Symphony and Eagle Lakes

When we returned to Anchorage, we hiked up to Symphony and Eagle Lakes on a beautifully clear morning. 

Come visit Alaska!

This little pond was just before we arrived at Eagle Lake. The scenery was so beautiful I had lost track of time and was startled to realize we were already at our destination!

Eagle Lake is a long, skinny lake with a bright turquoise color. 

Symphony lake is a completely different color, a clear dark blue. We lunched on leftover Moose's Tooth pizza.

A view of Eagle Lake from the ridge top that separates the two lakes shows its bright turquoise color.

Tok Roundabouts

To get some warm summer weather, we drove to Tok in the Interior. We hiked up to the alpine and it was breezy but still warm enough to just wear a tank top! Leaves were just coming out on the shrubs near treeline.

Looking out over the expanse of the Tanana River valley.

An old oxbow was cut off from the river a long time ago, forming Moon Lake, the lake in the center of the picture.

We also hiked up the Eagle Summit Trail to get a view of the mountains to the south.

Smokey the Bear before he got soft.

Homer Odyssey

The next day we drove from Kasilof to Homer. After driving through sandy rolling hills for hours, it was a shock to suddenly be high on a hill at the end of the peninsula with snowy mountains ringed all around.

It looks like Duluth! Except with mountains.

We were going to take a water taxi across the bay to Kachemak Bay State Park. While we waited, we wandered the beach, and I found a face in the sand.

There are tons of little rosy crabs.

Seaweed is also abundant, especially this funny one with cucumber-shaped pods to keep its "leaves" aloft when it is under water.

The tides go out really far here, maybe nearly a mile in some places.

Maren got to drive the boat out of the harbor.

Heading out of the locks towards the bay. On our way to hike! Sailboats have the right of way (as they should).

We saw many sea otters on our ride across the bay. We even saw one with a baby on its belly!

The boat did not look very graceful or seaworthy, but it was good for getting passengers close to shore for drop-offs.

People live out here! Where the only way to get to town is by boat.

The advantage of being dropped off by water taxi is that we could do a through-hike and get picked up somewhere else. We first hiked to a tram that crossed a glacial river.

The "tram" is just an aluminum box that you have to pull yourself to get across the river. There are no safety bars or seat belts, you are just sitting in a box. Which made it all the more exciting.

Maren was cool and composed.

I was not as comfortable. 

Our main destination was to get to this lake, which is fed ice bergs by a glacier at the far end.

Even at this inland lake, the sound of seabirds was a constant hum. 

We ended our hike in this beautiful spot, where we would later be picked up by our water taxi. We had a little extra time, so I taught Maren how to bushwhack and we aimed for a small beach that we couldn't reach except by traversing a steep, shrubby slope. Considering how many thorns from devil's club ended up in my hands and knees, it may not have been worth it. Once the tide lowered the water level a half hour later, and we saw that the beach was now accessible by shoreline, I felt silly to have tried so hard to reach that beach!

Bushwhack Beach 

We stopped in Halibut Cove on our return. All the houses are perched on stilts, and much of the town is connected by boardwalk.

To celebrate our big day, we tried to end with drinks at Alice's Champagne Palace, but for some reason the bar was closed (I think it was Sunday, but this is Alaska).

We camped on the Spit.

Lost Lake and Exit Glacier

Maren flew in to Alaska to visit me for a week long road trip around the state. First stop in our plans was the Lost Lake trail near Seward. The trail begins in hemlock rainforest and climbs into the alpine. 

 We encountered snow much sooner than we anticipated

Luckily, someone else had post-holed through all this snow before us so we didn't have to break trail

Springtime snow can be rotten, so we still broke through. Sometimes unexpectedly.

We didn't make it as far as Lost Lake, but we did get great views of blue Kenai Lake.

There was a stump that looked just like a corset! 

We picnicked at Kenai Lake after our hike. There was still plenty of time to drive a few miles to visit Seward and see Exit Glacier.

The Seward Harbor was bustling with animals. Sea lions were playing in the surf and a bald eagle was watching for snacks. We also saw sea otters, a porpoise, lots of gulls, and boats.

We hiked the short trail to Exit Glacier, and the mountains around it were still really snowy! You would not have wanted to hike up to the Harding Ice Field without snowshoes.

Let's see where the edge of the ice is when we come back in 20 years.

We drove down the Seward peninsula past Soldotna to camp at the mouth of the Kasilof river for the night. It's a beautiful sandy beach, and if you don't mind the partying highschoolers and the occasional bum it's a fine spot to camp.