We took a five-day hike through Chugach State Park, which lies just east of Anchorage. This first picture is looking across the Ship Creek valley towards Bird Ridge and the valley below Indian Pass. The original sled-dog route bringing supplies to Fairbanks in fact passed through this valley!
The trail ends at Indian pass, beyond that we were hiking on "routes". In popular locations, there was a worn footpath; otherwise we just walked along the densly vegetated ground. Check out this close-up shot of the groundcover. The white lichen leaves some slopes looking almost snow-covered. We also found the number of berries astounding.
Our second campsite, located just below Hidden Lake. We enjoyed watching fog from the valley below rise up to the level of our camp and then get blown away. The herd of Dall sheep hanging out above our camp also provided nice entertainment.
Here Iva ascends the pass above the uppermost Willawa Lake. We learned later that these lakes are named for the (in)famous winds which blow in off Prince William Sound. Indeed, it was very windy here! But also very beautiful - and only a day's hike from Anchorage city limits!
Our hike concluded with a rather wet walk through the brush on Fort Richardson Army Base, with a detour to avoid a brown bear. Five days well spent.
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