Lace up your boots and grab a water bottle...

[Blue_In_AK]

I'm taking you for a hike on the Granite Tors Trail -- difficulty "moderate/strenuous," total elevation gain 2700 feet. A description for you geology buffs - "A 15-mile loop trail going in a clockwise direction from east to west with access to alpine tundra, unusual rock formations and views of the Alaska Range and Chena River Valley. The tors are large granite outcrops that formed millions of years ago when molten rock pushed upward, cooling before it reached the surface. The surrounding earth slowly eroded, exposing the harder rock pinnacles."

Okay, here we go. This is Rock Creek which still harbored a bit of snow on its banks, even though the weather had been quite warm.



HullBoss on the boardwalk over the bog.



Making some progress along the trail. Our starting point was at the quarry in the background on the right.



Beginning to climb a bit.



This area was also impacted by the massive Interior Alaska fires of 2004, which burned approximately 6.5 million acres.



Look how far we've come - quarry in the center of the pic, way back there.



Here's HullBoss making his way through the burned black spruce.



Higher...



Some of these skeletal trees were really interesting. I'm not sure what causes these burls, but they look cool.



And here I am waving to you from the first of many crests on this trail. Behind me on the hilltop are some of the tors which, keep in mind, are approximately 200 feet tall. You can see how far we have to go yet, although we really felt like we'd come quite a ways already.



Okay, you can rest and have a granola bar now. :)

[RagingInMiami]

1. Granola bar?

I think I need a beer after all that climbing

[regnaD kciN]

2. Better you than me...

After the Ranger Falls (officially "moderate") hike a couple of weeks ago, I've resolved to stick with "easy" or "fairly easy" the rest of this year. paisley, who would kind of like to have me around for a few more years, concurs. ;-)

[intheflow]

3. OMG, you make me feel so outta shape!

And are you and Hull Boss wearing some kind of mosquito netting shirts? Where can I get me one of them?

[Blue_In_AK]

5. We got our mosquito netting suits

at either Sports Authority or Sportsmen's Warehouse, I can't remember which. (They're both located in the same part of town.) $30 for a full suit, pants and jacket. We didn't have to get the pants out on this trip because it was cool enough to wear jeans, but the jackets were a godsend. There's a hood that you can pull up completely over your head and face and tuck into the front of your jacket so you're completely enclosed. I'm bothered by the netting in front of my eyes, so I used some 95% Deet around my hairline. You have to bring out the big guns up here.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. This isn't exactly like ours, but

I think I like this one better because of the seamless head covering. Jim just found this link in the Alaska Magazine.

http://www.bugbaffler.com/

[JeffR]

4. All that scenery

And people pics too... :) And again, the fire-ravaged areas are really striking subject matter.

[Blue_in_CA]

6. The second to last shot

is awesome. I love the color of the sky.

[bvar22]

7. Love #2

HullBoss on the planks. He looks at home in the elements.



Love all the trip shots.
Thanks for inviting us along.
You look very happy.
:)

[NV Whino]

9. And I got a headache just driving in the Rockies!

I think I'll let you do all the hiking.