"It was like, wake up. You're in Alaska. Go hike!" --Emily Saltz
After 17 long hours, we arrived safely on Sunday in Kodiak at 10:30 local time. We were greeted at the airport by Andy Schroeder (the founder of Island Trails Network), and we made our way to Monashka Bay, where we'll be staying until the weekend. After a quick orientation at the house, we headed for bed -- at midnight -- with the sun still on the horizon. It really did feel like the longest day of the year.
We slept in a bit on Monday morning, had breakfast, and headed out to hike Pyramid Mountain. The hike was strenuous, in part because the weather changes quickly and dramatically on the island. We had sunshine, a quick, driving rain, a rainbow, and gusting winds all in the span of two hours. We gained over 2000 feet of elevation (see the terrain map below); four of us climbed a bit farther to summit the mountain. The views were breathtaking, though difficult to express in a blog post.
The trip downhill was just as exciting, as we decided the best way down a large snow pack was to slide on our butts. The real work starts tomorrow, but today was a wonderful introduction to Alaska.
Here's the terrain map and a photo of our hike.
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