Hatcher Pass is one of my favorite places in Alaska. We came here multiple times to hike and explore, but the pass remains closed until mid July. On our way home from Denali, we decided to drive the pass.
As we approached the pass, we noticed a few people paragliding off of the mountain.
We parked at Summit Lake and took a short hike.
Paragliders were preparing to takeoff again, so we sat and watched for awhile. It was neat being so close to them and at one point one of the guys flew right past us! This is something that I really want to do sometime!
The tundra plants are turning from green to red for autumn, but the fireweed (above) is still in bloom.
I made one final trip back with Courtney and Dangerous Dan to climb Murphy Peak. We anticipated this to be a technical climb requiring ropes, but it turns out we didn't need them after all. Unfortunately I decided not to take my camera, so these are from my cell phone. We parked at the Independence Mining town, where the buildings are in the photo below.
This climb happened at the very end of August, and as you can see, there was still a bit of snow.
View from the top! See the white in the distant horizon? Those aren't clouds, it's Denali!
This section was so fun to walk thru. There were little streams of water bubbling under the ground. A wonderful sound.
Now all of the fireweed has turned red, making for an enjoyable view after a fantastic hike!
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