6th Hike of Summer: Eagle River

This week we headed to the town of Eagle River, a 40 minute drive from home to hike, well, Eagle River. We started at the State Park nature center -a cute log cabin I now regret not snapping a photo of- and headed south. The trail actually connects to one we previously hiked, Crow Pass, and is part of the historic Iditarod Trail. It was fun seeing the back end of what we could have gotten to if we had continued our previous hike which began in Girdwood. The views were quite different...
Leave it to Savannah to find ANY body of water along the way. This was a relatively still pond with what appeared to be a naturally made (or beaver made) dam which our furry white friend managed to run across, over and around as she manuevered the surprisingly deep pond water. Now she smells funny.
The trail took us through all sorts of vegetation. Here near the beginning of our trek we meandered through a birch forest where the sunlight danced between the leafy canopy.
Later on the well groomed path became littered with stones and boulders. I half expected gnomes to pop out from behind the rocks and strike up a cheery song. I felt like I was in a hidden section of Disney's Fantasyland.
A rather scary staircase made of logs took us down to view the rapids. The river itself didn't seem such a grand site, but coupled with the towering mountain peaks the image was complete.

The only peak I remembered from our hiking guide (due to it's unique name and the photo in the book) was Polar Bear Peak. Because of the Alaska Zoo's late and famous polar bear, Binky, that I grew up visiting often (you'll remember he attacked a moronic tourist who hopped the fence to get a better photo and Binky kept a tennis shoe as a trophy) I kept wanting to call it Binky Peak. The big, white splotch of snow made this one easy to identify.
Ah, our halway point: Echo Bend. We never did check to see if our voices would resound off the rock walls, I suppose because there was another family trying to enjoy the stunning scenery as well and our dogs were obnoxious enough. This indeed made a grand finish to our hike in.
We had to balance across a felled spruce to reach the large pebble island and Smoke almost got swept downstream trying to cross in a particularly deep and swift patch. His 20 lbs. doesn't do much for him, but thankfully his quick and nimble legs helped him bound to shore.
Just a little note between friends, I started a tradition a few hikes back of always having a sweet beverage along with my water. I don't know if it's me or if hiking does this to most people, but I need a swig of something sweet every now and then. This week's beverage of choice was iced tea.
I regret not knowing the name of this peak since it was, hands down, the most spectacular. But we did get plenty of pictures of it!
The hike wouldn't be complete without a self portrait!
The river was so full of glacial silt you couldn't see even a few inches into it. The silt comes from the glacier grinding up rock deep underneath it. The meltoff carries the super fine silt down stream and makes the water incredibly cloudy. It's not recommened using water from high-silt streams unless you have time to let what you've collected settle first and siphon off the top. But I bet it rivals baking powder in whitening your teeth! That or sand paper...
The clouds which dotted the sky made for rather dramatic lighting.
On the way back I got to hide in the tree with the dogs. I somehow remember this fun little spot from years and years ago. Yes, I felt like a kid again.
Taking a short break on the viewing deck while I snapped the shot below.
We ended our hike the only right way with a trip to Cold Stone. Hey, I read that the third trimester requires a lot of calcium for baby's developing bones and I'm not one to shirk my motherly duties! I mean, if it's good for the baby...okay, fine, I'll eat ice cream. But seriously, we had a wonderful time -as always- and enjoyed this rather mild walk in the woods. It had enough of a little climb towards 2.5 miles which made us work a bit and feel like we had indeed conquered when we reached Echo Bend at mile 3. I recommend this hike to anyone -especially those who have small children or don't feel particularly athletic. Please do NOT forget to wear a heck of a lot of bug dope, though. A swarm of mosquitoes will carry you off and you'll never see your family again.
Until next week!