon (Chinook). The world record King was taken here in 1985 and weighed over 97 pounds.”

“Sockeye (Red) Salmon arrive in huge numbers from mid July through August. During large runs, the Sockeye have returned to the Kenai in numbers exceeding one million fish. Silver (Coho) Salmon join the fray from early August into the winter season.”

“The Lower Kenai River flows from Skilak Lake for fifty miles before emptying into Cook Inlet. It starts out wide and slow providing excellent summer habitat for loons, nesting swans and juvenile salmon. As the river picks up speed, so does the fishing.”

“The first ten miles below Skilak Lake contains excellent spawning gravel and holds many Rainbows and Dolly Varden. This stretch is popular at peak times for salmon and trout. The next twenty miles contain numerous rocks and small rapids.”

“The last twenty river miles are locally known as "The Lower". The Lower is adjacent to the towns of Soldotna and Kenai. This is where the most concentrated fishing activity takes place.”

Kenai River map (courtesy of:  https://www.akboatrental.com/copy-of-fishing-areas)

   

The upper Kenai River near Cooper Landing (Courtesy of: https://www.alaskariverscompany.com/kenai-river-information/)    /    Dipnetting at the mouth of the Kenai River (Courtesy of: https://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2014/07/)

Fishing for reds…

Ann and Mike have had property along “The Lower” Kenai for 19 years. I used to pitch a tent and fish there back in the late ‘90s. Since then they have made many improvements to the property, and built a comfortable cabin. There are also walking grates to and along the river that make the fishing easier to access.

They graciously invited us to fish there during our time in Soldotna. Mike was able to join us for the majority of our time there. We really appreciated that because he was able to give us expert advice on fishing “his hole”. Ann was able to tear away from her busy job and join us for the weekend.

We fished several hours over four days. We were happy to bring home four fresh Sockeye. We had a lot more hits but they got off. We had a few epic fights but they were likely hooked somewhere other than the mouth. Somedays you have to really work for them. The number of fish making their way up the river did not help either.

Sadly, the fish count this year has been lower than last year. While we were on the lower Kenai, the average return was only 11,000 salmon a day (skewed by one good day). By the time we left, the cumulative totals were 34,000 behind or 76% of last year at the same time. It is still early in the run, so the salmon are still likely to flood the river.

The Kenai is 360 feet wide at this point. On the 12^th of July it was running at 17,000 cfs which was the peak during our time there. Average is 13,500 cfs. Mike remarked on how high and murky it was and warned of us of the tricky wading along their stretch.

Arleen proved how tricky it was when she learned just how cold the water is! She lost her balance in water that was about hip deep. When she tripped, she ended up on her butt with her head fully submerged. Ann immediately helped her out and back to the cabin. The river was 50^o which doesn’t sound cold but with an air temperature of 60^o, no sun, and a good breeze, Arleen was shivering by the time she got back to the cabin. After a warm shower, dry clothes, and a hot cup of broth, she was toasty again.

We really enjoyed our time with Mike and Ann and hope to return to the Kenai later in the summer.

     

The salmon counts during our visit.  Mike’s rule of thumb:  Ok fishing at 20,000; good fishing at 30,000  /  Wild irises blooming along the Kenai River in Soldotna

   

It’s sweet to fish private property!  /  Ann hoping to hook some red salmon

   

Nice one Ann!  /  Mike is ready with the bonker

   

Arleen fighting a fresh salmon  /  She caught the biggest one!

   

The fishing was slow but we put four reds in the freezer

Touring with John…

Our friend John was able to come visit us in Soldotna for a couple of days.

First, the three of us drove out to North Beach and the mouth of the Kenai River. This is where the Sockeye gather before their push up river. We wanted to watch the dipnetters.

“The dipnet fishery takes place from late June through July in the marine waters of Cook Inlet just off the mouth of the Kenai River. Since 2003, Alaskans harvest between 130,000 and 540,000 sockeye salmon annually in this fishery.”

“The total yearly harvest out of all the Upper Cook Inlet personal use salmon fisheries is 25 salmon and 10 salmon for each additional household member.”

“Only Alaska residents are allowed to participate in dipnetting! Your nonresident friends and relatives are not allowed to handle any of the gear, the fish, or anything related to dipnetting. No, they can't even clean your fish for you.”

A lot of our Alaskan friends partake in dipnetting including John. “A dipnet is a bag-shaped net attached to a rigid frame. That frame can be no more than 5 feet at its widest point.” They’re big!

“Some dipnets are square, others round. The frames can be metal or plastic. Some have long handles, others short. It's all personal preference.”

“You stick the net in the water, perpendicular to the riverbank, with the current running through the net, and wait. When you feel a tug on the net, flip it to "trap" the fish and pull the net to shore or onto the boat.” It sounds easy, but it looked to us as if they were having an issue standing upright in the surf without a 6-10 pound salmon in the net. In the time we were there, we did not see anyone net a salmon.

As we were walking back to the truck from the beach, we spotted the onion dome of a Russian Orthodox church. John likes to “collect” churches. He has pictures of churches he has taken from around the world. After a few minutes, we were able to find a walkway that led over to the church.

The Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church was the second Russian Orthodox church built in Kenai. It was built in 1895 to replace the first one that was built in 1849. The Parish house was built in 1887.  “Today it is the oldest standing building in the Cook Inlet region.”

In 1906, “the St Nicholas Chapel was built as a memorial to the heroic deeds of Fr Nikolai and Makary Ivanov, both of whom were instrumental in saving the lives of hundreds of Dena’ina from smallpox.”

After admiring the church, we set off to look at another famous fishing spot.

“The Kenai River Special Management Area (SMA) consists of more than 105 linear miles of rivers and lakes, including Kenai Lake, Skilak Lake, and the Kenai River from river mile 82 downstream to four miles above the river's mouth on Cook Inlet. Adjacent to these waters are fifteen state park sub-units.”

One park sub-unit is Bing’s Landing. John has fished there many times over the years and I fished there a couple of times back in the day. They have made many improvements since I was there and even since John was last there.

Bing’s Landing consists of 126 Acres along the Kenai near an area of rapids. The facility includes 36 campsites, separate parking areas for boat trailers and vehicles, toilets, picnic sites, trails, and a boat launch.

We walked the trails and watched about 20 fishermen in waders challenging the fast waters. They were doing pretty good and we saw several fish landed.

Finally, we had a good dinner at the St Elias Brewing Company. It was a fun day with John. Maybe next time, he’ll have more time and we can fish together.

John at Bing’s Landing on the Kenai River

       

We saw a few salmon hooked.  See the eagle?  /  The eagle looking for a snack.  /  Launching for a snack!

   

Dipnets are pretty big and a bit heavy  /  Dipnetting in the surf isn’t easy.

   

This Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1894 and is one of the oldest standing Orthodox churches in Alaska

Next…

We are in Homer.  Our next stops are Ninilchik, Cooper Landing, and Seward.

Parting shots…

    

A family of mergansers swimming along the Kenai River  /  Hello moose!

(207,850)

AK -- Anchorage, 26 June - 9 July 2018

13 days in Anchorage, Alaska

Why we came…

Mostly to visit friends and also to explore our old stomping grounds.

The campground…

Black Spruce RV Park on Fort Richardson was pretty good.  The location was convenient for the things we wanted to do in the Anchorage Bowl.  It was also nice to be just a few miles from the main military shopping facilities.  Other than occasional military aircraft flying overhead and sporadic gun fire from a nearby shooting range, it was peaceful. 

The campsites were all big pull-throughs oriented parallel to the road.  We had full hook-ups and a reliable cell phone signal.  The sites were fairly level packed gravel and each one had a picnic table.  Though there were multiple campground hosts, we’re not sure what they did.  The bathrooms and laundry were dirty during our entire 13-day stay.  Sadly this has been a persistent problem noted in many campground reviews.

The two main military campgrounds at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson do not accept reservations.  We arrived at noon on a Tuesday and got the only available full hook-up site.  Maybe half of the 40 full hook-up sites were taken by long-termers though that is clearly against the rules.  Sadly this is typical of military campgrounds these days.

We were set up nicely and were very comfortable.   We’d stay there again.

Big pull-through sites at Black Spruce RV Park on Fort Richardson

Nearby towns…

Anchorage, elevation 102 feet and population 291,826, is the largest town by far in Alaska.  It is the primary supply and service center in the state. 

Arleen and I both lived in Anchorage for a number of years in the late ‘90s. We worked together and shared a common interest of spending time in the great outdoors. We became good friends, started dating, and fell in love while in southcentral Alaska. It has always been a special place to both of us. The few times we returned, we felt like we were coming home. We looked forward to catching up with friends and to sharing some adventures in the epic scenery that composes the area between Knik Arm, Turnagain Arm, and the beautiful Chugach Mountains. It’s one of the best city “play grounds” anywhere!

Anchorage, Alaska.  Looking east towards the Chugach Mountains.  (Not our picture)

Anchorage, Alaska.  Looking north towards Mount Foraker, 17,402 feet high, on the left and Denali, 20,310 feet high, on the right.  (Not our picture)

Adventures…

Chugach State Park

Six of the seven hikes we did during this visit to Anchorage were in Chugach State Park. At almost 500,000 acres Chugach is the third largest state park in the United States.

“The park’s westernmost boundary lies in the western foothills of the Chugach Mountain Range and is a mere seven miles to the east of downtown Anchorage. The park is further defined by the Knik Arm on the north, Turnagain Arm on the south, and Upper and Lower Lake George and Chugach National Forest on the east.

Within minutes of the park are the communities of Palmer, Eagle River, Chugiak, Indian, Bird, Girdwood, the village of Eklutna, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.”

Arctic Valley…

It was a cloudy, chilly, breezy, drizzly day. But it was our first day back in the area and we were anxious to get out. We expected the light steady rain to become more intermittent, so we set off for the nearby Arctic Valley.

“Arctic Valley is a ski area in Anchorage. It is located on Ski Bowl Road in Chugach State Park, in the upper Ship Creek valley adjacent to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. It touts its accessibility, being closer to the majority of Anchorage's population.

The area encompasses nearly 500 acres with a base elevation of 2,500 feet and rises to almost 4,000 feet at Rendezvous Peak. Arctic Valley has three chair lifts, one pony tow, and four bowls.” There has been skiing at Arctic Valley since the 1940s.

First we paid our $5 parking fee. Although it is in the state park, the state park pass is not honored here. We set off while a light drizzle spit at us.

We knew it would be windy at mountain top so we did a clockwise loop with the logic that the strongest wind would be at our backs. The military Site Summit is on the west side of the valley so we stayed behind the warning signs. After the initial climb, we were able to walk along the installation’s road before turning east along a ridge and a climb towards Gordon Lyon.

As we walked along the ridge, the wind switched directions on us and slapped our faces. We knew better. In mountainous areas you get buffeted with winds from 360 degrees. The sideways rain slashed at us. And it was cold. But it didn’t matter. It is so spectacular and we were having a great time reminiscing about previous adventures.

We carefully crawled out to the overlook on Gordon Lyon. From here we could see up South Fork and Eagle River Valleys. Suddenly a full rainbow graced the scene.

Unfortunately it rained during our entire hike. Regardless, there were several other people out exploring the valley. We returned to the truck very chilled and hurried home for a hot cup of tea.

   

Hike route in Arctic Valley up to Mount Gordon Lyon  /  Trail info

The steep climb out of the valley kept us warm in the blustery weather

Fantastic views along the ridge

   

Cresting Mount Gordon Lyon

“I’m on top of the world!”

We love the Chugach Mountains!

High above the South Fork of the Eagle River.  Eagle Lake is on the left and Symphony Lake is on the right.

Mount Baldy…

Mount Baldy was only four miles from where Arleen lived in Eagle River. She often hiked it after work for exercise. I had also hiked it several times. We both wanted to climb it again.

The 3,218 foot shoulder-shaped peak is a landmark in Eagle River and you have to drive up through a hillside neighborhood to the Chugach State Park trailhead. We were shocked that there were about 20 cars parked there. In the late ‘90s there would only be a few other vehicles.

There are two trails. We took the closest trail that climbs straight up the face of Baldy. It climbs 1,100 feet in a mile. The lower half switchbacks in packed dirt. The upper half climbs a straight line and is rocky.

Once at the top, we had a great view of Eagle River, the Knik Arm and beyond to Mount Susitna. Unfortunately, it was cloudy because on a clear day, you can see all the way to Denali, 130 miles away.

The wild flowers were poppin’. Baldy was covered in Geraniums, Lemon paintbrush and Mountain Avens.

One of our favorite things about Baldy is that it is possible to do a nice loop. We were able to walk along the ridge and then drop down into a drainage off the east backside. It is a gentle, easy on the knees, two mile walk back that way.

We noted that it was nice being on trails that we were familiar with. We never had to refer to a map. There’s something comforting in returning to a place you know so well. Alaska still feels like home to us.

   

Hike route up Mount Baldy  /  We’re going up there.

Mid way up.  The town of Eagle River is on the left.  The Knik Arm is in the distance.

   

The trail gets steep and rocky near the top  /  Arleen pointing to her old neighborhood

It’s very pretty along the ridge

Aren’t we adorable?

Twin Peaks…

It was time to do a trail neither of us had done before. We drove to the Chugach State Park, Eklutna Lake trailhead, 20 miles northeast of Eagle River.

Twin peaks is a 2.5 mile trail that climbs 1,800 feet to a scenic vantage point of the towering Twin Peaks. We also looked forward to getting a bird’s eye view of the picturesque Eklutna Lake.

We parked at the trailhead. From here, we could also take the long wide trail around the lake which is popular with bikers and ATVers. Back in the day, Arleen had ridden her bike twice to the other side of the lake. There is a separate parking area for ATVs which are only allowed Sunday through Wednesday.

The trail starts out on an old road so it is wide and smooth while climbing steadily. There is a nice bench about a mile up the trail. You are rewarded with a nice overlook of pretty Eklutna Lake.

After this the trail really pitched up and narrowed a bit but was still in great shape. As we followed the curve of the Thachkatnu Creek drainage, both the Twin Peaks came into full view.

We spotted 60 Dall sheep in five different groups scampering around on both sheer scree fields and steep green meadows. We took a break near the second bench at about two and half miles to watch their movements.

The second bench is technically the end of the trail. But we could see and had read about a primitive trail that continues to another overlook. The primitive trail was very steep and rocky just as we expected a “primitive” trail to be. But the compensation was a short half mile further.

We had an incredible view of Eklutna Lake and its glacier. It was one of those spectacular views on a pretty day so we lingered. We did not want to leave.

   

Hike route on the Twin Peaks Trail near Eklutna Lake  /  It’s 2.6 miles one way.  We went further.

Our first good view of Eklutna Lake about a mile up the trail

We counted roughly 60 Dall sheep

Nearing the high point of our hike about 3 miles from the trailhead and 2,500 feet higher

Enjoying each other and the view!

Crow Pass…

Crow Pass Trail is “considered to be one of the best trails to hike in the Chugach mountain range, this epic 23 mile hike takes you from Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center.  Following part of the Historic Iditarod Trail, this trail offers diverse scenic sights including glaciers, alpine lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, and so much more!”

Both Arleen and I did the entire Crow Pass Trail back in the day. I did it in one day and remember it mostly as a torture fest. Arleen and good friend Heidi, backpacked the rugged 23 mile long trail in a more leisurely and enjoyable three days. The Eagle River crossing was memorable but the first four miles to Raven Glacier became our favorite hike. We did it many times.

We were contacted by our friends Tatyana and Eugene as they planned a trip to Alaska. Our schedules would overlap in Anchorage just one day and they wanted to hike with us. We had met them hiking the Narrows at Zion National Park five years ago and looked forward to another adventure with them.

We knew they would love to see Raven Glacier and we were excited to share it with our special friends. We met them in town and they followed us to the trail with a brief stop at Potters Marsh and a Turnagain Arm overlook.

The six mile Crow Creek Road from Girdwood to the trailhead is a bit rough and narrow. It passes several summer cabins. Once you make the turn for the final mile, the road narrows even further. But we made it there safely. The large parking lot was already half full. By the time we returned later that evening, it would be full. There were quite a few other people on the trail but they were strung out and it was peaceful.

The trail starts quickly with a gradual ascent up a couple of switchbacks. There are very few trees at this point because the trail starts at 1600 feet. The trail is lined with dense vegetation like Alder, Corn Lilies, Salmon Berries and the nasty Cows Parsnip.

After that the trail meanders up the Crow Creek drainage with mountain views in all directions. Before the Monarch Mine area at about 1.5 mile point and having climbed over 1,000 feet, we came to a divide where we had two choices. Go left towards the mine or right for a more gradual ascent.

We decided to go right which cuts back and then takes a steady line along a scree field and old landslide areas with a lot of rocks. The footing is not easy, but the route is not steep.

After traversing a mile of rocky trail, and nearing the pass at 3,500 feet, the scenery opened to a winter wonderland with waterfalls, snowfields, and glacial lakes. We climbed over a gentle rise and there was the stunning Raven Glacier!

Arleen and I practically had tears in our eyes! Tatyana and Eugene were both very excited! The four of us climbed to a rock outcropping where we could celebrate with a nip of cognac as we did five years ago in the Narrows.

We sat and marveled at Raven Glacier, ate lunch, and took many, many pictures. Finally, we tore ourselves away and walked back down the trail.

On the way back, we did not cross the scree and rock slides again. Instead we headed down the very steep trail to Monarch Mine. Thankfully, the steep area was short.

Plus, we were able to get a closer view of some very pretty waterfalls.

Finally, we all went to Chair 5 in Girdwood to share a well-deserved meal after our seven mile hike with 2,350 feet of climbing. We hugged Tatyana and Eugene goodbye and wished them well during the rest of their unforgettable Alaska trip.

   

Hike route up the Crow Pass Trail to Raven Glacier  /  Interesting history for the area

The remains of an impressive avalanche

   

Eugene and Arleen traversing the first snow field  /  Eugene, Arleen, and Tatyana

Eugene and Tatyana at our water filtering spot

       

Negotiating a tricky waterfall

Celebrating our goal:  Raven Glacier

This is one of our favorite places in the Anchorage area

We enjoyed sharing our special place with Tatyana and Eugene

   

Headed back down.  Another tricky stream crossing.  This is actually the top of a waterfall!

It’s a long ways down to Crow Creek.  We love this terrain!

   

Just two of the many pretty waterfalls along the route.  We crossed the top of the waterfall on the right.  /  We finished the awesome adventure with a great meal at Chair 5 in Girdwood.  In the past, we often ate here after skiing at Alyeska all day.

Rabbit Lake…

We were excited to spend a day with Louise and her new husband Tim. We both worked with Louise when we were all in the Air Force. We always respected Louise for her professionalism but we loved her for her quirky sense of humor and her sense of adventure.

She suggested one of her favorite hikes in the Anchorage area. Rabbit Lake sounded great, a pretty mountain lake in Chugach State Park, which also has rainbow trout. My fly rod would have to come along!

The trailhead was established since we left the area. The state of Alaska was able to work an easement with local property owners. Still, the parking area on a sunny 4^th of July day was a mess! Part of the reason is that it is another way to access Flattop “Alaska’s most visited peak”.

Folks were parallel parked on both sides of the already narrow road. Plus, there were people trying to drive both directions and there were a few standoffs. We felt lucky to find a decent spot for our huge truck.

The weather was beautiful! The trail is just a gentle climb of 1,400 feet in 4+ miles through mostly open alpine tundra. After some tough treks over the last few weeks, this was easy hiking.

We leisurely strolled and had fun catching up with Louise. It was nice to get to know Tim and learn about their plans for the future.

Louise and Arleen enjoyed picking out the various blooming wildflowers. Along our hike we had a full view of Flattop to our left, McHugh Peak to our right and the Suicide Peaks in front us.

Rabbit Lake is very scenic, surrounded by rugged peaks that still had snow fields. There were about 50 people walking, sunbathing, playing with dogs, and even a paddleboarder on the stunning lake on an unusually warm Alaska afternoon.

I saw two nice fish rise well out of casting range. I knew the lake was recently stocked so I moved to the deeper end with high hopes.

Unfortunately, I had no luck after an hour of steady fishing. There were a few other fishermen and I did not see any of them hook anything either. It was sunny and warm, plus there was also lots of commotion… not a recipe for catching trout!

On our walk back, we noted in addition to many other hikers, the trail is also popular with mountain bikers.

We went back to Louise and Tim’s for a BBQ afterwards. Cindy, a NWS intern, joined us there. It was great to meet her and hear of her plans to return to Alaska. We all shared Alaska stories with her.

We found out you’ll never starve at their house. Tim goes all out when it comes to grilling! We had grilled steak and vegetable kabobs, teriyaki skewers, and a few different sausages, plus several cold salads! Then, we had a patriotic fruit pie that Cindy had brought. It was a perfect 4^th Of July.

Tim and Louise have exciting plans for the future and we look forward to following them over the years.

   

Hike route to Rabbit Lake with Louise and Tim  /  We almost didn’t see this guy near the trail

Headed up the glacier-carved valley towards Rabbit Lake

The beautiful lake is stocked with rainbow trout but I didn’t catch any

Enjoying another gorgeous spot in Alaska’s Chugach Range with Louise and Tim

Eagle River Nature Center…

Arleen considered the Eagle River Nature Center her front yard when she lived in Eagle River. Eagle River Road ends here at mile road mile 12. We looked forward to an easy walk with a tough hike planned the following day.

“Friends of Eagle River Nature Center have revitalized natural history education in Chugach State Park; it has built new trails and public use facilities; and it has become a destination for visitors from around the world.  They provide connections to nature through education, resource protection and outdoor opportunities.”

We first walked around the easy Rodak Loop interpretive trail to have a look at the beaver ponds. They have informative signs on everything from beavers to how glaciers form to the lifecycle of salmon.

Next, we tackled the seldom used Dew Mound Trail. Arleen warned me that it was a rolling and rough trail. I thought we might spot wildlife since recent reports said moose and bear had been seen recently. The narrow forest trail is more mound then dew, especially the last mile. It climbs up-and-down a few old glacial moraines. It’s rocky and rooty most of the way.

After three rough miles, we left the forest behind and came into an opening where we could see the Eagle River back-dropped by Eagle Peak. The area is appropriately called Echo Bend.

From here we looped back to Rapids Camp. The trail rolls and is rocky but it is wider and better maintained than Dew Mound. At Rapids Camp we stopped to admire the class IV whitewater run.

Near Rapids Camp the trail drops off the moraine to the smooth forest floor. From here back to the nature center, it is an easy wide and smooth trail.

We had only planned on doing an easy four mile walk. It ended up being a fairly tough 6.6 miles. But I was glad to share one of Arleen’s special Alaska places with her.

   

Hike route near the Eagle River Nature Center  /  The difference between a Kodiak brown bear and a mainland brown bear…wow!

Very nice interpretive trail near the Nature Center

   

One of the many informative signs.  This one shows how 4,000 salmon eggs dwindles to two spawning adults.  /  It looks like snow but it’s from the numerous black cottonwood trees.

   

Grouse walking the trail  /  Echo Bend on the Eagle River is one of Arleen’s special spots

Rapids Camp on the Eagle River.  The mountains rise 4,000 feet above the glacial river.

Symphony Lake…

We planned to hike South Fork Valley to a few scenic mountain lakes with Gail & John. Arleen had considered South Fork her backyard when she lived in Eagle River. She often just hiked to the ridge line in the late afternoon.

Note: Bears are a significant hazard when hiking in Alaska. Two weeks before we hiked South Fork, a man was killed while out for a quick evening hike. While searching for the missing man, another person was mauled. The bear had not been found in two weeks. A warning at the trailhead said a brown bear with two cubs had charged some hikers on the trail the day before our hike. Three days after our hike, the sow charged hikers again and the state closed the trail. We always carry bear spray and bells. In addition, John carried a handgun and our heads were on a swivel all day. Both thankfully and unfortunately, we didn’t see any bears.

At the trailhead, there were already about ten cars on an early Saturday morning. Gail remarked that normally on a Saturday with gorgeous weather, cars would be parked out on the road. Back in the 90’s there was rarely more than five cars all day. We would see a lot more people on the trail then we had previously.

The trail is a rolling yet wide, smooth trail for the first two miles to the bridge. The entire route you have sweeping views of steep mountain ridges and avalanche chutes all around. The top of the valley is punctuated by Hurdygurdy Mountain, Eagle Peak, and Canata Peak.

The picturesque bridge crosses the South Fork of Eagle River which flows from Eagle and Symphony Lakes, our goals for the day. Since the stream flows from lakes, it is very clear and pretty.

After the bridge you must face the hazards. First there were the mud bogs. If you took a wrong step, your boot would sink into the depths of black ooze.

The next hazard was the boulder fields. The half a mile long obstacle course is the remnants of a glacial moraine.

Only after passing these tests, we were able to look upon the two scenic mountainous lakes. Eagle Lake to the left, is a turquoise green color while Symphony to the right, is a steel blue color separated by a narrow rock ridge. It is amazing how two lakes so close together can be such a different color! (Eagle Lake is fed by a nearby glacier. Symphony Lake’s glacier is long gone.)

Symphony is special because it is stocked with grayling, one of my favorite cold water fish. John and I had carried our fly rods and Gail brought a small spin rod. There were several other hikers who were also fishing.

I had a lot of fun and caught about 10-15 small grayling. We could have stayed many more hours but the winds were picking up, foreshadowing of an incoming storm. The fantastic weather that we had experienced for a week was about to end.

We finished the day at Cold Stone for a refill of some of the calories we burned during our 11 mile hike with almost 2,000 feet of climbing.

   

Hike route to Symphony Lake  /  An ominous sign at the trail head.  One person was killed and another mauled about two weeks before our hike.  Just the day before, a momma bear with two cubs charged hikers on the trail.

Gail and John crossing the South Fork of the Eagle River

   

There were boards across a few small boggy sections  /  This giant flat rock is popular rest spot.  Note the large mound of rocks on the right.  We’ll cross those soon!

   

That’s an impressive cairn not far from the bridge in the next picture  /  Bridge near the outlet of Eagle Lake

Though long, the hike was easy until we got to the boulder field.  We traversed it twice and cursed it each time!

Eagle Lake is on the left and Symphony Lake, our goal, is on the right

Posing above Eagle Lake with Gail and John

John getting his fishing gear in order and the ladies enjoying a much deserved break at Symphony Lake

       

John fly-fishing Symphony Lake  /  Me fly-fishing  /  We caught a bunch of arctic grayling, 4-10 inches long

Friends…

Several people that we worked with in the late ‘90s came to Alaska because of military assignments. But they fell in love with Alaska and stayed to make it their home. During our 13 day stay, we met old friends almost every night to share dinner and get caught up on each other’s lives.

Penny and Ray:  It was great to meet Ray’s wife, Penny. We enjoyed sharing many fishing and bear stories.

Sam, Lucy, and Harvey:  We shared many fishing stories and Lucy shared stories of the challenges growing up in rural Alaska. Lucy & Sam prepared one of their famous spreads of Salmon and Halibut. Thank you for the “Sam’s Jam” and the fresh greens!

Mike and Ann:  They grilled in their yard. We chatted about past fishing and also future fishing ventures. Thank you for Mike’s “Crananna”, the salmon dip and smoked salmon. See you in Soldotna!

Darrell and Gail:  We caught up on life and shared a couple of fishing stories. (See a theme here?)

Gail and John: We knew Gail and John in Alaska and Germany. They invited us to their home where we had our first taste of really good beer battered halibut in years. John is a great chef! We also made plans to hike and meet up later this summer in Homer.

Bill, Tami, Arleen, me, Steve, John, and Raymona:  We shared many world travel adventure stories, oh, and some fishing stories.

Next…

We are in Soldotna and head to Homer tomorrow.  Then we make stops at Ninilchik, Cooper Landing, and Seward.

Parting shots…

A small part of the impressive snow plow fleet that keeps the Air Force runway clear

           

Flowers blooming near the base commissary  /  Fresh bear poop near our camp site.  We saw a small black bear in the campground twice.  We also saw a VERY large and VERY fresh pile of bear poop nearby.  There was moose poop everywhere too.  You always have to be alert in Alaska!

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