rabbit lake

There is no shortage of hiking trails in Anchorage. The Municipality of Anchorage boasts an award-winning trail system covering about 250 miles of trails, and over 10,000 acres of parkland so we had many options for our weekly Monday hike. We decided to take the Rabbit Creek Trail to Rabbit Lake. Nine miles round trip with a 1,300-ft elevation gain — sure, why not?!?

The weather was perfect with just the right amount of cloud cover since there was no shade anywhere. The trail starts out on a wide, rocky path and we walked through mud and water. I’m not gonna lie, the uphill sections did get the better of me and I had to stop more than once to catch my breath. But at every stop we stood in awe of the scene that nature had provided.

About one mile in we had our first wildlife sighting — a moose! Our group of four, plus the dog, was walking single file and I was bringing up the rear. Kerry stopped short when a moose came out of the brush and walked across the trail. The moose seemed more interested in eating the vegetation so we stood quietly, watching her for a few minutes and taking pictures before continuing on our way.

The fireweed this summer has been spectacular. Fireweed is a tall, bright pink wildflower that thrives in open meadows, along streams, and roadsides. According to the USDA Forest Service, Fireweed earned its name because this plant is the first colonizer in the soil after forest fires. We saw it along the trail, in the meadow and on the hillside. At one spot we noticed three sheep amidst the flowers. Quite a sight to see the white sheep in the pink flowers with a patch of snow nearby.

We kept on trekking and I had serious doubts about reaching the lake. I stopped for a snack break and was ready to tell the others to continue without me. “We’re almost there, just ten more minutes!” Yeah, right. I kept going and I’m so glad I did! When the lake came into view I was actually surprised to see so many people there. It’s a pretty lake nestled against the Suicide Peaks. A perfect place to rest, have lunch and enjoy the peaceful beauty surrounding us. Except for the group of kids who were flying a drone. We didn’t hike all this way to be disturbed by the constant, loud buzzing. Thankfully they left soon after our arrival. There’s nothing quite like sitting quietly in a great expanse, being in the great outdoors and simply enjoying being alive.

Time to start the four-mile hike back to the car. The trail was more downhill this direction and the rocky path caused us to use different muscles. We had been warned that a bull moose was on the trail so we kept our eyes open. Sure enough, we finally came across the the big guy next to the trail, happily munching on branches. We stopped, looked and listened but he didn’t seem too interested in hikers. We watched along with another group of hikers and decided to exit the trail and go around the moose. It was a nice 15-minute moose delay but I loved watching him and got some fantastic images.

Dusty, dirty, happy and tired we finally reached the parking area. What a fabulous adventure with Kerry and Kai, Bridget, and Gary. To end the day and celebrate we headed for the Midnight Sun Brewing Co for a cold beer! Cheers to being in Alaska!

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
–John Muir