They chose Eklunta Lake. I planned on hiking two miles in and then turning around and hiking two miles out, for a total of four miles. I knew they could do this because they did 4.5 last week, up a mountain. The trail is VERY easy. And very wide.
It is a multi-use trail. So a few days a week ATV's and snowmobiles (weather permitting) are allowed and bikes and hikers are always allowed. Today happened to be a day with a lot of people on ATV's. It goes 13 miles back and ends at a waterfall and a glacier. Something I would totally love to do, but I don't think I could even bike 26 miles. My ass would be so sore!
About a half mile up the trail we came to this sign...
And decided that we wanted to leave the main trail and see what was up there. It was sort of steep, but doable. The kids had fun hacking away at the bushes that overgrew the trails. Spencer brought his "sword".
Maybe a quarter mile into that trail I heard something. It was the noise of something big going through the woods. I made the kids quiet down so I could hear. I heard it again and my adrenaline started pumping! I didn't see anything. I yelled out, "Hello". Hoping it was just some other people coming down the trail. No one answered and I heard more noises. At that point, even though I didn't see anything, I decided we needed to turn back and get on the main trail. In that Bear Aware book Kayleigh made me buy, it said the best way to not get attacked by a bear is to avoid them. Stay on well traveled trails. Travel in the middle of the day when the animals are not out. And be loud. Well, it was the middle of the day. We were loud. But I am not sure that was a well traveled trail. And it was very overgrown, which makes is easier to sneak up on an animal or an animal to sneak up on you. I think I made the right decision.
We meandered along the lake for a while. The kids "fished"
What they really wanted to do was this...
A lady told me they had a three person kayak to rent there. But I was not up to that. I couldn't imagine what I would do if Spencer started to freak out all the way up at the front when I was at the back. I told them that I bet their dad would love to go sometime. So we would have to wait for him and we would do it probably next summer. Or maybe at Otter Lake this summer.
We stopped and had some snacks and took some more pictures...
Right after the one mile marker we saw this really pretty creek. The kids loved sitting on the bridge and watching it. I floated some flowers and leaves down it so they could see how the water flowed. I loved doing that as a kid.
After that creek, we kept hiking. And kept hiking. And kept hiking. Spencer started complaining about getting tired. But I really wanted to keep going until the two mile marker! Finally, I said screw it and we turned around. I decided that from the turn around point I would use the app on my phone that measures the distance of a walk/hike. I didn't want to before because I forgot my camera at home and was using my phone. I didn't want to run down my battery.
This is a picture of where we turned around looking back where we started.
See the very end of the lake, pretty much straight back? That's where we started from! When we finally did make it back to the car the app said it was 2.7 miles! So I take it there was no two mile marker. We almost got to the third mile. So 2.7 miles there + 2.7 miles back + my about .25-.5 mile detour= aprox. 5.6- 5.9 miles! No wonder Spencer was tired. I only carried him about a mile too! What a trooper!
Spencer passed out in the car and I had to carry him in and lay him down. I made a new recipe for dinner, again. Linguine with Garlickly clams and Peas. Kayleigh liked it because of the red pepper flakes added spice. That or she scarfed it down because she was hungry from such a long hike. Spencer sat and cried at the table and only ate the cheese of the top. I didn't complain too much. I just let him down and had him go get ready for a shower. Once I was done eating I put him in the shower and got him to bed. Poor, tired boy.
Here are a few more scenery shots. Please keep in mind that I forgot my camera so they were all taken with the phone. I am pleased to say while playing with the phone on one of our snack breaks I found out it takes panorama shots! Who knew? As always with these lots of pictures posts, the rest are on facebook!
Wow, I can honestly say that Alaska should be our home after I get out. It's so amazing and beautiful. The weather is what I like. The atmosphere is what I like. So, either find somewhere like it or we move to Alaska. Well, I could live in Oregon. It's beautiful there as well. So, looks like you had a close call. I'm glad you decided to go back. A lot of people would have wondered further and got eaten. So smart thinking on your part. It's still scared the shit out of me when I was reading it. I'm pretty sure I was wide-eyed. It's like my worst fear. You or one of the kids getting eaten alive by a bear. Well, I will say I did not have such a wonderful day. The morning was good, but afternoon turned to shit. I told dispatch not to put me on any jobs because I had to take care of Sgt Smithwick's airmen stuff. Things like TBA, review CDC's, training, etc. Well, what do you think happened. I got put on a job that took until 7. I was pissed the rest of the afternoon. That is until I read your post. Just reading you post's puts me in a better mood. I can hear you telling me how your day went and it calms me down just thinking of your voice and how wonderful it sounds. So I did not get my run in that I wanted to. I think I'm gonna have a talk with dispatch about them being airmen and how they need to listen to what we say because we have extra duties like those mentioned above. It's not a lot to ask for. Hell, this is the first time in a while that I have asked not to be put on a job. So whatever. Anyways, I'm gonna stop bickering about my day and how it turned sour. I will talk with you in the buongiorno (Italian for morning). I Love You Babe!!!
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