Devil's Punchbowl

It is rare to have a blue-sky, sunny day in Skagway. It is even more rare to have a blue-sky, sunny day on the weekend, when I don't have to be working. Earlier today, I hiked up to a glacier cirque alone because I couldn't convince any of my roommates to take advantage of our good fortune and go with me. But I didn't know if I'd get the chance again and was so curious to see this glacier-fed tarn. So I after leaving a detailed plan with my roommates, packing bear spray, and filling my pack with more than enough food, water, warm clothing, and medical supplies for three people, I rode my bike over to the trail head. Even though I was scared the entire time that I was going to get mauled by a bear, and when I finally arrived, it was breath taking. All my fear was gone. I read that John Muir once described Alaska as looking like it "remains at the time of Creation," and I feel like that is exactly what I witnessed today.

View from Upper Dewey Lake (you may recognize the name from a previous hike, but the view today made it feel totally new).
Hiking from Upper Dewey Lake to Devil's Punchbowl; all above the treeline.
Again, Upper Dewey Lake; entirely fed by glaciers.
View of Upper Dewey Lake from the ridge line leading to Devil's Punchbowl.
Feeling a lot of respect for mountain goats.
Devil's Punchbowl; a tarn nestled in an alpine cirque, just 4.04 (strenuous!) miles from my apartment.

I think I also might have set a record on this trail for fastest ascent and descent, covering 8.08 miles in a mere 2 hours 47 minutes up and 2 hours and 23 minutes down, while singing Lady Gage and Cat Stevens (I prefer singing as an alternative to yelling "hey bear" every hundred meters).