Winner Creek Pass

It's not every day that you get to hike on a brand new trail, so when i heard that the Winner Pass trail had been rebuilt (after being impassable for a couple decades) i jumped on it. I jumped on it a bit too soon, in fact, because there weren't any trail signs on it when i got there. That meant i really didn't know how far the trail was, and that got me into the dark.

 

The trail starts off in lush rain forest behind Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. After two miles it forks. One side goes to the popular gorge and hand tram that Winner Creek is known for, and the other other fork leads up to the pass.  It meanders around Mt. Alyeska and gradually works its way uphill until emerging from the trees on high slopes. The pass is huge, with numerous tarns and lakes, small groves of trees that provide a bit of shelter from possible winds and many opportunities for further exploration if one had arrived with the aim of camping. Winner Pass also offers a direct view of 20 Mile Glacier, something i've wanted to see for years as i've driven over the river on the highway countless times. From down there you can't see it, and 20 Mile Valley is full of trailless wetlands.

I thought it was cool how this waterfall poured over the side of the cliffs above. Looked like something interesting must be up there, and i'd already come far enough that i was just about to abandon the pass idea and go up here.

There were many side trips to do once at the pass. That's supposed to be a small glaicer up there on the right.

While i was up there i ran into some people with rafts and paddles on their backs. I asked what they were doing and they said they were hiking over the pass and down to the bottom of 20 mile valley. There they would inflate their packrafts and ride the river back down to the road. A pretty interesting idea, and i've learned since that packrafts are a very practical way to get around in wilderness areas of Alaska, like in the Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle.

The pass is occupied by numerous pretty lakes with plenty of room for uncrowded camping.

By the time we were ready to turn back it was late in the day.  Because the trail had no signs i didn't know what i was getting into, and i knew by how long it took to get to the pass that it was much farther than i had reckoned. We were moving quickly on the way back, but we still ended up hiking for two hours in the dark woods with no flashlight. There was not much of a moon, so it became very dark. Even the dog was spooked.

 It was getting late in the day for another 7 or 8 miles of walking. The top pic is leaving the pass, and the one above is turning around one last time before i entered the first patch of forest.

We didn't stop at all for a long time until we got back to that fork in the trail. There i took a much needed break and i could tell the dog was completely worn out as he laid down on a bed of moss. He looked at me like he wanted the day to be over, but he doesn't ever act helpless - he knows it's not over till it's over. We didn't get off the trail until about 11pm. An old couple was hanging out in the dark near the trailhead. They thought it was kind of funny that i was just now coming out of the woods. When asked how far it was i had a hard time saying. I still don't know how far it is (i can't find any info online), but i'd guess it's as far as 14 to 16 miles round trip.

 It got darker and darker, until i couldn't take any more pictures, which was just as well since i needed to get back a lot more than i needed to be wasting time snapping pictures. Still, there's something cool about mossy forest in the twilight, when every silhouette can look threatening.