Lost Lake, take 1

The prospect of a three day weekend in Alaska excited us with all the possibilities. On the recommendation of a co-worker of mine, we chose to hike in to Lost Lake outside of Seward. It's about an 8 mile hike to the lake, with the prospect of exploring old mines and day hikes in the mountains once we set up camp by the lake. She showed us pictures of the lake and surrounding tundra in the fall, red and golden and beautiful. We made a trip to REI for supplies, buying all the camping supplies we've been talking about for awhile. At last we had the immediacy of a trip to spur us into action. We spent most of yesterday packing and talking over all the details that a backpacking trip entails. I was excited to be carrying on my back all the supplies we would need in the wilderness. This kind of self-sufficiency is refreshing, it makes me think of the world in simpler terms.
Due to all of our preparation, we finally hit the road at 3 pm on Saturday, arriving at the trailhead at 5. Thanks to the long evenings in Alaska during the summer, we still had 6-7 hours of daylight to hike and if we wanted to do the 8 miles to the lake, it would probably take that long. No other cars were parked at the trailhead, something that made us wonder if everyone else knew something we didn't. We ignored the comments on sign-in paper that said, "Snow after mile 4, snowshoes recommended, " and "Turn back now!" :) The hike began well, the trail winding through dry forest. We took a side trail to an overlook across from a gorgeous waterfall, swelled with the water from the spring melt. Soon after that we hit mud, then patchy snow, then solid snow. We eventually hiked for about 2 miles on a snowmachine trail, with the sound of gushing water beneath us under at least a foot of snow. The snow was mushy in spots and occasionally one foot would break through and get soaked by the stream below. After about six miles and 3 1/2 hours of hiking, we still hadn't made it above treeline, and there was no guarantee of dry ground to pitch a tent on. We decided to call it a day hike instead and turned around. We got back to our car around 11 and made it home by 1 am, so thankful for dry clothes and a cozy bed. On our way out we signed the trail registration paper, "Should be nice in September." We're still not used to how long the snow sticks around up here...

Porcupine Falls

Close-up of the falls



On the trail



Muddy boots