I heard some noise from the other tent, so I convinced Matt to wake up so we could entertain our visitors. Breakfast was delicious and the view, despite some clouds, was great as well.
We quickly made it back to the lowest shelf and stopped there for a break. Matt wandered around looking for a bathroom spot. Miraculously, he found the trail!!! Our three hour ascent was shortened by two hours to one hour on the way down. No twisted Alder route. We laughed at how much easier it was to take the trail. I was beginning to think there wasn't a trail at all. :)
Our next stop was a visit to the Gulkana Glacier. We followed an unmaintained road to the trail head. About 1/2 mile from the start, we decided the road was too treacherous for our poor little Focus, so we walked the rest. Phalen Creek is about 1/2 mile down the trail and has a cable bridge to get across. It wasn't too scary, even though there was one broken step in the bridge.
Right next to the glacier was about 15F degrees colder than by the car. The temperature differences of the air and the ice created an icy breeze, much like stepping into a refrigerator. Joel and I decided to climb the rocky moraine to get a better look. Moments after I explained to him that if he heard a noise above, IMMEDIATELY look up for falling rocks, we heard a rumble a hundred feet above. Rocks slid down the icy surface, landing just inches away from the place Mark had just been standing. The rocks were no bigger than a fist, but they were speeding fast enough that if they made contact with a body part, it would most certainly result in a broken bone. Mark's NDE #2.
We decided to climb up a different spot, a more stable spot. The ice was a typical blue, rather than dirty brown. Perfect for that stereotypical "Alaskan Blue Glacier" shot. Somehow we convinced Mark this was safer.
Here he had is NDE #3.
Our hike back was uneventful. No vegetation grew on the glacial moraine except for the algae in this pond. Gross, but made a really neat contrast in the photo :
We headed out the Denali Highway. The first 30 miles were somewhat beautiful. But with every passing mile, the clouds got lower and lower.
Summit Lake (town) and Gulkana Glacier from about Mile 10 Denali Hwy.
Our campsite was a small gravel pullout near Mile 60. The clouds lifted slightly and we were thankful to set up the campsite without rain. A small jeep trail headed down the hill, so we followed it for a bit more hiking. At dinner time, we had quesadillas. I was cook. I finished all but my own by the time a downpour hit. The boys ran to the car to eat dinner, leaving me in the downpour with the stove. When Matt finished, he relieved me and I took shelter in the car. He delivered my quesadilla to my door in a steaming frying pan and quickly shut the door to keep the car dry. Mark joined him outside to clean up and pack the stove. He took the pan from me. It slipped in his wet hand and I heard a sizzle of evaporating water. He ended up with two burns. NDE #4.
We passed the evening in the car, playing Euchre, something they often did together in college. We stayed in the car until making a dash for the tent at bedtime.
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