I went on a solo hike up Mt. Alice on Sunday. Absolutely amazing. I've never been to the top and it's on my list of things to do before leaving Seward. Alice is the tallest peak in Seward: 5,265 ft (1,605 m). The true summit is too technical for mere mortals to get to but there is a non-technical summit above some scree that offers a magical view of Godwin Glacier. Total trip time = 4 hours, including 30 min of messing around at the top. What a way to spend an afternoon!
view of Mt. Alice from the 1/2 way point on Mt. Marathon on the other side of the Bay.
Alice is the tallest peak on the left.
The trail up Alice is not maintained and there isn't a real trail head. The base of the trail is only ~1.5 mile down the street from us! The start of the hike is through a forest of mossy Hemlocks, with blueberries bushes scattered around. This year appears to be a bad year for blueberries.
muskrat! wait, no. just Emma.
Fabulous view of Res Bay once above treeline. and behind, a view of Mt. Alice. The non-technical summit is where I was headed. The true summit involves climbing - equipment and skill are necessary, of which I have neither. I've heard that people have died trying. so... we stuck to the safe stuff.
colors are starting to change. At above alpine, the trail follows a sharp ridge sometimes balancing on the edge of the cliff.
the compound at the bottom of the photo is the Spring Creek Correctional Facility - Alaska's only maximum security prison. nice location, huh?
view of Alice from about 1/2 way
1/2 way?
Emma - are we there yet?
stop taking photos! what's taking you so long?!
sheep tuft!
so close... so deceiving...
almost there. really. have to make it up this scree. I had flash backs of hiking 14ers in CO. Can't be harder than Mt. Marathon, can it?
finally! at the 'top'! Godwin Glacier. It took me a little over 2 hours to get to the top.
View at the 'top'. Continue along the ridge line to get to the true summit.
Sargent Ice Field feeds Godwin Glacier.
YIPEEEEEEE! I need a remote for my camera.
I horsed around at the top for ~ 30 min, soaking up the sun, the view and the high of being alive! I wanted to stay longer but the the white sox were trying to eat my eyes and Emma was whining (not sure why she didn't just lay down and take a nap).
now we have to get back down.
took a different trail down. some tourists scared the crap out of me - they were hiding in the bushes picking salmon berries - asked me if they were edible. Probably should have looked that up before they started to pick the berries!!
What an amazing afternoon. I'm still flying high from it!!
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