Glen Alps: Listen.. Can you hear the Sound of Music?

Well, we did a little more Alaska hiking this weekend.  There really is so much to do here that it's hard to choose sometimes.  We consulted "Alaska for Dummies" and decided to head over to the Glen Alps, about 20 minutes from Elmendorf.  We wanted to hike to the top of Flat Top Mountain.. the book said it was a "moderately difficult hike appropriate for fit adults and school-age children".  What the heck?  Off we went...

Well, suffice it to say, it was indeed a moderately difficult hike and probably better for school-age children (i.e., 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade).  The scenery was BEAUTIFUL and above the tree line which meant not as much bear risk...  When you come visit, this will definitely make the "to-do" list.  It reminded me of the mountains at the beginning of "Sound of Music" :)

The kids did great on this hike (well, Kara did, Clay rode on Clayton's shoulders most of the time) but they didn't make it all the way to the top.  I hung out w/them about 500 ft from the top while Clayton finished.  It was pretty steep and rocky and I was afraid all 4 of us would go over the edge with just one misstep....  Anyway, we had a great time except for the descent: Clay-Clay took a spill and got a nice scraped up knee.  He missed his nap so you can imagine how well that went over.  Everyone we passed knew something was wrong either from the blood or the hysterical screams :)  Ah, 3 yrs old.   It's such a lovely age.

Naturally, the week started off with a bang, or a kick to the gut.  Our realtor called to say that Spinnell, the builders of our house, weren't going to be finished for us to close on 8/12.  After I breathed in and out of my nose, counted to 10 in Korean, and prayed, I asked him how it was possible to speed things up.. so, we press on, make lots of phone calls, pray and shout (internally and literally).  I hope it gets resolved.  The house is finished, for all practical purposes and our financing is ready....   You'll hear from me sooner or later or you'll see me on the news "Crazed Military Wife Goes Postal in Alaska" :)