Peak 4790 & Peak 4403, Hayes Range, Amphitheater Mountains, Alaska (9-2-19)

Day 29 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!

6:53 AM, 57ºF, Anchorage – Light rain, and quite breezy, even down here in Anchorage.  Lupe had her answer.  The Carolina Dog wasn’t going to get another shot at Wolverine Peak (4,491 ft.).  Barely into September, Looper should have had more time here, but smoke, wind and rain had made Alaska difficult this year.  Maybe Alaska was over?

That was the big question du jour.  Was it time to leave?  Driving E out of Anchorage, SPHP pondered the issue.  The answer, of course, hinged on the weather.

The rain ended.  The pavement was dry on the way to Palmer.  Maybe Lupe ought to give the Reindeer Hills (5,102 ft.) another look?  Started that way, but it was raining again in Wasilla.  Nah!  Not going to work.  Too far out of the way, and too iffy.  Back to the Glenn Highway and E!

Again the rain quit.  Sunshine!  A beautiful day by the time Lupe reached Gunsight Mountain (6,441 ft.).  Syncline Mountain (5,471 ft.) was out in the clear, too.  Most encouraging, but Lupe had been to both of them.  Farther E there was smoke, again.  The great mental debate raged on.

Gakona Junction.  Decision time.  Sunny, 58ºF, breezy.  Based on no more than the favorable prospects of the moment, instead of heading E on the Tok Cut-off, SPHP drove N on the Richardson Highway.  The American Dingo wasn’t cutting and running quite yet!

3:31 PM, 58ºF, pullout along the Denali Highway (about MP 11?) near the larger lake N of Octopus Lake – Sort of late in the day to be taking off into the Alaskan wilderness, but the S end of Peak 4790 was already visible a mere 2.5 miles from the highway.  Still breezy, but comfortably warm.  Prospects weren’t nearly as sanguine as they had been back at Gakona Junction, though.  Most of the sunshine had disappeared on the drive N.  Heavy clouds hung low in a brooding sky.

Well, now or never!  Better not dilly-dally.  Lupe took a quick look at the unnamed lake next to the highway, and was on her way.

Sticking with the highway, Lupe trotted N past a big drainage that came down out of the NW.   The slopes W of the highway were full of bushes, but she soon came to a spot where they weren’t as thick.  Abandoning the road, the Carolina Dog proceeded up this slope.

The more open ground soon ended, but had already helped Looper get past the worst of the bushes.

No avoiding them now – more bushes ahead, but they weren’t too bad.  Following faint animal trails, SPHP could usually push through without too much difficulty.  Although dry, the tundra between bushes was soft and spongy.  Felt good on the paws, no doubt, but crossing the springy terrain required extra effort.

Avoiding the bushes was key to making the trek as easy as possible.  A second priority was to reach firmer ground.  Small ridges slightly higher than the surrounding terrain frequently provided the best support.  Brilliant red tundra tended to flourish on these little ridges, making them easy to spot.

As Loopster headed higher, a series of small drainages presented the only real obstacles.  The drainages tended to be either full of bushes, or rimmed with them.  Lupe made several steep 30 foot climbs coming out of these ravines.

Instead of going directly toward Peak 4790, Lupe aimed for high ground along a ridgeline to the NW.  SPHP thought the terrain might be firmer up there.  Yet no matter how far NW Loop went, she never quite seemed to reach the ridgeline.  SPHP finally figured out the ridge was merely an illusion.  This was all one big slope.

The journey to Peak 4790 was absolutely gorgeous!  Vivid yellows, golds, oranges and reds of the early autumn landscape contrasted against the gray gloom overhead.  Sometimes Peak 4790 was in sight, and sometimes not, as Lupe turned N directly toward it.  Wandering ever higher, the American Dingo roamed at will.

The terrain gradually steepened as Lupe closed in on Peak 4790.  Still easy going!

The views were improving.  Snow and glacier-clad peaks off to the NE were only partially hidden by clouds.  To the SE, Lupe could see many small lakes back down by the Denali Highway where she’d started out.  Beyond them were the vast NW slopes of Paxson Mountain (5,226 ft.).  Off to the SW, ponds were coming into view in the saddle between the S ends of Peak 4790 and Peak 4403.

Looper pressed on.  Tangle Benchmark (5,715 ft.) came into sight well beyond Peak 4403.  Far to the SW, the American Dingo could also see Swede Mountain (4,660 ft.), which she’d climbed only 4 days ago.

A SE shoulder swept up toward Peak 4790’s summit.  Lupe ventured over to this shoulder before turning NW directly toward the mountain.  From here, some rockiness was visible along the steep SE face.

The final 200 feet up the S slope were the only steep part of the ascent.  Sort of rocky, sparsely vegetated, but no great feat.  Peak 4790 was just a big hill!

As Lupe approached the summit, a patch of blue sky sailed overhead.  Despite brilliant sunshine, an annoyingly strong S wind felt cold.  The temperature had been dropping all afternoon.

When Lupe popped over the S rim, a spacious summit was spread out before her.  The whole thing was a mix of rocks and tundra reminiscent of summits Loop had visited at Whistle Ridge and Swede Mountain.  This entire region was quite flat, except toward the far N end where the plateau rose 5 to 10 feet.

Intent on reaching the true summit, Lupe proceeded toward the rise at the far end, which looked like it might be some sort of definite minor summit ridge near N the edge of the mountain.

Turned out it was neither.  Upon reaching the rise, Lupe discovered not only that it was not any definite ridgeline, but that it wasn’t near the edge of the mountain either.  Another vast expanse of the summit region lay beyond it.  This N section sloped gradually down to the NE, and looked much the same as the plain Lupe had just crossed.  The highest ground did appear to be somewhere along this central rise.

Countless rocks might have been the marginally highest true summit of Peak 4790.  One prime candidate was a bit larger, and stood out slightly from the rest.  The Carolina Dog wasn’t enjoying the cold wind, and urged SPHP to hurry up!  As far as she was concerned, this rock could be the official Dingo-sanctioned true summit!

The most impressive views from Peak 4790 were all to the N.  Anxious to escape the wind, Lupe and SPHP continued on to the far NNE end of the summit plateau.  Loop roamed a fair distance below where the rocky slope started to steepen before SPHP finally called a halt.  The maneuver wasn’t as successful as it might have been.  The slope provided scant protection from the cold breeze.

Nevertheless, no sense in losing too much elevation.  Time for a break!  The rocky terrain wasn’t terribly comfortable.  Lupe soon decided to curl up on SPHP’s lap.  SPHP tossed a jacket over her for additional warmth.  Much better!  Windy and cool, but this 20 – 25 mph breeze didn’t even begin to compare with yesterday’s powerful tempest at Wolverine Peak.

Off to the N, showers drifted over high tundra plains, a dark blue line of mountains beyond them.  The most spectacular sight was a distant view of the Gulkana Glacier miles to the NE.

Many smaller glaciers were also visible along a distant line of peaks to the N.  To the E, a good chunk of Summit Lake was in sight.  Lupe could see all of Sevenmile Lake, which was only a few miles away.  However, this was not the same Sevenmile Lake the Carolina Dog had seen from East Glacier Gap Mountain (6,060 ft.) 5 days ago.

Already getting late in the day.  The views were grand, but Lupe couldn’t linger too long, since the plan was to visit nearby Peak 4403 as well.  20 minutes after starting her rest break, it was time for the American Dingo to be moving on.

Peak 4790’s entire summit region including both the N and S halves was maybe 20 acres in size.  Before departing, a little more exploration along some of the edges seemed like a good idea.  Lupe first sniffed her way along part of the SE rim.  Views of Paxon Mountain and all the little lakes down by the Denali Highway were the highlights in this direction.

To complete her summit tour, Lupe then crossed over to the opposite side of the mountain.  Peering down over the W edge, the Carolina Dog could scarcely believe her eyes!  Caribou!  A whole herd of them, 30 or 40 strong, was hanging out on a big slope to the N.  The caribou were much lower and quite a long way off.

Lupe raced toward the herd a little way to get a better view, then stopped.  The caribou weren’t even aware of her.  Caribou watching is among the most intensely exciting and enjoyable experiences an American Dingo will ever have.  Lupe was entranced!  The herd grazed peacefully for several minutes before they picked up her scent.

Upon seeing movement, the excitement was just too much!  Lupe let out a single sharp yip, instantly alerting the caribou to her presence.  The caribou didn’t like the notion of company.  Suddenly the whole herd took off running up to the top of Peak 4790.  Racing across the summit, within seconds they all disappeared over the same SE edge Loopster had been exploring only a few minutes ago.

Disappointed by the caribou’s sudden departure, Lupe came running back to tell SPHP all about them.  She then finished her tour of Peak 4790 heading S along the W rim.  Peak 4403, her next objective, was in sight beyond a 0.25 mile wide valley.  Off to the NW, both summits of Peak 5210 were visible with Tangle Benchmark (5,715 ft.) beyond them.

Peak 4790 had been an exhilarating experience!  Lupe was still all stirred up about it.  Upon reaching the S end of the summit, realizing that SPHP was about to head back down to possible caribou country, Loop decided she wanted to roam ahead looking for more.

Sadly, an initial search did not turn up any more caribou.  Even so, the American Dingo’s faith and enthusiasm remained undimmed.

Once SPHP made it down most of Peak 4790’s S slope, it was time to think about how to get over to Peak 4403.  Rather than going all the way S to the saddle with the big tarns leading over to it, a direct approach crossing the intervening valley was decided upon.

Oh, it was such a beautiful trek!  Lupe was so happy roaming a valley of gold.  The promised land, if ever there was one!  A little stream along the W side was the only obstacle, and it was easily hopped.

Once across the valley, the climb up Peak 4403’s NE slope was actually quite steep.  Lupe had scarcely started the ascent when she came across a rock upon which a large, beautiful, fan-shaped lichen was growing.  SPHP was so impressed with it, that this officially became the “Lichen Route” up Peak 4403.

The climb up Peak 4403’s NE slope may have been steep, but only for a few hundred feet.  Lupe then reached the ridge N of the summit.  A short trek S brought Loop to the base of a final rocky climb up a big knob.

The top of Peak 4403 featured two humps separated by hundreds of feet.  The hump farthest N, which Lupe reached first, was somewhat lower than the S hump.  A rock formation a few feet high was situated along the N edge of the N hump.  The S wind had still been roaring when Lupe left Peak 4790, but had died down quite a bit by now.  Sheltering on the N side of the rock formation during a brief rest break still seemed like a good idea.

The sky remained overcast.  A thin line of sunshine on mountains far to the E was the only indication that the sun was still above the horizon.  Lupe pressed on to the higher S hump.  A few big rocks encrusted with black lichens were scattered about.  The true summit of Peak 4403 was a marginally higher rock along the N side of the S hump.

2.5 miles back to the G6.  Light was going to be fading soon.  10 or 15 more minutes was all Lupe could spare before moving on.

Fleeting glorious minutes flew by.  Better get on with it.

Onward!  Puppy, ho!

Heading down the S side of Peak 4403, the Carolina Dog picked up a faint ATV trail.  She followed the ATV trail S for some distance before finally abandoning it to turn SE toward Paxon Mountain.

The sun was down.  The remaining breeze had vanished along with it.  A beautiful evening, but light was already fading fast.  Sensing the need for speed, Lupe was energetic.  Down in the saddle that led to the region S of Peak 4790, the American Dingo roamed far and wide, while SPHP tried to avoid bushes and stay on solid ground.

Lupe went past a big tarn, and saw several more.  For the most part, SPHP had decent success finding firm terrain, although there were areas of spongy tundra full of potholes, too.

Once past the tarns, the long slope leading down to the Denali Highway came into view.  Way, way down there, at a second pullout a little NE of where the G6 was parked, a campfire was in sight.  Starting to get dark, but that campfire provided a good target.  The return was now a race to get down to it.  Toward the end came the inevitable bushwhack, but it still wasn’t completely dark when the thrashing around ended as the Carolina Dog finally reached the road.  (9:23 PM)

Good thing Lupe hadn’t abandoned Alaska yet.  Peaks 4790 and 4403 had been an adventure the American Dingo wouldn’t soon forget!

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The Denali Highway

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