Skookum Volcano Trail: Don't Try This At Home

This is where I realized the error of my packing ways; specifically, when I packed Settlers of Catan and a Flute instead of, say, my hiking boots. Any moron who goes to Alaska and plans to hike and leaves their hiking boots at home deserves a broken ankle. I consider myself quite fortunate to have managed this particular day uninjured, but, please, don't hike without proper footwear. It's really not very sensible. 

As I mentioned yesterday, the Skookum Volcano Trail was described as a "moderate hike." It took us three hours to get up (timed by Tom), and an hour and a half to get down. So the children would probably chosen to describe that as "arduous," "harsh," or perhaps, "grueling." I will confess that I hiked this rocky trail in Teva sandals. While I consider it fortunate that I did not break an ankle, it is probably miraculous that I did not end up with a few broken toes. Do not ever do this. Really. I should have at least worn my running shoes, to protect my wee toesies.  

 

While we are clearly not among the professional type hikers who wear all ripstop fabrics and sensible shoes, we did at least have snacks and water, plus, we planned to go up, turn around, and head back down, so it's not like we were going "off the beaten path." That said, the path wasn't all that well marked. As in, the 'trail markers' were mostly rock cairns that other travelers had built. Which makes sense when you consider that 90% of the trail route looked like the rocks we are climbing in the picture above.

But, following the stream bed was a pretty big trail of bread crumbs, and I was fairly determined we were going up, then back down, to reduce the chances of wandering off in the wrong direction and ending up snack-less, water-less and generally unhappy. Or eaten by a bear. Which would probably qualify as higher on the unhappiness scale than "generally." 

They look okay here, but they were pretty tired. It's hard to put the hike in perspective, but statistically it was 2800 feet in elevation over the course of two and a half miles. Over rocks. And, the water. Plus, bad choices in foot wear. What we did have going for us was the weather; it was spectacular. Warm, but not too warm, and no mosquitoes. And, no bears. Which is the nicest forecast of all when you are hiking in Alaska. 

The top was in view, at this point, though, so it was much easier to keep marching on. 

We didn't get all the way up to the pointy bit, but we did perch on the area you can see in the lower right hand corner of the photo, where the tundra turns to a dirt and rocks. In fact, that tiny black dot in the lower right hand corner would be Hope and I, resting, while Tom and Jeff continued up a bit to a slightly higher peak: 

 

When we arrived at the top, we met a couple with their young baby. All three were the sort of professional hikers who were dressed in ripstop fabric and proper footwear, although with the baby, it was clearly wishful thinking as they had hauled the tike up in a backpack. They were duly impressed by our ascent, mostly, because the children managed the climb and seemed genuinely cheerful about it all. We were duly impressed that they hauled a baby up all that way; that kid will probably be hiking on his own well before ours did.  

The views from way up high were spectacular. 

So, totally worth it. 

With which, we scuttled back down the mountain to our apéritifs waiting in the glove box of the car: Snickers. Because, we roll that way. 

Next: Wrangell-St. Elias is the coolest National Park, ever. And I'm here to tell you why. 

 

 

Comments

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Ummmm so we have swimming in Prague with no swim suit. Cycling in Bratislava without any underwear and now hiking without hiking boots - I detect a theme here ;-)

[Ellen]

Life and times of the blithe, you know. ;-)

[Katherine]

Comment

[Jenny]

Hey, I hike in Teeva's all the time. My feet hate being closed in in shoes