Portage and Byron Glacier

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  We got a new computer recently, and while I absolutely LOVE IT, having to blog on a desktop rather than on my laptop while I watch 300 episodes of Love It or List It and/or Masterchef is taking some getting used to (I'm having a hard time not multitasking). 

Over Labor Day weekend we went camping in Portage! I know it's kind of the same old place we seem to always go, but I really like it, and it's only about an hour from Anchorage.  At least we picked a new camp site this time: 

Check out my tarp-hanging skills.  I should get a merit badge.

Andy took Friday off and I took a half day so we could get a jump on the crowds.  After setting up, we went for a little walk.  Ripley went in the river first:

And then headed for the boardwalk.

Even though the river was kind of murky from some recent rains, we saw salmon! These were pretty sad looking - close to the end of the road I guess.

After walking around by the river, we heard a blood curdling scream.

MARMOT!  It was a relief that someone was not being consumed by a bear - the screaming sounds about the same (though I've never heard anyone be eaten by a bear, but I can guess what that would sound like).

Andy's going to audition for the 2014 REI catalogue.  We know the guy on the cover of this year's catalog, so we might have an in.

Yes he is holding a mug.  We may or may not have taken booze on our little hike.

After the little walk, Ripley took a nap on the blanket I brought for him:

And then remembered that he was going to be sleeping in the tent with us and therefore needed to be as dirty as possible.

After dinner I went for a walk the other way down the stream and saw a LOT more salmon.  These were a little more robust looking than the others, but still looked like they were about to die.  Poor salmon.

In the morning we got up and went for a hike to Byron Glacier.  Our friends Ann and Steve had been up there just the week before and said it was easy and had beautiful scenery.

First we walked towards Portage Lake.  The trail from the campground is really well maintained and very flat, which is nice after a night of s'mores and boxed wine (that's how we roll when we camp).

All the fireweed is done blooming.  It must be fall! 

After about two miles, we got to Portage Lake and there was an iceberg floating around!

After letting Ripley drink some glacier water, we headed towards the path to Byron Glacier.  More pretty scenery:

We hiked another two miles or so and finally spotted the glacier.

Here's Andy photobombing the glacier.

Sorry ladies, HE'S TAKEN

We walked a little ways further to get a closer look and came across a fun sign:

Needless to say, I do not possess "glacier travel skills"

I'm guessing this is the snow you aren't supposed to walk on:

I have to say, it was pretty impressive.  Good hiking suggestion, Ann!

 I decided to walk to the little mound to get some perspective.  The glacier is really quite large.

Wee!

Here's the view from the hill I was standing on.  Glaciers everywhere!

We headed back to the campsite, had some lunch and about an hour later, frantically shoved everything in our car while it poured down rain.  Despite the hasty exit, it was a nice little adventure!  We were glad we got at least one camping trip in this summer, hopefully we'll do a lot more next year.