Girdwood

Friday, June 22

We set out this morning along the winding and narrow Crow Creek Road to a trailhead high up a mountain.  We hiked about 1.7 miles to the abandoned Monarch Gold Mine, climbing farther up the mountain, first through a forested area, and then out in the open.  The lower elevations were quite warm, but then we began to climb across snow fields, wet patches and rocks.

 The alpine scenery was glorious, and the day could not have been more crystal clear.  Along the trail, many young hikers carrying cross-country skis passed us en route to a day’s fun at even higher elevations – oh, the joys of youth!  By the time we returned to the car, the cool breezes we’d enjoyed above were forgotten, and we were hot and sweaty again.

Back down the mountain road, we drove to the other end of this small town to Alaska’s only ski resort, Alyeska.  We took the tram to the top of Mount Alyeska and had lunch overlooking the ski runs, hang gliders, and even planes and helicopters flying below us!

Then, it was back to our B and B for some down time, and a chance to cool off after the day’s exertions.  This little town holds some seriously gorgeous scenery!