Hike from Hell to Eagle Glacier

Eagle Glacier

I don't even know how to begin explaining our experience on the Eagle Glacier Trail. I wouldn't say it was horrible, though Brad may disagree. I was disappointed in some ways since the trip didn't quite turn out as expected. Yet, I was glad to have done it.

Start of the hike

The hike started off easy enough. I was a bit worried about the weight of my pack since I was not used to hiking with one. However, that did not seem to be an issue and my legs handled it fine.  We had also scouted the first couple miles of the trail a few weeks back and knew we wouldn't have much issues with at least that part of the trail. There was lots of snow on the ground still though, and I worried about what the conditions may hold for us later in the trail. We started on a pretty slow pace, stopping for photos and shouting for bears.  We left just before 1pm and expected to get there around 5ish. Well, it turned out that we only covered about 3 miles in that time and still had another 2.5 miles left to our cabin at Eagle Glacier. The snow and ice on the trail slowed us considerably, and there were other obstacles such as dodgy bridges, flooded trails, and fallen trees. The trail by everyone's standards is rated "difficult". There's no total elevation gain, but there is enough ups and downs to give you a good work out.

Brad falling thigh deep into snow

The last two miles of the hike to the cabin was absolute hell.  We'd walk for a long time and get very discouraged when we look at the GPS and saw we only covered a third of a mile. Friday the 13th indeed. There was more snow cover here and the recent warm weather made it soft.  We both kept falling knee and thigh deep into the snow. Snowshoes would have been really helpful for this part. Brad had it even worse, since he weighed a lot more than me and didn't have poles or cleats. I was a bit frustrated since I did warn him against taking unnecessary gear and encouraged him to take poles and cleats. However, I was also very concerned since he was really hurting. It is easy to twist an ankle or hurt your knees in these conditions. He had the additional danger of slipping on ice. I knew I could continue on, but he and I were unsure whether he could. What if he really did injure himself and physically couldn't go on? We joked at the possibility that we could end up on the show "I Shouldn't Be Alive." He pushed through his pain and kept going though. 

We eventually reached the cabin at about 8pm, seven hours after we started. The hike was not the most strenuous one I've done, but it was probably the most difficult. At the cabin we got a glimpse of the Eagle Glacier (above) just before the sun went down. At night the sky was clear and the stars were magnificient. I was hoping to see the aurora borealis but wasn't quite so lucky.

Eagle Glacier Cabin

Our original plan for our second day was to hike two miles to the Eagle Glacier and back. Well, after yesterday's ordeal, we knew it would be difficult getting there in these conditions. Plus, we needed to rest up our legs for the trek back the next day. I also wanted to see this waterfall that was supposedly only a quarter of a mile past the cabin. We couldn't find the trail to it though amongst all of the snow. So instead, we relaxed at the cabin and enjoyed the peace and quiet. No one showed up at the cabin that day, not that we expected anyone would be crazy enough to come out here and go back on a day hike. The only wildlife I saw were squirrels, but Brad claims he saw a wolf in the evening while outside peeing. Despite not being able to do what I wanted to do this day, I actually enjoyed just being at the cabin. I liked being there so much I'm considering booking another cabin somewhere. In a way I want to come to this same cabin again, but in the summer.

The next day we set off quite early at 0630. We had to get to Pet Nanny's by 3pm to pick-up Millie. We worried it might take us longer to get back with our tired legs, but we did a little better coming back. We were back by noon. It was a little easier to get back because we hit the hardest part of the trail first whilst we had the strength. Plus, we were able to trace back our footsteps (or holes) and avoided falling into the snow as much. Brad had also shed about 30lbs of food and water, which helped a lot. It was a tiring hike back but our spirits were much higher than the hike in. After about 3-miles walking, we ran into three women who were planning to hike out to the cabin in back in one day. One woman was unsure if they'd actually make it all the way out there, but the woman with a f'ing cup of coffee in her hand made it sound like this was a stroll in the park for her. There's a lot of fit people in Juneau who probably do these types of hikes all the time... but hiking with a cup of coffee?  I really would like to know if she made it there and back on that particular day.