Power Points

It's odd that of all the incredible trails in Juneau, my favorite is the Perseverance up to Granite Creek Basin. And it has been ever since I got here, when I thought that first summer would be my only summer and I went hiking at least three times a week to see as much as I could. But that was the hike I always went back to, repeating it at least once a week. And still my first hike every summer is as far as I can go up Perseverance. I have a few...what I call power points along that trail...places where I can go when I want to write, when I need to think, when I'm upset, when I'm depressed...and just hang out for a while and veg for as long as I need to...and when I leave I feel good. Sometimes I even go there when I'm in a great mood so I can feel fantastic. No other trail in Juneau has quite the same effect on me. My spots are that spot that juts out over Ebner Falls, an outcropping of rocks that juts into the Creek about a quarter mile before the turn off to Granite Creek Basin, and the top of the falls at the top of that creek. I just went hiking up there last night. We've had so much snow this year, and there were a lot of changes on that trail. We've lost a lot of trees due to avalanches this year, and they built up the trail the first half mile. It's as wide as a narrow road now and the grated bridges are gone. So is a lot of greenery. But, the water... I've never seen Gold Creek so swollen, so lush with excess water as I saw it last night. It was so high, it slithered over the rocks we usually sit on to face the creek, as it's tossing and churning downhill to the channel. I'm a water baby, I suppose. Gold Creek really does it for me, and the power of that water last night was just too much, and we still have plenty of snowpack left to feed it. Needless to say, I felt great when I left. So where's one of your power points? Hope you have some where you are.