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THIS HIKE WAS SUBMITTED BY ROSS TIMM |
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| 123 |    Photos Map |
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| Last Updated: January 14, 2007 | ||
Difficulty |
Difficult | |
Connects
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Bird Creek Trail | |
Miles
One
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3 | |
Miles
from
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20 | |
General Vicinity |
Chugach State Park | |
Season |
June through September | |
Description |
I followed the book "50 Hikes in
Alaska's Chugach State Park", hike #43, two summers ago with my
friends Will and Julie, on a nice July day. Penguin gets a huge snow
load and still had snow covering the actual peak. I stopped at the
microwave relay station on the upper ridge. I have heard the avalanche
danger is huge in the winter, so I would not attempt until June. You
park down Konikson road, in Bird, right after the old Bird Creek parking
area. After briefly following the old jeep road for about a half mile
you take a right (follow the book's instructions) and then start heading
up, steeply, then very steeply. The trail is rough, and in a
tunnel through thick brush for awhile. Eventually you get to very nice
steep meadows, still deep in the main gully, but eventually opening up
to a few false ridges. Finally you gain the main ridge. You get awesome
views over the ridge if you scurry over towards the edge, looking over
to the Arm. The other side of this ridge is extremely steep. You see
this avalanche zone when you drive the new highway section with the
passing lanes. From the ridge you hike east, now in alpine tundra and
rock. You can either head towards the weathered relay station (pretty
cool to me, maybe obtrusive to some), or veer left and head to the
actual peak a 1000 feet higher. Not as much for views compared to Bird
Ridge, until you get to the upper ridge, but still a neat hike.
Great views of Bird Ridge itself. I would recommend this for a nice
change of pace from Bird Ridge because it has similar length, end
altitude, views from the top, and steepness. I saw a few other people,
so that is why I gave it the remoteness level and solitude I did, but
you don't see a quarter as many as on Bird Ridge on a nice summer day. ***** The following is a contribution from Paul "Kegger" Koecher: I highly recommend it. Although you don't get nice views Immediately, I think the reward for summitting is just as good if not better than Bird Ridge. You're WAY above the road. |
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Important Information |
Weather unpredictable on top and there are bears in the valley. Pretty steep for young kids, I would guess. I have a feeling a early June start could involve a lot of postholing up the gully that makes up two-thirds of the hike. | |
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