Heading up Canyon Creek
We did the Pyramid Peak route several times last summer. One of those trips was a group of seven which is a bigger group than we usually do but it worked out well in this case. It was an international trip with a couple of Irish lads (Ian and Nial) as well as a young lady, Annie, from Switzerland. Serge and Andrea were a couple from Canada which left Judy and Ann as our token Americans in the group.
It was a diverse group which helped to keep things lively and interesting.
The drop-off airstrip on this trek is very small and very remote, so we had to fly in one at a time in a Super Cub. It’s a dramatic flight in and it was funny to watch each person get out of the plane and the first words out of their mouth was a variation on “that was amazing.” So the flight in definitely got five stars.
Because it took so long to get the group re-assembled on Canyon Creek, the first day was a pretty short and easy one. We hiked a few miles upstream along the creek and then made our crossing of Canyon Creek so we wouldn’t have to start our next day with a cold crossing.
Up the Ridge
We had a great campsite right near the water. At dinner time a rather cheeky ground squirrel came round to see if he could scrounge some food. He was totally unafraid of us and in fact would just not be scared off. He did manage to score a piece of pasta and gave our fettuccine alfredo a two paws up review.
A Well Deserved Break
Day two was a bit more strenuous and featured a big slog up the first ridge of the trip. But it was well worth the hump as we arrived on top to be greeted by clear skies and awesome views all around, especially of the University range.
There is a lot of flexibility in how we structure this route and generally we mix up the longer and shorter days. We got to one spot were we have camped before but it was pretty early in the day so I presented an option that I had always wanted to try.
There is a great spot to camp up on the ridge but the downside is that there is no water, so the only we to camp there is to haul water up the hill. Well Serge and the Milne brothers came to the rescue and volunteered to hump water. It was a great spot to camp for sure with nice views.
Summit Handstands!
The hike up the ridge to Andrus is always a highlight though some find it a little more exciting than they would like. It’s a sharp edge ridge-line that is pretty exhilarating. Ian and Nial had to celebrate our arrival at the top with their traditional summit handstand. The view from the shoulder of Andrus is one of the best of the trek and it’s always a treat when the skies are clear.
One of the big features of the last half of the route is the crossing and re-crossing and more re-crossings of Rex Creek. We had a big group so we split into two teams of four each for the stream crossings: team Mankini and team Magic Spoon. And each team had their own inspirational chant to help fortify and encourage us before venturing into the cold water. It really helped make an otherwise tedious number of crossings a lot easier and even fun.
One of the highlights for me was the last morning when the group presented a thank you gift including a made-in-the-field card. Thanks again guys.
So it was a great trek with a great bunch of people.
Can’t wait to see who shows up this summer!
Annie Enjoying the Spectacular Views on the Way Down.
Okay it was nothing grand but we just had to take the morning off and get up on some mountains. One of the great things about Alaska is that even in the Anchorage (or in my case Eagle River) area, you are never more than minutes away from trailheads and great hiking opportunities.
We dropped into Skolai Pass for the start of our trek on a sunny day and headed east towards the Russell glacier. We had to do a bit of scouting around to find a good campsite but came up with a nice one overlooking the glacier. A short hike after setting up camp took got us up close and personal with this impressive glacier.
