North to Alaska

Footin' it up Flattop.

Work in Alaska in early August 2012 made it convenient to stop in and see my dad in Tucson for few days before flying up to Anchorage.  He was doing okay, but the slow recovery had evolved into a series of bad days and better days, ups and downs and miscellaneous ails that hindered the progress he might have otherwise made.  But the overall prognosis remained good and the doctors expected he could be released to a nursing care facility within a week or two for further healing and rehab.  I left him smiling but stuck in bed and hardly able to eat due to various complications.
In Anchorage, I had a day to explore the city and surroundings and quickly set my sights on Flattop Mountain, allegedly the most climbed mountain in Alaska.  A good trail leads nearly two miles to the top with expansive views of the city and the Chugach Mountains.  I was late in the day getting there so most of my fellow trekkers were on their way down, which meant I had plenty of room to breathe and relax at the summit.  Two days later, I took a spin up the Glenn Highway to Eklutna Lake for a short loop hike that was a little ho-hum after the grandeur of Flattop.  One needs more time—and preferably a canoe or kayak—to access the more interesting parts of the upper lake.

Looking northwest across Anchorage.