Because we did not have any bikes an no real chance to do the bike leg, we had a little bit of free time. We headed over to Cooper Landing (TA5) in the U-haul and planned on getting a solid rest there. This was a great TA for me as my wife and kids were going from Girdwood to Soldotna and were able to come by and say hello. We were even able to drive by the local convenience store and get some supplies. We got some decent sleep and food - and were able to truly get ready for the paddle across Kenai Lake. We were also asked to leave earlier tha we had planned so we could get the boats to the next TA so they could be brought back for other teams. That turned out to be good as the water was pure glass at 4 AM as we headed out onto the lake and took the LEFT TURN (take note NYARA) into Kenai Lake.
The first few hours of the paddle were pure joy. Amazing views, reflected in glassy waters - with perfect temperatures. It would not last as we would eventually move into a strong headwind - but still the paddle was a pretty fun paddle, though I feel that the team was pretty ready to be done when we pulled into Primrose Camp (TA6). One plus of this leg is we got to see Tecnu as they passed us at the final checkpoint - it was great to exchange hellos and offer encouragement and congraulations for them.
I will let the pictures tell the story here.
At TA6 (Primrose Campground) we were able to get some food. We were in the afternoon of Day 5 (as best as I could tell) and all we had left was a hike from Primrose to Seward with one bushwack to a checkpoint along the way. This would be another trail porn (See Day 2) - as Lost Lake was incredible and we hit it right at sunset.
The rest of the trek was tough as we were pretty tired of trekking, and I was hurting enough I started in on the Naproxen/Acetimenophen mix to ease the pain in my swollen feet. It did get pretty dark as we crossed back below the treeline. The bushwack was kind of fun. We ran into quite a few colonies of Marmots (Alan! Alan! Alan!) and Grouse with their chicks in the tundra. Towards the end of the trek (last 3 hours) the team was very tired so I decided to sing and tell stories. Luckily the team did not throw me off the mountain :-)
It seemed like forever, but eventually we were done and the passenger van came to the trailhead to give us a ride to the final TA in Seward. Here we would get a solid nights sleep and be able to prepare for the final leg of the race. We only had one thing to do and that was to visit the end location before we prepared for the final leg - Mount Marathon 5K. We even got to see the Saturday Men's running of the race - pure insanity and incredible fun.
Next: http://eaglinar.blogspot.com/2015/07/expedition-alaska-part-6-mount-marathon.html
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