Camp Denali

Spent the past weekend camping at Riley Creek in the frontcountry of beautiful Denali National Park.  On Friday's "required" bus ride into the park, we were treated to an amazing display of nature including more grizzly sitings than ever before.  Also got to see the mountain, and some spectacular scenery as the colors are almost ready to change.  A great trip topped off with a gourmet meal at 229 hosted by our friend Frank and his girlfriend Orla.



Hanging out at camp




The Mountain





A Denali grizzly

 


On the road



Rainy days and Sundays

The month of August has been a wet one here in the far north.  Today is no exception.  A light rain that started last night grew stronger early this morning and has continued till noon.  So far we've had 2.5 inches of rain this month and more than an inch is expected in the next few days.  Doesn't sound like much but the monthly average for August is just 1.5 inches.  Year to date rainfall measures 8.3 inches.  Don't think things can get any greener around here.

Those of you in Texas could stand a bit more of the wet stuff.  Seems that heat advisories have replaced storm warnings and the yearly rainfall is off by close to 20 inches.  Drought.  Of course, its not as hot as the summer of 1980.  A string of 21 days with temperatures over 100.  Also the one and only summer worked as a lifeguard at a community pool in Baytown.  Man was I ever brown that summer.

WILLIWAW LAKES

Having just been burned by the weatherman, you'd think we'd be leery about planning a trip into the mountains based on a forecast of sunshine and clear skies.  Of course, hope springs eternal so they say (must be Astros fans) so when we saw the prediction for six days of nice weather beginning Wednesday August 10, we couldn't resist.  Our chosen destination - Williwaw Lakes, a string of mountain lakes forming the headwaters of the middle fork of Campbell Creek .

A slightly new twist to this trip was Champ carrying his own pack.  Since he does so well pulling a sled in winter, we thought he'd take to hauling his own kibble with no worries.










Getting a slightly later start than we intended we hit the trail at 2 pm.  While it wasn't raining, the sky was full of clouds and a few of the surrounding peaks were partially hidden.  But the weather people said sunny skies were ahead so we didn't worry.  Onward we hiked down the powerline pass trail and around the middle fork trail to the Williwaw Lakes trail.  Climbing ever so gradually we made steady progress and soon spied the first of the lakes.  Should have crossed the small outflow here and made our way up the north side of the valley but instead continued up and around two rockfalls and a really overgrown swampy section before finally reaching the spot where a friend and I had camped back in 2007.  We stopped only long enough to photograph some cool fungi as our goal was one of the higher lakes.

Mushroom

By the way, in meteorology, a williwaw is a sudden blast of wind descending from a mountainous coast to the sea.  Sort of exactly like the wind that suddenly pounded us as we forded Campbell Creek.  With the wind, a few isolated smatterings of hail and RAIN!  Not drizzle but a real downpour.  We struggled to get the tent erected and our gear inside - not an easy task in those conditions.  With Nancy inside to hold the tent in place, Champ and I resigned ourselves to riding out the deluge.  As fast as it was on us, it was over.  In its place clearing skies and sunshine.



Clearing skies ahead

With the clearing skies and sunshine, our spirits improved drastically.  In no time, wet gear was drying and we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  Our campsite, forced on us by the weather, was as nice as any I recall.  Topping out the evening, a pair of goats on a ridge above us watched us as we watched them.  They seemed pretty accepting of our presence, calmly grazing on the grasses as they slowly walked the ridge.  Champ was unimpressed with the goats, he wanted marmots to chase.  As he explored the area, the goats kept a watchful eye on him, moving once when he ranged too close for comfort.  After a late dinner of chicken soup and a snickers bar, we watched the sunset over Cook Inlet and then slept the sleep of the truly content, and tired.

Looking west toward Cook Inlet

Thursday morning's weather was exactly what the weatherman predicted.  Sunny and clear.  Its so nice when they deliver.  We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of eggs, hash browns and sausage courtesy of Mountain House.  Nourished we decided to climb to the pass overlooking Long Lake.  Up we went gaining about 1000 feet in two miles.  Along the way we were treated to numerous waterfalls as well as the beauty of three more high alpine lakes.  Reaching the pass by mid-afternoon, we agreed that the views were worthy of the effort.



Long Lake

The return to camp was filled with more sunshine and awesome scenery.  Butterflies and blueberries.  Since we had skipped lunch, we decided to have an early dinner. We feasted on Shepherd's Chile Pie, my own creation.  Tasted okay even though I forgot the tomato paste.  That or we were just hungry.   After dinner we lazed the afternoon away reading and watching a band of goats travel the ridge above our camp.

Sure hated to leave this place.  But we did.  Hiked out in scorching temps (68) under a blazing sun.  Made it down in time to have a late lunch at Benny's Taco Truck and then spent the evening cleaning house and getting ready for the RETURN OF FRANK.

LOST LAKE



Waterfall



Been getting lots of rain in southcentral Alaska this summer.  Oh well, just makes us appreciate the sunny days when they get here.  Thought we had a window of good weather last week for a trip to Lost Lake near Seward, Alaska.  So we loaded up the truck and headed south on August 4 arriving at the Primrose Trail just before 11 am.  Weather looked promising, or so we led ourselves to believe as we set off for the 8 mile hike to Lost Lake.  Along the way, we detoured for a view of a spectacular waterfall! 

After about 5 miles we emerged above the trees on the ridge leading to our destination.  This is one of the most scenic parts of the trip, when you can see.  We couldn't.  See very far that is, as a change of weather greeted us on high.  Fog, rain and wind, with temperatures in the low 50's.  Already sweat drenched, we became chilled as we labored on.  Perfect conditions for developing hypothermia.  After what seemed an eternity we reached the lake and set up our tent in a relatively flat and dry spot (no standing water).  The rain continued throughout the evening keeping us inside the tent.  Dinner was a bagel and cheese and a brownie for good measure.  A good book and an early bedtime finished the day.





Showing the colors





Friday morning we awoke to foggy and still damp conditions.  The rain stopped long enough for us to cook breakfast and explore the area just a bit but the weather gave no indication it would improve very much so we decided to get while the getting was good.  We packed quickly and hit the trail.

By the time we reached the truck, the sun was out in force and the day was glorious.  We decided to head the few miles into Seward and grab a spot in the city campground near the beach.  We enjoyed a great evening drying out our gear and watching ships on Resurrection Bay.  A campfire and a green chile burrito put a nice cap on the day.

We played tourist for a few hours on Saturday morning.  Then, as the weather threatened to change once again, we headed home.  All in all, a good trip despite the rain.