Day 28 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon, Northwest Territories & Alaska!
5:50 AM, Anchor Point – Still dark and windy out, too dark to see the ocean, but Lupe could hear it. A quick step outside confirmed that it wasn’t as windy as it had been yesterday. Better get ready, then get to Mako’s! Lupe and SPHP piled back into the G6 and headed for Homer.
7:30 AM, Homer Spit – Lupe strolled in the door at Mako’s Water Taxi just as they opened. Yesterday it had been so windy that the taxis hadn’t been running, but this morning it was a different story. Not only were the taxis running, but several other passengers already had reservations to take the same trip across Kachemak Bay to the Saddle trailhead Lupe was hoping to get to. The 2 passenger minimum was already met.
Fantastic! SPHP paid the $80.33 round trip fare (taxes and fees included, plus Dingoes ride free!), and Lupe and SPHP were on their way down to the docks looking for the Smokey Bay landing craft. After an extensive search, it turned out that the Smokey Bay had been the very first boat on the L. Doh! Departure was at 8:00 AM sharp, only minutes from now.
Four other passengers plus Skipper Gabe climbed aboard the Smokey Bay in addition to Lupe and SPHP. The rest of them went inside the heated cabin, but it wasn’t that cold out, so Lupe and SPHP stayed up front. Gabe had the Smokey Bay underway almost immediately.
This was still a breezy day, and the seas were a bit rough as the Smokey Bay raced across Kachemak Bay. Occasionally the landing craft came down hard on a wave. Lupe was a bit concerned at times, but if she was going to be a sea-faring Dingo, she knew she had to get used to it. As long as she didn’t get seasick, or go Dingo overboard, it was going to be OK. Meanwhile, SPHP seemed to think this was all great fun!
Half an hour after leaving the Homer Spit, everyone was disembarking at the Saddle trailhead in Halibut Cove. Lupe was safe and sound on damp ground again, at a beach guarded by a battalion of rotting logs. The Carolina Dog was back in Kachemak Bay State Park for the first time since she’d been to Grace Ridge 2 years ago!
Skipper Gabe departed in the Smokey Bay. No facilities here, except a steep wooden stairway that led up into the forest. The stairs were the start of the Saddle trail, and everyone headed that way.
Beyond the top of the stairs, a log bridge with wide railings came next. After the bridge, the Saddle trail switchbacked 0.4 mile up a steep slope at a comfortable rate. The Saddle trail started leveling out, and Lupe came to a trail junction.
The Saddle trail continued over a pass on its way to the Glacier Lake trail another 0.6 mile away. Everyone else had already disappeared in that direction, but Glacier Lake wasn’t where Lupe was going. The American Dingo was on her way to Alpine Ridge to see the Grewingk Glacier! To get there, she needed to take the Lagoon Trail instead.
The Lagoon trail was narrower and more overgrown than the popular Saddle trail, but Lupe had no problem following it. After climbing fairly steeply for 0.3 mile on the Lagoon trail, she came to another intersection, this time with the Alpine Ridge trail, which was what Loop was actually looking for.
The Alpine Ridge trail began with a steep set of cut log steps. Beyond the steps, the trail climbed aggressively through thick vegetation. Trees and large bushes hid all views, and tall grasses overhung the trail to such an extent that sometimes SPHP could barely see it. Meanwhile, Loopster traveled through what amounted to a grass tunnel. A great profusion of ferns grew in some places, creating a forgotten, prehistoric feel.
If this jungle had been wet, Lupe would have been absolutely soaked in no time. Perhaps worse, the steep trail would have been extremely slick. Fortunately, the Alpine Ridge trail was merely damp today. Hard-packed dirt provided decent traction, except at the very steepest points.
The trail went on for a while, and Lupe eventually came to a big fallen tree. She leapt up on top of it, then over, and quickly came to a 35 foot long rope hanging down an exceptionally steep slope. Lupe didn’t need the rope, but SPHP found it most helpful. Once beyond the rope, Looper finally began to get glimpses of distant views.
At first the views were always back toward Halibut Cove, or a high point NW of the pass the Saddle trail went over. Eventually, though, a higher part of Alpine Ridge could be seen ahead. Somewhat discouragingly, it was all heavily forested, too.
Considerably farther on, the Carolina Dog came to three more ropes in quick succession. These ropes weren’t as long as the first rope had been, but still provided SPHP with essential assistance at super steep spots. Despite the ropes, overall the trail was no longer as steep as earlier on. Loop came to level sections, and even dips, but the trail always resumed its ascent of Alpine Ridge, often gaining elevation in big chunks.
By now, Lupe was getting more frequent views, and was high enough to see Kachemak Bay and the Homer Spit. Sometimes Grewingk Glacier Lake and the Grewingk Creek delta could be seen.
As Lupe got higher, both the vegetation and geology began to change. Views opened up as trees and bushes faded away. Tundra, blueberries, and crowberries started taking over. Rock outcroppings appeared. At one point, SPHP was almost certain that the top of Grace Ridge, where Lupe had such a great time 2 years ago, was in view.
After 2.5 miles on the Alpine Ridge trail, Lupe reached a major high point. Beyond a significant drop, she could see much more of Alpine Ridge ahead. SPHP recognized this view from literature seen online. This was it, the end of the official trail! Lupe had reached the alpine.
Reaching the end of the official trail, meant the fun part of exploring Alpine Ridge was about to begin! The whole point in coming up Alpine Ridge was to see the Grewingk Glacier. SPHP had high hopes that Lupe would be able to go all the way to the 3,800 foot level where she ought to have an absolutely tremendous view of a huge expanse of the glacier. Maybe Looper would even see part of the massive icefield from which the Grewingk and many other glaciers originate?
However, the 3,800 foot level was still more than 3 miles away. After a short rest at High Point 2100, Lupe and SPHP pressed on. An unofficial trail led E down into the lower region the Carolina Dog had to cross in order to continue farther up Alpine Ridge.
Lupe hadn’t seen anyone since leaving the Saddle trail, but suddenly voices were heard. Two men with heavy packs appeared, one of them dragging an orange plastic sled like a child would use. SPHP asked if he’d been sledding somewhere way up on Alpine Ridge, and he just laughed.
They had found the sled. The men were geologists doing a study on the stability of Alpine Ridge. The guy with the sled explained that in 1967 a portion of Alpine Ridge had collapsed onto the Grewingk Glacier, and proceeded to slide down into Grewingk Glacier Lake creating a 200 foot high tsunami. (Mental note: Don’t camp by the lakeshore.)
Even without doing any geological stability study, that seemed to SPHP like sort of a big clue that maybe Alpine Ridge wasn’t all that stable. At any rate, the geologists had found more evidence of instability, the most dramatic of which was a 40 foot deep crack at a high point much farther up the ridge. They were now heading down to Grewingk Glacier Lake, and then over to the Saddle trailhead to be picked up by Mako later in the day. Maybe Lupe would see them again?
The geologists went on, and so did Lupe. She passed near a mostly dried up tarn on the way to the next big climb.
After passing the tarn, the trail faded away, and Lupe turned N. SPHP thought the Carolina Dog ought to go see the Grewingk Glacier from the N edge of Alpine Ridge before proceeding higher. However, after Loop crossed one minor ridge on the way N, only to see yet another valley with another ridge beyond it, that notion was abandoned for now.
May as well get with it, and start climbing!
So up Lupe went, higher and higher! This was interesting territory. Steep, especially at first, but all open and rolling. The easiest route up was toward the SE. Though the Grewingk Glacier was completely out of sight, hidden in a deep canyon to the N, Lupe did have some tremendous views. Loop kept going until she reached the 3,500 foot high point she had seen from the end of the official trail.
High Point 3500 turned out to be the location of the big 40 foot crack in Alpine Ridge that the geologists had been talking about.
From High Point 3500, Lupe could see a broad, rolling area still ahead to the SE. This region was not steep at all, an easy trek toward moderately higher hills in the distance. Exploring that area looked like a lot of fun, and Lupe needed to go that way, if she was ever going to get to the 3,800 foot level, as SPHP still hoped. However, first she took a look around.
30 feet NW, a pipe was sticking out of the ground. Upon inspection, a survey marker was on top. Not too surprising, since the geologists had mentioned a marker.
The most dramatic thing Lupe saw from High Point 3500 was off to the N. Lower down, but fairly close by, a hill sloped skyward before ending abruptly at a gargantuan cliff that fell away into the Grewingk Glacier canyon. The view from that broken hill ought to be amazing!
Lupe and SPHP set off for the dramatic hill. However, by the time Loop reached the saddle leading to it, SPHP chickened out. The brink of such a formidable precipice might be more terrifying than amazing. Going to it suddenly seemed unnecessary. A bit lower and farther E was a big fairly level area where Lupe ought to be able to see the Grewingk Glacier just fine.
Ever since Lupe had started her climb to High Point 3500, a steady 10 mph breeze out of the W had been bringing an endless procession of clouds over Alpine Ridge. At times High Point 3500 had been in fog. As Lupe headed down to the area E of the dramatic broken hill, fog came rolling in again. For a short while, Loop actually had a dim view of the toe of the Grewingk Glacier down in the canyon, but it soon vanished.
SPHP expected the clouds to pass quickly on by to reveal the glacier again, so Lupe simply waited. Blue sky did reappear overhead, but the fog down in the canyon seemed trapped down there. When the situation persisted, SPHP began to realize that maybe Lupe had climbed too high? If Loopster was ever going to get a decent look at the Grewingk Glacier, she might have to lose elevation!
That was a frustrating thought. What to do? Still more than a mile away, Lupe could see High Point 3800 from here, the place SPHP had been thinking of as her ultimate destination.
Uncertain what to do next, Lupe and SPHP returned to High Point 3500. Might as well enjoy the views up here rather than stare into fog.
Two good reasons existed not to go any farther. Clouds might settle in at any moment ruining the views, and time was becoming an issue. Even so, it was hard to turn back. So hard that Lupe didn’t! Instead, the American Dingo headed SE from High Point 3500, ultimately reaching the 3600 foot level.
From the 3600 foot level, Lupe could see glaciers among the mountains at the upper end of Halibut Creek canyon.
Oh, for a clearer day, and a few hours more! High Point 3800 was still a mile away. Lupe could see it off to the E. The terrain between here and there looked so easy and enticing to explore! Sadly, though, this was it. Clouds kept sailing by only slightly overhead, threatening to envelop this upper portion of Alpine Ridge in fog. Even if the skies had been clear, Lupe needed to be back at the Saddle trailhead by 6:30 PM for pickup by Mako’s, and time was running out.
For a few moments, Lupe and SPHP gazed wistfully at High Point 3800, the long sought goal beyond attainment. Then, with great reluctance, the Carolina Dog turned and headed back toward High Point 3500.
Lupe went past High Point 3500 again, but did not return to its summit. Instead, she descended the long, rolling, progressively steeper slope to the area where she had abandoned her earlier attempt to head N to see the Grewingk Glacier. Staying as far E as possible along the base of the higher ground, Lupe again turned N traveling through the little valley she had seen earlier.
Climbing over the next minor ridge, Looper finally came to her fabulous view of the Grewingk Glacier.
For the next little while, Lupe and SPHP explored W along the S rim of the Grewingk Glacier canyon, going from one viewpoint to the next. The views actually improved somewhat as Loop got a little farther from the glacier. She also could see more of Grewingk Glacier Lake.
Coming down here had been the right thing to do! As low as the clouds were now, if Lupe had gone on to High Point 3800, she wouldn’t have seen much of anything but fog. Although it would have been nice to have had more sun, at least down here, the Carolina Dog did get to enjoy some pretty spectacular views of the Grewingk Glacier. After all, she was still 1,500 to 2,000 feet above it.
When Lupe got far enough W, she could see not only a long stretch of the Grewingk Glacier, but even the toe where it reached Grewingk Glacier Lake. The far E end of the glacier disappeared up into the clouds.
Exploring from high point to high point along the S rim of the canyon was addictive. With slightly different perspectives from each spot, the Grewingk Glacier views were fantastic! At the last high point, Lupe could see nearly all of Grewingk Glacier Lake, and a number of icebergs calved off the glacier.
The terrain along the S rim eventually started dropping more steeply to the W, putting an end to the glacier views as Lupe was forced detour a little away from the edge. While Lupe took a break sitting on the tundra, SPHP finally thought to check the camera for the time.
What!? 7:08 PM! Lupe had already missed her scheduled 6:30 PM pickup by Mako’s water taxi at the Saddle trailhead nearly 40 minutes ago! SPHP was shocked. Yeah, Loopster had been up on Alpine Ridge quite a while, and time does fly when you’re having fun, but it didn’t seem like it could possibly be that late.
No wait. It wasn’t 7:08 PM at all. SPHP was forgetting about the time zone differential. Whew! 5:08 PM. That’s what it was! Looper still had an hour and 22 minutes to get back to the Saddle trailhead.
Look alive, Looper! Let’s hit it! Suddenly we’re in one helluva rush!
Lupe was off like a shot, thrilled that apparently something exciting was about to take place. Of course, she wasn’t the problem. SPHP was. Lupe could get to the trailhead easily enough with time to spare. However, as SPHP did the mental calculations, it was clear that there was no way SPHP could.
Loopster was still more than a mile from the end of the official Alpine Ridge trail, which was 2.5 miles long. Then came another 0.3 mile on the Lagoon Trail, plus 0.4 mile on the Saddle trail. So 4.2+ miles to go while losing 2,500 feet of elevation. Not going to happen. Might be close, though. If Mako’s ran just a bit late, maybe!
So the race was on! No more stopping for views, blueberries, or even to catch breath, since it was nearly all downhill. Back to the trail, into the jungle, down the ropes, over the fallen tree, on and on it went. Once in a while, a moment taken to check the time. Oh, it was going to be close! Late, but not by much.
As the end drew near, SPHP’s confidence began to soar. Almost there!
Suddenly, the drone of an engine approaching. Mako’s was on the way! Oh, no! They were early! After a few minutes, the engine went silent. Mako’s must already be at the trailhead. Surely, they would wait a little?
6:30 PM – As Loop and SPHP raced down the switchbacks, two young women coming up the Saddle trail looked nervous. They wanted to know if Lupe had seen any bears? Nope, not a one. Good luck, and have fun! Bye! That was just about SPHP’s entire helpful response. Down, down, down!
At 6:33 PM, the engine roared back to life. At 6:36 PM, Lupe arrived back at the Saddle trailhead. A water taxi was purring away, already getting close to Kachemak Bay beyond Halibut Cove. Seriously? Mako’s had cut Lupe a whole 3 minutes of slack before departing?
Oh, well. Late is late. Not their fault. No doubt Mako’s would return sooner or later. Late customers must happen a lot in their line of work. No doubt a constant aggravation for them. However, it would be real nice if they returned sometime today. SPHP hadn’t come equipped to spend the night.
Nothing to do, but wait. Unfortunately, the Saddle trailhead didn’t look anything at all like it did this morning. The tide had come in. The beach and its battalion of rotting logs was inundated! Only rocks to sit on. Lupe and SPHP got as comfortable as possible. After the big race to get off Alpine Ridge, complete inaction. Gorgeous here, though. Fun just watching the blue waves of Halibut Cove ripple in.
Alaska! So freakin’ awesome!
Nearly an hour went by. Lupe heard it first – an engine. Skipper Gabe and the Smokey Bay! They were coming back!
When the Smokey Bay arrived, SPHP apologized to Gabe for being late, forcing him to come back for Lupe.
Huh? Lupe’s fine. 6:30 PM right now.
What? It finally sank in. The camera was practically brand new, bought only days ago in Anchorage to replace the one that died in the rain at Hope Point. SPHP had set the time on it incorrectly. The camera was an hour off. Lupe had made it back to the trailhead an hour early! It had only been 4:08 PM when the panic began, not 5:08 PM.
Well, shucks. Could have spent nearly another hour up on Alpine Ridge. All’s well that ends well, though. At least Lupe wasn’t going to have to spend the night at the Saddle trailhead.
Lupe was the first one aboard the Smokey Bay, but others were coming. Within minutes, the two geologists appeared with all their gear. The two young women hadn’t been devoured by bears, and were already back from a quick hike to see Grewingk Glacier Lake. Gabe said the reason they’d been nervous was that they’d had to wait for a black bear to leave the Saddle trailhead before he could drop them off!
On the way back to the Homer Spit, Lupe and SPHP sat in the cab of the Smokey Bay with everyone else. The conversation was lighthearted and fun. Almost too soon, the American Dingo was back at the spit, and everyone was saying good-bye and going their separate ways.
Lupe never did get to High Point 3800, but she did see the Grewingk Glacier from Alpine Ridge, having explored far beyond the minimum necessary to do so. No complaints. Alpine Ridge had been an incredible, memorable day in the magnificent Alaskan wilderness of Kachemak Bay State Park.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Kachemak Bay State Park Brochure & Map
Alpine Ridge Trail Fact Sheet & Map
Poot Peak, Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (9-1-18)
Sailing the North Pacific Ocean to Grace Ridge, Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (8-26-16)
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I love Lupe’s adventures hahahaha