Friday - Day 6

Resurrection Pass Trail, Alaska - We woke up to blue sky and cold temperatures this morning. Neither of us was in a hurry to leave the warmth of our quilts. Eventually, I opened the vestibule just enough to make coffee using the last trickle of gas in our fuel can - just enough left to warm the water to something near drinkable. I sat in the tent with my cup for as long as possible, watching the light shift across the fabric walls before finally venturing out into the morning.

The nine-mile hike down to the south trailhead passed quietly. At the top of one hill, a flicker of cell signal appeared, and we managed to call Trout to confirm pickup plans. He was running a little late visiting his grandparents, so we decided to meet him at Gwin’s Lodge a mile down the highway. J and I immediately started thinking about bacon cheeseburgers and cold coke.

By midday the air had turned warm and bright, the kind of July weather that draws everyone outside on a holiday weekend. We began to hear traffic long before we saw the road, a steady reminder that we were heading back toward people and pavement. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes found us before the traffic did. The last mile of trail was the worst bugs we experienced on the hike, and Jason’s legs were an easy target.

When we reached the trailhead, there was still one more mile to walk along a busy road with no shoulder and heavy July 4th traffic. Cars rushed past, and we kept to the edge, moving quickly and hoping for a break in the flow. We made it in one piece, a little dusty and more than ready to be done with that last precarious mile of road walking.

Thursday - Day 5

Resurrection Pass Trail, Alaska - Our first night back in the tent went better than expected. I feel like I slept better than I did in the cabins. We kept the mesh doors open toward the lake all night, which felt great. Morning was cold, maybe high 40s, but the sky was partly blue and there wasn’t a hint of wind.

Jason spent the morning fishing along the lakeshore for small trout while I wandered the hillside photographing wildflowers. By lunch he had caught four fish.

I made noodles for lunch then curled up for an afternoon nap while Jason headed back out for more fishing. It was a perfect do-nothing day with no miles to worry about.

Before dinner we fished for another hour and added two more trout to the tally. Dinner was Cuban rice and beans, cooked with fire-heated water since we are running low on fuel.

A simple, perfect day. Tomorrow, we hike the nine miles to the south trailhead and finish the last stretch of our Resurrection Pass through-hike.

Wednesday - Day 4

Resurrection Pass Trail, Alaska - Restless sleep for me, but Jason's was better. The morning started cool with another stretch of blue sky to greet us. We stood outside with coffee watching the lake and the loons until the mosquitoes convinced us to retreat. 

We lingered around the cabin longer than necessary because the hike would be short today. Just a few miles. I don't have any more cabins reserved so just tent camping for the rest of the hike.

The hike to Juneau Lake was only four miles but the bugs were relentless. We finally had to pull out our headnets for the first time. Not our favorite way to hike but completely required.

Spotted a mama loon settled on her nest along the shore of Juneau Lake.

We felt pretty lucky to find our hidden campsite from two years ago empty on this sunny holiday weekend. We set up the tent for our first night out of the cabins with a view over Juneau Lake. The plan is to stay here two nights and then hike out on July 4 to meet Trout at the south trailhead. No hiking tomorrow. Hopefully the breeze dies down so Jason can flyfish the lake.

Tuesday - Day 3

Resurrection Pass, Alaska – We woke up entirely too early this morning thinking it was much later than it was. The clock read 4:30 a.m., but with Alaska’s endless daylight it can be hard to guess the hour. For the first time this trip the sky was clear and blue.

Coffee and oatmeal for breakfast this morning as we sat together, already sore, looking over the map and the miles ahead. Today was supposed to be our longest section of 12.7 miles, and I couldn’t help feeling wary of how the day would go. J is carrying a lot more weight than me, and I could see it wearing on him before we even started.

A spruce hen crossing the trail, the only wildlife we saw today.

The first three miles leaving East Creek we climbed steadily uphill, legs burning, until we finally broke out above the tree line into alpine. The views stretched wide and open with the kind of scenery that makes you forget for a moment how heavy your pack feels. 

We stopped for lunch on a mossy patch, leaning our backs against a rock and enjoying the alpine views. I'm testing out several new backpacking meals for the future PCT hike, and the Packit Gourmet chicken salad and crackers turns out to be surprisingly good trail food. 

A little further along we marked the halfway point of the hike and passed by a lake and Devil's Pass cabin.

The final mile to Swan Lake Cabin was the hardest, a bushwhack downhill through thick cow parsnips that swallowed up the trail. By the time we reached the cabin we were both exhausted and just wanted to get the packs off. I zoned out for a bit with two episodes of Four Seasons downloaded from Netflix while J took a nap.

Dinner was stroganoff, one of our favorites, but we ate inside even though it was sunny because the mosquitos near the lake made it hard to be out. We were both asleep by 8:30 p.m.