...a hike on Skyline Trail

THE ROUTE: Skyline Trailhead at the Sterling Highway to treeline.
DISTANCE: 1.8 miles R/T.
TERRAIN: Very steep! Hard pack, soft pack, mud, loose dirt/rocks.

The Hufford girls at the start of the hike.

Columbine.

Purple flowers.

Another purple flower.

Crossing a small stream on a wooden bridge.

Mrs. Huffy clings to the trail. It was very steep at this point and the dirt was very loose.

Laura found a tree to climb.

Skyline Trail used to be a regular hike for me. The drive to the trailhead is relatively short and the views from the top are fantastic. Twenty years ago I could run to the top and back down without a problem. Yesterday afternoon it was a little different. What a difference two decades can make. Somehow the trail was much more steep than I remembered it and the footing was much more tenuous. At least I can say the views were the same, just as spectacular as ever. We took it easy on the way up stopping many times for pictures of flowers that seemed to be in bloom for the first time. Laura and Emily had fun climbing tree root stairways and trees on the edge of the trail. We had to turn around at treeline in order to make it back to Kenai by 5:00 PM, so we didn't make it all the way to the top. We skidded and slid our way back down and before long we were back at the parking area. It was a beautiful afternoon and great to take...a hike on Skyline Trail.