Our next set of adventures includes a vow of everlasting love, an iceberg filled lagoon, topless mermaids, and the Harding Icefield.
Still tired from our wizard staff quest, we wasted no time in moving on to our next adventure. Seward was our next destination and we were very excited to visit this coastal community surrounded by jagged peaks and an icefield! Plus, sun was in the forecast for the next couple days and we couldn’t afford to let a weather window pass us by.
We arrived in Seward the day after finishing Resurrection Pass hike. We were able to get in our weekly shower at the harbor and poach laundry from a local hotel. A friend had told us of the Alpine Trail from Cain’s Head, and said we shouldn’t miss this hike if we had a good weather forecast. If you follow the Alpine Trail out to the furthest ridge you can spy, you are rewarded with views of open ocean, an ice-berg filled lagoon, the Bear Glacier, and the Harding Icefield.
Cain’s Head trail map
The trail out to Cain’s Head can only be hiked during a low tide of three feet or lower. While we were doing laundry, we checked the tide tables and found that we could catch that evening’s low tide. We decided we would hike out that evening and camp at North Beach (~5 miles), continuing up the Alpine Trail in the morning in search of some beautiful views. Low tide was at 7:30 pm, leaving time for us to finish laundry and Gabe to get a short study session in before heading to the trailhead.
The first section takes you through the temperate coastal rainforest that we have missed so much, followed by 3 miles of beach walking. We hiked along the intertidal zone in the setting sun, with the ocean on one side and rocky cliffs with gentle waterfalls on the other. We even passed one larger waterfall just before the trail cuts back into the woods.
Coastal temperate rainforest
Waterfall along Cain’s Head trail
We made it to North Beach and set up camp just as darkness began to fully set in. We cooked up a second dinner of ramen noodles and hot chocolate and settled in for the evening. It had been a pleasant hike and we were blown away by the views of the mountains across the bay. With clear skies, we laid down in the tent with the door open so we could admire the stars, a sight rarely seen in our Alaska experience.
There is always the hope of northern lights when the night sky is clear, so when Melissa awoke in the darkness of the early morning she opened up the tent to peer at the sky above. To her delight, the northern lights were dancing above. She gently awakened Gabe and together we crawled out of the warmth of our sleeping bags to admire the beauty of the northern lights.
Northern lights
The lights appeared white above our heads, different from the brilliant green we had experienced in the Tombstones. However, this time there were dancing wildly across the sky… like lightning in slow motion, the lights quickly appeared and disappeared, as if dancing to music that our ears could not hear. We moved our sleeping pads and bags outside the tent so we could admire the show for a little longer, before moving back inside the tent to get a few more hours of sleep.
Melissa awoke early again, just before dawn’s light began to break, and caught a glimpse of Venus and Jupiter on the horizon. During the last few weeks in October (in the northern hemisphere), Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury are all visible near the horizon close to dawn. You can learn more HERE.
Our tent on North Beach
Witnessing the dancing of the lights set a magical tone for the rest of the day to follow. We awoke to beautiful weather and were eager to get into the alpine. The steep Alpine Trail rewards you with spectacular views. Once you start to get above tree line, you can see large offshore rock islands off and the open ocean horizon. The views make you feel as though you are walking through a land before time, the beauty and magic of the place is hard to describe.
We were feeling pretty pooped out, especially because we hadn’t given ourselves a break between this adventure and Resurrection Pass. Once we reached the ridge proper, the wind had picked up quite a bit. We took a break for a little snack once we came across a little dip in the ridge that provided shelter from the wind. Here we enjoyed gazing out across the open ocean- a sight we had not seen since we were in Oregon last December!
To view iceberg lagoon, aim for the left of the pointy peak
Our views of open ocean!
After the quick snack we continued on. The ridge goes up and down, and was a little more tiring than we imagined. It wasn’t long before we came across a nice grassy patch that was too tempting not to lie around in.
It was here that we took time to really enjoy where we were and each other’s company – to be fully present and appreciative of the moment. Love is a wonderful thing and it’s funny and beautiful how it can fully surround you. From our evening hike out, to the early morning’s aurora show, to the beauty that surrounded us on the ridge… The adventure so far had added to make create the perfect moment that took both of us by surprise. Gabe couldn’t help himself but to ask the question that he had been holding inside… “Will you marry me?”
Gabe had wanted to get the ring first, and come up with something clever. But the timing was perfect. He felt so much love bubbling up at that moment, that the words just burst out of his mouth.
Of course Melissa said, “Yes!”
But- enough of that mushy love stuff! We enjoyed the moment a little longer, before getting up to continue on. There was an iceberg lagoon waiting for us!
The hike out to the lagoon viewpoint was further than we expected. Once we got closer, we came up on some mountain goats. They saw us, and ran over to a low point in the ridge. We decided to follow them. There were two summits along the ridge on either side of the low point, and if we had more time, we probably would have chosen to climb up one them.
“WOW,” said Gabe as he arrived at our final destination. Melissa hastened her steps and was equally blown away by the view. So much beauty! A landscape filled with peaks and the prominent Bear Glacier. The terminus of the Bear Glacier sits in the back of the lagoon and giant icebergs are scattered around. Separating the lagoon from the ocean is a tiny section of beach and we guess that the ocean flows into the lagoon during high tide.
As you look out along the coastline, the large rock islands continue, creating coves and hidden coastlines begging to be explored. Someday, we will come back for a kayak adventure!
Melissa admiring the views
The Bear Glacier
Gabe’s triple bologna and cheese sandwich
We would of loved to linger, but the afternoon was getting away from us and we needed to return to the beach in order to hike back to the Prius during the low tide.
We made it to the beach with time to spare and had to wait a little bit for the tide to go out. It was a beautiful hike and we got to admire several eagles, one who was munching on a sea gull for dinner!
Sea gull having a bad day
We felt so lucky to have gotten to do this hike in good weather. But, clouds were moving in and the following day we awoke to rain– rain that persisted throughout the following week. But, with only so much time to spend in Seward, we couldn’t let rain detour us from getting outside.
We spent a rest day in Seward before packing up for our next adventure… the Harding Icefield!
We have had many fond adventures on the Juneau Icefield, and both of us were excited to explore the Harding. However, fall is not the ideal time for an icefield trip. Summer usually melts the snow, and the early snow in fall makes for thin snow bridges that can make crossing crevassed areas very sketchy! Knowing this meant that we would need to be extra cautious- so we packed up our glacier gear and strapped skis to our packs knowing that there may be a chance we wouldn’t even be able to safely get on the Harding. The first hike of the season with skis on the pack is always rough. But, as Gabe says, “it’s good training!” So off we went.
Gabe loaded up and ready to go!
To get on the Harding Icefield, there is a well-developed trail – The Harding Icefield Trail, located at Exit Glacier. The trail is described as “very strenuous” and rises about 1,000 feet elevation for every mile, of which there are four. Close to the end of the trail is an emergency hut, a small 8 by 8, windowless log cabin. We had to carry our skis most of the way up, but once there was enough snow the skis were off our packs and on our feet. Unfortunately, this point was only a short distance before we arrived at the hut.
Gabe skinning to the Harding Icefield Emergency hut
We had planned to spend 3 nights out on the icefield. Knowing it would be very soggy, we brought two tarps- one to set up the tent on and another to throw over the top. But, once we arrived at the hut, we couldn’t pass up a dry place to stay for the night. And we were feeling pretty lucky once it started pissing rain that night!
We awoke to more rain and socked in conditions. So we decided to sleep in, enjoying the darkness provided by the windowless hut. But, we had to take advantage of the day. We decided that we would stay another night in the hut – why pass up a dry place to sleep? It was about noon by the time we gathered our lunch and prepared for a day tour on the Harding. Luckily the night’s rain hadn’t melted all the snow and we were able to skin out the icefield.
It took us about an hour to reach the edge of the icefield. From the cabin you continue to traverse out, paralleling the Exit Glacier. Orange flags continued to mark the way for a short while. We reached a creek in a short, but steep ravine and had to carry our skis across.
Our tracks down and back up the ravin with the creek that we crossed
From there we made our way to a lake. From here we were able to get up onto the icefield.
Lake just before the Harding Icefield
Before getting on the icefield we roped up, in case of one of us punched through and fell into a crevasse. Luckily, this did not happen. The weather remained pretty soggy, but it was more of a light mist. Even though the low ceiling prevented the views of the surrounding mountains and the icefield, it was great just being out on the Harding. After taking a short break for lunch, we continued on for short tour. The cloud ceiling rose as the day went on and were able to get some nice views. It was very tranquil to ski around. But, the time came where we needed to head pack to the hut.
Melissa – we skinned up on the shoulder of this mountain to try and get some views
Drying gear out in the hut
There were no tracks in the snow around the hut when we returned, so we knew no one had hike up while we were gone. It was nice to take off the skis and have a dry space to relax. We took a rest day the following day; the weather was worse than it was the day before with less visibility. Still, two separate couples made it up to the hut for the day. Luckily, we noticed them coming and were able to clean up our stuff and hide the fact that we had posted up in the hut for a few days – you are not actually suppose to camp in the Harding Icefield hut, it is for emergencies and day visits.
Our route
We hiked back down to the Prius after spending three nights in the hut. It was a much quicker hike down than up- but it was another soggy day. We packed our soaking wet gear into the car and blasted the heat to try dry things out. As we drove to Anchorage, we felt grateful that we had friends to stay with; which would make drying out much easier.
We are feeling pretty lucky to have this opportunity to do what we love. We will be spending the next few weeks in Anchorage. Gabe will be taking his GRE exams our first week here and we are hoping to get some adventuring in the week after before we head off to Valdez.
Until our next adventure,
AlpineMonkeys
AlpineMonkeys 