Alaska-Part II: The Mountain, Revealed

Denali (AKA Mount McKinley, AKA "The Mountain.") is notoriously elusive. When we read that one has a 95% chance of seeing a bear in DNP but only a 20% chance of seeing The Mountain, it became a quest for us. However, by our third day in DNP, we realized that, with the weather we had been having, there was no chance we would ever see The Mountain. So, on our fourth day,we decided to head south quickly rather than doing a hike in Denali State Park. However, as we drove south on the Parks Hwy, lo and behold, the clouds parted, and we were suddenly confronted with what HAD to be The Mountain, an enormous behemoth of a peak, snow-covered and looming well above the other mountains. In the end we did decide to do the Denali State Park hike in order to get better views.

The Kegusi Ridge is known as one of Alaska's best hikes and is a great place to view The Mountain. In order to get to the top of the ridge, we had to hike 3,000 vertical feet in about 3 miles. It was a grunt but well worth it.

A view from the ridge.


I took this while we were hiking up to the ridge.

Unfortunately, The Mountain wasn't that photogenic so you will have to trust me that it is behind us.

This is where we stopped, ate lunch and turned around since we still had 8 more hours of driving to do.

This is the view towards the ridge which was very beautiful in itself.

Alaska-Part III: Primrose Trail to Lost Lakes

After leaving Denali, we spent a night at Primrose Campground and hiked the 15-mile Primrose Trail to Lost Lakes the next day.

At first, the trail was heavily wooded. Here is a ptarmigan and her two chicks right on the trail.

After about two miles, we got a very nice look back at the lake where we had camped.

At mile four we finally got above tree line. Stunning!

But, no bears.

Pat on a bridge.

Our destination: Lost Lakes. The scenery was spectacular, and there were several backpacking groups camping right on the lakes.

I took this picture on our way back.

There were lots of snow patches, and I feel right through a snow bridge into the very cold water below. So much for my newly dry shoes!

Alaska-Part IV: Boat Trip in Kenai Fjords National Park

We went on a six-hour tour of Kenai Fjords on this boat. I'm not much of a sailor, and I did feel a little yucky for part of the cruise but, overall, it wasn't too bad. However, it was really cold, and we went both glad that we had brought warm-weather gear.

Our captain (sorry, I can't remember his name) was great. Born and raised in Seward (the local town), he was knowledge and enthusiastic about the ecosystem.

This was the first glacier we saw but our captain decided not to stop because there were already several boats in the vicinity.

First wildlife spotting: stellar sea lions!

The cliffs were inhabited by these birds and their chicks.

We also saw puffins!

We also saw two black bears marauding through some kayaker's campsite on the shore.


The kayakers came by as several tour boats were watching the bears at their campsite. I'm sure they wondered why the heck everyone was staring at their campsite! Our captain told them that the bears were there, and the kayakers paddled away furiously to protect their belongings.

Here we are on the boat. It was cold and windy!

We stopped at this glacier for about half and hour to watch it calve. Calving is the process by which chunks of the glacier break off into the ocean. It was so neat--when the large pieces fall off, they make a roaring sound like an avalanche and create large waves!

On the way back we saw a few beluga whales.

They stay underwater for about eight minutes so getting their picture was very difficult. This was the best I could do.

After the tour, we went back to our seaside campground. This is the view from our campsite. Not bad for $10 a night!

Alaska-Part V Exit Glacier/Harding Ice Field

This is Exit glacier, one of the most accessible glaciers in KFNP. Most people just walk around the glacier but Pat and I decided to hike up to the Harding Ice Field which is the source for all the glaciers in the park.

A view of the glacier from the road.

The trail climbed 3,000 feet in 3.5 miles but at first the weather was pretty nice.

We saw a park ranger who warned us that there were many black bears in the area. But, we only saw a "marmie."

Pretty soon, the trail became mostly snow. It was slippery and slow go. As we gained elevation, a dense fog rolled in, and it was one of the spookiest hiking experiences I've had.

By the time we got to the Harding Ice Field, visibility was very poor. And, it was freezing.

I took this picture of Pat for all our friends at Luke's Locker in Fort Worth where Pat used to work (he is wearing one of their t-shirts).

On our way down, I took some more pictures of the glacier.

A view back down the valley.

That night, we stayed in a lodge in Moose Pass, AK. I took a picture of these float planes from our window. It seemed very Alaskan.

There were fishermen (and women) everywhere, and we really wanted to seeing the salmon spawning. We kept stopping at "fishing viewing" areas like this one but we never even saw one fish!

On our way to the airport, we stopped at a place called Potter's Marsh. Look closely, and you can see the salmon!

Alaska-Part VI: Happy Endings

Our Alaska trip ended on a high note: we got to meet up with Pat's cousin Meagan and her husband Brian in the Anchorage airport! They were just beginning their Alaska adventures, and we were heading home.

Pat and I watched their flight from DFW arrive.

We had a beer together and caught up. Meagan and Brian have enjoyed special status with Pat and I ever since they visited us in Yellowstone about 10 years ago!

Because the parking situation at our apartment is so grim, Pat and I always leave our cars at work while we are away. My car looked a lot like the one above--totally grimy and dirty. Joking around, I told my co-workers that they should wash it while I was gone.

And, get this: they did! When I came back, my car had been washed and detailed! It looks amazing--far better than even the day I bought it. Go, Girl Scouts!

I also wanted to give a shout-out to our friends Audra and Raul who not only took us to and from LAX but also watched over our precious kitties while we were gone. No, Audra isn't a Mennonite--she made this costume for a Girl Scout Camp called "Little Camp on the Prairie."

Mount Whitney-The Trip (Part 1)

Mount Whitney Summit Trip

Pat and I and three friends did a three-day backpacking trip last weekend to climb Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the continental United States (14, 495 feet). The trip went really well: we all summited easily and had just a great time.

This is a view of the Sierra Mountain range as we drove up the Whitney Portal Road. Whitney is actually one of the peaks on the right.

We spent the night before our hike at Cottonwood Campground (10,000 feet) in order to acclimate to the elevation.

We did a little hike from Cottonwood to keep loose. Pat wore a garbage bag just in case it rained.

At the trailhead, we all packed our gear up and prepared for the hike.

Here is our hiking crew: Raul, Pat, Audra, Rose and Katie

There was a scale at the trailhead, and we all weighed our packs. Mine weighed in at 28 pounds and Pat's was at 35. The scale makes lying about how heavy one's pack is a little trickier.

The trail went up right from the start and never stopped.

One of the many alpine lakes.

Looking back into the valley.

Our Trail Camp site at 12,000 feet. We were very lucky that no one in our group felt the altitude at all.

There was a very nice lake at trail camp. I promised to buy dinner for anyone brave enough to take a swim in this lake that was created from melting snow. Both Raul and Rose expressed interest but then chickened out.

Pat right above our campsite.

Pat and I at our campsite.

On summit day, Raul and Audra got up at the break of dawn and headed up. Pat and I took a more leisurely approach, starting out at 8 a.m. Pat and I saw Audra and Raul coming back down when we were about 30 minutes from the summit.

We made it to the summit in 2 hours 20 minutes from Trail Camp (4.7 miles). The trail was great, and we felt good.

However, it was a little chilly up there.

Rose arrived a little later. There were some guys up there who gave us their extra champagne.

There was also a hut on top.

A view from the summit.

Pat toasts our summit.

Pat and I standing in one of the "windows" on the trail.

The trail goes right around these crazy formations.

We felt so good after the summit that we decided to head to Outpost Camp, two miles lower than Trail Camp in order to have a shorter final day. On Sunday, we had just a quick 3.8 miles down to the Portal. Then it was back to Long Beach!