Pinochle Creek to Puritan Creek

I'm not sure the exact number of years, but its been quite a few since Ryan and I went "backpacking" together. My need to flee Anchorage was high, and the weather was good so we picked up some maps from USGS and headed out to the Matanuska valley. We started up Pinochle creek which led to Caribou creek where we camped the first night.

Blazing Hot Alaska Hiking

 

Ryan and I were both about to have heat stroke on the first day, so when we woke up to rain on the second day, we wished we had never complained! The route we took followed four wheeler trails for a while, and in some places it was pretty wet and muddy.

Good Times

 

By the time we got to the pass it was snowing a hard stinging gropple, and we were in the clouds. I always feel like I have to go back when I can't see anything during the most scenic parts of a hike.

Descending to Boulder Creek

 

It snow/groppled and rained all night,by morning water was dripping from the seams. We brought my mini tent which weighs nothing but Ryan's shoulders completely filled the width of the tent...things start to feel real small when your sharing your wet, cold, nylon womb with a giant.

Ryan in Our Mini Tent

 

Once we were on Boulder creek it was just a matter of walking through river braids, or wet trees for about 10 miles and then around Syncline Ridge via another ATV trail that took us all the way out to Puritan creek. Part of me felt weird hiking on ATV trails and the other part of me was super glad that we weren't bushwhacking. We did not see or hear any ATV's the whole trip, its a whole different way to access the woods. Super fun time in the mountains despite the wet icky factor.

Slide Show!



Note to Self: Always bring a top and bottom silk weight sacred dry layer.

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