The walk from Yuditna to trail head was three miles of lots of grumbling. Once there, we walked another mile of back and forth trying to locate the legal camp grounds. It was clear that Eklutna was a popular weekend spot (as it totally should be), but also obvious that we were the only campers. After a few days of collecting our water and sleeping in bags, we instantly took on that mole people title which delineated us from the folks driving in for a bike ride. I did not and have not yet felt the sincerity and warmth that emanated from everyone we met in California and Independence, CA specifically. I distinctly feel we are other here, and am continuing to look, to see if this is me projecting, or a legit description of alaskanians. Alaskanananans. Don’t tread on me, and antisocial seem more the personality, which is cool, just different than I expected. Never ever expect.
Anyway, we find a spot and set up immediately.
Get. Those. Bags. Off.
It’s maybe 5:00p, and we call it for dinner and sleepy clothes. DONE with this once loverly day out. We set up far back from the trail and in the middle of these sneaky red pricked branches. We both noted them with a curse, and prepared our tent. Ramen, peanut butter, and cranberries over cards before turning in to our yellow tent. I taught Maxwell Canasta which I now regret, and we curled in for our first night out, for real.
We woke to a frozen tent, droplets of ice covered the zippers and our waters were solid and cold. I got up to get water from the creek, and to start the day. I returned to Max who struggled to be cheerful after sleeping on a root. We warmed with breakfast and set out to explore our new home. The beach just beyond our tent was black sand and led into wetlands (sloshy with mud and ice). We had a gorgeous view, and found petrified wood, and rocks cracked by ice. We told funny stories and began to like each other, with new inside jokes.
