Flattop Mountain

Meet a very wind-blown Kiki. She's a friend from law school who is doing the same summer program and living in the same dorm/apartment. You'll be hearing lots about our adventures over the next two months.

Today, on a bit of a whim, we decided to hike Flattop Mountain. Why this trail? There's a shuttle (we're without wheels), and it's supposed to be the beginner hike near Anchorage. It turned out to be a little more difficult than a "beginner" trail...and a lot windier than expected. As a result, we didn't summit...but came darn close.

This is the view out over Cook Inlet, downtown Anchorage, and the surrounds from about 2/3 of the way up the trail.


This is the point on the trail where I could hear my mother's voice telling me to "use your head." As you can see, Kiki and our new friends from Jersey were carefully placing each foot in the snow. One mistake, and... I'm not sure I was "using my head" when I decided to track across this, but we made it!

We're looking forward to hiking the whole trail again in the future. There's a big party on this mountain for the summer solstice. What could be better than a bunch of hikers watching the sun not set? If the weather isn't clear for that hike, we'll have to do it a third time because, on a clear day, the view is supposed to stretch as far north as Mount McKinley. That I have to see!