We went to Seward for Labor Day weekend. When we arrived Saturday afternoon, the weather was spectacular. Not a cloud in the sky. It took me a little while to remember what that disturbingly bright orb in the sky was, but once I was able to dig out my sunglasses, my memory was pleasantly refreshed by the wonderful sensation of sun on my skin.
I had exactly three hours, while Linda watched the kiddo, to squeeze in a hike. So I decided to go up Bear Mountain. It has easy access from downtown Seward, and it looked like a very rewarding peak. I wasn’t sure I could get up and down in three hours, but I was sure I’d get some great views either way.
It took a few minutes to find the trail. I think it is hidden on purpose, so I’m not going to post the access info. Once on the trail, it was steep and in good shape. There were lots of ferns and long grass that sometimes made seeing my feet a challenge, but there was no bushwhacking. At about 1800′, the Spruce and Alders gave way to open tundra. The trail disappeared, but the hiking was excellent and the views were jaw-dropping. It was a perfect day for this hike.
After another 1000 feet of climbing, the tundra gave way to rock and snow. Route-finding became more critical. I went up through the snow fields in this picture, then stuck to the ridge.
When I reached the small triangle shaped snowfield about 600′ below the summit, the ridge got pretty sketchy. I had been hiking for an hour and twenty minutes, so I didn’t have much time to find a better route, if I wanted to be back down in time. I turned around, and descended a bit and headed around to the south side of the peak. I found what looked to be an easier route to the top up a scree slope, but by then I was at an hour and 45 minutes, so I had to head down and save the top for another day.
The snow made the first part of the descent go by very quickly, and I made it back to town with 5 minutes to spare. It was a spectacular 2 hour, 55 minute hike. So close to town, yet the only other creatures I saw were goats, a bear and a fox. It whet my appetite to not only complete this peak, but also explore a lot more in this area. It ended up raining for the rest of the weekend, so I was really glad I was able to get this hike in before the weather deteriorated.
Click either of the photos above to see the whole album from this hike, including a great 360 degree view.
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