Land of the Midnight Sun

Sugar Loaf at Midnight:

I had the most incredible adventure last week. It was my day off and it was 11:00 at night. The sun was shining bright, and I didn't want to go to sleep, so I went and found some friends to join me on on a hike somewhere. I was just going to go on the short and easy flat trail that would quick and fulfilling, but my friend and co-worker Ray suggested Sugar Loaf. I had heard good things about Sugar Loaf but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But, I was up for anything at that point so I said……."Sure, let's go". And another co-worker, Chris, joined us and we set off on our hike at 11:30 at night.

This trail kicked my butt! It was so incredibly steep the whole way up. In some parts it was about a 90 degree incline for at least 300 feet. I was definitely not prepared for this. So after I was a huffin' and a puffin' behind my un-winded hiking buddies I had to stop and get myself together, take a breather and give myself a little pep talk….."you can do this Paige, you can do this". And then right after, I turned around to see the most beautiful wide open view of then canyon. The clouds above were dusted with purple, pink and blue and the land below seemed so small. That's when I knew it was going to be well worth it. It was just going to get better and better the further up I went. So, we trekked it on through a little further, got in some thick brush in some spots, and then even more steep sandy parts until we finally made it to the top. Or what I thought was the top.

By this time it was sunset and we were almost there. I could just barely see the orange of the sun behind the rocks and Ray and Chris were so excited that they darted to very the top to get the best view. I could already tell how incredible it was just by the way they were acting. They seemed so amazed and kept excitedly screaming down…."come on Paige, get up here!!" So pulled myself up the rocky slope as I fast as could and Yes, it was breathtaking! I have never seen so many colors in a sky before. It was like a wide open tapestry. I couldn't believe my eyes!

I was so enamored by this point that I didn't want to leave. If it weren't for the wind I probably wouldn't. It was so strong that it just about blew me off my feet.

Chris and Ray wanted me to go even further to the top, but I had to stop because I really felt like it was going to plunge me right off that mountain. It was a bit frustrating because the pictures I kept taking kept coming out blurry. Therefore, I decided to just sit back and enjoy the view. And boy what a view it was.

I have grown to have such a love an appreciation for Alaska in these past few weeks that I can't even explain. This just about did it for me. I never knew a sky could have such an array of colors. They just became more plentiful an vibrant by the minute. Again, what a wonderful and magnificent place we live in. I am constantly amazed.

Looking back on the mountain we just conquered:

In a land where the summer sun is always out and the mountains flow for miles, one can see that the exploration of this great land is endless and never complete.