Feeling at Home

So far, we had been spending all of our time on the Alaskan coast. From the Southeast, to Southcentral, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Now, we were headed to the interior. Our plan for Thursday was to drive North out of Anchorage to the Hatcher Pass area in the Talkeetna Mountains. There was a hike we researched at the West side of Hatcher Pass, called Reed Lakes. From there, we would drive back through Wasilla and then North to the small town of Talkeetna for the night.

We knew that Hatcher Pass would be closed. It’s usually shut down until July 4 weekend because of snow. But the road to the hike was outside the closed area so we were hoping to be able to reach the trailhead. We picked up some lunch about an hour North of Anchorage and then headed to Reed Lakes.

The road into the Hatcher Pass area got increasingly narrow and winding through the mountains. The Chugach Range was behind us toward the coast and we were heading into the Talkeetna Mountains. We made it up to the road turnoff for the trailhead and unfortunately the gate was closed. So we parked and debated our next move. This trail was one that we had been really looking forward to hiking. But we had limited time because we had to make it to our B&B by 5 p.m. for dinner and that was still at two-hour drive away. There wouldn’t be enough time to walk the 2+ miles down the road and then the 8-mile round trip hike, plus the 2+ miles back to the car. Reluctantly, we gave up on Reed Lakes.

Instead we drove up the road to see how far we could get on Hatcher Pass before the snow took over. Not very far. We parked at Independence Mine and reevaluated our day. Dave had noticed a trailhead a little way back down the road, so we went to check it out. When we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed a trail heading up a steep mountain straight up from the road – straight up. We weren’t sure exactly where it went, but decided that no matter where, it would be a great view from up there. Why not?

We geared up and started up, up, up the hill. Whoever decided to cut this trail had something against switchbacks. This trail went directly up and didn’t relent at all. The higher we got, the steeper it got. At a few points, we were climbing at a 45 degree angle and needed our hands out in front of us to steady and pull ourselves up the side. It took about 45 minutes to get to the first summit. But the views were completely worth it. We were immersed in the Talkeetna Mountains and had fantastic views out to the Chugach that we left behind in Anchorage.

Once we got to the top, we realized that there was a ridge line and then another summit, and then another ridge line and another higher summit – way off in the distance, with a flag at the top. The flag became our goal. What started as a random wandering ended up being a pretty intense hike, up and up. The saddles were still covered in snow and the summit was up high above some loose rock scrambles. When we finally reached the flag, we felt like we were on top of the world. As Dave put it, it was like being on the top of a 14er in Colorado without having to contend with the lack of oxygen.

We spent some time lounging in our summit victory before heading back. Working our way down the mountain was definitely much faster, but not easier. Our knees were yelping at us the whole way back to the car. But it was a great impromptu two-hour hike and it got us back to the car with plenty of time to reach our B&B by 5 p.m. We later learned that what we hiked was called Marmot Mountain, but no marmots were spotted.

Some new friends we met on the way down...

We actually reached the inn early, so we headed up to Talkeetna quickly first. The town was just as quirky as everyone had described it to be. It is a mountaineering town and the home base for people setting out to climb Denali. Talkeetna’s claim to fame is that it’s the launching point for flight seeing tours of Denali and trips to the mountain’s base camp for expeditions. It’s a main street with a brewery, tourist shops, a general store, local arts and crafts and a train station. And every few minutes, another float plane crosses overhead on the way to the mountain. It was sunny and warm and the beer garden patio was inviting, but we had to get to our B&B – so we decided to return in a few days on the way back from Denali.

From there, we headed back down the road to the Fireweed Station Inn. The B&B was at the very end of a gravel road outside of town. It was right along the Alaskan Railroad tracks. There were several smaller cabins on the property and one large main house. When we pulled up, Tom and his wife Hobbs were there to meet us. Tom had just gotten back from a drive to Anchorage to resupply the house with food. Hobbs showed us around the place and told us that we were the only ones staying there that night, so we could have our pick of the rooms. It was a no-brainer. We chose the large two-room suite upstairs.

We had opted for them to cook us dinner and selected the sockeye salmon with quinoa, fresh veggies and a rhubarb parfait – with all of the ingredients fresh from Hobbs' garden. Tom grilled the salmon outside and smoked it with branches from an Alder tree – and oh my goodness, was it delicious. By far, the best salmon of the entire trip. If only we could grow Alder trees on the east coast so we could cook perfect salmon at home.

During dinner we chatted with Tom and Hobbs. We learned the history of the multi-year odyssey with their beautiful home. Back in 1988, before they met, Tom fell in love with the old house on the property. He said he didn’t know why, or what would come of it, but he had to own it. Later, he met and married Hobbs and they decided to work on making it home. They did some limited work on the outside of the house and moved in with the original interior. It wasn’t until years later that they decided to fully restore and renovate the property. When they finally took on the project, it took them six years and a lot of hard work to complete. We learned about the design ideas and many changes, the poetry sessions and verses written on the inside of the dry wall, how they lifted the house and poured a new foundation and how they worked so carefully to add new life while keeping the original character of the house. The result was spectacular. It was great to look at the old pictures and get to know the families that lived in the original house and understand the way that they lived at the beginning of the century in rural Alaska.

Learning about the community from Tom and Hobbs was great as well. They work with a local expedition group and often house climbers coming and going from attempts to summit Denali. Tom’s son also works at the base camp at Mt. Everest. We learned a lot about the local mountaineering culture. Tom also sits on the state board of fisheries, so he had a lot to say about the rivers and the over-fishing happening across the state. We discussed the politics of land rights, natural resources and conservation. And we lamented the unfair power that the state legislature has over the use (or misuse) of the wilderness. It was clear that Tom and Hobbs and their family loved their wild state and were interested in doing what they could to keep it that way.

Speaking of their “wild state” we also discussed the numerous mosquitoes now hovering outside the windows and the sow and her cubs that had recently strolled through their yard a few times in the last week. Not to mention, the time in the winter when a moose was blocking an intersection in town and Tom got so upset that he got out of the car and yelled at it and chased it away. His story gave road rage a whole new meaning.

As it had been up until that point, the conversations were just as rewarding as the sights and scale of the wilderness outside. Our stay at the Fireweed Station B&B, all tucked in upstairs in our mosquito netting, was just another reminder that we were far from home in a place where everyone made us feel right at home. Too bad we couldn’t stay.