> Is the snow melting a lot? Everytime I see a mountain, the kid in me wants to
> climb it.
Yes. Every day the snow line is higher and more tundra is exposed. My
guess is that the trail up to the top of Harp Mountain should be
easily passable without safety gear in another week as it is primarily
on the sunward side of the mountain. We didn't get the extreme wind
events in the peaks this year, so the drifts aren't nearly as deep as
they were last year. We had significant snow in the contours well into
July, but this year the melting has been relatively uniform. We had a
couple mountain climbing deaths this spring. It can be dangerous. One
fall was quite significant and the guy ended up about a half mile from
where he slipped. These mountains are rugged. My picture doesn't
reveal just how rugged Harp Mountain is, but the trail is as steep as
you can climb without using your hands. When wet, the trail is at your
boots' limits of adhesion. Going up isn't a problem, but coming down
is a "tightening experience."
>From my window, I look out directly at Harp Mountain, Mount Gordon
Lyon, and Highland Mountain. All three are on my bucket list for this
summer. These are approximately 1200m height (1100m from valley
floor). The trails are primarily all on the sunny side, except to get
to Mount Gordon Lyon, you have to first climb Rendezvoux Peak, and
then the trail drops down about 150m before going back up. The
trailhead is at about 600m so, the climb isn't too extreme and can
easily be done in a few hours.
Sometimes, you can get to these peaks (other than Harp mountain, which
is on the east side of the South Fork Eagle River), by way of Fort
Richardson's road system. During the week, you will have live-fire
restrictions, but the weekends they usually have the road to Alpenglow
Ski Area open and it's a very short hike from there to the top.
Wintertime, Rendezvoux Peak trail is still pretty popular. However,
the trail is in an avalanche zone and is off limits much of the time
because of it. Every few years somebody gets wiped off that trail. The
warning signs are everywhere, but some people choose to take the risk
even in the midst or after a major snow event.
One of my brothers will be in town later this week. I hope we can do a
hike up to the lakes on one of the days. I know the trail is open, but
a bit muddy. It's about 10-12 miles round trip with minimal climbing
(until the end when you may choose to do the rock scramble). The
scenery is quintessential Alaska. And it is just a few minutes from
the house.
AK Schnozz
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