Days 19 & 20 of Lupe’s 2019 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!
8-23-19, 6:34 AM, 31ºF, 1.5 miles NNW of Glenn Highway MP 123.3 – After her tremendous exertions up on Syncline Mountain yesterday, Lupe had scarcely moved a muscle all night. She was up and about bright and early now, though, sniffing among the bushes while SPHP straightened up the G6.
Still smoky this morning, so no great rush. A leisurely breakfast (beef stew!) was prepared at the Gunsight Mountain trailhead (MP 118.5). SPHP was surprised when Loop only wanted her Taste of the Wild. After breakfast she snoozed through most of the scenic drive to Palmer, where the smoke proved to be worse than ever.
Not good. Plan A had been to climb one of several possible peaks in the Palmer area, but evidently that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe the air would be clearer closer to the ocean? Lots of great peaks in Chugach State Park!
SPHP drove all the way to Anchorage, but Plan B was a flop, too. The mountains were barely visible. The smoke was as bad here as in Palmer, if not worse. Drought and forest fires in Alaska! It seemed incredible. In prior years, it had been hard to find a day when it didn’t rain.
Stops for supplies, an oil change for the G6. Hours frittered away. What to do? No sense in hanging around, the smoke wasn’t going to go away unless it rained hard, or the wind shifted. Kenai Peninsula or inland? The Carolina Dog stated no preference. SPHP gambled on inland.
N of Wasilla, a lighted sign said “FIRE MP82-91 expect 3-4 hour delays”. Plan C was looking shaky, at best.
8-24-19, 8:44 AM, 46ºF, Little Coal Creek trailhead, Denali State Park – The lighted sign had either been hype, or outdated. Lupe had gotten through yesterday with only a single 30 minute delay. She’d seen some charred acreage right next to the Parks Highway, but no flames, no billowing smoke, no emergency. However, she’d arrived at Denali State Park too late to take on any big excursions.
A beautiful morning today, though! Blue skies and no sign of smoke at all. Wind must be blowing the right direction. Better take advantage of the situation while good fortune held. After a whole day of rest, the American Dingo was ready for action!
Expectations were high! A return to Denali State Park’s beloved K’esugi Ridge was on the agenda. The Little Coal Creek trail would get the Carolina Dog up there. Ultimate destination, an off-trail exploration of Peak 4500!
The Little Coal Creek trail began as a nearly level trek in a ferny forest. Lupe trotted along watching for squirrels, with occasional success. A joyful start!
The trail crossed 2 small tributaries of Little Coal Creek. Both had plank bridges. The second stream, which was the biggest, drained a nearby pond.
After passing the pond, Lupe came to a first glimpse of the Little Coal Creek valley just S of the trail. Although she could hear it, the valley was so full of trees, Looper couldn’t see Little Coal Creek.
Lupe hadn’t gained much elevation yet, but the trail began to steepen as it veered away from Little Coal Creek. The upward pace was still easy to moderate. For quite a long way, trees and tall bushes hid all views.
Eventually things began to open up. Tantalizing glimpses of the Alaska Range beyond the Chulitna River valley appeared. SPHP tried to hurry, hoping to get high enough to see more before the sky could cloud up. Vegetation shrank. Loopster made it above treeline. Although clouds partially obscured the highest peaks, all the lower ones were on display. The views were already incredible!
Lupe had never enjoyed such a clear day on the way up to K’esugi Ridge before. As she kept going, even the summit of Denali (20,310 ft.), the highest mountain in North America, sometimes appeared.
As impressive as the Denali and the Alaska range were, the beauty of K’esugi Ridge was also stunning. The Little Coal Creek trail steepened considerably shortly before the American Dingo reached the tundra.
The 3.3 mile long Little Coal Creek trail formally ended soon after Lupe reached a region of gentler slopes near K’esugi Mountain (4,700 ft.). She was now on massive K’esugi Ridge, a world of tundra and rocks!
The end of the Little Coal Creek trail was a mere technicality. The trail actually kept going, but now as the K’esugi Ridge trail. Pass 3500 on the other side of the Little Coal Creek valley was now the next objective. Skirting along the base of K’esugi Mountain, the K’esugi Ridge trail headed right for it.
Although Lupe crossed the main channel of Little Coal Creek on the way to Pass 3500, she only saw minor tributaries. However, she did heard the main stream gurgling beneath a boulder field that slowed SPHP down considerably.
Upon reaching Pass 3500, Loopster again had a sweeping view of the Chulitna River valley and the Alaska Range. Ahead, the K’esugi Ridge trail gradually descended a broad, open slope leading to a level region W of K’esugi Mountain.
For more than a mile the K’esugi Ridge trail was wide, well-worn, and nearly flat. Lupe passed a couple of scenic small tarns.
1.5 miles from Pass 3500, a larger tarn appeared. Beyond it was the long ridge that leads up to Peak 4500.
Lupe stuck with the K’esugi Ridge trail as she continued on beyond the big tarn. Before too long the trail crossed a stream. The American Dingo didn’t have much farther to go to reach the start of the long ridge to Peak 4500.
Upon reaching the base of the ridge, Lupe abandoned the K’esugi Ridge trail. Turning S, she climbed a slope that grew rocky and steepened shortly before Loop made it up to the ridgeline.
Ahead a rumpled region of tundra and rock stretched away toward a series of higher benches. Most of the tundra was a mix of red and cream colors. Little bushes added a few splashes of yellow or orange. Greens were evident wherever the ground was damp. Fields of dark gray rocks covered the steeper slopes.
The terrain wasn’t particularly rough, and it was all, oh, so beautiful! This was going to be a fabulous exploration! Looper was in for a treat!
As SPHP picked a way higher, Lupe roamed the landscape. Alaska was suffering a drought. Instead of exhibiting its usual soft sponginess, the parched tundra crunched underpaw. Wherever possible, SPHP tried to stay on rocks to avoid unnecessary damage.
Eventually Lupe reached the upper end of this first region. Before her was a similar area that sloped more gently. Beyond this plain was a ridge more formidable than anything she’d come to so far. Off to the SW was a sweeping view of a lower part of K’esugi Ridge. Lupe could see both Peak 3700 and Ermine Hill (2,700 ft.).
After crossing the gentle plain near the upper end of a moist area, Lupe started climbing toward the more formidable ridge. This region was steeper and rockier, but really wasn’t all that difficult. The slope was a long one, though. Soon the Carolina Dog was ready for water and a rest. SPHP didn’t mind in the least. The break felt so good, another one was taken shortly before reaching the top.
The top of the formidable ridge turned out not to be a top at all, just the end of the steepest part of the climb. A rocky region ahead led toward a big tundra-covered slope with a slightly higher ridge in view beyond it. Maybe that was the summit?
Near the edge of the tundra was a giant boulder, easily bigger than any other rock in the vicinity. Lupe leapt up onto it. From here she could see yet another ridge a little farther off that might even be higher than the one that wasn’t too far away now.
From the giant boulder, a short stroll on the tundra brought Lupe to a pancake flat plain. The more distant ridge did appear higher than the one now close at paw. The American Dingo headed for it.
The slopes leading up onto this second ridge were an easy trek. The top turned out to be a flattish, yet uneven region with 3 high points. The S high point was 20 feet lower than the other two, which were so close to being the same elevation it was hard to tell which might be highest.
No doubt about it! Lupe had made it to the summit of Peak 4500. She arrived first at the Center high point where a thick, round stone sat amid similar boulders.
The NE high point 200 feet away was different. It consisted of a narrow ridge of much smaller rocks. Since the NE high point looked just as high as the Center one, to truly claim her peakbagging success Loop had to go over there, too. Beyond a steeper rocky slope, the American Dingo had a fabulous view of K’esugi West (4,600 ft.), K’esugi Mountain (4,700 ft.) and Indian Benchmark (4,558 ft.).
Having visited both the Center and NE high points, it was still difficult to say which might be the true summit. SPHP suspected the NE high point, but it was such a close call. The S high point was clearly out of the running, but having come so far, Loop visited it, too. She was rewarded with a sweeping view of the Susitna River valley.
Although not a difficult trek, getting to Peak 4500 had been a long one. Now that she’d visited all 3 high points, Lupe was ready to relax. She returned to the Center high point with its scenic big boulders, selecting a comfy spot. 55ºF, a soft NE breeze. Surrounded by the glory of Alaska atop K’esugi Ridge’s Peak 4500, the Carolina Dog laid basking in the slanting rays of the late afternoon sun.
A perfect late summer day! Clouds drifted slowly by the gleaming white form of North America’s highest mountain. Who would ever want to leave?
Yet the moment came. 1.5 hours gone by since the American Dingo had arrived up on Peak 4500. Lupe was ready. Once again she stood poised atop the highest rocks.
Onward! Puppy ho!
Oh, there was more, so much more! The adventure wasn’t over yet!
Let’s do some exploring, Looper!
Batteries recharged, Lupe was all in favor of that! Returning to Peak 4500’s NE high point, she paused only briefly before starting down the rocky N slope.
After an initial 200 foot descent to the edge of a canyon NE of Peak 4500, Lupe traveled NNW along it. Near the end she came to a flat region as she approached a small dark rocky hill. From here Loop might easily have gone NE down a long slope to Pass 3900, the saddle between Peak 4500 and K’esugi West. However, off to the WNW at the far end of the flat region was an unusual rock formation.
Hey, SPHP! Let’s go check that out!
Leading the way across the flat region, the Carolina Dog soon came to the world famous (well, it is now!) “K’esugi Stonehenge”.
After a thorough investigation, Lupe tried to take a shortcut from K’esugi Stonehenge to Pass 3900 by going E around the N side of the small dark hill. Things quickly became a bit steep.
OK, more than “a bit”. SPHP did a magnificent poultry impression and chickened out. Loop wound up traveling back across the flat region to the easy way down to Pass 3900.
From Pass 3900, it looked like it might be possible to go right up the SW face to the top of K’esugi West. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for that.
The rest was easy. Staying close to the base of K’esugi West for a little way, the American Dingo eventually headed down to a shallow pond that came into view, and continued NW beyond it.
And oh, what a happy time it was! Lupe explored and sniffed to her heart’s content, roaming seldom seen parts of beautiful K’esugi Ridge. An evening in Dingo Heaven!
Exactly 2 hours after leaving Peak 4500, Lupe reached the K’esugi Ridge trail again. The fun wasn’t over. Still 5 gorgeous miles to go back to the Little Coal Creek trailhead.
Who could ask for anything more? (End 11:06 PM, 42ºF)
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
K’esugi Ridge Trail System North
K’esugi Ridge: Indian Benchmark & K’esugi Mountain, Denali State Park, Alaska (8-18-16)
K’esugi Ridge: Whimbrel Hill & the Golog Benchmark, Denali State Park, Alaska (8-19-16)
K’esugi Ridge: Ermine Hill, Denali State Park, Alaska (8-26-17)
K’esugi Ridge: Ermine Hill & Peak 3700, Denali State Park, Alaska (9-4-18)
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