Day 43 - Seward Water Front Trail - Iditarod

 For my hike I actually went for a run-hike right out the door of our house down to the bike-walking trail along the beach front. You might ask, "What about the wilderness," but actually this paved bike trail is a registered National Historical Trail that stretches more than a 1000 miles to the north and, I'm proud to say, starts right here in Seward. Most people now days think of the dog mushing race but actually the Iditarod is a trail used to for trading by indigenous people. Later gold seekers used the trail in the winter, after being dropped off from ships in the ice free Resurrection Bay. As the gold rush continued the trail was connected to the gold fields of the Iditarod Region and then up to Nome. Portions are now used by the Alaska State Railroad or paved as high way, but lots of it still exists or has been relocated for recreational use such as the Iditarod Dog Sled Race. During these 50 hikes I've hiked many portions - at least up to mile 20 and then again picking it up at Portage and Girdwood. That is why I decided to hit the pavement today, starting at mile 0, the same as countless others before me.

Day 42 - Resurrection River Trail

Resurrection River

This has been the first day that I've actually hiked by myself; well other than Pita, the dog. It was a beautiful day in Seward with warm temperatures and sunshine. Most my friends had already headed out the door by the time I finished with running club coaching. So Pita and I went down another Seward local favorite trail, Resurrection River Trail. It actually connects with Upper Russian Lakes where I started my 50 hike challenge but the trail is very bushy with lots of bears and creek crossings. It was my intention to hike all the way through but family obligations ..... So instead I did an out and back for several hours with the dog. And what an evening - just perfectly still and warm. Gorgeous!

Day 41 - Afognak Beach

Afognak Beach Walk

Only nine days left to hike! It's getting tougher now because I just started coaching elementary running club so my time is limited for after school outings. Afognak Beach is a place my students taught me about. It is at the head of the Bay and circles around to a cool picnic spot in the bite of a cliff and then around to a point. There is a little Indian trail above the point that goes back into the woods and towards the road. I think it was probably made by fishermen dodging the parking fee at McDonald's spit. Regardless it is a nice little hike on a beautiful sunny day.

Day 40 - Lost Lake

Lost Lake 

Long behold the weather cleared so I jumped in a car with my early morning friend Letty and headed for Lost Lake. It is a 15 mile traverse from Kenai Lake to Seward that climbs up to a high bench full of small ponds, glacial kettles and meadows. The jewel of the area is the large and elegant Lost Lake. As the name implies, it is amazingly hidden behind hills and dales. Over to the east you can see the Chugach laden with hanging glaciers and steep rock faces as you walk through the brightly colored tundra. To the west are more mountains and steep gorges.  Not many people were using the trail this sunny Sunday, surprisingly. It is one of the most popular in Alaska usually with lots of people running or mt. biking. The running race that does the traverse took place the previous weekend so the bushes had been cut back and it seems as if they even moved some large rocks off the trail. Once on the high point it is a long, gradual slope with a perfect view of Resurrection Bay to the other trail head on the Seward side. The view of the ocean, I think, makes going North to South the best direction.

Day 39 - Victor Creek

50 m wide snow bridge over Victor Creek

Raging Victor Creek

Another rainy day in Seward. Bob and I went for a hike at Victor Creek, a trail about 23 miles up the high way from Seward. Right now the Forest Service is redoing the trail so it's a lot wider and muddier than it use to be but not as steep. After about a mile of thick brush and trees along the raging, white water creek you come to V-shaped valley above tree line that is full of tall grasses, devil's club and alder. The weather was down right snotty at that point and very wet. We turned around because Bob didn't wear rain pants and picked berries down towards the trailhead instead. We met a woman that works for the Forest Service that said you could cross a snow bridge at the end of the trail (3 ml), bush wack and come out on Mother Goose Glacier for some fantastic scenery. This day you sure wouldn't have had any views with so much rain, wind and cloud cover.

Day 38 - First Lake

2nd Lake

Anyone that lives in the Seward area knows this trail. It is a short little trail around two little pond-like lakes behind AVTEC, the vocational college. Lots of people use the park for picnics, swimming and dog walking. A matter of fact it is such a short little thing that Bob and I decided to go ahead and hike up to one of many waterfalls in the area and back around to the Jeep Trail. There are lots of old logging trails left from the 1800's as well as trails of modern adventure seekers. Sometimes I even use the back trails to come back home but have had black bear encounters on several occasions. Salmon actually spawn in the creeks coming into the lakes. You can really get lost back in there.

Day 37 - Iditarod Trail at Nash Road to Glacier Creek

Start of the Iditarod - ocean shore across the street.

 

 

 

Big bear tracks!

The clouds moved in unfortunately so it was a good day to head for the Iditarod Trail - another section in the Seward area. The only problem with this trail is bears. They are everywhere back in the bush and along the salmon streams. We saw lots of bear sign and surprised a black bear by a bridge. The dogs started chasing him but didn't really bark a warning. The trail is pretty flat and has several stream forges but nothing terribly dangerous (other than furry friends). I'd never hiked this trail, only skied it in the winter which is when the majority of the gold seekers would have also passed via dog sled. I'm not sure how long the trail is but it took us over three hours to go out to Glacier Creek and back to the cars even though we thought our pace was at least 3 mph. It's a fun mt. bike ride but we were glad to be going at a slower, louder pace with dogs due to the bears. Who knows how many we scared into the bushes without ever seeing them.