Crow Pass 2012

One of the best things about living in Alaska are the incredible weather forecasts. They are almost always wrong, even when they claim to bee 100% certain. So i was shocked and appalled one day this summer when i woke up and the weather was.... absolutely perfect. Nobody had warned me about a perfect day of weather. The last i checked the weather forecasters had given up and told us to get used to eternal rain followed by creeping rainforest and the introduction of deer to central Alaska.

The lower reaches are a drag for me so I don't like to stop until i get to this point if possible. This is shortly past where you can leave the trail and continue up to Milk Glacier or one of the old mine entrances. It's also a good place to stop for a break in case the pass is windy, which it often is.

 

 Considering it was nearly August this was the most snow i've seen up here.

I didn't want to waste a perfect looking day, especially since was sure it would cloud up and rain by afternoon. I made the compulsive decision to head down to Girdwood and see what Crow Pass was like. I took the new dog with me and left poor depressed Fisher at home. It turned out to be a good decision because the weather just kept getting better all day. In fact, in all the years i've lived here i think it was the first time i've been to Crow Pass in genuinely good weather. To see it on a good day was like being there for the first time. It's fantastic around the pass. Take a look if you don't believe me.

 

A young goat chasing after the goat Kona was chasing.

Kona, the new dog, did really well until we got right up to the pass. First she cut her foot on a sharp rock while running across a snow patch. She was acting injured until the moment when three mountain goats appeared out of nowhere from behind a huge boulder where the hut was supposed to be. Kona took after the first goat at full speed just as i set down my pack to get my camera out. She didn't listen to my calls at all and the goat headed sensibly towards a bunch of very high treacherous cliffs that make up the west wall of the valley.

As i was yelling another goat ran right past me. Stunned, i turned around and met yet another goat running full speed towards me but it veered on by. Kona ran out of site in pursuit of the lead goat with two others moronically running right behind her. Although she went out of site i could see they were still going based on the head tracking of a group of hikers a little down the trail.

I've definitely never seen Raven Glacier on a sunny day, or anything other than low hanging clouds. First picture i have of the upper part of the glacier. Looks are deceiving, it's 2.3 miles up to the back of the glacier, but if you can make it that far on a day like this you'd have a great view of the icefields on the other side.

Eventually Kona showed up like nothing had happened and the rest of the day was uneventful, except that the hiker's cabin was gone. There is now a new cabin on the other side of the stream, and the front porch has an excellent view of Crystal Lake.

A large group of hikers showed up just as we were leaving the glacier overlook. First people i'd come in contact with all day. They were the ones who watched the lengthy goat chase.

Since the official trail was almost entirely under the snow or water and it was such a nice day we took our time exploring the west side of the pass, which i'd never done.

Kona is thinking "hey maybe hanging out with this guy really is better than diving in dumpsters". Crystal Lake was definitely more milk than crystal so i guess the dead glacier up there behind the bend still has a little life left in it.

The snow banks on the right were still more than 5 feet thick at the stream. That's Jewel Glacier up on the left and there's supposed to be another mine up above the falls somewhere. I've never felt like checking it out. Probably because the view at the top of the glacier just looks down on Milk Glacier, not the hidden icefields.

We followed the stream down from the pass. I was just trying anything to extend a nice day. This was the area where we first saw the goats and Kona was still looking for them.

The creek leaves the pass down a series of falls and into a mineral rich canyon. I kind of wonder if this area was excavated during the mining days.