I popped up into the mountains behind town for an overnight training hike July 2-3. I am hoping to do a longer cross-island trip or two this summer so I wanted get a feel for how my legs were doing. I am blessed to live in a place with some incredible wilderness terrain right out my backdoor and possibly the highest density of watchable wildlife in Alaska. I did a 26-mile lollipop loop with about 9k' of climbing. Other than the approach up into the alpine, there are no trails. You just sort of wander where you want and where the vegetation and terrain allows. I won't bore you with a list of place names and route descriptions since it won't mean anything to anyone here. These are just some images from my overnighter.
A faint trail takes you a couple of miles through cottonwood valleys and alder patches until you emerge into the alpine, in the upper-left distance:
The bucks are well into velvet and looking healthy after a mild winter:
The alpine is thick with brown bears this time of year. They are grazing on young vegetation while they wait for the salmon to fill the streams. I counted 10 bears in two days.
Above the brush and below craggy and snowy peaks is a band of alpine tundra that can offer effortless hiking if you plan your route right:
My route took me down this valley and then up and over the peak on the left:
After summiting the peak, I next crossed this drainage and entered the hanging valley on the right side of this image:
I generally camp as high as possible on my trips. I like the views.
Some mountain goats walked above my camp:
Headed home:
