“That was the turn,” Noelle pointed to the right as I drove straight down the narrow, two-lane road in front of us. We were headed to Liberty Falls trail to squeeze in the shortest of backpacking trips. Just a few days prior our trio, Noelle, Brandon, and I, had realized we all were off on Tuesday and, out of a mutual desire to get out of Boxtown (our park housing) for any amount of time and into the wildness of Alaska, we decided the shortest length of backpacking would suffice, even one with a rather late start. So, on Monday evening after work, we packed up our bags, ate a quick dinner, and drove east towards Chitina.
“Oh well, you can pull through the next campground and circle around,” Noelle finished her thought as our car drove further away from the missed turn. After a quick loop around to get us back in the right direction, we pulled up to a tiny dirt lot at the trailhead of Liberty Falls. We hopped out of the car, strapped on our packs, and headed towards the small path through the forest, our watches showing just a bit past 7:30pm. We hoped to stretch our legs as much as we could before our bodies grew sleepy.
Of course Noelle and I immediately noticed a welcome sign, complete with a trail log, and excitedly hurried over to write our names down. Brandon muttered a question about why there were so many trail logs in Alaska, but we couldn’t be bothered to slow down our enthusiasm for the few sheets of paper, scribbled on by so many different travellers who wished to share their thoughts. Somehow the two of us managed to get Brandon to write his zip code on the log, no matter how begrudgingly. With much consideration, Noelle and I decided it would be best to fill out the rest of the log at the end of our trip. We would have more information then anyways and the rushing sounds of water crashing down Liberty Falls were calling us to move closer!
At this point, a steady and consistent sprinkling of rain was softly patting down on top of our heads. Our rain jackets sheltered us from becoming too wet, but there wasn’t much that could protect me from the small beads of sweat forming on my body from all the uphill hiking! I could feel my clothes growing damper and cooler under the shell of my raincoat. Stepping up on to rocks and gnarled tree roots that had began to form stairs from all the human traffic coming in and out of the pathway, we climbed higher and higher through the woods. Stopping to catch our breath, we noticed Liberty Falls had become a small, distant line down below. We quietly appreciated its beauty while miming intense panting to one another in acknowledgment of how steep the walk was for all of us. Even in the distance, the crashing of the water could still be heard as we turned forward, heading off further down the trail.
The uphill climb leveled out onto a cliff and our conversations picked up, as the three of us found it easier to breath. Topics came and went faster than we could walk as we all piped up with our thoughts. John Muir, places we’ve been, names we wished we had, and our adventures in dating all passed through our discussion alongside lots of laughter. Eventually, where we would set up our campsite started to come into question. We really didn’t want to sleep on any rocks. The edge of the cliff we were on now didn’t seem too safe. Yet, we had walked upon a stunning bluff view of a lake below and the Copper River to our right. Safety and comfort or a great view? The former seemed to take precedent (hmmmm…) and we trudged along in search of a suitable spot to sleep. The path curved away from the cliff, bringing us back down into the boreal forest, wet and awake from the rainfall. Making note of potential campsites, we followed the twists and turns through the trees until we noticed we had almost reached the lake we saw earlier from the cliff. There’s nothing like running out of options to force you into making a decision! We turned back around and picked the first fluffy moss bed we made note of on our hike.
Ready for some snacks and a beer, we quickly set up our tents. Noelle typically gets to share a tent with me on any camping trips and unfortunately for her I had never dried mine out from a past trip in Yakutat. Oops… She looked at me with some disappointment, but luckily we found a bandana and I dried up the bottom of the tent for our sleeping bags. Phew! The satisfaction of a job well done seemed more complete with the Alaskan Brewing Co. bottles we packed in. Yet, there was no bottle opener. An item you really don’t need when Noelle is around. She popped the caps off with a nearby rock and we found shelter under a spruce tree to relax. We laughed about whether or not bears would be intrigued by the remnants of beer on a bottle and stuffed our food and trash in our bear bin, which was safely tucked away at the feet of some trees many yards away from our tents. Then I promptly fell asleep! However, the bright midnight sun woke me up every few hours with the fear that it was already time to get up. Each time I’d look at my watch, smile, and snuggle back down into my sleeping bag with much satisfaction until around 9am. Late mornings have their place. We all packed up and headed back down the trail to the car.
Although we didn’t spot any wildlife, there’s still something equally as thrilling about watching drops of water catch on leaves, grow bigger, and roll off as they get too heavy. My heart still swells at the uproarious sound of moving water and the sight of distant trees, so small and miniscule like a toy town. The moisture in the air refreshes the plants, the soil, and from the echoes of all the chirping and singing overhead, I would guess the birds too. And even me. It doesn’t really matter the amount of time for my visit, immersing myself in nature always puts a new spin on things. It gently reminds me of my abilities, my dreams, and my control I have over my own life. So, no matter the length, I’ll always be up for a backpacking trip through the woods.