The North Face Trail in Girdwood, Alaska
“The best view comes after the hardest climb.” - Unknown
“I might be a little overly-ambitious.” - Ginger Shields
The Story -
On Saturday, we hiked the short yet difficult North Face Trail in Chugach National Forest near the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. The trail offered scenic views of the forest, glaciers, diverse plant life, a few creek crossings, as well as an intense climb of over 2000 feet in just 2.2 miles.
2000 feet climb in 2.2 miles, you must be crazy! (Or just dumb) -
Well, likely both, but we were smart enough to take the sky tram used for skiers in the winter for the ride down (free for the hikers who take on the uphill challenge, $15 otherwise). Alyeska Resort, a premier snow ski destination in Girdwood, averages over 800 inches of snow a year and is known for having the longest double black diamond ski run in the country. Part of our hike was actually on the snow. In the summer, hikers and mountain bikers flood the resort to take advantage of the challenging climbs, gorgeous scenery and the opportunity to catch some air.
Did you say 800 inches of snow? -
Listed in the guidebooks as moderate, The North Face Trail was anything but. Perhaps trails in Alaska are rated differently than those in the lower 48, as The North Face Trail was very difficult, the inclines at times reminding me of my hikes with Ginger in the Himalayas on the Annapurna Mountain Circuit Trail in Nepal. The trail ominously begins with two warnings signs - the first, expected warning sign, was to be aware of moose and bears and to keep your distance. The second warning sign, a bit of surprise, was to beware of unexploded artillery shells used for avalanche mitigation in the area. The Alaskan military use howitzers, or huge guns, to break up amassed snow into manageable amounts to prevent larger unexpected future avalanches. (Crazy right? It does sound fun though - Perhaps I could volunteer to help one year.) And while the trail was difficult, hiking can also be very humbling as we did get passed by two chatty five and seven year old girls and their mom.
It is wise to heed warning signs -
Our family trip to Alaska was another unexpected blessing of COVID, as we would not have had this opportunity to be together otherwise. Ginger was perhaps on to something when she stated she might have been a little overly-ambitious to take on this trail. This comes as no surprise; however it did give her ample opportunity to rest and photograph our beautiful surroundings. Alex did slow down some, perhaps paying attention to all the bear, moose and artillery warning signs.
Wrap It Up -
We opted to hike the North Face Trail because it was directly behind the Alyeska Resort, the meeting place for our morning excursion —a summer sled dog adventure with the Girdwood Mushing Company. (I will post soon about our amazing tour.) Our first hike in Alaska did not disappoint. The challenging hike rewarded us with wonderful memories, fantastic views and sore muscles - The good kind! It also was an excellent reminder that having ambition is a good thing, that pushing yourself can help you accomplish things you didn’t know you could.
