...Slaughter Gulch Hike

THE ROUTE:  Trailhead behind Wildman's.  Up steep trail to gulch.  Back down.

DISTANCE:  ~3.2 miles RT

TERRAIN:  Steep. Sections of loose rocks and dirt.  Slippery when wet.

The Hufford girls at the start of the hike.

Laura and waterfall near the start of the hike.

Between the seasons.  Yellow leaves on the trees.  Snow on the ground.

Emily and Laura with Cooper Landing and the Kenai River far below.

At the top.

The Hufford girls begin the descent.  Kenai Lake is in the background.

September has not been a great month for hiking.  Between perpetual typhoons, volleyball games, and other obligations, there has been precious little time to get outside.  So, when Mrs. Huffy and I discovered that the Sunday afternoon forecast was predicted to be favorable (read: dry), and we had some hours to spare, we decided to squeeze in a hike on the last day of the month.  We loaded the truck with backpacks, boots, a pup, one 10-year-old, a teenager, and a full tank of gas (not cheap).  Then we barreled toward Cooper Landing and the trailhead at Slaughter Gulch.  Departing the trailhead at 1:30 PM, we took our time and made our way to the top taking lots of photos as we went.

The higher we climbed the sunnier it became and we enjoyed full on sunshine just as we crested the top of the trail.  We looked in earnest for a geocache that was supposed to be there, but gave up after 30 or so minutes of searching because we couldn't find it. 

Back down we went encountering the only other hikers of the day as we descended.  They had pristinely clean hiking gear and airline name tags attached to their day packs.  One of them seemed to be enjoying the hike immensely while the other did not speak, smile, or make eye contact.  I hope they made it to the top.  The views from up there would have made it all worthwhile.

When we got back to the truck we loaded everything up and drove toward the Golden International restaurant in Sterling.  We ate sizzling chicken and broccoli in oyster sauce as we relived the adventure of our...Slaughter Gulch hike.