Day 26 - Bird Ridge and Weight Loss

The sun came out ... but I waited to hike until it was overcast to hike. Can you believe it? Sometimes being a mother of three teen girls demands shopping trips to the city. So today I drove to Anchorage past numerous, gorgeous, sunlit trails with the feeling that I should stop but instead waited until the evening, after my wallet was drained. The only redeeming factor from the shopping is that I've gone down two pant sizes. Actually I think I was wearing my pants too big for the last decade but the sales clerk and my girls demanded I try "skinny jeans". Now I'm bummed I didn't weigh myself at the beginning of the challenge - I may have technically dropped some poundage. Hey - Don't tell the girls, but I bought the bigger size pants anyways. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Shopping crazed

Big, bad spidey

Bird Ridge is a hiking staple because it is a perfect place to stop after the traffic, mega-shopping, Costco runs that rural Alaskans endure. It is a steep but short route (only takes an hour or so up) and is one of the first trails to melt off in the spring. At the top is a wonderful ridge line looking over Turnagain Arm, Bird Creek and the Chugach Mountains towards Portage Glacier and Hope. Unfortunately I forgot the camera when hiking but Allison took a picture of a gnarly spider at the trail head and me before getting in the van. Hey - the warning signs about not leaving valuables in cars at the parking lot are true - someone tried to break into our rocket box but fortunately didn't have much luck.