Mystery Mountain Scrambles
by Jim Kelley, Scree

Peak 5505 - headwaters of Four Mile Creek, north of Peters Creek (Anchorage B6, T15N, R1E, Section 35). On May 17th, Greg Jacobson, visiting from Seattle, and I did a ridge-running (postholing?) loop between Peters Creek and Thunderbird Creek. Starting at the Peters Creek trailhead we ran four miles in on the trail and then took a ridge NE to a point (4855) above the valley. We then followed a corniced ridge to Peak 5505 at the head of the Four Mile drainage.

We didn't find a cairn on top so we built a small one and headed north to subpeak 5335. From there we followed the main ridge heading NW to Peak 4040 and to Mt. Eklutna, from which we descended back to Peters Creek trail. This loop took us 8 1/2 hours. It's a good ridge scrambling route, great views in all directions for most of the trip.

Peak 6385 - between Thunderbird Peak and Benign Peak (Anchorage B6, T14N, R2E, Section 22). On June 7th I mountain-biked to mile 8 of the Eklutna Road. Here I stashed my bike and waded the East and main channels of the Eklutna River. After one mile and 2000 vertical of alder bashing I entered the valley that separates Thunderbird Peak and the north ridge of Benign Peak. I ascended the valley to a rock glacier; a half-mile past the terminus I took the NE ridge of Peak 6385 to the summit. On top I found a cairn with a film canister left on July 15, 1991 by Steve and Barb Johnson. They had ascended from Peters Creek. (Editor's note: first ascent of this peak was a solo by Jim Sayler, June 29, 1986)

There were tracks of a large brown bear that had traversed from Peters Creek, over the col just west of Benign through the valley I traveled. Judging by the freshness of the tracks in the snow, the bear had been through the valley no more than two hours before me. At one point the bear had been crossing a steep snowfield and had apparently lost its footing. It left a 200-foot skid mark and you could see where the bear finally executed a bear claw self-arrest, and then ambled away.

Peak 5705 - west of terminus of Hunter Creek Glacier (Anchorage B5, T15N, R4E, Section 28). Note: this is not the 5705 foot Siwash Peak that was climbed a few years ago by Tom Choate. It is 4-1/2 air miles to the north.

On July 3rd it took a 16-hour day trip and 14,000 feet of vertical to climb "The Gatekeeper" of Hunter Creek valley. I chose to start from Eklutna Lake to avoid the legendary devil's club of the lower Hunter Creek valley. From Eklutna Lake I climbed to Hunter Creek Pass, dropped down and then back up the 4105 ridge and then descended to the West Fork of Hunter Creek. At this point you are almost back down to the elevation from where you started at Eklutna Lake.

It took me about a dozen tries to find a safe ford of the creek. A braided glacial stream with submerged boulders on the loose, it's what I call "silt on full tilt!" Once on the other side of the creek I passed through a majestic cottonwood stand and then weaved my way upward through alders. At tundra line I spotted two large brown bears, 1/4 mile away chasing ground squirrels and heading my way. From behind a bush I hollered at them. They stopped, stood on their back legs to see what the commotion was. Finally they got spooked and headed down into the brush, to await my return!

I passed through a col at 4750 feet, crossed through a cirque and climbed to the summit of Peak 5705. On the summit I found no evidence of previous assent Rtfifi--I buil ~~ n~~agÇ