Saturday morning I headed out with my father to hike the Lost Lake trail down near Seward. The trail is only 15 miles, but we enjoy doing overnight backpacking trips, and we heard there was good fishing at the lake, which is pretty much right at the midway point of the trail. We figured an easy 7.5 miles each day with some fishing in between sounded like a good way to spend Father’s Day weekend.
Turns out things didn’t work out quite as well as expected.
The hike started off well enough, passing by a waterfall in the first couple of miles:
And an easy creek crossing a mile or so later:
We even took the time to do a little geocaching:
But before long, we started running into a fair amount of snow on the trail:
And it just kept getting worse. At this point, it was raining, and getting very cold and windy. I kept hearing my dad muttering things about dying of hypothermia. Plus, we were having trouble finding the trail in some places, there were such large sections covered in snow:
It was at this point that we decided to turn back. We were about 5 1/2 miles in, and not even quite at the summit yet, so we knew it was only going to get worse from there. So we hiked the 5 1/2 miles back to the trailhead, giving us a longer day of hiking than anticipated. It was getting late, and we were wet, cold and tired, so we drove into Seward and got a hotel for the night.
Of course, when we woke up in the morning, it was a beautiful day in Seward:
Oh well, so we didn’t exactly luck out in the weather department for this trip, but it was still an enjoyable hike. And I found out that I did handle hiking quite a bit better with my newfound weight loss. My backpack was about 35 pounds, so I was still hiking around 25 pounds lighter, which was a great feeling. I found myself breathing much easier, and my legs weren’t burning anywhere nearly as bad as they have in the past. Chalk that up as a win for good health!
Bummer your trip didn’t go as planned, but at least you had some quality time with your Dad. Our FD festivities didn’t go as planned, either.
Ahh Seward…one of my favorite places! Breathtaking views…
Thanks Erin. It was still fun, and you’re right, Seward is pretty amazing. I wouldn’t mind living there if I could actually get a decent job, which is pretty darn unlikely…
Nice pictures! Looks like a good hike even though it had to be cut short. If I saw snow it would make me turn around and go back home real quick! 🙂
I’m so happy for your great weekend. What an accomplishment. There’s nothing like the view in Seward. I was in Fairbanks hoping for some 80 degree weather. Wouldn’t ya know it was more like Kenai’s weather. The fireweed was out but thankfully not in full bloom yet. There’s still plenty of summer left. Enjoy!
Wow! Snow in June! I’m glad you guys were able to get some hiking in, and spend some good time together. And there’s nothing like a hotel room bed after a tough day of hiking, that I understand completely! Hubby and I went back-country camping in the Smokies one December and got poured on for several days. We hiked back to our car in the freezing rain and drove straight to a hotel. 🙂
I’m glad you noticed that it was easier with the weight loss. It’s also awesome that you were able to spend some time with your dad. You’ve made some wonderful memories that you won’t forget.
What a view, that’s incredible! How nice to be able to enjoy a hike with dad, some great bonding time and not worry about having a heart attack while you’re doing it. I do really think this is really what it’s all about.
That’s some awesome scenery man. And I would kill for a little snow.
Dude, Brandon, you are looking hella fit and healthy. HIGH FIVE.
Anyway, hiking trip sounds fun and bummer about the snow but hey, the lake ain’t going anywhere (at least it’s not walking anywhere soon) so there will be other opportunities to explore! Glad you and your dad had fun being active.
I backpacked with about 35 pounds too and man, that stuff is HEAVY. I ended up dumping a lot of stuff along the way but still, 12kg is a lot of stuff to be walking around with!
Whoa Snow Batman!!
Camping would have been cool but getting all “natured” out is awesome too!