Mt Baldy....Take 2

The sun poked its head out so I beelined it for Mt Baldy again.  I was anxious to know if all the snow had melted, and still a little sad that I didn't get to the top on the first day out.  Sometimes summers in Alaska are non stop beautiful weather.  But there has been a lot of rainy days the last 2-3 years...so I abandoned the plan to stain the deck and headed out.

Baldy is a great convenient hike, the starting point right in Eagle River, at the top of Skyline drive.  From the parking lot, ascend up the hill past the gate and you will find the wooden Mt Baldy trailhead side.  You can also make your way by staying left of the gate at the parking lot, but I prefer the switchbacks and view on the front face.  The first climb from the parking lot to the trailhead sign is probably the steepest part...everything else is pretty gentle switchbacks.

That said...I was not fueled for performance today and took a ton of little breaks.  This first one if from the bottom third of the hike, looking up towards the finish line.

This is the spot I usually stop and do a little rehydration break.  There are some rocks that make for a natural resting spot, and this spot marks  a transition in the hike where you do just a couple more of tthe winding switchbacks to one very short rocky bit to traverse, and then you duck around the side of the mountain and overlook the valley (and backside of the hike).

Today there was still just a bit of snow.  But easy enough to get through.  Maybe by next week it will be gone.

And I noticed a lot of pretty flowers were poking their way throught.

The valley on the left shows an old house (very decrepit and graffiti filled if you go by that way), and a serene pond.   This is actually my favorite section of this hike.  I love when you climb over the little path and it opens up into even more beautiful scenery.

This very spiky mountain to the right is Blacktail rocks.  One of these days I need to actually go up there (I have been to the base, but not over the top).

The reward at the top -- looking down over Eagle River in all of its lush and picturesque glory.

Of course there are other rewards -- the choice of going forward to Blacktrail rocks on a longer hike.  A descent down the backside of the mountain back to the parking lot.  Or like me, just heading back down the switchbacks and enjoying the view on the way down as well.

And of course, don't forget to get a selfie or group picture from the summit.  It was a little crowded on here today.  I have other photos from other days, so just kept on trucking.

I noticed this little guy in a tree on the way up.  I decided to let him hike back down with me. I will post his picture to an Alaska hiking website, and see if anyone is looking for him.  If not, I will add him to my collection of fosters!  

Once home, the plan was to stain the deck.  However, what appears to be an unhappy Ewok had some other plans.  Not sure if he was disgruntled at my absence, my deck plan, or the stuffed puppy in the garage.  Either way, I scooped up this little fluffball and got this seasons coat of Timber Oil on the deck.

 

(F)Rosy-Cheeks on a Peaceful Black Friday

 

It's always nice when Thanksgiving falls right before the weekend.  In this case that leads into a 4 day weekend.  Yesterday was spent with a couple of old friends and a few new, and a large afternoon feast.  I saw it was still cold, -17C, and debated spending a quiet day indoors, maybe doing some Black Friday shopping.  I quickly discovered there are new shipping surcharges being applied from my favorite online go to shops, and decided if I need it I can find it locally.  So I made one very quick stop in a surprisingly quiet big box store, and felt a bit inspired by the fresh snow on all the trees.

So I tried to find some warm layers and headed down to the Eagle River Nature Center set on a quick walk.  I knew this time I didn't need the snowshoes, and since it was already late afternoon just did a quick lap to the viewing decks, up the start of dewmound trail, back down the cumulous connector, and up to 4 corners.  I was hoping I might time it for a twilight moose in the river...but it was not meant to be today.

It was, however, a gorgeous walk in the woods.  The Eagle River Nature Center is a great place to get out into the woods, without being too far out on your own.  There is a staffed visitor center from 10-5 most days, and well marked and groomed trails.  You are always likely to run into a few people (and dogs), but also never likely to feel crowded.  The trails are well marked, so anyone visiting out of town can feel quite relaxed on these trails.  This time of year most of the visitors are doing some cross country skiing.

As it was a little later in the day, the light was just starting glow, and reflect off the waters and mountains like pink marshmallow fluff.  But no moose for me today.

I have never seen this very shallow stream completely frozen over.  In the summer salmon make their way all the way back here, dozens of miles inland.  Today it is just me and the twilight listening to water move slowly by.

I admit my cheeks got a little rosy (or (F)rosy) in the cooler weather, but it was worth it!  Happy one of my work colleagues knitted me a nice warm scarf last winter as well!

No harm in getting a little cold, when it's just a short drive back to your cozy warm house and cozy warm cat (who insists you keep your distance until properly thawed.  Cats are judgy like that).

Bear Paw

Eagle River has a little summer festival of it's own....they call it Bear Paw.  It's quite different from Forest Fair, but takes on the tone of the town.  This is not hippieville...this is frontier suburbia.  Bear Paw is more commercial than crafts, its tents selling everything from solar panels to postcards.  It is hosted on the sidewalks and streets of town, rather than off road in a wooded patch.  It also conveniently happened just a couple of blocks from my house, so I could pop over for a few minutes and check it out.

I somehow managed to miss the chainsaw carving competition, but I did arrive for the dog and owner look alike contest.  There were a couple of St. Bernard's content to be in a convent, or happy to be a nun on the run if the moment were to present itself.

This young lady and her mini me stated that they ere just a couple of nerds, and happy to be besties.

This puppy mom donned so wings so her little guy named Flutter could flitter about and vie for best dressed dog at Bear Paw.

This kid and bulldog actually did kinda look alike.  The kid was a real ham onstage too...the puppy turned out to respond to commands better...but the kid was an audience pleaser and he took his bows, and gave himself 3 or 4 encores before they could coach him off the stage.

Eagle River is a military town, with military families, and that loyalty runs deep...even the family sheepdog is proud to wear fatigues.

This boy and his dog love nothing more than hanging out with daddy...who is  painter.

And a pug in a wonderwoman suit?  I don't even NEED words to make that awesome.

This future doctor looks ready to see his first patients with mom.

And this little girl, well both of them, they like fashion and the color purple.

This beagle needs no costume to help dad scout for a photo opportunity.

And after that, there was still time to stop for nibbles at the Bushnell Salmon Bake off!  I had some tasty salmon dip, and got scouted myself.  As the chef scooped me up some of his dip, a lady leaned in and said "He's handsome, he cooks, and he's the hottest real estate agent in town."  "Are you his mom?" I asked.  "Yes," she said sheepishly as the handsome, successful, good cook tried to disappear into the fabric of his tent.  Made my smile, and that's all one needs on a good day off work.

A Walk In the Woods

 

I've mostly been occupied with working and getting the new place set up.  But every once in a while I poke my head outside into this cool new environment.  Getting the time to both head outdoor and post about it is a bit more than my current schedule allows though.  I am sure it will slow down soon enough.  So a couple of Saturday's ago I decided to head out to the Eagle River Nature Center and see what that was all about.  To get to the Eagle River Nature Center, you pull off the Glenn Highway at Eagle River, and follow the river along Eagle River Road, until the road runs out.  Pretty straight forward directions actually.

 

Following Eagle River to the Eagle River Nature Center

There is a lot of pretty on the way, but not many roadside pullouts.  I may have mentioned Alaskans like to tear down the road in giant 4x4's going 70+ miles an hour, and are likely armed, so I do my best not to hold up traffic on the road, and kept going, stopping only at the one possible turnout.  I snapped a quick 360 degree view...towards the nature center is above in the first picture, along the road is seen here below.

 

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And this next picture is just the other side of the road, but it still manages to be pretty.

It only a few miles from Eagle River to the Nature Center...maybe 12...and it is quite literally the end of the road.  So, the Alaska wilderness  is just 12 miles from my door.  Through here, moose and bear roam, and the salmon will run come spring.  On this spring day, I decided to take my first walk in the woods in my backyard.  For $5 a day or $40 a year, you start right from the parking lot at the visitors center on a gentle path that winds down to the river.

There are 2 viewing decks...from the first one I saw the spring celebrities of the nature center, 2 trumpeter swans that had stopped in a couple of weeks earlier.  If you look carefully, you can see them swimming in the creek below.

The creek is very shallow in places...with thick dense grass, but apparently the salmon come through here in June.  I was surprised that this narrow and shallow waterway would be one of their pathways.

There are several miles of trails around the nature center.  My knee tweaked between the 1 and 2 mile mark...so I sadly limped back to the car.  I guess is it going to take a long time to explore Alaska at this pace...but I will do my best :)  If nothing else, I got treated to a new view!