Hello, Peak Two. It's been a while, no?

When the sun peaks out and the birch leaves glow yellow, autumn in Alaska is the best place in the world.

The air is crisp and the sun is warm and you can smell the scent of berries and leaves and the soft, damp odor of the ground.

On such days, it's impossible to stay indoors. And if you're in the middle of a large writing project and don't have a lot of time, you can head up to Glen Alps and be up in the mountains in less than a half hour.

My brooks are too damned clean. I need a good, muddy, long run.

A lot of people scoff at the idea of hiking/running Flattop, the most climbed mountain in Alaska. But if you go late in the afternoon and hike/run up the backside, you can basically have the mountain to yourself. I passed four people the entire way, and once I cleared Flattop and headed up to Peak Two, there was no one around. In fact, there wasn't a person in sight; I had the place to myself. And the views were incredible.

 

I power hiked up and ran down. I shouldn't have run because the footing with iffy and, wouldn't you know it, I twisted the very foot that's still recovering from an injury. But such outings are worth a little pain. I can't wait until I can run the entire mountain again but patience, Cinthia. Patience.

I love how these little roots. They are so white and pure and bare.
 

This was the first time I've hiked/run Flattop and Peak Two alone, without The Beebs. I thought I would be lonely, but I wasn't. How can one be lonely in the mountains? It's funny. When we were in Portland, I often felt lonely in the city (though I loved, loved, loved the 85 degree temps) but I never feel lonely out on the trails. I can run and hike for hours and not pass another person and feel totally content. The mountains and trees, you see, are good company.

When I got home I made my too-lazy-to-cook-goto-meal, a Salad of Salads. This one includes mixed greens, chicken veggie burger, tomatoes, chia seeds and dried seaweed, with the last of the Trader Joe's Goddess dressing. (Oh, Trader Joe's, I miss you so!)

I'm posting another food picture! I hope I don't turn into a food blogger. Then I would have to actually cook.

Reading: I seem to be reading three books at a time. I'm not sure how this happened but I'm going with it.

Anne Tyler's Morgan's Crossing. I've read this countless times and it never fails. No one writes dialogue like Tyler. No one.

David Roberts' On a Ridge Between Life and Death. The ultimate climbing memoir. I don't climb mountains, I hike and run them, but I enjoy reading such adventures. A big plus: Roberts is a damned good writer.

Michael Brookes' Faust 2.0.  This is an indie book I got for free when I signed up for a newsletter. It's an action-packed quick read about a computer virus with the ability to rationalize and think coherent thoughts. It's not my usual reading genre but sometimes it's nice to kick out of one's comfort zone.

P.S. Can't get this song out of my mind. Think I might have to go rent "The Full Monty."

Cheers and happy Tuesday and Wednesday, everyone.