DAY 3: Glacier River Crossing, mild hikes, and far more bear scat than I ever hoped to see IRL

We awake to find the group of Hawaiians long gone and Mr. Quiet stoking a small breakfast fire.

After a quick meal of Cliff Bars and 5-hour energy guzzled by those of us on a heavy caffeine addiction, we break down camp and I take a last minute respite to act like a bear (and shit in the woods)

Removing our socks, shoes, and pant-legs, some of us don Teva sandals while others opt for flip flops, water proof socks, or nothing at all in preparation for fording the Glacier fed river.

Did I mention that it’s a GLACIER FED RIVER. *this means that it’s REALLY REALLY COLD.

The crossing goes smoothly and we all capture a few shots of the crossing:

Cousac manages to lose a Flip-Flop and snaps a photo

See the Glacier feeding the river off in the distance?

A sign on the opposite side of the river tells us how to cross safely… thanks for the heads up; thanks a lot.

Ford Glacier River: CHECK

We hike along Eagle River for a bit, enjoying the change in scenery, secure in the fact that we’re now more than half way through the hike.

Along the path, we cross a foot bridge with a rope support line above:

Fast legs is caught grinning prior to our next rope

We are also assisted by a rappelling rope to make it down a rather steep decline with a Ladder on the other side for a swift way back up.

We stop for water at another stream and I catch Sancho watering the forest like he’s a five year old with his pants down around his ankles. I laugh because I’m a 13 year old boy stuck inside of a 28 year old man’s body.

(for some reason I’m reminded of heroin addiction by this picture…)

We sing and clap some more (singing mostly 80s songs and the Styx song ‘Lady’ in particular for no reason whatsoever) [Note: Lady is the unofficial theme song for any Great Alaskan Adventure. Do not question or challenge this fact, simply accept, love it, and stop humming it to yourself. LAAAAADYY] , avoiding bears successfully until Mr. Quiet charges up behind us warning us of a bear coming down the mountain a few hundred yards above and ahead of us. We marvel at nature and decide that it’s safe to pass.

Bear sighting: CHECK

Shortly after the encounter, we break for lunch in the woods for our final rehydrated meal. This time it’s Oriental Chicken and Rice. It is by far the best tasting meal of the three consumed to date.

I take a moment to chill out without a 35 pound pack on my back

We cross a stream which gushes through the trees and Cousac takes the opportunity to get artsy and capture the moment

We cross past beaver dams

We pause atop a large granite outcropping for a few group shots

And continue down the trail, walking easily on the ever expanding trail.

The snow and ice has turned to stones and forest. The trail is difficult only because of the size of the rocks we scramble:

A few miles out from the end of the trail, we come across a set of steps leading down to the river from logs.

Cousac leaps from rock to rock and finds himself in the center of Eagle River capturing the surrounding majesty

We amble down the rest of the path and pause to capture the greenery

We also stopped at the boardwalk in the swamp by the end of the trail to have a sit and enjoy the tranquility

Finally, reunited, we finish the hike at the Eagle River Nature Center and get a group shot

26 miles ‘aint so bad after all.

From Left to Right – Sancho, Me, Mr. Brown, Fast Legs, Mr. Quiet, and Cousac

For ALL of the pictures, check out our various sets here, here, here, and here)

Tags: Adventure, Alaska, Crow Pass, Eagle River, Hike, Nature Center