Beware of Bears and Babies

I really don't know.

We originally planned on hiking the Albert Loop Trail in Eagle River yesterday, but had to change our plans once we found out it was closed due to bears. Another 10 miles up the road from Eagle River is the Thunderbird Falls Trail, an easy 2 mile walk out and back. The view of the falls from the observation deck was pretty awesome, but the view from the base of the falls was even better.

From the observation deck.

We couldn't get close enough to the base of the falls without wading through the water to get a good picture. If we had actually bothered to get proper footwear, we would have. Unfortunately, you'll have to settle for this view.

Walking back up the trail towards the parking lot we spotted the baby in the tree. Alaska is a weird state sometimes. On the way home, we decided to stop off at the Eagle River Nature Center to see if there was another trail we could hike with the Albert Loop closed.

We decided to take the Rodak trail with the hopes we could see some salmon in the water and maybe some beavers. We didn't see any beavers. Sometimes, I think Alaskan wildlife is keeping it's distance from us. I guess, in the case of bears, that's probably a good thing. The walk on the Rodak trail follows a bit of the Eagle River. The views in the river valley were spectactular.

The first mountain snows appeared last week

Finally saw some wild salmon!

Taking a Hike

This is Flattop. Took 1.5hrs to get up.

Yesterday we decided to hike Flattop Mountain. Everyone told us it's a great, easy, day hike. It's the most popular hike in Anchorage, due it's close proximity to the city and fantastic views. On a typical summer day the trail is packed with tourists. We figured since cruise season is almost over, there wouldn't be too many people out and about. It wasn't packed, but we had to wait a while in the parking lot to find a spot.

We took our time.

This was about halfway up.

The trail starts at 2000' and features a 1500' elevation change to finish at a cool 3500', and a walk of 3.1 miles out and back. The hiking book Abby and Brent gave us listed the hike as moderate to difficult, harder at the end when the hike changes from following a trail to scrambling up the mountain. Turns out the book was right. A mile into the trail the going gets rough. The trail essentially disappears into the side of the mountain, leaving us to pick and climb our way up the rocks.

The final climb only took about 20 minutes and was probably the most fun segment. I don't think I'll ever outgrow playing on the rocks. The views from the top were unbelievable.

Looking down towards the Turnagain Arm

This marks the top of the mountain

It was an awesome hike. Probably not the best one to start out with, especially since we're both out of shape, but definitely worth it. Next week we'll hike again, but something much flatter. Hopefully next week we'll see some wildlife when we hike the Albert Loop Trail.

To you it was a great view...

1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

As you may know, Alaska has a certain affinity for seafood. We've been trying to eat more of the ocean's bounty since we've been here (it hasn't been all that difficult). Nearly all the grocery stores and smaller markets have a great seafood selection. A few places even offer live shellfish - I'll be getting an oyster knife very soon. We've had two standout seafood dishes so far, one cooked for us, one I cooked. The first, and our first Alaskan Salmon was a fantastic dinner cooked by a member of the provost office (a formerly retired historian) and his wife (a retired archivist). They made us Green Shawarma Salmon. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. Our hosts insisted on seconds; I felt rude asking for a third helping and held off until dessert.

Last week we bought some Halibut fillets. I put a few sage leaves on each fillet and wrapped them with prosciutto to bake. I melted a unhealthy amount of butter, fried some sage leaves, and covered each fillet with the butter-sage sauce. De-lic-ous. Next up - deadliest catch.

 

In Brett we Trust

Not sure if I missed the memo and I'm playing catch up or if I'm on the cutting edge (I guess the former) but it seems everyone is adding Brettanomyces to their beer these days. Russian River has been doing it for years, with delicious results. The fairly new, and a bit obscure Anchorage Brewing Company seems to be making a name for themselves doing the same. Their limited release  Bitter Monk 2IPA is fermented a second time in french oak chardonnay barrels and then bottled, where it is fermented a third time. The beer weighs in at a surprisingly mellow 100 ibu's nicely balanced out by the brett. The 9% abv is also a surprise in a beer with such a light mouth feel. The Bitter Monk is grape-fruity up front, with a sour finish, topped off with a nice bitter note from the 4 varieties of hops used.  If Anchorage Brewing ever starts running tours I plan on checking it out. If not, I plan on continuing to buy their beer.