Knob Lakes and Alaskam Road (Mile 118.5 Intersection)

This weekend's hike from Sheep Mountain Lodge took me down the Alaskam Road to Knob Lakes.

It was a very pleasant morning. The last few days there has been very few clouds and very little wind. The temperatures soon rise in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Then in the afternoon rain and some wind. First I went down to the main lodge and getting a little breakfast and packing a lunch. When I cam back up to Hillside House, I woke up Petra, Jake and Claire...they were going to get to go on the next Meekins Air Service trip (previous blog).

I wrote a note on the board in the living room on which direction I was planning to go and the latest that I planned to be back. A good idea, if you hike alone anywhere. A better idea, if it's a somewhat remote place where you haven't been and there is sometimes bears in the area.

Then I headed east along the West Glenn Highway until came to the Alaskam Road intersection, about five miles. It's a dirt road, winding through the wilderness and eventually ends on a hill with a microwave communications tower. It's also used by pilots as a marker to the beginning of the Tahneta Pass. There were several campers out this 4th of July and a few on 4-wheelers. Not as remote as it might have been...but a dozen people over the 5km cannot be considered crowded either.

I saw several species of birds that I had not encountered including the Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea), it's a small sparrow-like bird with a bright red crown and a splash of raspberry red on the chest. The Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), I've heard many warblers along the walk and most are hiding in the thick brush...this is the first that I have been able to see long enough to identify.

When I got down to the North Knob Lake I also saw a Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia) and many Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)...seen in the above photo. One of the more interesting role-reversal birds the female rednecks abandon the eggs after laying them and move on to another male. The males have a brood patch that incubates the eggs and they raise the birds...they also will adopt orphan birds and care for them. The males redneck band is a little less red too.

I walked almost all the way up to the tower. I was on it's level, just saw no reason to actually go near it. I came back down and considered taking the path to and around the nearby Trail Lake. But it was very wet and muddy...and there were many mosquitos. The area of the Glenn between Lion's Head to end of the Sheep Mountain complex is almost mosquito-free. The water in this section, where there is water, is usually moving quickly. So my spoiled-butt decided to just head back to the Glenn.

The intersection is also near the end of the Old Glenn Highway (another previous blog). I sat at the rest stop and ate my lunch. Talked with a couple other travelers. I was noticing the increasing cloud cover and started back down the Old Glenn. I did take a couple of short rest stops near the small mountain streams. Just when I was exiting the Old Glenn it started to rain.

I arrived back at Sheep Mountain Lodge just as the rain was subsiding. Olivia and Guthrie were in the living room and I talked to them a little as I erased my note. I then went down to the lodge and had a couple of beers. The ABATE biker group members were starting to arrive for their 4th of July celebration. I was just going to go back up to Hillside House and take a nap before enjoying their festivities...but I woke up at midnight...