Eagle River Loop, July 30th, 2020

The Eagle River area was my center of gravity for the five months or so I was hiking in Alaska, and I had heard about how nice a loop would be starting from Baldy, up toward Blacktail and Roundtop, over to Vista and Mile High, and then out to Significant, and then back over Magnificent, and then back up Baldy to the end. I had tried to start this hike a few weeks prior and almost died in a rockfall in the rain, so I waited until a really good day this time, and started again. And wow, it was probably the best single hike I've ever done - or a very close second, at the least. Absolutely pristine views the entire time, and I got so high on endorphins by the time I was ascending Mile High that the cloud of depression that had enveloped me that summer cleared away, and I felt free for the first time in years. Unfortunately the following day was a hard crash, but that moment showed me that I could find a better life - and once I started transitioning several months later, I did find that :)

!!!