Days 33 – 36 of Lupe’s Summer of 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
9-6-19, a little after 8:00 AM, Lazy Mountain trailhead in Palmer, Alaska – Another vehicle pulled into the trailhead. Gate must be open! According to a sign on the way in yesterday, the gate was supposed get locked at 10:00 PM. However, after climbing Matanuska Peak (6,093 ft.), Lupe hadn’t made it back to the trailhead until well after midnight.
Who knew if the gate had actually been locked? SPHP had been too weary to check. Didn’t matter now. Lupe was free to go.
A beautiful mostly blue sky morning, but nothing was happening today. Loopster’s little jaunt up Matanuska Peak had been quite the excursion. SPHP’s R foot was sore, and energy levels were low. Orange juice, sweet rolls, and a big chocolate milkshake, the latter 2 shared with the Dingo, helped restore some energy. The foot, however, needed time.
SPHP called Sven, the young guy Lupe had met on the trail yesterday. Sven had proposed climbing a peak together. No answer. SPHP left a message. Lupe was going to have another shot at Wolverine Peak (4,491 ft.) tomorrow. Call back if interested.
The day got spent in Anchorage. This time Lupe wasn’t interested in a walk at Kincaid Park. Maybe her paws were sore, too? Highlights of the day were a roasted chicken, another chocolate milkshake, and hours spent watching the waves roll in at Point Woronzof. Oh, and Sven did answer later on. Wolverine Peak tomorrow was a go!
9-7-19, 10:00 AM, Anchorage at the Prospect Heights trailhead – Lupe was here, but where was Sven? Might have bailed due to the weather. So much for blue skies. Rainy and gray today. Not good. SPHP was about ready to bail, too, when Sven called. Coming, but will be an hour late. Start without him, he would catch up. SPHP explained it was raining. No worries, Sven didn’t care. He would bring a raincoat.
A gust of wind tore leaves from the trees, sending them whirling. 6 days ago, Lupe had been driven back by an absolute gale up on Wolverine Peak. This wasn’t going to be a repeat, was it? The trailhead was busy. No one else seemed worried about wind or rain. Alrighty, then! Lupe headed for the Wolverine Bowl trail.
Raining harder, but Loop was making decent progress when, 20 minutes from the trailhead, 2 young women were running back. The second one stopped to warn SPHP. She had made it 4 miles up Wolverine Peak, but conditions were much worse up there. Raining buckets, and a ferocious wind blowing so hard she could barely stand up. Impossible to get to the summit. Use extreme caution, if making an attempt.
OK ……. so much for Wolverine Peak.
Back at the trailhead, Sven eventually did arrive. If Sven was going up Wolverine Peak, he was going alone. Even though conditions here at the trailhead were mild, Sven understood. How about just a hike along lower portions of the Wolverine Bowl trail? Sure. Why not? Rained the whole time. Lupe got soaking wet, but at least she didn’t get blown off the mountain.
Sven was a really good guy. The whole encounter ended with hot coffee at Starbucks, while Lupe got a chew stick.
And that was it for Alaska. Many more great peaks to climb, but already a week into September. With a new front blowing in, it was time to start for home. Score: Dingo 0, Wolverine Peak 2. By evening Lupe had made it to the Copper River just E of Gulkana Junction.
9-8-19, 6:34 AM, 49ºF, Copper River pullout along the Tok Cut-off – Sunrise at the Copper River. Beautiful! Lupe was up and at ’em! Today she would be leaving Alaska, returning to the Yukon Territory. Fabulous sights all along the way!
9-8-19, 7:54 AM, 38ºF, Tok Cut-off at the Chistochina River rest stop – Oh, if only yesterday could have been like today! Lupe and Sven would have climbed Wolverine Peak for sure! As it was, Loop enjoyed an early romp across the Chistochina River bridge. In addition to seeing the gorgeous river, she was lucky enough to be treated to a terrific view of Mount Sanford (16,237 ft.).
As Lupe continued NE on the Tok Cut-off, several more stops were made as Mount Sanford receded. At one point, Mount Wrangell (14,163 ft.) could be seen as well.
By noon, The Carolina Dog was well SE of Tok on the Alaska Highway. The white giants of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park were long gone. The scenes now were of wetlands, lakes, and rolling Black Hills of the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.
At 1:38 PM (PDT now), Lupe crossed the Canadian border. Leaving Alaska was sad, but more adventures were ahead in the fabled Yukon Territory! Brief stops were made to see a budding forest fire and Pickhandle Lake.
Excitement was growing as Lupe continued SE on the Alaska Highway. Such a beautiful, warm, clear day! Not much farther was a mountain SPHP had been hoping Looper could climb ever since she first saw it in 2016. The American Dingo had been by it every year since then at least once, but conditions had never been right. Tomorrow, if this weather held, Lupe was finally going get her chance to attempt an ascent of Donjek Crossing Mountain (5,881 ft.)!
9-8-19, 3:30 PM, Donjek River – Oh, yeah! There it was! Rising more than 3,500 feet above the mighty Donjek River stood the wonderful mountain that Lupe was going to climb! All the Carolina Dog would have to do was get above treeline. The rest would be easy.
Of course, it all hinged on the weather. Right now the sun was a beast! Perfect! Too bad Loop hadn’t arrived here last night. She would already be on top!
Before reaching the Donjek River bridge, SPHP pulled off on the R (SW) side of the highway. A gravel road led down a little hill toward the river. A curve to the R, and there was a perfect place to stash the G6. Time to get out and have a look around!
Plenty of time to relax, but there was one important task to be taken care of yet this afternoon. Driving across the Alaska Highway bridge, Lupe and SPHP set out to investigate possible access points leading to Donjek Crossing Mountain. Two side roads several miles SE of the bridge didn’t pan out. One went only a short distance to a microwave tower, the other dead-ended almost immediately.
So no roads or trails. Looper was going to have to brute force her way through the forest. Didn’t look that bad, anyway. SPHP drove back to the G6 refuge on the NW side of the Donjek.
An incredibly hot afternoon. The sun was a demon! 71ºF! Lupe and SPHP hung out in or near the G6. When the air cooled in the evening, Loop was ready to do some exploring.
9-9-19, 7:53 AM, 32ºF, at a parking area by a pond SE of the Donjek River – Clear, calm, and crisp! Time to hit it! SPHP had already driven across the bridge to the chosen launch point. Lupe trotted from the parking area up to the Alaska Highway and followed it S. It was a bit of a stroll to a high point along the road.
This was it! For better or worse, Lupe turned E, plunging into the forest.
A bit of luck already! Beyond a band of trees, a field of spent fireweed led up an open slope. Nice!
Lupe followed the fireweed field as far as she could before entering a mostly deciduous forest. The forest floor was soft, spongy material, which required extra effort, but felt good on the paws. Dry branches snapped and cracked as Loop roamed higher through a deep woods wilderness.
Not too far to the R (S), a small stream could be heard down in a ravine. SPHP tried to stay close to the poorly defined edge of the ravine where the ground was sometimes firmer. Meanwhile, Lupe was having a blast exploring at will.
The climb steepened. Lupe’s first objective was to reach a broad gently sloping region several km SW of Donjek Crossing Mountain’s summit, an elevation gain of roughly 600 feet from where she’d left the highway. The Carolina Dog hadn’t reached that area yet when she came to a steep slope that led up to a small opening. Here she already had a beautiful view of snow-capped peaks of the St. Elias Mountains far beyond the Donjek River.
As Lupe continued higher, the rate of climb finally started to diminish. The forest was changing, too. Scraggly spruce trees were taking over. The ground was soft and lumpy, often covered with thick green moss.
Soon Lupe was on level terrain. No sign of anything up here. No trails, not even any animal trails. Donjek Crossing Mountain was still hidden from view. Had to be out there somewhere, though! Lupe turned NE.
SPHP wandered NE or ENE in the presumed general direction of Donjek Crossing Mountain. Meanwhile, Lupe sniffed and prowled. She often disappeared from sight, but returned every few minutes to check on SPHP. The Carolina Dog loved it up here! She was having a great time.
This went on for quite a while. Completely hidden by a dense forest of spruce, deciduous trees, and tall bushes, Donjek Crossing Mountain still hadn’t appeared. Lupe had been missing for a few minutes when SPHP spotted her again about 50 feet away. She was trotting along normally, heading straight for SPHP.
Was Loop even aware of the danger? SPHP couldn’t tell. Maybe she knew, but didn’t recognize its presence as danger? The American Dingo was not alone. Death was silently padding along 15 feet behind her. It could all be over in an instant! Fortunately, Death did not seem to be in a hurry. It was not chasing Lupe, and did not appear ready to pounce, merely following the odd unfamiliar Carolina Dog, as if curious about what sort of creature lunch was.
Lupe, come!
At the sound, Death stopped in its tracks. Yellow eyes stared straight at SPHP. Perhaps Lupe had been unaware of Death, but Death had also been unaware of SPHP. Loop reached SPHP acting as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Danger? What danger? Why, it was just a cat! Lupe had been raised with cats, and lived with them for many years. They’re not bad. Just sort of stand-offish solitary creatures, a strange breed of dog that doesn’t understand how to be a good member of the pack.
Confused and disappointed, a lynx easily twice Lupe’s size did not run. Instead, it slunk noiselessly deeper into the forest. 100 feet away, the lynx stopped and stared back again. SPHP tried to get a photo. Dang camera insisted upon auto-focusing on branches in the foreground. Clearly visible to the naked eye, the lynx was a blur to the camera lens.
No question Lupe saw the lynx now! Bold as brass, the American Dingo was eager to go bark at it.
No! Absolutely not! Quiet!
The lynx paused only 5 or 10 seconds before silently retreating into the leafy gloom. Insufficient time to adjust the camera. No photo. Hard to be too upset about that. Lupe was still among the living!
The long march through the wilderness continued. Glimpses of Donjek Crossing Mountain finally began to appear. Looper was right on track! She came to a more open boggy area, which fortunately was almost dry. A golden forest was visible on the lower slopes of Donjek Crossing Mountain. Looked like an enchanted place! Lupe headed for it.
On the way to the golden forest, Lupe lost sight of it while among the spruce trees again. The golden forest really was enchanted! Although she headed straight for it, Loop never did come to it.
She did reach the base of the mountain, though! At first, the terrain rose gradually, but the rate of climb quickly increased. A steep ascent got Loop up to a grove of aspens, just the sort of tree that might grow in an enchanted forest, but their gold was all spent.
The American Dingo kept climbing. Getting close to treeline now! As trees became scarcer, bushes became more numerous. Maneuvering through these thickets on a steep mountainside was tough. Gradually the trees were left behind, but the climb didn’t get easier until the bushes began to wane, too. Meanwhile, views were opening up.
Only scattered trees now, but a steep struggle among the bushes went on and on. However, once Lupe was through the worst of them, it was clear nothing was going to stop the Carolina Dog from reaching the top of Donjek Crossing Mountain. Sadly, it was now apparent the sky wasn’t as clear as it had been earlier. Smoke was drifting up the long valley of the Shakwak Trench driven by a steady SE breeze.
Hardly a rock anywhere until now. The grassy slopes above bush line did have some. Although Loopster had already gained a tremendous amount of elevation, a long steep climb was still ahead. A breezy romp! The wind was 20 to 25 mph out of the SE up here.
At last the terrain began to level out. An easy stroll led toward a plateau only moderately higher. This plateau was the top of HP5400, a subpeak S of Donjek Crossing Mountain’s true summit.
HP5400‘s summit was multiple acres in size. Brown grass and tundra covered a flat plain. Plenty of rocks around, but not enough to call this region rocky. Near the center, a single skinny, dark gray rock stood on end. Lupe hopped up on it to claim a sub-peakbagging victory!
The tawny summit of Donjek Crossing Mountain (5,881 ft.) was now in sight only 1 km away!
Getting to the summit was going to be easy! A walk up a big, barren hill, not even 500 feet higher than where Loop was now. Joy and excitement grew as Lupe headed for the N edge of HP5400 for a view of the saddle leading to the top. Yep, absolutely nothing to worry about. Cake!
A bit of a trudge, but Lupe was soon across the saddle, and heading up the S side of the summit. What a happy march up the big hill it was! The American Dingo had waited years for this moment. She arrived at the slightly lower SE end of a one acre summit region. The terrain sloped gently higher toward a pole sticking out of a cairn at the far NW end.
Oh, it was incredible! Lupe had that big view of the Alaska Highway bridge over the Donjek River she had come so far to see. Donjek Crossing! How fabulous it was to be here!
The only disappointment was the amount of smoky haze that had blown in during the course of the day, marring the panorama of grand peaks of the St. Elias Range. But it wasn’t too bad. Still possible to see.
Spread out along the St. Elias range, several of the highest mountains in Canada were visible! Mount Wood (15,789 ft.), 7th highest; Mount Steele (16,644 ft.), 6th highest; Mount Lucania (17,192 ft.), 4th highest; and Mount Walsh (14,783 ft.), 13 highest were all in sight.
There were glimpses of other grand peaks, too! Ones that SPHP was never able to identify.
After an initial look, Lupe and SPHP sat together near the cairn, taking a long break while enjoying the magnificent scenes.
After a good rest, it was time for a tour of all the views! Lupe first went out on a short N ridge to a point overlooking an enormous stretch of the Donjek River. She could see miles and miles of the river both upstream and downstream from here.
Returning to the main summit region, Lupe next went counter-clockwise around the perimeter. Mountains of the Kluane Plateau to the E were roughly as high as Donjek Crossing Mountain.
Ever so far to the SE, the pointy summit of Mount Decoeli (7,650 ft.) was in sight! Lupe had climbed Decoeli on her very first trip to the Yukon Territory in 2016! Immediately S were Donjek Crossing Mountain’s two subpeaks, HP5300 and HP5400.
Her tour complete, Lupe returned to the summit cairn. For a long time the American Dingo lingered gazing down on the mighty Donjek River and beyond to the snow-clad peaks of Canada’s loftiest mountain range.
It was hard to leave. It really was. What might have been the most tragic day ever, had turned out to be so wonderful!
More than 1.5 hours after arriving, Lupe left the summit cairn for the last time. Down the mountain she went.
On the way back, SPHP made a mistake. Instead of going back up onto HP5400 and down the way Lupe had come up, a long bare slope seen from the saddle leading to HP5400 seemed an enticing shortcut. Steep, but Lupe could lose a lot of elevation before she reached the bushes.
That was true. Lupe did lose lots of elevation going down HP5400‘s W slope. But inevitably she reached the bushes on a slope so steep SPHP began to fear she might cliff out. It was almost impossible to correct the error. Once down to the trees, nothing was familiar, and no landmarks were in sight.
In retrospect, the Carolina Dog was simply too far N. As she tried to get back to the Alaska Highway where she left it, she found herself crossing numerous ravines. She traversed steep slopes. The forest was dense, and endless thickets of tall bushes grew on some of the hillsides. This shortcut may have been a tiny bit shorter, but it was taking a lot longer.
Better get out of this mess before it gets dark!
The sun was still shining up on Donjek Crossing Mountain (5,881 ft.) when the American Dingo finally reached the Alaska Highway within a few hundred feet of where she’d left it. Whew! Just a pleasant stroll now back to the G6. No traffic. A gorgeous evening.
Donjek Crossing Mountain had been a dream come true, although it had nearly turned into a nightmare. Success, and no worries now. Lupe lived to tell the tale!
Somewhere on Donjek Crossing Mountain, a hungry lynx was wishing she hadn’t. (8:55 PM)
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Decoeli, Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada (8-9-16)
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