After several sunless days of persistant, spitting rain, my dear friend Beth arrived from Carolina with some sunshine. Our first day together involved an evening of grunting, guessing and waiting in Kincaid Park. When we arrived with our bikes to the park, Beth admitted she could not remember the last time she rode a bike. Kind friend that I was, I helped her get on the bike, gave her a crash course on changing gears, then lead her into the hill strewn, root scattered trails. In my defense, I had planned to go on the wider, smoother, grass covered paths. Unfortunately, it was an hour before we found any such trails.
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| Moose #1 |
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| Moose #3 |
We spent the first hour skidding down and walking up intermediate-expert trails (the ones labelled "Lake Loop" on the trail map). If a large bull moose had not been lounging beside our path, we would have been stuck looping the loops for another hour. Luckily, we were forced to cut across a small foot path which, to our giggly relief and amazement, lead to the parking lot and the car. But we were not ready to quit. So after watching moose #2 stroll away from the parking lot, we started down a paved path. We soon left the paved path and ventured again into the trails. 30 minutes passed. As I prepared to lunge down another hill, I halted and waved to Beth to do the same. Where the decline met the incline, a bull moose stood complacently chewing ferns. On the slope opposite, a biker barely managed to brake before reaching the moose. We shared frustrations with this fellow until a sudden half-charge from the moose sent the other biker further up the hill on the other side. Beth and I, knowing we were near the parking lot, determined to wait for the moose to cross over and into the woods. Unfortunately, no one told Mr Moose the path he sauntered along was only for bikes. We waited 45 cold minutes before he moved far enough off the path to allow a safe passing. Even then, we were too close.
Day 2 with Beth.
A leisurely morning preceded a trip to Girdwood. Along the way, we snacked for lunch on the rocky shore of Bird Creek and watched the salmon fishers flick their lines in and out of the silty water. After lunch, it began to rain again. That didn't deter us. We visited the jade shop, as planned, then hiked Winner Trail, as planned. The rain seemed determined to sputter and drip his say into our conversations while we hiked. We ignored him. When we returned to the parking lot and I struggled to unlock the car with my unresponsive, cold hands, I realized that that even though Beth and I had talked ceaselessly throughout the 4 hour hike, there were hours left of hopes, challenges, and joys to discuss and ponder together. A real friend. Our final destination in Girdwood was soup and bread at the Bake Shop. I cant remember the last time I felt so full.
A leisurely morning preceded a trip to Girdwood. Along the way, we snacked for lunch on the rocky shore of Bird Creek and watched the salmon fishers flick their lines in and out of the silty water. After lunch, it began to rain again. That didn't deter us. We visited the jade shop, as planned, then hiked Winner Trail, as planned. The rain seemed determined to sputter and drip his say into our conversations while we hiked. We ignored him. When we returned to the parking lot and I struggled to unlock the car with my unresponsive, cold hands, I realized that that even though Beth and I had talked ceaselessly throughout the 4 hour hike, there were hours left of hopes, challenges, and joys to discuss and ponder together. A real friend. Our final destination in Girdwood was soup and bread at the Bake Shop. I cant remember the last time I felt so full.
Tomorrow: day 4 with Beth. We will take the first class train to Seward, spend the afternoon hiking a glacier or in the sea-life center and spend the night in a hotel. Katherine will join us Tuesday for a day cruise to see glaciers and whales. Beth doesn't know this yet. I think she will be excited when I tell her to pack tonight :)
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