Wasilla Creek Trail - Alaska

In addition to catching up with a dear friend, I had high hopes for hiking in Alaska. Unfortunately, the Universe had different plans. A few days into my trip I came down with the flu. I'm not gonna lie, it was a bummer. But, after all of the ups and downs of the past year, I have learned to take things as they come. I just thought of my illness as a sign that I needed some down time to sit and be present with the wonderful people I was visiting. We talked and laughed and communed over delicious food and had a book club and watched construction videos and connected. And then, when we were all feeling better, we went outside to explore.

Recovering from congested lungs, we all decided to head out on a trail that was really easy. With snow flurries each morning that melted in the warm sun in the afternoons, we also wanted to stay away from mud. Enter Wasilla Creek Trail, with a raised boardwalk leading out to a viewing platform. It was perfect.

We parked in the little dirt parking lot that was studded with deep divots and headed down the path leading into the forest. Now, I know I said we were trying not to walk in the mud, but this part of the trail was covered in it. Fortunately, we were all prepared and wearing heavy boots. And, after being cooped up in the house for a while, a few of us were feeling playful and walked right through the puddles. (Ok, I'll admit, it was the two moms who walked in the puddles, and it was so much fun!)

After a short stint, we came upon what looked like a long, narrow pier perched a few feet above a field of tall, dry grass in the middle of a forest of bare birch trees. Honestly, it was a little odd and I found myself walking very slow and stopping to look at the ground beneath us. I didn't understand why the boardwalk was so high. I mean, the ground below us was completely dry and the reviews from previous winters stated that the path was often covered in snow and ice. But I knew that there were mountain views in my future, so I pressed on.

The walkway turned from wood to metal and Wasilla Creek came into view. The surface was like glass reflecting the trees and sky above with small ripples only visible when a branch or rock emerged from the depths. Although there was very little snow in the surrounding field, shelves of ice hovering above the water's surface along the curved edges of the river provided a resting place for packed, crunchy snow. I tried my best to look under the ice shelf, even getting down on my knees and leaning over the edge of the walkway, but I just couldn't get a good look.

Giving up on looking at the gap between the ice ledge and the water, I managed to stand up without falling into the creek, and we continued on toward the viewing platform.

As the birch trees thinned and we came to a grassy clearing, the snow-capped giants came into view. We remained there for a while, basking in the warmth of the sun and taking in the sights that surrounded us. We all imagined how this place would look in the spring with the trees full of leaves and flowers blooming in a bright field of green. One day, I hope to return and see that with my own eyes.

After a long and wonderful pause, we headed back to the parking lot. I was still enamored with the ground below. There were rocks and fallen trees covered in moss and fungi. Two of us have degrees in biology so we geeked out on the types of mushrooms and why they were growing in certain spots and how they affected the way the bark grew and peeled away from the trees...and then my friend said, "Wait, is that a moose out there?"

Picture this...four women out on a narrow boardwalk in a birch forest in winter. Two of them are older and not very tall (let's be clear, I said older, not old - there is a difference). The other two are tall, statuesque, young women with curly jet black hair. Now imagine watching this group staring out into the forest, yelling sounds we think a moose might make in a really low voice (no, none of us has any idea what a moose sounds like). Yes, my friends. That's exactly what we did. We stayed that way for a good two minutes, until one of us asked, "Shouldn't it have moved by now?" And then someone else said, "Oh, I think that's just a boulder covered in moss." Now I guess I have to return so I can see a real moose. You know, one that has horns and breathes.