{"id":14851,"date":"2018-09-17T08:10:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T14:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=14851"},"modified":"2018-08-01T22:47:28","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T04:47:28","slug":"skilak-lookout-kenai-mountains-alaska-8-30-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=14851","title":{"rendered":"Skilak Lookout, Kenai Mountains, Alaska (8-30-17)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Days 30 & 31 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska!<\/em><\/p>\n

8-29-17, 12:33 PM, at a pullout along N Palmer Fishhook Road –<\/em> Awake again, surprisingly soon.\u00a0 Lupe was awake, too.\u00a0 Only 3.5 hours gone by since she had returned from her 25 hour “day” hike on the Reed Lakes trail to Lynx Peak<\/span><\/a> (6,536 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> and back again.<\/p>\n

The relatively short snooze had definitely done some good.\u00a0 Both Lupe and SPHP were feeling better.\u00a0 Better, but still tired.\u00a0 Back to sleep!\u00a0 Not for long, though.\u00a0 The next time Looper woke up, SPHP drove down to Palmer.\u00a0 Having fallen in the mud 4 times yesterday, SPHP searched for a laundromat.\u00a0 The rest of the day was taken up by a shower and adventures in laundry.\u00a0 Loopster snoozed, recuperating in the G6.<\/p>\n

The day’s biggest events didn’t come until late evening.\u00a0 SPHP bought a whole roasted chicken at Fred Meyers.\u00a0 Lupe hadn’t eaten much during the day.\u00a0 Now she was famished.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog made short work of the chicken SPHP shared with her.\u00a0 Nothing left, but bones.\u00a0 Then it was a late evening walk in Palmer before hitting the hay again.<\/p>\n

8-30-17<\/em> – The morning shot by.\u00a0 The weather in Palmer was decent.\u00a0 Overcast, but not raining or threatening to, with temps in the mid 50’s.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP were sufficiently recovered from the Lynx Peak ordeal to consider something active again.\u00a0 Nothing too strenuous.\u00a0 Anything involving enough effort to get the blood flowing again would do.\u00a0 Crow Pass or Skilak Lookout might work.\u00a0 By noon, Lupe was on her way to Anchorage on Glen Highway No. 1.<\/p>\n

S of Anchorage, Lupe and SPHP stopped at Beluga Point<\/strong><\/span><\/a> along Seward Highway No. 1.\u00a0 A gale was blowing out of the SW, roiling the muddy Turnagain Arm which appeared to be near high tide.\u00a0 The view to the SE in the direction of Girdwood was not at all encouraging.\u00a0 Clouds and mist hung over the mountains.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
After going through Anchorage, Lupe stopped briefly at Beluga Point<\/strong>. A gale out of the SW was roiling the muddy Turnagain Arm<\/strong>. Photo looks WSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The view looking SE along the Turnagain Arm<\/strong> toward the Girdwood area was not encouraging. Clouds and mist were hanging around the mountains in that direction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Lupe arrived in Girdwood a little after 2:00 PM, a light rain was falling.\u00a0 The wind wasn’t a gale here, but a lively breeze was blowing.\u00a0 The air was damp and raw.\u00a0 Crow Pass was out.\u00a0 Too bad.\u00a0 SPHP wondered about the wisdom of even continuing on to the Kenai Peninsula and Skilak Lookout?<\/p>\n

Lupe wanted to go.\u00a0 May as well.\u00a0 No better options came to mind.\u00a0 By 4:00 PM, the Carolina Dog was well into the Kenai Peninsula.\u00a0 Once beyond Cooper Landing, SPHP started watching for a L turn off Sterling Highway No. 1 onto Skilak Road.\u00a0 Shortly after making the turn, Lupe got her first look at Skilak Lake.<\/p>\n

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From Skilak Road W of Cooper Landing, Lupe got her first view of Skilak Lake<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The weather certainly hadn’t improved much.\u00a0 The sky was more darkly overcast than back at Girdwood.\u00a0 At least it wasn’t raining, although it looked like it might at a moment’s notice.\u00a0 5.5 miles from the Sterling Highway, SPHP found the Skilak Lookout trailhead.\u00a0 The parking lot was vacant.\u00a0 Not a soul around.<\/p>\n

A small sign on the other side of the road marked the start of the Skilak Lookout trail.\u00a0 The trail immediately disappeared into a gloomy forest.<\/p>\n

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Lupe at the start of the Skilak Lookout Trail. The weather was questionable to say the least, but it wasn’t raining yet. Loop was going to see how far she could get. With a little luck she might make it to Skilak Lookout, which was only 2.2 miles away.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trail started off going down a short slope.\u00a0 Near the bottom, Lupe found an information station.<\/p>\n

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Within a few minutes of starting out, Lupe came to a trail information station.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This handy rundown on what to expect along the Skilak Lookout Trail was on display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The information station also provided this lovely map.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first part of the Skilak Lookout trail wound generally S through a dense forest.\u00a0 Even though she had no views, Lupe was having plenty of fun sniffing around the forest floor close to the trail.<\/p>\n

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Loop in the forest on the first part of the Skilak Lookout Trail. She liked this area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Skilak Lookout trail was just the ticket for a first outing after the huge trek a couple of days ago on the Reed Lakes trail to Lynx Peak.\u00a0 Nice and easy.\u00a0 Less than 800 feet of elevation gain over more than 2 miles, most of it near the end.<\/p>\n

Lupe trotted happily along gaining elevation slowly.\u00a0 There were no views until she got out of the forest upon reaching the Hidden Creek burn area mentioned back at the information station.\u00a0 SPHP then started to get occasional views, but Lupe still had none.\u00a0 The Hidden Creek burn had occurred way back in May, 1996.\u00a0 An awful lot of vegetation had grown up since then.<\/p>\n

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Upon reaching the 21+ year old Hidden Creek burn area, SPHP started getting views of the E end of Skilak Lake<\/strong>. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Even after reaching the burn area, Lupe couldn’t see much. An awful lot of vegetation had grown up over 21 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Looking E from farther along the trail. The Kenai River<\/strong> enters Skilak Lake<\/strong> at the base of the low hill R of Center. In the distance are Russian Mountain<\/span><\/a> (4,318 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (L), Bear Mountain<\/span><\/a> (3,707 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (Center), and Surprise Mountain<\/span><\/a> (4,094 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (R).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Skilak Lookout trail appeared seldom traveled.\u00a0 Long stretches were overgrown with vegetation.\u00a0 Other sections were quite muddy.\u00a0 Hardly surprising, since it seemed to rain almost every day in Alaska.\u00a0 Lupe was getting sprinkled on every so often here, too.\u00a0 Fortunately, the showers were light and didn’t last long.<\/p>\n

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Views? What views? Seems more like a tunnel to me!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe was at least a third of the way along the trail before she caught a glimpse of hills ahead.\u00a0 Skilak Lookout had to be somewhere up among those hills!<\/p>\n

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When Lupe was more than 1\/3 of the way along the Skilak Lookout Trail, she started getting glimpses of hills ahead. Photo looks SSW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearing the hills, Lupe came across fresh evidence American Dingoes weren’t the only ferocious predators in the area.<\/p>\n

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Fresh bear scat on the Skilak Lookout Trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5 minutes before coming to the bear scat, Lupe had found a squirrel to bark at.\u00a0 Perhaps that had been a good thing?\u00a0 Maybe the bear was so frightened by the sound of an approaching\u00a0 American Dingo it had fled?\u00a0 At any rate, SPHP was glad Loopster had given that squirrel a proper barking.\u00a0 No bear was seen, though the lush vegetation could have been hiding one almost anywhere.<\/p>\n

The last part of the Skilak Lookout trail was steep and slick.\u00a0 SPHP had a hard time maintaining traction on the mud.\u00a0 Dense stands of bushes and small trees crowded the trail, so staying right on the path was about the only option.\u00a0 SPHP used branches for assistance, and began to wonder if anything at all could be seen from the top of Skilak Lookout?<\/p>\n

The steep section was short.\u00a0 Lupe was soon up above it.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog quickly came to a small, exposed rocky ridge.\u00a0 SPHP needn’t have feared.\u00a0 Lupe had a great view of the E part of Skilak Lake!\u00a0 Now that she could finally see, Looper wasn’t all that thrilled about it.\u00a0 A cold 25 mph wind swept up the ridge from across the lake.<\/p>\n

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Nearing the top of Skilak Lookout<\/strong>, Lupe reaches a small, exposed ridge. An annoying, cold 25 mph wind was sweeping up from across Skilak Lake<\/strong>. Photo looks ESE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe didn’t like the strong wind, but at least it wasn’t raining when she reached Skilak Lookout. Patches of blue sky raced by overhead. Photo looks SE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe could see the Skilak River delta<\/strong> at the far E end of Skilak Lake<\/strong>. The Skilak River<\/strong> is short, originating from the Skilak Glacier<\/strong> not too many miles away. Photo looks ESE with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Kenai River<\/strong> enters Skilak Lake<\/strong> along its N shore near the NE end of the lake. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The top of Skilak Lookout was only a few hundred feet away from the first good viewpoint.\u00a0 A small stand of old evergreens stood slightly W of the true summit.\u00a0 Their windswept appearance provided proof positive that the current strong wind sweeping up from across Skilak Lake was nothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

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Lupe reaches the summit of Skilak Lookout<\/strong>. A windswept stand of ancient evergreens provided proof that today’s strong wind from across Skilak Lake was nothing unusual. Photo looks W.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Loopster faces into the same prevailing wind the battered evergreens behind her had endured all their lives. Photo looks NNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The evergreens had put up with this stiff breeze a lot longer than Lupe intended to.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hideout Hill<\/span><\/a> (2,858 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (R above Lupe) is seen in this view looking N.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At Skilak Lookout’s true summit, Lupe found a small rock outcropping and an unimpressive cairn.\u00a0 Loop didn’t spend much time here.\u00a0 Several rock outcroppings closer to the lake provided better viewpoints.<\/p>\n

From the rock outcroppings, Lupe had excellent views of Skilak Lake to the E and S, however the views to the W were disappointing.\u00a0 Skilak Lake is big.\u00a0 Most of the lake was off to the W or SW, yet very little of the western part of the lake could be seen.\u00a0 Other hills were in the way.<\/p>\n

A slightly lower hill to the SW was positioned where it might provide a more panoramic view of Skilak Lake.\u00a0 Several different paths started off in that direction.\u00a0 Lupe tried them all, but none of them went anywhere.\u00a0 They all dead ended or circled back into each other.<\/p>\n

If a decent trail had actually gone to the lower hill, Lupe would have taken it.\u00a0 However, it was getting late and charging off trail into dense vegetation seemed foolhardy.\u00a0 The weather was questionable, and no telling where that bear had run off to.\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP gave up on the idea.\u00a0 After all, this was supposed to be an easy day!<\/p>\n

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Little could be seen of the larger western portions of Skilak Lake<\/strong> from Skilak Lookout<\/strong>. Henton Benchmark<\/strong><\/span><\/a> (1,568 ft.)<\/strong><\/span> (R) was one of a couple of large hills blocking the view. Photo looks WNW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Several trails headed off toward this slightly lower hill to the SW, but they all dead ended. If any of them had actually gone over there, Lupe would have, too. Photo looks SW with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Lupe on the rock outcropping providing the best view. Her ear points up at Russian Mountain<\/span><\/a> (4,318 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A good look at the E end of Skilak Lake<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Looking SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Looking SE toward the Skilak River delta<\/strong> and rocky islands in Skilak Lake<\/strong> with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The wind soon drove Lupe away from the best viewpoints.\u00a0 They were too exposed.\u00a0 Loop and SPHP retreated back to the true summit, at least somewhat out of the wind.\u00a0 In 2016, on a much nicer day, Lupe had taken the Skyline Trail to the Mystery Hills<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 The views from there had been even better.\u00a0 Could Lupe see the Mystery Hills from here?\u00a0 SPHP spotted a long high ridge off to the NNE.<\/p>\n

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In 2016, Lupe had taken the Skyline Trail to both North Mystery Hills<\/span><\/a> (3,284 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (L) and Mystery Hills Central<\/span><\/a> (3,291 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> (R). It was fun to see them again from Skilak Lookout<\/strong>. Photo looks NNE with help from the telephoto lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yes, Lupe could see the Mystery Hills from Skilak Lookout!\u00a0 It was fun to think about that day over a year ago now.\u00a0 Loop and SPHP sat on the ground at the summit of Skilak Lookout huddled together for warmth.<\/p>\n

Clouds and several large patches of blue sky sailed swiftly by.\u00a0 A small flock of crows came flying on the wind.\u00a0 For a few minutes, the crows circled above Skilak Lookout playing games with each other.\u00a0 Together they plunged earthward before soaring and swirling back into the wild blue heavens.\u00a0 The breeze soon carried them out of sight.<\/p>\n

15 minutes at the summit, then the sky suddenly looked ominous over by the Skilak River delta off to the SE.\u00a0 Mountains were disappearing in an approaching dark cloud.\u00a0 Time for action!\u00a0 Rain was clearly on the way.\u00a0 Better get with it.\u00a0 Maybe Lupe could beat the rain back to the G6?<\/p>\n

SPHP slipped and fell in the mud on the steep part of the trail shortly after leaving Skilak Lookout.\u00a0 No damage done.\u00a0 Puppy, ho!\u00a0 Onward!<\/p>\n

Hurry, hurry, all the way.\u00a0 Lupe didn’t beat the rain, but it wasn’t as bad as it had appeared.\u00a0 Showers came and went.\u00a0 Loopster arrived damp, but not soaked, back at the G6.\u00a0 English muffins and summer sausage for dinner, then SPHP drove to the W end of Skilak Road.\u00a0 Due to highway construction, flagmen were preventing traffic from entering the Sterling Highway.<\/p>\n

Information posted near the junction showed a map of the area.\u00a0 A fairly good-sized lake was close by.\u00a0 A short side road led to it.\u00a0 It was getting dark.\u00a0 Maybe Lupe could hang out there tonight?<\/p>\n

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This sign showing the Skilak Lake area was posted at the W end of Skilak Road near the junction with the Sterling Highway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No one here.\u00a0 No facilities, only a large turnaround next to the lake.\u00a0 SPHP parked the G6.\u00a0 Bottenintnin Lake was big, but shallow.\u00a0 Water lilies extended far out from shore.\u00a0 Another side road left the turnaround.\u00a0 The American Dingo and SPHP explored it.\u00a0 Loop sniffed out a few dispersed camping sites.\u00a0 None were occupied.\u00a0 The side road soon ended.\u00a0 Perfect!<\/p>\n

Skilak Lookout had been fun!\u00a0 It had been an easy half day, which was all Lupe and SPHP had really been up for.\u00a0 The weather could have been better, but Lupe did get to Skilak Lookout, and she did get to see Skilak Lake.\u00a0 Nature doesn’t give guarantees.\u00a0 You take what you can get.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow was another roll of the dice.\u00a0 Maybe Lupe would get lucky?\u00a0 Dark now.\u00a0 Time to rest up.\u00a0 Better be ready, in case she did.<\/p>\n

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Skilak Lookout, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska 8-30-17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Related Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On the Skyline Trail to the Mystery Hills, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (8-27-16)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Days 30 & 31 of Lupe’s 2017 Dingo Vacation to the Yukon & Alaska! 8-29-17, 12:33 PM, at a pullout along N Palmer Fishhook Road – Awake again, surprisingly soon.\u00a0 Lupe was awake, too.\u00a0 Only 3.5 hours gone by since she had returned from her 25 hour “day” hike on the Reed Lakes trail to … Continue reading Skilak Lookout, Kenai Mountains, Alaska (8-30-17)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[835],"tags":[8,704,105,106,26,949,755,104,11,950,948],"class_list":["post-14851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2017-yukon-alaska","tag-omniten","tag-alaska","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-kenai-mountains","tag-kenai-peninsula","tag-lupe","tag-peakbagging","tag-skilak-lake","tag-skilak-lookout"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_7159.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14851"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16375,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14851\/revisions\/16375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}