Winter Hiking

The lack of skiable snow doesn't stop us from enjoying outdoor activities in winter.  I have been on two great hikes in the last week.  It would have been nice to be on skis, but at least I didn't have to worry about avalanche danger.  Before the weather turned rainy in Kodiak, Molly, Katelyn and I climbed Heitman Peak via the east ridge.  There wasn't really a trail head, rather we just picked a spot that looked easiest to start from the road.  We only had to bushwhack a short distance before gaining the ridge line which had lightly worn trail.  In Kodiak the hiking down low doesn't get any easier that it is now with the vegetation down and no snow.  We were in snow for the last few hundred feet of elevation but not so much that we needed anything special.  Now every time I see that ridge driving between Chiniak and town I will be reminded of that awesome hike.

Halfway up Heitman

Molly and Katelyn enjoying the view of Middle Bay from Heitman

Molly and Katelyn nearing the top of Heitman

Today I headed up Baldy here in Eagle River and continued up to Black Tail Rocks.  Even with the short days there was time enough for me to make this climb which took 4.5 hours round trip.  Honestly the going was quite slow as I found myself breaking trail through the snow after gaining the top of Baldy.  The snow was mostly 8 to 10 inches deep with occasional knee deep spots and occasionally bare spots.  Only one place near the summit was it waist deep as I struggled to gain the last 50 feet of elevation.  As always, the view from the summit was striking.  Denali was out and the sun shone brightly on the Talkeetna Mountains to the north.  I wanted to take some photos of the large frost crystals that had formed on a few clumps of grass.  Sticking through the the snow in the low angle sunlight they looked really cool but my iPhone was apparently too cold and would not stay on long enough to take the photo.  I did get a few photos from the summit.

Looking North from Black Rail Rocks

Looking west from Black Tail Rocks

Hiking Highland Mountain

Highland mountain is the peak across the valley from our condo that we look at everyday, therefor I needed to climb it.  There is no trail up Highland mountain so my friend John and I scouted the satellite images and picked a route up the north side that seemed least bushy.  After dropping a car at a friends house in the south fork of Eagle River we started up.  From the road we followed a zigzagging bulldozed trail up a few hundred feet to a nice bench were we started bushwhacking.  With all the leaves gone we found the alders and devils club quite manageable.  Soon we were on tundra and within an hour and a half we were on the ridge.  The views from the top of Highland were great and the puffy clouds made for these nice photos.

Michea and John on the North Face of Highland Mountain

View of Eagle River from Highland Mountain

View from Rendezvous Peak

Highland Mountain as seen from our home

From Highland we continued down through a saddle and over Mount Gordon Lyon to the ski area of Alpenglow then along the ridge over Rendezvous Peak.  The wind was very strong along the ridge tops but I really can't complain given that it was otherwise quite warm for late October.  In the end we covered about 6 miles and perhaps 4000 feet in elevation gain.  Some how it felt like quite a bit more.  I guess I need to get back in shape for the ski season, or rather the ski season will get me back in shape.

Climbing Mount St. Helens

The Mount St. Helens crater looking north toward Mount Rainier

The view south with wildfire smoke and Mount Hood peaking out

Heading down with Mt. Hood in the distance

Molly figuring out the best way up a lave fall in Ape Cave

Thursday after work we drove south to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. We arrived late and slept under clear skies at the climbers bivouac right at the trail head, enjoying the light of the harvest moon. We hit the trail at 8am the next morning accompanied by our friends Julie and Andrew. The first two miles of a trail were easy cruising along a well worn trail through the woods. At 4800 ft the conditions changed dramatically to scrambling through boulder fields and picking our way up a trail of loose rock and sandy pumice. 

When we were halfway up we could see people standing on the crater rim above. They seemed close but the last half of the climb is fairly grueling. Over the last 1000 vertical feet to the crater rim the ground is particularly loose; luckily we came prepared with trekking poles.

It took us just under four hours to reach the crater rim. The view was worth every bit of effort. The pictures don't do it justice; it was truly dramatic. It is hard to grasp the amount of energy the volcano released when it erupted, but the result was cataclysmic leaving behind a fascinating and rapidly evolving landscape.

The decent was tiring and very, very dusty. Showers and pizza hit the spot. After another night sleeping under the stars we were ready for more exploring.  On Saturday we headed to Ape Cave. We arrived before the crowds and hiked the entire 1.25 miles through the upper lava tube without seeing anyone else. Compared to the lave tubes we have explored in Hawaii and Lassen Volcanic National Park we were amazed at the difficulty of these caves. We were a bit tired from our climb the day before so bouldering through the lava tube was exhausting. At one point we had to scale an eight foot tall wall that probably causes some hikers to turn around.

After Ape Caves we had had enough hiking and decided the rest of our day would revolve around sightseeing and icecream.  We look the long way home, driving around the east side of the mountain, visiting Windy Ridge viewpoint, and driving the winding roads through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest north toward home.