Days 22, 23 & 24 of Lupe’s Summer of 2016 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska
8-20-16, 8:00 AM. Gray, gloomy, light rain. Disappointing, but it didn’t matter too much. Lupe was at Byers Lake in Denali State Park in Alaska. She’d spent the last two days exploring fabulous K’esugi Ridge. She’d had a wonderful time, but after dragging back in to the G6 after 3:30 AM last night, both Lupe and SPHP were in real need of a rest day. Even if the skies had been crystal clear and blue, there wouldn’t have been much on the agenda today.
SPHP drove over to pay the $5.00 daily parking fee, as strongly suggested by the official pay envelope waiting on the G6’s windshield upon Lupe’s return last night. Then it was back to the parking lot. Lupe was going to get her $5.00 worth today. Time for more shuteye.
Of course, it would have been nice if the skies had cleared. Although Lupe had been in the Denali State Park area for nearly 3 days now, she still hadn’t gotten a good, clear view of Denali (20,310 ft.). She’d seen the incredibly massive white mountain from an enormous distance earlier, while still close to Fairbanks, but had only caught brief glimpses since.
Nature doesn’t care what might be nice. The clouds did not part. Not even the tiniest speck of blue sky appeared. The dreary, light rain fell sporadically all day. Lupe and SPHP mostly snoozed. Maybe tomorrow Lupe would finally get that superb view of Denali?
8-21-16, morning. See Denali? Hah! Not a chance! The sky had wept all night. Rain was still falling, steadily, and much harder than yesterday. Time to give up on the Denali Dream. Lupe was all rested up now. She had other adventures to get to! Good-bye Denali State Park. Good-bye fabulous K’esugi Ridge!
Rain poured down, as SPHP drove S on the George Parks Highway (Alaska Route 3). The truth was, nearly all of the Alaskan adventures left on Lupe’s list of possibilities were somewhere relatively close to the S coast. The coast had been socked in with rain and fog for weeks. Conditions weren’t likely to be any better along the coast than at Denali State Park. Maybe Lupe’s time in Alaska was drawing to a close?
The sky remained overcast, but the rain ended before Lupe reached Wasilla. Civilization! Lupe and SPHP shared a box of ice cream bars and a couple of cheeseburgers. SPHP killed some time at the laundromat, and taking care of a few other chores. Already 5:00 PM. This day was slipping by, too.
One adventure still seemed like a possibility. If the rain would hold off, maybe Lupe could climb Skyscraper? Less than 1,000 feet of elevation gain was required. The mountain’s summit wasn’t even a mile from Hatcher Pass, a scenic 20 or 30 minute drive NW of Palmer.
Palmer wasn’t far from Wasilla. At Fishhook Junction, a mile N of Palmer, SPHP turned W (L) off the Glenn Highway (Alaska Route 1) onto Fishhook Willow Road. Fishhook Willow Road went W 2 miles then turned N following the Susitna River valley. After a sharp L turn onto Willow Creek Road, SPHP figured Lupe must be getting close to Hatcher Pass. SPHP parked the G6 at a pullout near the Fishhook Trailhead, right off Willow Creek Road.
Conditions weren’t so great. Mist was falling here. Low clouds draped over every mountain peak, threatening to unleash more serious moisture at any moment. If Lupe did make it to the top of Skyscraper Mountain, she might not see anything except fog.
However, Lupe desperately wanted to go. She’d been cooped up in the G6 for nearly 2 days now. The mountain looked only moderately steep, and appeared to be an easy climb. A maze of soft, damp trails wove among low, wet bushes toward the S spine of the mountain. Lupe and SPHP started up.
Everything was going fine. Lupe was having a good time. She’d already gained perhaps 250 feet of elevation, when SPHP paused for a quick breather. So far, so good. Except for that view to the W. Something was wrong over there. A road snaked up the main valley into a side valley, continuing on up to a big saddle even higher than where Lupe was now. How could that be?
Mist turned to light rain, as it all sunk in. That road was the Willow Creek Road going up to Hatcher Pass. It had to be. For pity’s sake! Lupe wasn’t even climbing the right mountain. Skyscraper Mountain (4,825 ft.) was over there! No doubt about it.
Sheesh! SPHP had no idea where this trail Lupe was on went, how far it went, or what mountain Lupe was on. (She was on the 1.2 mile long trail up Marmot Mountain.)
Oh, well. Conditions were deteriorating anyway. May as well call it. Back to the G6! At least Lupe had some exercise and fun. As an added bonus, SPHP finally understood where Hatcher Pass and Skyscraper Mountain were.
Who knew? With a little luck, tomorrow would be a better day. Lupe might be glad her climb of Skyscraper had been postponed.
Dream on! The G6’s radio said differently. Rain continuing through tomorrow, extending into blah, blah. Enough of that! Outside the G6, the world continued dripping.
8-22-16, morning again. Still heavily overcast, but not raining. Maybe Lupe could climb Skyscraper right now, first thing? SPHP drove up to Hatcher Pass. The pass wasn’t far at all, but conditions were a lot different here. Steady rain, 52°F, a chilly breeze, and fog. Umm, no thank you! When it comes to adventure, Lupe and SPHP are fair weather friends. No need to star in a private episode of Survivor!
Civilization has its advantages. Lupe and SPHP left Hatcher Pass and drove down to Palmer. A roasted chicken was obtained and shared. Lupe gnawed on a rawhide stick for a while, then snoozed. SPHP read. Palmer was overcast, of course, but it wasn’t raining.
Early afternoon. Still no rain in Palmer. Maybe things were better by now at Hatcher Pass? Lupe and SPHP went back up there. No rain until just before reaching the pass, where nothing had changed since this morning. Aggravating. Lupe would just stay here and wait it out. Sooner or later, there had to be a break didn’t there?
Despite the cold rain, a surprising number of people came and went. Most were well equipped with umbrellas and rain gear. Many took short walks on trails over the gently sloping tundra beyond the Hatcher Pass monument, but few remained in the area for long.
SPHP talked to a couple of guys getting back into their vehicle with Alaska plates. Did they know anything about the long range weather forecast? It was a rental car. They were Germans, but they did know something about Alaskan weather. They’d been in Alaska for 2 weeks and had been going to extremes to try to find a little sunshine.
The Germans said 3 more days of rain were in store here, then it was supposed to clear. As soon as they left Hatcher Pass, they were headed for Anchorage to fly to Nome. Nome was sunny. In 3 days, they would fly back to Anchorage. Now, there was an idea. Lupe could fly to Nome!
Perhaps SPHP lacks imagination. Flying Lupe to Nome on the spur of the moment seemed a bit extreme. No doubt a spontaneous trip to Nome would have been a grand adventure, though!
There were brief lulls, but mostly the rain went on and on. The afternoon ticked away. Lupe had been snoozing, but during a lull in the rain, she finally woke up. She just had to get out and run! Off like a shot, the Carolina Dog flew across the heather until she was a distant speck. SPHP stood in drizzle watching from afar, waiting for Lupe to tire of her big romp and return.
A couple of women walked by with 3 kids. The older woman was telling the children to be careful not to slip on the muddy trail. Moments later, the oldest child slipped and fell in the mud. She started crying. The older woman lost it, and started screaming at the girl. She was glad Michelle was hurt! It served her right for not listening and being careful. Hadn’t she just been told to be careful? Michelle wouldn’t get any help from her!
The obscenity-laden rant went on for several minutes while Michelle cried. The other woman at least helped her back on her feet. Michelle was what, maybe 9 – 11 years old? SPHP was on the verge of going over to have a few choice words with Cruella de Vil, when she finally shut up. The immediate crisis was over. Even so, Michelle’s problems in life were far from over, not by a long shot, if that witch was her mother.
The glorious human race! So capable of both the very best and very worst the planet has on offer. Carolina Dogs are better company – active, friendly, sensible and loyal! Speaking of which, where was Lupe? Here she came, racing back from her romp. She was eager for SPHP to join in the fun. It had only been misting lightly during Michelle’s ordeal. Might as well try Skyscraper now, before things changed.
SPHP drove down to a slightly lower pullout at the base of the informal trail up Skyscraper Mountain. Lupe could hardly wait. As soon as she was out of the G6, she took off again, racing hundreds of feet down the tundra on the other side of the road. She came right back, panting hard, and was overjoyed to see SPHP getting the pack ready.
A volley of raindrops splattered SPHP, but didn’t last long. Yes, raingear was in order. SPHP dug it out of the pack, and put on a green plastic rain poncho. Ready for another attempt. How far Lupe would get was in serious doubt, but at least she would be on the right mountain this time around. Lupe and SPHP started up the slope. (6:20 PM, 48°F)
The longest, steepest part of the climb came right at the start. Skyscraper is one of those mountains where the top always looks only another 50 feet higher. By the time Lupe reached the first high point, she had already gained 2/3 of the total 950 feet of elevation gain required to reach the summit.
From a rock formation at the first high point, Lupe got her first view of what lay ahead. Not far to the N, an orange windsock floated on the breeze above a broad, rounded ridge. From the windsock, Lupe would have an easy time traveling over gently rising tundra toward a couple modestly higher points along the ridge.
Looking back, Lupe could see Summit Lake on the W side of Hatcher Pass. April Bowl and Hatch Peak (4,811 ft.) on the S side of the pass were in view, too.
Lupe checked out the orange windsock, before turning NE to start the easy stroll up toward the next couple of high points. She had a blast running around sniffing and exploring the tundra. By now, Skyscraper Mountain’s entire summit ridge was in view, including the little bump up at the N end where the true summit is located.
The path along the higher part of the SW ridge undulated from one minor high point to the next. Through the light mist, Lupe could see mountains in every direction. If it had been a clear day, the scene would have been really gorgeous. Lupe had nothing to complain about, however. She was lucky the rain was holding off for the time being.
Beyond the minor high points of the SW ridge, the trail lost some elevation heading down to a saddle leading to Skyscraper’s summit ridge. Another steep climb ensued from the saddle, but it was only half as long as the first big climb had been. Soon Lupe was up at the S end of the summit ridge. The Pass survey benchmark was right there.
Skyscraper’s summit ridge is nearly level until it reaches a modest bump up at the N end where the true summit is located. The ridge was much narrower than the SW ridge Lupe had come up, especially toward the N end. The true summit was only 150 yards N of the Pass survey benchmark.
Lupe was there in practically no time at all. After days of waiting, success rewarded patience! Congratulations, and the usual paw-shaking ceremony ensued.
Mist and drizzle had occasionally given way to light rain on the way up. Lupe was fortunate to have reached the summit of Skyscraper. Conditions might worsen at any moment, so Lupe and SPHP didn’t stay at the summit too long. There was time enough for some photos, and a good look around at what could be seen of the rugged surrounding peaks of the Talkeetna Range.
Time to go. Lupe and SPHP started back S along the summit ridge. In the saddle between the summit ridge and the SW ridge, Lupe met two young guys from Wasilla on their way up Skyscraper. They said the weather was typical of this time of year around here.
Out of curiosity, SPHP asked them what trails/peaks they recommended Lupe save for a sunny day in the area? Reed Lakes was the immediate response. It wasn’t far from here. SPHP had heard of it. Good information. Never hurts to ask the local experts!
A thick fog rolled in as Lupe descended the last little stretch of the steep final slope to the G6. Rain came with it. Back just in time (9:13 PM)! Those poor guys from Wasilla hadn’t looked prepared for this.
Fifteen minutes later they appeared running across Willow Creek Road toward Hatcher Pass, where their vehicle must have been parked. Had they made it to the summit of Skyscraper? Probably, but they couldn’t have been there long enough to enjoy it. Lupe would never know for sure. At least they were back safely, though cold and soaking wet.
Lupe’s Skyscraper Mountain adventure had reached a successful conclusion, despite all the doubts of the last several days. Time to celebrate! SPHP drove down out of the soup back to Palmer. All remaining roasted chicken was devoured, along with a second course of cheese and crackers.
Carolina Dogs love cheese! Lupe always gobbled the cheese first before she would touch the cracker. American Dingoes always go for the gusto, then mop up whatever remains later on. But then, you probably knew that already.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Hatcher Pass East Management Area
Independence Mine State Historical Site
Hatcher Pass to April Bowl & Hatch Benchmark, Talkeetna Range, Alaska (8-27-17)
Want more Lupe adventures? Choose from Lupe’s 2016 Canadian Rockies, Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index, Dingo Vacations Adventure Index or Master Adventure Index. Or subscribe free to new Lupe Adventures.
